Budget cuts will prevent the Coupeville School District from having an athletic trainer during the 2023-2024 school year unless we, as Wolf Nation, step up.

While the district can not fund the position itself, school administrators are open to the community donating the money needed.

This would require $8,600, which covers salary and benefits for Jessica Caselden, a Coupeville alumnus who also teaches at the school.

A former Wolf athlete who grew up on the prairie as part of a tight-knit group of young women, she returned to Whidbey Island, bought her childhood home, and wants to raise her own children in her hometown.

Jessica's work was hugely instrumental in Coupeville athletic teams having one of the most injury-free years in the 30 years I have written about sports in the town.

She is also a role model for young athletes, one whose impact is already being felt in the young women and men who are showing an interest in following her into the athletic training field.

Funding this position, with Jessica remaining a vital part of Wolf Nation, offers protection and guidance to Coupeville's athletes, and reassurance to their families, while giving the school district time to plan for finding a way to once again include this vital role in its budget.