Newport's Sipe To Go Out On Top

Darren Sipe smiled last week when told something special might be planned for Thursday's wrestling match between Issaquah and Newport, Sipe's last home dual meet as coach of the Knights. Having a bunch of former athletes, some who now are grandparents, in attendance would be a nice way to conclude a 32-year career.

Sipe has won five KingCo championships, coached 35 league champions and 23 state place winners, although he's never won a state championship.

Most notably, "I haven't had any kids in high school who could beat the ol' coach," said Sipe, 54, who still dresses down for every practice and grapples with his wrestlers.

Of course, that would be asking a lot. After placing fifth in the nation as a senior at Central Washington in 1966, Sipe kept getting better. He won three Greco Roman national championships in the 180 1/2-pound division and was an alternate on the 1968 and 1972 U.S. Olympic teams (he lost in the Olympic trial finals both years).

His coaching success has been almost as great. Sipe has been named state high-school coach of the year and was Pac-10 coach of the year while at Washington, where he coached 12 Pac-10 champions before the Husky program was disbanded in 1980. That was "by far" the most disappointing time of his career.

Now it is time to move on, he says, to do things with his wife, Jan, on weekends and holidays that have been booked with coaching football, wrestling and track. It's time for his assistants to take over. He insists he's not coming back.

"I was out and now I'm back, so I guess he might be smarter than me," said longtime Issaquah Coach Roger Wilson, who gave Sipe his first coaching job, as an Issaquah assistant in 1966-67. "You obviously will miss people that have been a stalwart in the league."

Sipe's retirement gives Newport senior Kyle Siverts, who placed second at state last season at 178 pounds, approximately three weeks to become the first high-school wrestler to beat Sipe on the mat.

Sipe said Siverts has come closer than anyone to beating him. But the ol' coach is confident he'll finish his career undefeated, a record that is worthy of tribute in itself.

Newport Athletic Director Chuck Crickmore encourages all of Sipe's former wrestlers to attend Thursday's meet. If any have suggestions as to what to do for Sipe, Crickmore asks they call him at 425-747-9835.

Star-spangled Falcon

Woodinville's wrestling match with Inglemoor Thursday will play a major role in determining the KingCo 4A dual-meet championship. That's reason enough to go, right? Well, here's another. The national anthem will be sung by Woodinville's Chalon Williams.

He's a good wrestler - he's 10-3 at 178 pounds this season, his first in the sport - but he's a better singer. He's recording his first CD - he likens his style to Elton John and Eric Clapton - in the upstairs studio of his family's Woodinville home.

"The key to singing the national anthem well is just relaxing," said Williams, who has sung the anthem before at Woodinville basketball games. "I'm not really nervous about any of it."

Williams calls himself a thespian by nature. But he didn't get selected for the school play this trimester (he was the lead in the fall play), so he tried out for wrestling. And he's done very well. According to Falcon Coach Shaker Culpepper, Williams may be seeded at next week's KingCo 4A Conference tournament.

Regardless of his performance at KingCo, however, Williams' season will end after the tournament. The All-State Choir festival is the following weekend - the same weekend as the wrestling regional tournaments. And despite his success on the mat this winter, acting and singing is where his future lies, and he's not going to miss the choir festival.

"Yeah, I wish I could wrestle in regionals but this is how I'll get to college and stuff," said Williams, who hopes to attend Southern Methodist or Webster College in St. Louis. "I kind of want to go to Broadway and (those schools) kind of set people up to go there."