SPORTS SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 2015 HERMISTONHERALD.COM A9 PREP BASKETBALL • TAEKWONDO • SCHEDULE Not just an Cougars drop Badgers instructor BY SAM BARBEE HERMISTON HERALD S itting at the Eastern Oregon Family 7DHNZRQGRFHQWHU ZDWFKLQJRZQHUDQGIRXQGHU (UQHVW:DWVRQWHDFKDJURXS RIFKLOGUHQKRZWRSXQFK EORFNDQGNLFN:HGQHVGD\ ,FRXOGQ¶WKHOSEXWJHWWKH XUJHWRMXPSXSWKHUHDQG try it myself. It seemed so simple. ,NQRZLW¶VQRW$V someone who played VSRUWV,NQRZWKDW HYHU\WKLQJDOZD\VORRNV HDV\XQWLO\RXWU\LW7DNH baseball, for example. Slow-motion replays have NLOOHGEDVHEDOOEHFDXVH everyone watches those and says to themselves, ³:HOOWKDW¶VQRWWKDW KDUG:K\GLGQ¶WKH¿HOG WKDWJURXQGHU"´:HOOLW¶V EHFDXVHLWLVKDUGDQG LIHYHU\RQHFRXOGGRLW HYHU\RQHZRXOG ,NQRZWDHNZRQGR It’s clear that the Watsons have endeared themselves to the students and their parents. Watson is very supportive of his students both inside and outside the dojo, and that is truly commendable. LVKDUGDOVREHFDXVH :DWVRQVDLGVR+H¶V DEODFNEHOWDQGWKDW WDNHV\HDUVDQG\HDUVRI WUDLQLQJDQGZRUNDQG discipline. His wife, Lorry, is a red belt, which LVGDUQFORVHWRDEODFN EHOW7KH\¶YHZRUNHG KDUGWREXLOGWKHVNLOOVWR earn those belt levels, and I respect that more than HYHQ,WKLQN,NQRZ %XWZKDWPRVWJRWPH is how Watson interacts SAM BARBEE FROM THE SIDELINES Sports reporter ZLWKKLVVWXGHQWV+H¶V QRWKDUGRQWKHNLGV When they do something wrong, or maybe not ZURQJMXVWQRWTXLWH ULJKWKH¶VSDWLHQWDQG calmly tells them what WRGR2Q7KXUVGD\KH ZDVZRUNLQJZLWKRQH WZRSXQFKFRPELQDWLRQV DQGZRXOGOLJKWO\WDNH a swing with his pads to VLPXODWHDKRRNVRWKH VWXGHQWVFDQSUDFWLFH SXQFKLQJDQGGXFNLQJ GXFNLQJDQGSXQFKLQJ He was having so PXFKIXQZLWKWKH children, who ranged in DJHIURPWR7KH\ DOOORYHGWKHGXFNSDUW DQGODXJKHGZKHQWKH\ FDXJKWDOLJKWVZDWWRWKH KHDG:DWVRQODXJKHG WRR3DUHQWVODXJKHG, JRWDFRXSOHFKXFNOHVRXW RILW+HZDVQ¶WVLPSO\ WHDFKLQJKLVVWXGHQWV WDHNZRQGR+HZDV playing with them. He was one of them. 7RPHWKDW¶VWKH EHVWTXDOLW\RI:DVWRQ¶V EXVLQHVV+HFDQUHODWH WRWKH\RXQJVWXGHQWV who come in. He can WDNHDYHU\GLI¿FXOW very demanding activity — martial arts — and PDNHLWDSSURDFKDEOHDQG reasonably easy to grasp. 7KHGRMRKDVQ¶WDOZD\V EHHQPHJDVXFFHVVIXO either. From time to time, the Watsons have had to dip LQWRWKHLURZQSRFNHWV to pay the rent for the VSDFHRQ&RH$YHQXH LQ6WDQ¿HOG'XULQJWKH VXPPHUHQUROOPHQW drops, and it becomes GLI¿FXOWWRNHHSWKH EXVLQHVVUXQQLQJ%XW WKH\SHUVHUYHUHEHFDXVH they love it. ³