9 CLACKAMAS PRINT • JUNE 3,2015
Moving on up
Athletes use CCC as stepping stone to success at next level
Story by Jack Spencer
A thletes at Clackamas Com m unity
College w ill take the next step to com
pete at four-year schools.
W ith spring term coming to a close ,
that also means that athletics are going
to take a break until next fall. We will
be welcoming a new group of freshman
athletes come fall, b ut not before we
bid a fond farewell to all of the athletes
th at are moving on from CCC. W ith all
of the success th a t athletics had this
year they deserve the recognition. For a
special few CCC athletes, the ride does
not stop here.
photo by Andrew Stanfield
ics,” said CCC wrestler Robbie Rizzo,ino.
“ High school wasn’t my cup o f tea. I
just came here and they p ut a good
program together for me to succeed In
wrestling and in the classroom as well."
Being a Cougar fan you quickly be
come aware of how successful our ath
letic programs are. A lot of th a t praise
can be awarded to the highly success
ful and experienced coaches we have
here. It takes a lot of energy and tim e
to win a championship, which most of
our coaches have achieved, but it takes
a lot more to still be able to develop
and help your athletes along the way.
“It’s prepared me for hard work and
th a t adversity Is going to come at any
tim e ,” said CCC w re stle r Ihogham a
Odlghizuwa. “I got my technique bet
ter. They took me to tournam ents th at
allowed me to show off my abilities.”
like,” said CCC poll vaulter Zack Supple.
“W ith track w e are able to com pete
against four year schools, they m ight
not be DI but we com pete against a
lot of Dll, Dill and NAIA schools. So just
having th a t experience at those big
meets will help me a lot next year.”
A lot of the athletes touched on the
invaluable experience that they gained
while being at CCC. W hether it be the
program , th e coaches or th e fe llo w
teammates they had nothing but pos
itivity to convey to me.
“ It’s been awesome, this Is by far
one o f th e best ju n io r college w res
tling programs In the nation,” said CCC
photo by Andrew Stanfield
“I am so very proud of my Cougars
as they have worked hard to prepare
themselves for the next level, both aca
demically and In volleyball," said coach
Kathle Woods. “Al, six o f th e sopho
mores that played this year have earned
scholarships to play at the next level.”
For a lot of us, CCC is a stepping stone
In our college experience. We finish
up here and then move on to another
school or program . For some o f our
athletes, it Is th e same way. A place
where you can master your craft, get
th e experience you need and much
more.
“[CCC] really helped me with academ
Being able to compete at this level
w hile still being able to m aster your
craft Is not a luxury th a t many athletes
g e t CCC seems to have done a good
job w ith giving their athletes the expe
rience they need to be able to compete
at the next level.
“They definitely gave me a taste of
w hat competing against big schools is
WASHINGTON STATE
F S UNIVERSITY
VAN C O U VER
wrestler Eleazar Deluca. “Just had awe
some workout partners here, awesome
coaching. Couldn’t really have asked
for a better situation to be honest.”