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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (June 3, 2015)
12A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • June 3, 2015 Polk County Sports Master: Daughter helped fuel her decision Continued from Page 10A She was no stranger to the weight room, lifting since she was 13. But it was after her athletic career was cut short that she discovered her passion. “I played soccer and was a downhill ski racer at Fort Lewis College,” Metzgar- Deacon said. “I ended up having to end my career early because I broke my back. I ended up working for my strength coach there and he said, I think you’d be real- ly good at it. I was like, this is a field? There are real jobs in this? That was in the ’90s and there wasn’t a ton of jobs.” Metzgar-Deacon became driven to succeed, serving as a graduate assistant at Western Michigan, where she earned her Master’s de- gree. She worked at Ohio State for a year, before spending five years each at Colorado State and Wash- ington State before arriving in Monmouth. Metzgar-Deacon was al- ways looking to help break down gender barriers. “I was told by a couple people in my field that I would never be a director of strength and conditioning over football,” Metzgar-Dea- con said. “When I left Ohio State, someone told me that. At that time, there weren’t any females in that role. I just smiled and said we’ll see.” Almost 14 years later, she would get her chance. Making her mark Throughout her career, Metzgar-Deacon was on a mission — to become a strength and conditioning director and overseeing a football program, becom- ing one of only a few women nationwide to hold LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Cori Metzgar-Deacon works to stretch out a student-athlete on Monday morning. that position. Western Oregon offered her the chance to accom- plish both goals. Metzgar-Deacon joined WOU’s staff in October 2011, but her decision to leave Washington State wasn’t easy. “There was (hesitation) about going from Division I to Division II only for the reason that Western Oregon did not have a strength and conditioning department. Not only being a female di- rector, but I would be start- ing a program and building it from the ground level. It was appealing, but also very scary. There was a lot of trepidation because I knew that coming here my first year, I would be the only s t re n g t h c o a c h f o r 1 3 sports.” At Washington State, she worked with, at most, five teams. Her visit to Western’s cam- pus sealed the deal. “I loved the campus, I loved the coaches and everyone that I met,” she said. After she arrived, the real work began. “The biggest challenge was, and I say this in a posi- tive way, the lack of disci- pline,” Metzgar-Deacon said. “The athletes never had to lift. They could if they wanted to and some coach- es made their teams lift, but some didn’t. It was kind of a free for all.” Metzgar-Deacon worked to establish rules and stan- dards. Often, she arrived at 4:45 a.m. and stayed until 7 p.m. Enforcing schedules, rules, and organizing the department by herself led to a stressful first year. But her patience paid off, resulting in a smooth-run- ning operation, one that benefitted players in a big way. “She played a huge part in all the players’ individual success, as well as all of the team’s success,” former WOU football player Tyrell Williams said. Over time, Metzgar-Dea- con got to know her athletes, how best to push them and establish a routine. “I love the kids that we get here,” Metzgar-Deacon said. “They work just as hard, if not harder, than those at the Division I level because they don’t get full scholarships, and are just doing what they love.” As the first couple years went by, she received help via assistants and student interns. As her athletes got to know her better, things smoothed out. “It runs effortlessly,” she said. “We always have hic- cups, and that’s to be ex- pected. But when I went to the conference, we had just our student interns and they ran the room for four days while I was gone. Two years ago, could I have said this was going to happen? Ab- solutely not. I would have shut the room if it was in my first or second year.” Then, in 2013, she wel- comed a daughter, Reba. It was also the year that she declined to accept being named a master coach. Two years later, her daughter helped her change her mind. A new attitude Throughout her career, Metzgar-Deacon has always tried to become an example for females to follow in the strength and conditioning world. Welcoming a daughter into the world only rein- forced that goal. “I was going through the process of, should I accept this master coach award, — if you want to call it that, — or not,” Metzgar-Deacon said. “Someone said to me that this is going to be im- portant for Reba that she sees her mom getting recognition. I want her to grow up with a strong fe- male as a mom and see her work and love what she does. I think that’s really important and a lot of why I did it.” Metzgar-Deacon said she is one of three women in the NCAA directly responsible for football strength and conditioning. But no matter what sport she’s working with, Metzgar- Deacon said what she does isn’t just about helping stu- dents perform athletically. And that is more important to her than any title. “What we do isn’t about lifting weights,” Metzgar- Deacon said. “It’s about helping these athletes devel- op into good people and role models.” PREP BASEBALL ROUNDUP Dallas: Dragons no-hit in loss Dallas sees eight players receive all-league honors Hatley named Pitcher of the Year Itemizer-Observer staff report DALLAS — Eight Dallas baseball players earned all- Mid-Willamette Confer- ence (MWC) honors. Junior Logan Hatley was named the lea- g u e ’ s Pitcher of t h e Ye a r for the second consecu- tive sea- son. Hatley Hatley and soph- omore se- cond ba- seman Za- ch Wallace earned first team all-confer- ence hon- Wallace ors. Juniors Tucker Weaver (pitcher) and Everett Mi- nahan (outfield/pitcher) and freshman catcher Treve Earhart received second team all-confer- ence recognition, while seniors Conner Maclean (first base) and Jake Shryer (second base) and sopho- more shortstop Tanner Earhart earned honorable mentions. The Dragons finished 19- 9 overall and 18-8 in league play, finishing third in the MWC. Dallas advanced to the first round of the state playoffs before falling to Hood River Valley 5-0. FOUR PANTHERS EARN ALL-LEAGUE HONORS: Four Central baseball players re- ceived all-Mid-Willamette Con- ference (MWC) recognition. Senior outfielder Kyler Fleming was named first team all- league, while senior infielder Wes Riddell and sophomores Luis Amador (first base) and Humberto Alarcon (utility) earned second team all-MWC honors. Central fi n i s h e d 1 3 - 1 1 overall and 11-10 in league play. The Pa n t h e r s advanced Fleming to the state play- in round before losing to Crater 1-0. Corvallis’ Zack Zalesky was named Player of the Year, while Jason Fariman of Corvallis re- ceived Coach of the Year hon- ors. FIVE PIRATES EARN ALL- LEAGUE RECOGNITION: The Perrydale baseball squad saw five play- ers earn all-Special District 2 honors. Seniors Troy Trem- bly and Chad Price received first team Price all-league honors, while sophomore Haylen Janesofsky and seniors David Silver and Hunter John- son were named second team all-league. The Pirates finished 11-10 overall and 5-9 in league play. Continued from Page 10A The Dragons finished the 2015 season with a 19-9 record overall and 18-8 in Mid-Willamette Conference play. And while the season came to a close sooner than hoped, Dallas fin- ished the regular season winning 10 of its final 12 games, including winning a Tr. Earhart t h r e e - game series against Corvallis for the first time under Mc- Donald. “I think the big thing is we want to be playing our best ball at the end of the sea- son,” McDonald said. “We had a tough draw in the playoffs, but we improved throughout the year.” The Dragons will see seven seniors graduate, in- cluding pitcher/third base- man Seth Fast, first base- man/designated hitter Con- ner Maclean and infielder Jake Shryer. But Dallas will see numer- ous players return, including BEN MITCHELL/ for the Itemizer-Observer Dallas first baseman Conner Maclean attempts to tag a Hood River Valley baserunner out on May 27. The Dragons lost to the Eagles 5-0 in the first round of the state playoffs. pitchers Logan Hatley, Tuck- er Weaver and Everett Mina- han, catcher Treve Earhart and more. For many of the Dragons, American Legion baseball during the summer is up next, providing an opportu- nity for them to build on the 2015 season. “You sit down and create some goals,” McDonald said. “We want to focus on some things we need to im- prove on and get better and we attack it together.” While Dallas fell in the first round for the second year in a row, McDonald said the Dragons achieved a lot during the 2015 season, leaving players with a lot to be proud of. “We almost had a 20-win season,” McDonald said. “The kids won some big games and we accomplished a lot of our goals we set out to do. It’s tough because only one team is going to stand on the podium.” End of the Line BEN MITCHELL/for the Itemizer-Observer Junior pitcher Logan Hatley delivers a throw against Hood River Valley in a first round playoff contest on May 27. The Eagles defeated Dallas 5-0. • Dallas finished the 2015 season with a 19-9 record overall and 18-8 in league play. • The Dragons placed third in the Mid-Willamette Conference standings and advanced to the first round of the state playoffs.