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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (June 22, 2016)
Polk County Sports Polk County Itemizer-Observer • June 22, 2016 9A Channeling my inner Roger Federer ... sort of L UKAS E GGEN Commentary As I stepped onto the ten- nis court, staring down my arch enemy, I paused and took a deep breath before I hit my first serve. My opponent didn’t know what was about to hit him. I tossed the ball into the air and time seemed to slow to a crawl. I began my serving motion, made contact with the ball, and watched with anticipation to see my sure- fire ace. I heard the ball bounce once, then twice. Mission accomplished. Except there was one small detail standing in my way. My serve didn’t exactly make it in the serve area. Or in our court at all. My opponent, really my friend who had the lack of foresight to agree to my pleas for a tennis match, shook his head and started to jog to retrieve the ball. When I was 10 or 11 years old, I took tennis lessons. I was the star pupil (at least in my head I was). Clearly those lessons haven’t stuck with me through the years. Instead, I’m stuck with a forehand that is semi-de- p e n d a b l e, a b a c k h a n d where half the time it goes in the general direction I want it to, and half the time it ap- pears as though I’ve closed my eyes and just swung wildly at the ball and just hoped it would land some- where on the court. In my defense, my friend wasn’t a whole lot better than I was. The good news, we were a good match for each other. The bad news? There was- n’t a ton of actual tennis being played. It was more: hit the ball once or twice, watch it sail out of bounds, pause, retrieve said balls, and repeat. Riveting, I know. There were whiffs, balls sailing over the fence, balls being hit into the net and balls hit all over the court. The only place that proved difficult to make the balls land was in our own court. Not the most promising de- velopment, especially with the Monmouth-Indepen- dence Fourth of July tennis tournament looming. But I have a trump card — one that I expect to give me an edge to tournament glory (or at least not hit any inno- cent bystander with a way- ward shot). Dallas hosts an open court Wednesday evenings. Among the people there will be Thomas Gniadecki, Dal- las High’s foreign exchange student who placed third at the 5A boys state tennis championships. Will he be able to pass along his knowledge, skill and athleticism to me in time to triumph on July 2 and 3? No. But, I do intend to pick his brain, learn a few tips and maybe, just maybe, go from a terrible tennis player to a slightly less terrible one. Nichols: Plans to train with Kevin Boss Continued from Page 8A That dream was dashed when he was kicked off the team. “I was crying in the gym every night because I didn’t have a team,” Nichols said. Prior to the 2013-14 season, Chaffey Community College of- fered Nichols a chance to play. He jumped on the opportuni- ty and averaged 8.6 points, 5.5 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. He began to get interest from several Division I schools, including Washington State and Santa Clara, but things unraveled quickly. “The recruiter at Washington State, I don’t know what hap- pened but something fell through,” Nichols said. “Santa Clara went with someone else. That’s the business aspect of this sport. I was heartbroken.” With just a few weeks left in the signing period, Nichols went from being a sought-after player to one without a clear sense of where he could go to play. Western Oregon entered the picture, and in two seasons with the Wolves, he helped lead WOU to historic success. He still re- members those days spent cry- ing in the gym and knows those experiences will help him for the ups and downs of chasing a professional basketball career. “A lot of my fire comes from not having an opportunity,” Nichols said. “When I do have that chance, I will do everything I can to fulfill it to its max poten- tial.” — Since the 2015-16 season ended, Nichols has plotted out LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer file Julian Nichols, right, played a major role in Western Oregon’s run to the NCAA Division II Final Four. his course. He traveled to Bend on Monday to train with former professional football player and WOU alumni Kevin Boss and his staff. “There are very few people who genuinely care about helping the next person,” Nichols said. “He’s one of those people. He asked me what I want to focus on. I told him I need to put on weight and work on my strength and ath- leticism. I feel like if I do that, everything else will take care of itself. I know it will be hard work, but hard work is, like, my middle name.” Keeping his basketball skills sharp is easy. Finding a chance to show what he can do is the challenge. “That’s more of the business aspect that I’m really unsure about,” Nichols said. “I can only control what I can control and that’s my ability to play.” Signing with an agent could be the key to finding tryouts with teams, either in the United States or overseas, but finding the right agent isn’t easy. “I’m looking for someone who is up front and honest,” Nichols said. “I want someone who has my best interest. I’m family ori- ented, so whoever is coming from the outside in, they need to know how I am and how my parents are. It’s a relationship you hope you can build on as you go.” But he knows in the world of professional basketball, some- times it’s about who you know that can get you a chance, and Nichols isn’t about to rush a de- cision as big as this. “It’s a real business,” Nichols said. “A lot of people don’t see that. It goes back to finding the right person, and you don’t have to pay as much attention to that side of it because they have your best interest.” Not having an agent means finding those chances to show what he can do are few and far between. “The most difficult part is the waiting process,” Nichols said. “The past two years, we’ve had a season, then all our offseason programs. Now, you have to make sure you’re ready on call. You get fuzzy vision, and start to think, am I doing this right?” Those doubts are fleeting. In- stead, he’s focused on being ready whenever that chance may be. “When given the opportuni- ty, whether it’s a tryout or a showcase or whatever, I’ll be ready to go out there and per- form like I’ve been performing these last two years,” Nichols said. “The most exciting part is I feel like how I did the August before I first reported at West- ern. I’m excited to get to work, show what I can do and prove myself. I’m ready for this.” Tennis: Tourney enters Williams: Teammates 43rd year this summer noticing improvement Continued from Page 8A Brackets are available for singles, doubles and mixed doubles play. There are also different categories based on skill level, so no matter if you fancy yourself the next Novak Djokovic or have barely picked up a racket for the first time, the tourna- ment offers a chance to hit the court. “It would be great to have new players out,” Youngren said. “Tennis is leveled into different flights, so a new player isn’t trying to strike a hundred mile an hour serve.” Organizers hope to see a reverse in a recent trend, which has seen fewer play- ers turn out. “Tennis has seen a drop in competitive play in the last several years,” Youngren said. “People shift in how they spend their time. I’m hoping the high school kids get out and practice tourna- ment play. It’s fun to see them competing and mixing together offseason. One couple who has played to- gether from Corvallis for several years calls the tour- nament their little secret. Hopefully, we’ll have enough turn out to make it enjoy- able.” Sign-ups for the tourna- ment are due by noon on June 29. And come Fourth of July weekend, be ready for two days full of tennis, re- gardless of the weather. “We have learned that we should be flexible with the draws, the weather, etc.,” Youngren said. “We have learned that people like to play in two events, but don’t like to play in three or more rounds. We hope to limit play to two matches in any given day, unless opponents agree to a different set up.” All participants must bring a can of balls. Cost is $15 for singles and $25 for doubles. All proceeds from the tournament will go to the promotion of communi- ty tennis and Central High’s boys and girls tennis teams. For many of the partici- pants, the mix of supporting the community and getting a chance to take part in a shared love of tennis has helped make the Mon- mouth-Independence Fourth of July tennis tourna- ment one tradition worth coming back to again and again. “Tennis is a wholesome way to get to know your neighbors,” Youngren said. “Tennis is something the whole family can do. It’s a fun experience because of the community of tennis players. Many players have played in this tournament for a number of years. It’s great to get together. It’s also a great time for newcomers because it is low-keyed.” Continued from Page 8A Others saw the difference during the Chargers’ spring organized team activities. Perhaps the most en- couraging was from starting quarterback Philip Rivers, who told the Chargers.com’s managing editor Ricky Henne that Williams impressed Rivers with his work ethic and drive. “(Tyrell) is one of those guys that you saw flashes of (last year that) this guy could be something,” Rivers said. “You all saw those flashes. … Gosh, he played at a small school, but if he could come along, he could have a chance. And I think he would even tell you that he’s still coming along, but it does look like he’s going to have a chance to make the team and help us. We’ll see as he continues to progress, but he’s come a long way since last year. … He’s hungry. He takes every little thing you give him, and I have seen him get steadily get better every sin- gle game. … His arrow and game are ascending quick- ly.” Williams, who practiced with both the first and sec- ond team offenses, knows he’s still a work-in-progress, but his approach has changed drastically from a year ago. “Last year, my main thing was to do what I need to do to make the team,” Williams said. “I was always kind of nervous and tried not to mess up. For me personally this year, I’m trying to make an impact on the field and Solution on Page 11A LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer file Monmouth-Independence’s Fourth of July tennis tourna- ment offers singles, doubles and mixed doubles play. be out there every down. I want to make sure I’m ready to go for games. My mentality isn’t just making the team anymore, it’s mak- ing a difference on the field.” Williams hopes that drive allows him to not only land a spot on the Chargers 53- man active roster, but a chance to continue living out his dream and becom- ing one of San Diego’s go-to passing options. “Every day I come out on the field and I can’t be- lieve I’m there,” Williams said. “I always make sure I know and appreciate what I have. It’s crazy to me to be given the opportunity to play. I want to go out there every single practice and make as many plays as I can.”
