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Polk County Sports 12A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • July 5, 2017 Ainsworth enjoys Beavers’ run to CWS By Lukas Eggen The Itemizer-Observer CORVALLIS — Oregon State University’s baseball team was in the midst of a historic season. The Beavers earned a No. 1 national ranking and ad- vanced to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. Ath- letic trainer Jeremy Ainsworth couldn’t help but enjoy the ride. “The season was unbe- lievable from any perspec- tive,” Ainsworth said. “It was a great staff and a great group of guys to work with all year.” Ainsworth arrived at Ore- gon State last fall after serv- ing as athletic trainer at Cen- tral High School. Despite being in a new job and the Beavers being in the national spotlight, Ainsworth didn’t feel overwhelmed due to his drive to keep kids safe and h e a l t h y, r e g a r d l e s s o f whether they’re a JV athlete in high school or playing for a national title in college. “When it comes down to it, working to keep athletes safe on the field and working on preventing, evaluating and treating injuries is the main focus at any level,” he said. During his time with the Panthers, Ainsworth was well-liked and well-respect- ed by student-athletes and coaches. Ainsworth, a Cen- tral High graduate, knew it would take a special oppor- tunity to get him to leave. That’s what he found at Oregon State. “It was a great opportuni- ty for sure to return to the collegiate level with a great staff, amazing baseball pro- gram and at my alma mater,” Ainsworth said. Ainsworth became an as- sistant athletic trainer with Oregon State last fall and began working primarily with the baseball program. “It’s not that different from a professional stand- point. … Really, with athletic training and injury manage- ment aspect, dealing with an ankle sprain with a foot- ball player and baseball player isn’t that much differ- ent until you get to some more advanced functional progressions.” The biggest challenge had little to do with re- sources or scheduling. “The biggest challenges were probably coming into the position following up after a guy who had been there for a number of years and was beloved by the coaches, staff and players, and getting to know every- one and their routines and becoming part of their fami- ly, while making it my own t o s o m e e x t e n t , t o o,” Ainsworth said. It was a challenge he was well-equipped to tackle. “My time at Central was amazing,” Ainsworth said. “It was great to come back to the community I grew up in and my alma mater and continue to develop as an athletic trainer, grow the services available to the stu- dents and work with a great group of coaches, adminis- trators, student-athletes and their families.” Ainsworth’s new gig with the Beavers didn’t happen overnight and took lots of dedication, studying and a desire to always improve and learn new and better ways to keep athletes safe. His advice to any future athletic trainer? Never be satisfied. “Work hard, be profes- sional and get involved with your state and national or- ganizations,” Ainsworth said. “Volunteer and give back to your community. Cultivate relationships and always try and better your- self.” Camp: Around 150 kids attended the skills camp LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Williams signed autographs and posed for pictures with fans after his offensive skills camp on Thursday. About 150 kids attended Tyrell Williams’ Offensive Skills Camp at Western Oregon University on Thursday. Tyrell Williams’ offensive skills camp on Thursday worked on passing and route running. choice, he said. “It’s awesome to come back to a small town,” Williams said. “It’s cool to be at a familiar place. I played here for a while, and it’s a chance to give kids the op- portunity to come to a camp without having to travel far.” The camp was also a Williams believes will be a breakout season. “We’ve got to make the playoffs,” Williams said. “We want to do as well as we can, and I’ll do whatever I can to help the team.” But all that wasn’t on his mind. His focus was on the kids and giving them a mo- Continued from Page 11A Those lessons varied from quarterbacks like Dallas High School sophomore Jar- rett Brateng learning how to do a five-step drop to re- ceivers learning how to run routes better. But the most important lesson many left with was that where you start doesn’t dictate where you’ll finish. “Seeing what Tyrell has done shows us that anything is possible,” Brateng said. Williams had his choice of places to hold his camp, whether in Oregon or California, but Mon- mouth was always his top break before the grind of a new NFL season. “I plan to get a couple workouts in while I’m here, but also relax and meet up with some friends,” Williams said. After that, it’s back to preparing for the fall — and the beginning of what ment they’d never forget. “To see Tyrell give back to kids with opportunities that he didn’t necessarily have speaks a lot to his work ethic and him as a human being,” WOU football coach Arne Ferguson said. “It doesn’t get any better than Tyrell Williams.” Tennis: Tournament deemed a success by players Continued from Page 11A Patty Youngren, one of the organizers of the tour- nament, said the tourna- ment had 58 entrants — in- cluding one player from the opposite side of the country, who was in need of playing partner. As fate would have it, Youngren had a solution. “I t h o u g h t Si l ve r t o n would be our long-distance player, but Ken Rickson, visiting Cor vallis from Florida, played with Joseph Santiago from Corvallis,” Youngren said. “Joseph’s original playing partner had to bow out. The timing was right. As soon as I hung up with Joseph, Ken called to find out about play. This is what I love about the game of tennis, people can make new friends instantly.” The tournament also gives players like Sanchez and Matveev chances to showcase their talents and improve their weaknesses as tennis players. “In Woodburn, we don’t get as many chances to play unless we join a club somewhere,” Sanchez said. “This gives us more chances to play, and we LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer Van Khieu, right, goes in for a hit on Sunday while playing alongside Lydia Khieu. ended up having a lot of fun.” Sanchez said many city tournaments are disap- pearing, and without easy access to tennis clubs and USTA-sponsored events, finding chances to play tennis can be hard. “Some of us, we’ve never had a club nearby, and with t h e U S TA , t h a t c o s t s money, and sometimes it’s far away. These city tourna- ments are great for us.” The Monmouth-Inde- pendence tournament saw players with a range of skill levels competing on Satur- day and Sunday. With different brackets for different skill levels, no one felt overwhelmed or out of place on the courts, Youngren said. As the tennis tourna- ment came to a close, Sanchez and Matveev took a moment to relax. It had been a long two days of tennis — but both are al- ready making plans to return next summer. “We want to have a good experience, and that’s what we’re here to do, to have a good time and try and bet- ter ourselves,” Sanchez said. LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer Alice and Ryan Bibler, of Dallas, compete in a doubles match on Sunday.
