For 2012 Camas High School graduate, Tyler Weiss, heading to a national college wrestling tournament, is the culmination of years of hard work, perseverance, and sheer will power.

Weiss is part of the Brigham Young University (BYU) Wrestling program that is sending six wrestlers to the National Collegiate Wrestling Association’s (NCWA) National Tournament next week, in Orlando, FL.

The 22 year-old BYU sophomore, who recently completed LDS Church missionary service in Brazil, is pleased with the results from a regional tournament that has put his team in this position.

Traveling to the nationals with Weiss is Coach Craig Miner; Tyler Carlyle, 22, Sophomore and Team Captain; Blake Solomon, 21, Freshman; Joe Cooprider, 23, Senior; Derek Mcclure, 18, Freshman; and Ben Peterson, 21, Sophomore.

“I love the competitive aspect of wrestling,” says Weiss, who began wrestling as a Freshman at Camas High School. “You work hard and you see the results. It’s really rewarding.”

These young men have been wrestling since mid-October, and practice four days a week. The wrestling season officially started in early November, and the team travels every other week to compete.

“We have a really good team filled with good guys,” said Weiss, who competes in the 133 weight class. “It’s good to get back into wrestling.”

 

BYU Regionals

The BYU Wrestling Team is sending 6 wrestlers to Nationals.

 

The team thinks highly of their coach, Craig Miner, but he demurs.

“I’m not teaching them anything,” adds Miner. “Tyler C runs the practices, and I just do what I can to help them. I’ve done the fundraising, and get the travel arrangements taken care of. Plus, it was hard getting the program accepted at BYU.”

Miner explained that the university had dropped wrestling last year, and that he and several others lobbied hard to get the program reinstated.

“We’re grateful they accepted the program,” said Miner. “After the season ends, we’ll work hard to get it reinstated for next season.”

Last year, with the fate of the program unknown, Weiss asked his family and friends to pray for the program to return.

“We were relieved when Tyler called us to say the program was reinstated,” said Matt Weiss, Tyler’s father. “Tyler has loved wrestling ever since he started at Camas High School. He loved Coach Hartman, and he’s put a lot of time and effort into the sport.”

Weiss learned wrestling from Hartman at Camas High School. He said Hartman’s program taught him how to work hard, and be tough.

“These kids have done very well,” added Miner. “We expect them to win. They placed well at Regionals, and I think we’ll carry that momentum into next week. They have a lot of talent.”

Wrestling Practices at BYU

Carlyle said the team puts into the effort everyday.

“Tyler is the lightest guy in the room, but he’s one of the toughest,” Carlyle said. “In wrestling, it’s almost always who is the most mentally tough who wins. It’s really a mindset of ‘I’m going to score.'”

The BYU Wrestling team practice routine consists of a warmup, to get sweating. Then, they go over technique points, and get conditioned doing matches.

“We’ll make one guy stay in and toughen up to compete with several teammates,” said Carlyle. “He won’t have a second to catch his breath. Plus, we don’t run a lot, as we feel that doesn’t add anything to our practices. And Tyler always works hard to make his cuts.”

Solomon says: “Weiss is always giving his all and works through it, and doesn’t use his size as an excuse.”

Regarding next week’s National Tournament, Weiss says: “I’d be happy to be All-American, in the Top 8. I want to be in the Finals.”

So, do wrestlers have to be fearless?

“Yeah,” says Weiss. “I’d say that they have to be able to control their fears and not let their fears control them. Sometimes my fears are what drive me to work even harder. Fear of being beaten or not giving enough are the fears wrestlers need to have. There’s a saying in wrestling that goes ‘fear no one but respect everyone,’ meaning that you shouldn’t be afraid of anyone but that you need to respect everyone and not look past anyone.”

To learn more, visit www.byuwrestling.com

 

Regional NCWA Tournament

The BYU Wrestling Team poses after a stellar performance at Regionals.

 

Tyler Weiss

Matt Weiss, Tyler Weiss, center, and Annie Weiss celebrate with their son at Regionals.

 

Wrestling victory

Tyler Weiss started wrestling at Camas High School.

 

KELSO — For the second weekend in a row, a Camas High School team has won a District title. Last week, it was Wrestling. This weekend, it was the Camas Boy’s Swim team. And, it wasn’t just a story of wins, it was also a story of old records being smashed. Really old records.

The Papermaker victory, with a final score of 403 points, was a solid effort lead by several freshmen and sophomores, who are doing things that usually happen to juniors and seniors.

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The entire team enjoying the moment of victory.

 

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Holding the District Championship Trophy. From left: Daniil Timchenko, Eric Wu, and Noah Macia. Photo by Blake Schnell.

 

While, the Papermakers won multiple events, one of the best stories of Saturday afternoon at the Kelso High School pool, was sophomore Mark Kim’s victory in the 500 Free event with a time of 4:37.62, breaking a meet record, and a pool record held since 1973. He broke the record by 4 seconds. In swim speak, my friends, that’s jaw dropping.

“It feels great,” said Kim, who had little time to savor his victory. He needed to move onto his next event, the 200 Free Relay. His teammates say he just gets the job done, day in and day out. He loves what he does.

“Everybody is excited and happy,” said Kim. “We’ve had a lot of great swims today.”

 

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Mark Kim savoring his victory in the 500 Free, as he broke a record that was made in 1973. Photo by Blake Schnell.

Setting the tone early

Earlier in the meet, Kim won the 200 Free (1:44.93). And, the tone of the meet was set at the beginning when Papermakers Eric Wu, Finn McClone, Chris Xia, and Austin Fogel won the 200 Medley Relay (1:43.95).

Then Freshman Eric Wu won the 200 IM (1:57.07).

 

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Tom Utas entering the pool during one of the events. Photo by Blake Schnell.

 

“This is just surreal what’s happened today,” said Wu. “Countless years of practice with club swimming (at Lacamas Swim and Sport) have resulted in such a successful day. I look forward to State, and will try to make it to Finals.”

In the 50 Free, Max Dolbinin, of Heritage, won the event (21.64). Papermaker Tom Utas placed second (22.36).

Union’s Andrew Chang bested everyone in the 100 Fly (53.61), and Max Dolbinin blew everyone away in the 100 Free, setting a new meet record (47.83).

Camas again returned to the No. 1 spot in the 200 Free Relay with Luke Albert, Eric Wu, Mark Kim, and Tom Utas, delivering a time of 1:31.85.

Finn McClone won the 100 Back (55.11) and Jeff Fadlovich placed second (56.17).

“It’s been a great meet,” said Fadlovich. “I got a PR (personal record) and the team overall did very well.”

Wu delivered another first place finish in the 100 Breast (1:01.49), followed by Christ Joa, of Mountain View (1:06.07).

And, in the final event of the District Championships, Camas won the 400 Free Relay with a time of 3.19.97, setting a new pool and meet record. The team consisted of Luke Albert, Chris Xia, Mark Kim, and Tom Utas.

 

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The 400 Free Relay winners: From left, Chris Xia, Tom Utas, Mark Kim, and Luke Albert. Photo by Blake Schnell.

The top 5 teams were as follows:

  • Camas (403 points)
  • Mountain View (245 points)
  • Union (217 points)
  • Skyview (103 points)
  • Battle Ground (86 points)

All first and second place winners move onto State competition at Federal Way.

 

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Ian Pinch enters the water. Photo by Blake Schnell.

 

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Daniil Timchenko enters the pool. Photo by Blake Schnell.

 

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Luke Albert warms up prior to victory in the 400 Free Relay. Photo by Blake Schnell.

 

 

 

 

LONGVIEW, WA — This is a video about the Camas High School Boy’s Swim Team adventures at the Southwest Washington Swimming Invitational, which had some major glitches. Because of a septic overflow, the meet was suspended for an hour, and the athletes ended up playing hoops in swimsuits and caps. Several even wore their Speedos on the court. It was hilarious!

Plus, it didn’t help matters that some of the athletes tampered with drains, causing the problems to increase.

The athletes resumed the intense competition after the sewage overflow was cleaned up, and the pool was deemed safe (meeting health codes) by meet officials.

Swimming in Review

“Overall, it was a great meet,” said Jeff Fadlovich, who made some personal records at Longview. “Our team is pretty young, but we’re making great strides with our freshmen and sophomores. People like Mark Kim, and Eric Wu are making a huge difference, especially after losing State champions Lucas Ulmer and Kasey Calwell.”

Camas has been building up its program over the last 7-8 years, drawing talent from club swimmers who have been active in the sport most of their young lives.

Camas did end up winning the Invitational, by a large margin.

 

CAMAS, WA — The Camas Wrestling team accomplished something it hasn’t since 1994 — they won a District Championship this past Saturday while hosting the annual event. With 40 on the team, the boys had a complete lineup, with 28 spots filled. The Papermakers scored 351 points.

Junior Dylan Ingram won the 220-pound weight class, and moves onto State competition. He credits coach Cory Vombaur with the team’s success.

Photos by Blake Schnell.

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Camas Freshman, Jack Latimer, during the semi-finals.

“It feels so good to be Union,” Ingram said. “And I give credit to our coach who’s recruited well, and has encouraged us to develop and grow this sport. The team has grown a ton in recent years.”

Fans and families filled the Camas Gym from 8 am to 8 pm at the day long event, which saw some incredible wrestling.

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Here are the results from the Finals, by weight class:

106 pounds: Ethan Rotundo (Union)

113 pounds: Will Taisacan (Mountain View)

120 pounds: Joseph Hartnett (Battle Ground)

126 pounds: Rylan Thompson (Camas)

132 pounds: Isaiah Av (Evergreen)

138 pounds: Miles Harrowig (Union)

145 pounds: James Rogers (Battle Ground)

152 pounds: Tommy Strasseberg (Union)

160 pounds: Dylan Goodpaster (Evergreen)

170 pounds: Taylor Stewart (Battle Ground)

182 pounds: Shan Sighn (Union)

195 pounds: Zach Berfranger (Union)

220 pounds: Dylan Ingram (Camas)

285 pounds: Dallas Goospaster (Evergreen)

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Camas senior, Dominic Delgado.

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Camas Junior, Dylan Ingram, won the 220-pound class.

 

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By Dan Trujillo
Camas Post-Record

The following is an excerpt from Dan Trujillo’s Blog post, used with his permission.

A Camas freshman, sophomore, junior and a senior finished in the top six of the all-around competition to help the Papermakers clinch their third straight district gymnastics championship. Camas racked up a season high 167.925 to surpass Union by a 6.05-point margin.

Sophomore Jacqueline Purwins won the all-around crown with 35.25 points. She finished first on the beam (9.375) and bars (8.8), and third on the vault (8.425).

Junior Emily Karkanen earned third all-around with 34.425 points. She took third on the floor (9.475), as well as fourth on the vault (8.4), beam (8.35) and bars (8.3). Karkanen was also named a first-team all-around gymnast in the 4A Greater St. Helens League.

Senior Caleigh Lofstead claimed fourth all-around with 34.1 points. She won the vault (8.7), placed third on the bars (8.35) and eighth on the floor (9.15).

Freshman Madison Martin secured sixth all-around with 33 points. She rose to second place on the beam (8.8) and seventh place on the bars (7.7).

Freshman Joy Marsh snagged seventh place on the vault (8.05) and Michaela Lasher notched ninth place on the beam (7.85).

CAMAS, WA — Developing story … The Papermakers won today’s hard-fought District Wrestling Championship with 351 points, which is a feat they haven’t done since 1994, before any of these competitors and athletes were born.

Individual wins also went to Rylan Thompson and Dylan Ingram, in their respective weight classes.

“I attribute today’s win to great coaching, recruiting and hard work,” said Ingram. “We’re grateful for so much community support.”

More results and details to follow.

Photos by Blake Schnell.

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Dylan Ingram won the 220 weight class division, and moves onto State.

 

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Jack Latimer and his wrestling teammates admire their hard-fought trophy.

 

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Admiring their district trophy.

 

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The District Trophy! The last time Camas won this in wrestling was in 1994.

By Ernie Geigenmiller

VANCOUVER, WA — Milwaukee Bucks Forward, Jabari Parker, who was the second overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, addressed an audience of several hundred at a local LDS meetinghouse Wednesday night.

Parker, 20, who’s graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, and was named National High School Player of the Year, is also the first African-American Mormon to play professional basketball.The NBA player was in town competing against the Blazers Tuesday night, and found time to address a congregation of mostly youth.

He was introduced by the Bucks Strength Coach, Michael Davie, a fellow Mormon. Davie discussed issues of faith, struggle and integrity, and how people should express kindness toward others each day.

The event organizers showed a brief ABC News segment with Katie Couric, from three years ago, that showed Parker attending early morning seminary classes, and how well he performed in prep school.

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The building was mostly filled with fans.
Couric asked him several questions about his faith, and in particular, the ongoing misconceptions about Mormonism.  Parker said his “faith kept him grounded, but that I have to explain my religion quite often to people.”

He addressed the Vancouver congregation by saying, “What’s up everybody?”

Parker, who’s 6 feet, nine inches tall, said being in the limelight as a basketball player is a challenge, but that “I’m no bigger than anyone else.”

“We have to acknowledge God, and remember that everyone is a child of God,” he said. “You have to have compassion and be a team player on the court, and recognize that we all make mistakes. We’re not perfect, so don’t judge.”

Parker said he started attending The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as the church is formally known, when he was 7.“I have a very strong testimony of the Gospel,” he said. “I read the scriptures often, and my dad taught me that charity is putting yourself second.” 

 

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Camas resident, Ethan Convey, waits for an autograph.

 

During the 90-minute session, audience members were able to write down questions, and have a moderator read those questions to Parker, and Davie.

One of those questions was: “How do you keep your personal standards while working in the NBA?”

Davie said: “These choices were made a long time ago, choices not to drink and to obey the law of chastity.”

Parker replied: “The influence of my youth leaders growing up helped get me here today. And using a basketball analogy, practice makes perfect. You have to keep praying to God, keep reading the scriptures. You have to be nice to people every day. I attribute all my success to God.”

Parker, who grew up in Chicago, Illinois, said his biggest challenge was breaking his foot when he was a junior. He played on a national team, and the doctor warned him of the consequences if he didn’t allow himself to heal properly.

He also addressed issues of peer pressure. “You know, a lot of people wanted to be my friend for the wrong reasons. I had to learn how to deal with that.”

He concluded his message with the following:

“The Gospel brings me more happiness than anything … You have the responsibility to share light with someone.”

He also said he practices 5 hours a day, and doesn’t have a girlfriend.

“It was awesome to have an NBA star right here in Vancouver,” said Jefferson Jackson, 14, of Camas. Jackson came along with his mom, Temple Jackson, his brother, Marc, and friends Ben Brittain, Calvin Wight, and Harrison Wight.

Parker stayed afterwards to shake hands, as well as sign autographs and take pictures with legions of adoring fans.

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From left: Camas residents Ben Brittain, Calvin Wight, Jefferson Jackson, Temple Jackson.

 

 

This is an excerpt from a September, 2014 interview with Camas Varsity Football Coach, Jon Eagle.

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Daniil Timchenko begins the 100 Back event. Photo by Blake Schnell.

LONGVIEW, WA — Swimming was definitely interesting today. The Camas High School Boy’s swim team won the Southwest Washington Swim Invitational Saturday at Mark Morris High School, with a final score of 602.5 points. Mountain View and Mark Morris rounded out the top three.The meet was halted near the end of the first event due to a septic overflow that spilled onto the pool deck, causing a public health hazard. This caused over an hour delay, which resulted in the athletes waiting and playing hoops in the gym, many still wearing their swimsuits and caps.

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Waiting in the Mark Morris gym, by Blake Schnell.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Sheri Breuer, a Skyview coach and meet referee.
The athletes spent the time playing hoops, most were barefoot, playing duck-duck-goose, or playing games.

Once crews cleaned up the mess, the event resumed.

“It was a good meet for us,” said Head Coach, Mike Bemis. “We’re right where we were supposed to be. We did really well. I’m pleased.”

While the Papermakers didn’t dominate as many individual events, as they have in previous years, they came out ahead overall, as a young team working to overcome the strength of losing a commanding senior team last season. The void left by state champions Kasey Calwell and Lucas Ulmer, as well as state swimmer, John Utas, has been felt all season.

Bemis said the Camas team is a young one now, and he’s pleased with the performance of several new freshman swimmers. In particular, Eric Wu, Chris Xia, and Austin Fogel are standout freshmen. The Papermakers have also added Washougal swimmers (who practice with them) to the mix. They include freshman Landon Schmid, Isaiah Ross, and Daniel Brown.

“The Freshman are helping offset the loss of last year’s stars,” said co-captain, junior Luke Albert. “Plus, swimmers like Tom Utas have made state cuts. I think Tom has made state cuts in the 100 Free, 50 Free and the 100 Breast.”

Bemis added: “You don’t replace State champions very easily. We have four years to get there, and such is the cycle of high school sports. We’re young and growing, and learning how to be a team. The team came together Saturday to win the meet. Here’s a breakdown of the individual events.

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Isaiah Ross won two events at the SW WA Invitational.

Swimming Event Results

Event 1 – 200 Medley Relay: Mountain View won (1:37.99), followed by Union A and B relays, and Mark Morris. Camas placed fifth.

Event 2 – 200 Freestyle: Isaiah Ross, of Washougal won (1:54.59), followed by Sam Walker, of Columbia River (1:54.77), and Nathan Hwang, of Union (2:03.04).

Event 3 – 200 IM: Eric Wu, of Camas, won (2:00.95), followed by Tom Utas, of Camas (2:05.02), and Austin Fogel, of Camas (2:07.26).

Event 4 – 50 Free: Josh Bottelberghe, of Columbia River, won (22.94), followed by Stuart Sardo, of Mountain View (24.32), and Michael Suk, of Mountain View (24.74).

Event 6 (no event 5) 100 Fly: Andrew Chang, of Union, won (53.53), followed by Josh Bottelberghe, of Columbia River (53.67), and Jacob McCarthy, of Mountain View (59.08).

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Papermakers Austin Fogel (center), and Tom Utas (left) compete in the 200 IM.

Event 7 – 100 Free: Max Dolbinin, of Heritage, won (49.95), followed by Luke Albert, of Camas (52.27), and Chris Joa, of Mountain View (53.12).

Event 8 – 500 Free: Isaiah Ross, of Washougal, won (5:07.05), followed by Finn McClone, of Camas (5:17.74), and Tom Utas, also of Camas (5:19.27).

Event 9 – 200 Free Relay: Camas won (1:33.79), followed by Mountain View (1:36.00) and Camas B relay ( 1:42.02).

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Andrey Khabibrakhmanov enters the pool. Photo by Blake Schnell.
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Papermaker Austin Fogel waits for his first event.

Event 10 – 100 Back: Andrew Chang, of Union, won (56.20), followed by Jeff Fadlovich, of Camas (57.38), and Finn McClone, also of Camas (57.99).

Event 11 – 100 Breaststroke: Eric Wu, of Camas, won (1:02.69), followed by Max Dolbinin , of Heritage (1:06.53), and Austin Fogel, of Camas (1:07.25).

Event 12 – 200 Free Relay: Camas won the event (3:28.08). The team consisted of Tom Utas, Eric Wu, Finn McClone, and Luke Albert.

The team will convene once more, in two weeks, to compete at the 2016 District Championship, in Kelso. Many are still hoping to make state cuts at that event.

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Max Dolbinin, of Heritage High School.

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Papermaker swimmers cheer on teammates in the pool.

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100 Back swimmers: From left: Sullivan Carrick, Landon Schmid, Daniel Brown, and Daniil Timchenko.

To learn more, visit www.camas.wednet.edu

 

This video is from February 2012. The Camas High School Girl’s Varsity Basketball team heads to Regional play on February 25, putting them one win away from the State competition.