The winter season has been very successful for an abundance of sports throughout the school for both boys and girls. While the winter weather has affected the school’s schedule, the school’s sports seasons have been going strong nevertheless. The success was a product of each of the teams as a whole, but there are certainly specific athletes that stand out from the rest. These are the people that create a positive change for their team, making the crowd react every time they compete; they also do things to make themselves improve all the time. Some of these athletes at Camas High School are Jaden Kim; Tanner Craig; Lili Ford; Haley Hanson; and Isaiah Sampson. These students have all gone above and beyond making themselves, and their team better at their sport.

Swimming

One of the state’s swimmers: Jaden Kim had a fantastic season this year. Along with his stellar performance, he was able to create many bonds with his teammates and get closer to them as the season came along. Jaden will go to his early-morning practice and then another practice after school as well, also lifting weights and doing dry-land practice too. The three practices a day help to improve his swimming and allow him to perform at the peak of his capabilities. This season, Jaden set a Personal Record (PR) for himself in the 100 fly of 49.59 seconds at the state finals, placing the junior 3rd against some of the state’s other high-caliber swimmers. To stay on top of his game, he says that he “makes sure that he is being diligent at practice,” making sure that he is practicing how he wants to perform. In the future, he is looking forward to continuing his hard work and placing at state, he also is interested in swimming college-level competition as well once he graduates.

Wrestling

Leading the Camas wrestling team, Tanner Craig has made a great amount

of progress this year. Before the season started, he had one goal: to become a two-time state champion. And that’s just what he did. The 138 pound senior has created an era of Camas wrestling that has not been done for a while. Tanner has been one of the most dominant wrestlers to come through Camas High School in a long time. Tanner’s coach, Mr. Cory VomBaur says that Tanner is one of the hardest working athletes that he has seen. He says that Tanner will “stay after to work on moves, analyzing film of not only himself but of the top wrestlers in the world.” He has also recognized that Tanner is always looking to grow and improve, having a mindset, unlike many others. His progress through his high school career is truly a reflection of his hard work and dedication on and off the mat. In the future, Tanner will register and be wrestling at West Point on a wrestling scholarship. His younger brother Porter is only a freshman at the high school but he is looking forward to success ahead of him, just like Tanner.

Gymnastics

One of the best underclassmen to represent Camas Gymnastics this season is Lili Ford. The sophomore is just halfway through her high school career but she is making quite a name for herself in the gymnastics community. She competes in the vault, bars, beam, and the floor. She is a diligent athlete and she will put in extra hours to make sure she continues to stay at the top of the competition. There is no off-season for Lili. When the high school season isn’t in progress, she does club gymnastics year round to improve her performance. She is able to maintain her cool at big meets too. Before the competition, her dad will put a dot on her toe, for good luck. Which she calls the “magic dot.” She finds herself doing better after they do this small superstition. This season, Lili competed all-around at the state meet, where she placed 3rd on vault and 4th on the beam in the finals. Also at the district meet, she won the award for the best vault. In the future, she is looking forward to competing in college and she would love to attend and compete in gymnastics for San Diego State.

Boys Basketball

One of the biggest names in Camas basketball of all time is Isaiah Sampson. No one has made more of a name for themselves than he has. Most of the school knows him by his alias “Ezzy Buckets.” The name fits him very well. As soon as he gets onto the court, his presence is obvious. His tall, muscular build helps him to be a very explosive player on offense and defense. With his monstrous dunks and blocks as well as his agile ball handling and his smooth passing, he is a great tool for any basketball team. He is a truly versatile player who shares the ball and makes important plays whenever it is needed. Before his games, he says he visualizes the things he is going to do during the game and he always says a prayer. Small routines like this help him to be the best player he can. He is different than some players who just go through the motions and don’t put all of their efforts into the game at all times. His coach, Mr. Ryan Josephson says that “Isaiah loves basketball and has devoted a lot of time and energy into making himself the best player that he can be.” In the future, Isaiah will be playing basketball for Humboldt State University on a full-ride scholarship.

Girls Basketball

Girls basketball has been a powerhouse at Camas for a while now. Senior, Haley Hanson has helped much with that. Her strong playmaking capabilities and her stellar shooting are great attributes. Along with that, her ability to share the ball improves the chemistry of the entire team. She has been able to control the court for quite some time. Looking back on the season she says that “there is always something our team could’ve done better,” but she is content with how her individual and how her team’s season turned out. She plays basketball year-round and she is always striving for perfection in her game. Her coach, Mr. Scott Thompson says that “She transformed her game in any way necessary to help our team win basketball games.  She became an outstanding team defender, and we had her play the wing more then she ever has.” In the future, she will play D2 basketball at Northwest Nazarene University.

All of these individual athletes, along with the help of their teams helped to create a very successful season for Camas Sports this winter. The effort showed by them and their teams are great and these players all help to create a positive environment around Camas with their game. Camas sports will continue to have standout players throughout the years and will maintain their position of athleticism.