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Basin athletes show native pride
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| Submitted photo Klamath Falls boxer Jackson Bussell, right, fights for Team Oregon at the North American Indigenous Games earlier this month in Denver. Bussell earned the gold medal in the 141-pound weight class. |
July 22, 2006
By ROSS L. TIMBROOK
H&N Sports Writer
Jackson Bussell went to the Games with just one thing on his mind: he wanted to win.
He did just that, taking home a gold medal in the 141-pound weight class.
“The competition was excellent,” Bussell said. “It was at the level I thought it would be. Most of the guys fighting were Golden Gloves champions.”
Prior to taking part in the Games, Bussell won a bout at the Klash at the Kla-Mo-Ya Casino. In addition to his regular workouts at the Klamath Boxing and Fitness Center, he went to Bend to spar with different competition and did a great deal of running.
“I ran about 30 miles a week,” Bussell said.
Bussell was the only member of the Klamath Tribe to bring home a medal in boxing. The Oregon team won six medals overall in the boxing events, but the other five were won by fighters from outside the Basin.
Originally, Ed Clarke, one of Bussell's trainers, wanted to send a larger contingent of fighters to the Games, but as things turned out, the only fighters who were able to go and compete were those who could come up with the money to pay their way.
Clarke was also supposed to go to the Games as the coach of the Oregon Squad, but due to a family emergency was unable to attend.
Bussell stepped up and served as one of the assistant coaches, but he admits it was not something he wanted to do. “It was horrible,” Bussell said of the coaching. “They wanted me to be the head coach, but my main objective there was to win my fights.”
Bussell won the medal over Richard Menard from Team Canada, who he said had considerably more experience.
Bussell has 47 fights under his belt, while Menard had more than 60. But Bussell was able to come away with the win in front of his friends and family.
“My mom and dad both drove (to Denver) from California,” Bussell said. “I went to high school in Colorado, so I had a lot of my friends from back there come out and watch. That was the highlight of the whole thing was to win the medal in front of so many of my friends and family.”
In addition to the friends and family who showed up for his matches, Bussell also had the players on the Oregon basketball team cheering him on.
“All the kids on the team want to be boxers,” Ed Case, who coached the basketball team, said. “They went to all the matches they could attend and were his biggest fans.”
Not only were the Games a chance to showcase his talents in the ring. They also served as a cultural gathering for Bussell to meet people of similar backgrounds and interests.
Bussell said the whole spectacle of the Games was an amazing thing to be a part of, but he did not have a great deal of time to soak in the surroundings.
“I was so focused on my fights, I didn't have a whole lot of spare time,” Bussell said. “I did get to watch some of the basketball and volleyball competitions, but my mind was on my fights.
“The event was a lot of fun to be a part of. It was great to see the amount of team spirit people had.”
By ROSS L. TIMBROOK
H&N Sports Writer
Jackson Bussell went to the Games with just one thing on his mind: he wanted to win.
He did just that, taking home a gold medal in the 141-pound weight class.
“The competition was excellent,” Bussell said. “It was at the level I thought it would be. Most of the guys fighting were Golden Gloves champions.”
Prior to taking part in the Games, Bussell won a bout at the Klash at the Kla-Mo-Ya Casino. In addition to his regular workouts at the Klamath Boxing and Fitness Center, he went to Bend to spar with different competition and did a great deal of running.
“I ran about 30 miles a week,” Bussell said.
Bussell was the only member of the Klamath Tribe to bring home a medal in boxing. The Oregon team won six medals overall in the boxing events, but the other five were won by fighters from outside the Basin.
Originally, Ed Clarke, one of Bussell's trainers, wanted to send a larger contingent of fighters to the Games, but as things turned out, the only fighters who were able to go and compete were those who could come up with the money to pay their way.
Clarke was also supposed to go to the Games as the coach of the Oregon Squad, but due to a family emergency was unable to attend.
Bussell stepped up and served as one of the assistant coaches, but he admits it was not something he wanted to do. “It was horrible,” Bussell said of the coaching. “They wanted me to be the head coach, but my main objective there was to win my fights.”
Bussell won the medal over Richard Menard from Team Canada, who he said had considerably more experience.
Bussell has 47 fights under his belt, while Menard had more than 60. But Bussell was able to come away with the win in front of his friends and family.
“My mom and dad both drove (to Denver) from California,” Bussell said. “I went to high school in Colorado, so I had a lot of my friends from back there come out and watch. That was the highlight of the whole thing was to win the medal in front of so many of my friends and family.”
In addition to the friends and family who showed up for his matches, Bussell also had the players on the Oregon basketball team cheering him on.
“All the kids on the team want to be boxers,” Ed Case, who coached the basketball team, said. “They went to all the matches they could attend and were his biggest fans.”
Not only were the Games a chance to showcase his talents in the ring. They also served as a cultural gathering for Bussell to meet people of similar backgrounds and interests.
Bussell said the whole spectacle of the Games was an amazing thing to be a part of, but he did not have a great deal of time to soak in the surroundings.
“I was so focused on my fights, I didn't have a whole lot of spare time,” Bussell said. “I did get to watch some of the basketball and volleyball competitions, but my mind was on my fights.
“The event was a lot of fun to be a part of. It was great to see the amount of team spirit people had.”
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| Klamath Falls stays in tourney | Falcons swept by Medford |
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