Northwest athletes unappreciated

Lately, I have been hearing an eerie buzz from busy bees in the sports industry. They go to and fro from their hives, gathering stats and talking all that jazz about different sports teams around the country. And they all seem to be asking one another the same question: Where did all these skilled northwest teams come from?

My answer to these blind commentators remains the same: We’ve been here, you just haven’t been paying attention.

These last couple of years have been amazing in the wide world of sports for many of us locals here on the northwest coast. Multiple colleges from around the area have gone on to win at the national level resulting in a big uproar on ESPN and other sports media. They don’t like the fact that we are out to dominate every east coast team there is.

These are definitely two teams making a buzz in big name sports. With both fighting it out in the Pacific Athletic Conference, there is a very high chance one of these teams could be bringing home a national championship.

Boise State capped off their 12-1 record last year with a convincing 26-7 victory over the Utah Utes in the Maaco Bowl held in Las Vegas.

They put down such serious stats in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) that the PAC added two spots and scooped up the Broncos. And of course, there are still those haters dogging the blue turf.

The Oregon Ducks are yet another team stirring up the pot. This past year, Oregon had its sixth Heisman trophy nomination in school history. Running back LaMichael James remains as one of four hopefuls that have been named to win the prestigious award.

With such a small pool of players, even placing last would tie Oregon’s highest standing ever in the Heisman race, which went to former quarterback Joey Harrington back in 2001.

Closer to home, there is recognizable skill pouring into the mainstream coming straight out of Spokane. Courtney Vandersloot, who played last year for the Gonzaga Bulldogs, was the third overall pick in the 2011 WNBA draft and now runs with the Chicago Sky. The Windy City stole a treasure from the Lilac City with that move.

And then there are our very own Cardinals. Last year was epic for this school, but I feel we didn’t get the recognition that we deserved. The women’s basketball team, under coach Chris Carlson, won the NJCAA National Championship for the first time in school history.

The wrestling team took runner-up at the NJCAA National Tournament and many of the team’s members earned All-American honors.

Golf has one student athlete returning who played on last year’s national tournament team. Eli Bowen returns with gained experience from the area’s courses that should give the Cardinals an advantage again this year.

Some might say that it is something in the water or quite possibly the pure oxygen at higher altitude levels that give our players the advantage. Or maybe they say all the great players and their families have gone west, riding the bandwagon like Oregon Trail riders.

But what really is happening here doesn’t need an excuse because we have known it all along. Our players from the northwest are skilled and ready to steal the spotlight from the east. Good luck to all our players this year!