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Show DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE 8 WILLARDSON Continued from page 8 COURTESY DEB WILLARDSON things I would say or do would make the day better for them or give them a different perspective. I tried to help without harming." Willardson's sincere love for the athletes and her desire to help them grow became her legacy. Coaches and athletes alike recognized how valuable this was to a team. "Not only was Deb an excellent trainer, but most importantly the young women in our program communicated well with her, trusted her and felt comfortable under her care," said Velaida Harris, an assistant coach of the women's basketball team. "She loved our players and was mo percent committed to the success of our program. She's a legend. She's family." For Willardson, her greatest career successes were not the awards she received, but rather seeing players succeed. "I loved seeing players come in as freshmen from all different cultural backgrounds and watching them grow and bond as a team," Willardson said. "To watch them excel outside of what they thought they could do, not just physically but as a per- son, that made me proud." Willardson especially enjoyed seeing players gain the perspective to look beyond just their athletic careers. "You know, eventually their basketball career is going to end," she said. "It was really rewarding to see women who finally got it and recognized [college basketball] as a wonderful opportunity for them to get a career and become successful in life beyond just being an athlete." As she begins her retirement, Willardson admits she will miss her teams and especially working with individual athletes, but she plans to stay busy. She has long felt that part of being a successful trainer is having a good outlet, something to think about besides the constant worries that come with caring for a team. For her, that outlet is fly-fishing and in the near future she plans to travel and enjoy fishing in new places. As far as her career as a trainer, Willardson is still certified and is open to the idea of working on a part-time basis if an offer comes up. Liz Abel, senior associate athletics director at the U, has worked with and known Willardson for over 3o years. "Deb did more than just train," Abel said. "She was literally on call 24/7. I traveled with the basketball team for a number of years and would room with Tuesday, July 2, 2013 Deb on the road. There would be girls in our room at all hours and she would drop everything and go to all ends to work with them. Deb put her heart .tertweet6,ATIgeta .et a little haraerspeaktwit 'g hmeorrtv,wu ecegr twitter twei aiot earn on the twqetttz eak twitter jeidiot • altweeted altweeted reed .FIvZ LW I t lc, more tweets?tweetwalker—it, ?etlemaniacave,‘, tertweetcn°Tege'l,ca a little ha vrleraspeaktwi 'Orrtewtwuecei es ?rtwittertwe ?etler on ttl-k i %)N twitte wit ed more tweet Dt' C, COURTESY DEB WILLARDSON and soul into caring for and rehabbing those athletes and she did it in the right way. She was just fun." Willardson truly feels that she gained from those she worked with as much as she gave them. "It was a wonderful time in my life, something I'll never forget," Willardson said. "Great coaches, great administration, just wonderful opportunities. Whatever I could do to make that experience better for the people who came there to play, it was a mutual gain for both of us." a.heywood@chronicle.utah.edu .rnd ttertwe Followit e Chr Pon Beta Itt „èt/t 5 Twitter tweetwa : Ikerma., ad more tweets? 'eetlemaniacim, motherwuck tertweet itetalT‘ tilwari tet a little hAerasp Dthertwucker twittertwei Neetlemaniactwycv,oldt,1( ed more tweets? - n taItewr eF 'kvteweitet de rthweaer ed tow ot ertwuc tertweet mspeak hi twat ;lc onr the tw , d tweet ,ot . re ed more tw( dt iwoe te t twirl . e' l tLaw";:evreC at:ddotnW thie ed more tweets?tweetwalkermait. c2etlemaniacp.M; etlemaniactrriv ;,,,tatiLtedrthla4gionna CAMPS Continued from page 7 portunity because we are college athletes [and] they look up to us," Ramirez said. "It's a great learning experience not only to learn about softball, but academics as well." The camps are also an effective tool in the recruiting process, both for young athletes and for Utah. "Camps are the best way to get recognized by the school you want to go to," Hogue said, adding that she is more likely to recruit a player who attended the camp as opposed to someone who just sent an email inviting her to watch a game. Sophomore setter Kendall Cygan is excited to continue coaching at the volleyball camp which began yesterday. Utah's volleyball camp is unique as it incorporates basic skills with learning to work together as a team and fosters new friendships among the campers. "[The campers] will learn how to pass, how to set and how to be a teammate," Cygan said. "This is a great opportunity for younger girls to go to. They get to see the bigger girls play and it's a great experience." Ramirez believes the camps are another good way to teach kids lessons that extend beyond the field of play. "Softball and sports teach you confidence and how to work with others," she said. "[Softball] teaches you leadership and how to be a team player. It teaches you life outside of your sport." k.merry@chronicle.utah.edu DTaEil Contact t.webb@chronicle.utah.edu for information about being a news writer for The Daily Utah Chronicle. UTAH INVITES YOU AND A GUEST TO AN ADVANCE SCREENING OF P otographe c.z WARNER BROS. 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