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By BEN MCCARTY
News staff writer
May 3, 2008
Hood River Valley Athletic Director Keith Bassham was rewarded
for decades of working in Oregon wrestling when he was inducted
into the Oregon chapter of the national wrestling hall of fame
on Saturday.
Bassham, along with fellow inductees Marc Sprague, Curt Sexton
and Ron Finley, was honored in front of over 400 guests at a
ceremony in Wilsonville.
In his remarks, Bassham reflected on the support he has recieved
from his friends, family and the Oregon wrestling community and
how important it has been to him.
“I tried to mention everybody, but I’m sure I forgot a few,” he
said.
For Bassham, the induction is a culmination of a long wrestling
career.
“This wasn’t something I set out to do,” he said. “You set out
to make what you do with the kids and their experience the best
you possibly can.”
After wrestling in high school, Bassham went on to wrestle
collegiately at Lewis & Clark, and then embarked on a long
coaching career. He coached several state champions during his
time as head coach at Hood River Valley High School, and helped
to turn around the wrestling program at Hood River Middle
School.
After being named as the athletic director at Hood River Valley
High School, Bassham has continued his involvement in wrestling,
most recently working as a member of the seeding committee for
the state wrestling tournament and helping to organize the Mount
Hood Conference district wrestling tournament at HRVHS. |
