All-expense-paid trips to Alaska don’t come around that often — if ever — for most people.
Thus, when the offer was extended to a handful of current and former Western Oregon University student-athletes, they didn’t have to think twice about it.
“I was thrilled,” former WOU wide receiver Paul Revis said.
The 23-year-old wide receiver is helping out with the Football Skills, Strength and Speed Camp, going on this week at Thunder Mountain High School. Cori Metzgar, the director of sports performance at WOU, started the camp last year as a way to give back to the community she grew up in and enlisted collegiate coaches and players to serve as fellow instructors. Besides Revis, Metzgar brought up quarterback Ty Currie and linebackers Andrew Weber and Bo Highburger as player instructors.
“For them, it’s kind of a treat to come up here, because we pay for everything,” Metzgar said Wednesday morning at camp. “They get to come to Alaska, and all they want to do is have fun and coach and go fishing.”
Revis just finished a sparkling career with the Wolves, setting over 20 new school records in receptions, receiving yards and all-purpose yards. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound wideout was named to the first-team All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference for four straight seasons. He intends on playing professionally, either in the NFL, Canadian Football League or elsewhere. For now, though, he’s just enjoying the camp and the Alaska scenery.
“I grew up in Oregon — Oregon is pretty beautiful — but this place is unbelievable,” Revis said. “The glaciers you can see from just miles away, it’s just so cool. Everything about this city is pretty dang cool.”
Revis also coached at the camp last summer and is amazed at the campers’ rate of improvement.
“You see so much over three hours, how much they’re better,” he said. “Their hips are better, where they place their feet … super small things. It’s just so rewarding when you see kids actually care and want to actually get better at stuff.”
Like his former teammate, Highburger jumped at the opportunity to come to Alaska. His teammates told him how great of an experience the camp was for them last summer.
“We don’t get many vacations as college athletes, especially Division II, we’re working and stuff,” said Highburger, who led the GNAC in tackles last season. “So I was like, ‘Awesome, it gives me an excuse to take work off and come up here.’”
In addition to the coaching, fishing and sightseeing, the players get to see the hometown of former teammate Phillip Fenumiai. The 2013 Juneau-Douglas High School graduate and standout quarterback played for the Wolves between 2014-2017. Fenumiai appeared in 41 games for WOU over four seasons, throwing for 2,421 yards and 19 touchdowns. He enjoyed his best season in 2016 when he completed 107 passes and racked up 1,387 yards.
Metzgar reported over 40 campers are participating in the football camp this week, which concludes today. Metzgar is also hosting a sports performance camp in the afternoons with approximately 20 athletes.
• Contact sports reporter Nolin Ainsworth at 523-2272 or nainsworth@juneauempire.com. Follow Empire Sports on Twitter at @akempiresports.
Terry Wilson, 14, executes a speed drill at the Football Skills, Strength and Speed Camp at Thunder Mountain High School on Wednesday. (Nolin Ainsworth | Juneau Empire)
