About Us

Our
Mission

Create a community environment
Develop life-long love of sport and activity
Provide a continuing and varied sporting experience for the community
Use a holistic approach to sports
Allow for both directed and exploratory learning
Strike a balance between structure and freedom

Meet The Founder

I grew up with a passion for sports and always knew I wanted to be involved in sports. As a high school and collegiate athlete, I learned first hand the importance of good coaching and a strong mental game. Originally intending to become a college soccer coach, I spent nearly every weekend during the year, and several weeks each summer, coaching soccer teams in South Carolina, Florida, North Carolina, California, and Oregon, improving my craft.

Through my experiences in coaching teams and camps, I found that while the soccer skills training was typically good and the activities fun, by and large they missed the bigger picture.

From my early days of coaching, I envisioned an organization whose coaching included not only skill-building and learning the game, but also stressed the importance of nutrition, proper stretching, positive thinking, and the mental game.

As an athlete, coach, parent, and sport psychology consultant with over 20 years experience in youth sports, I created BaxterSports – Camps, Clinics, Coaching, and Consulting – to continue my work and provide a great environment for athletes to learn and grow in all aspects of life.

Brian Baxter Owner / Director / Sports Psychologist

Tiare Farris
Executive Assistant

Tiare Farris, Executive Assistant

Our executive assistant, Tiare (tee/are/ee) is a true believer in the value of sports and the opportunities they provide to harness passion and promote a sense of self while simultaneously creating a feeling of community. She is bananas about tennis. She is also the mom of a BaxterSports camper and knows first hand just how important it is to get kids moving. Have a specific question about your camper’s registration or a general inquiry about our organization? Just call or email, and she will get you set!

Blake Jackson
Director of Programing and Staffing

Coach Blake

Coach Blake is Back!

Coach Blake started with Baxter Sports in 2011 as a soccer coach for the 7 year old group. From 2011 to 2014 he stayed on as a coach and from 2015 to 2021, he became the Director of the company. Coach Blake has had the opportunity to coach many of the current coaching staff when they where campers themselves! Life called Coach Blake away for a short stint in 2021, but he decided he couldn’t stay away from his BaxterSports family and this time, he has brought some new campers with him – his two children, Jude and Pepper!

Coach Blake’s sports background is in baseball, he played as a catcher since we was 8 years old through high school. He suffered a shoulder injury which kept him from pursuing college ball, but helped him turn to coaching. His background is volunteering for Babe Ruth Baseball in Camas, WA, umpiring at Lacamas Little League, Coaching at Baxter Sports, Running Baxter Baseball Academy and his personal favorite – Coaching Unified High School Basektball for Camas High School.

BaxterSports has always been his favorite job and Coach Blake is beyond excited to be back to coach the next generation of campers and future coaches!

Dupree
Director of Coaching

Coach Dupree

Dupree (he/him) has been a fixture in the Franklin community for years. I met him when he coached my older son in middle school. He has coached basketball, track, and football over the last 8 years, and he will be on the staff of Westview HS football this fall.

Coach Dupree will serve as the Director of Coaching for BaxterSports. His knowledge of sports and calm demeanor make him a perfect fit for the position.

In his own words…

My coaching philosophy is—Connect, Commit, Control. Connect to each other and ourselves; define our goals. Commit to the process, how do we achieve what we have set out to achieve. Control what we can, our attitude and effort in everything we choose to do. I believe we are all capable of becoming the best version of ourselves with these three keys.

Jake Weiss
Head Coach / Program Director

Coach Jake

Coach Jake is back for his 4th summer being one of BaxterSports’ most beloved Directors with both campers and coaches alike.

He is a fun-loving sports nut and dad of two. He’s worked with kids in many capacities, with experience including 10 years of little league coaching, 5 years of advocacy for foster kids, and 1 year as recess coordinator at Abernethy Elementary. In that role, he was tasked with inventing and implementing inclusive games and creating a YouTube channel to entertain at-home schoolchildren when recess activities were shelved by distance learning. He has also been a Special Olympics volunteer, a mentor to underprivileged youth, a manny, a stay-at-home dad, and a certified coach in multiple endeavors.

Coach Jake also plays all the sports. Some of his athletic accomplishments include varsity table tennis at Portland State, 2x MVP of Baseball USA Camps, a bowling high score somewhere in the 230’s, the record for most touchdowns all-time in SE PDX Ballers’ Annual Joey Bowl, and being the only person in the world who can claim to have attended high school with both Kobe Bryant and Paul Konerko. If you stand next to him this summer, you may still feel the glow from the Eagles Super Bowl win this year.

Donnell
Coach

Coach Donnell

Hi, I’m Donnell! I’ll be coaching and directing with BaxterSports this summer, making sure every day is active, engaging, and packed with fun! While basketball is my favorite sport to play, I’m a huge fan of watching MMA. Working with kids and being part of an energetic, sports focused environment has always been a passion of mine. I bring my full energy and dedication every day to help our camps run smoothly and make sure everyone has a great experience!