Western Oregon Journal

Issue date: 1/20/10 Section: Restaurant

Sports Information Director Danny Barnts practices his Ping Pong serve in his off-time in hopes of notching another upset victory over his friend Jay Yang. Barnts, who has been described as a very deceptive server, said, "I keep it low to the net and hit it to the opposite edge of the table. But I try to keep the other person off-balance."

Naomi, Jay and Micah Yang enjoy their time at the Wolves basketball game last Saturday.

Seemingly every student knows about Yang's Teriyaki, the budget-friendly Japanese-style establishment less than a rock's throw from campus. But many may not know about the business's firm support for Western athletics.
Jay Yang, the "face of Yang's," loves Wolves athletics. He likes to take his children, Naomi (10), Micah (9), Ian (6), and Samuel (16 mos.) to Western sporting events, such as basketball games.
"[I don't go] as much as I'd like," said Yang. "A lot of [the games], especially basketball games, are during the week. Once in a while I get a Saturday free."
Wolves' Sports Information Director (SID) Danny Barnts has befriended Yang over his last year and a half at Western, after being introduced by former SID Russ Blunck.
"He's just very supportive," said Barnts of Yang. "He always hangs up the team schedule posters and puts out the schedule cards."
Barnts believes that the popularity of Yang's among the Western student population causes the schedule cards to deplete more quickly than many other places.
And that does not include the other forms of support the business provides, such as gift certificates and other means of financial assistance.
The SID also remarked on a neat trend he noticed while at Yang's. "A lot of the student athletes signed their names on the posters," said Barnts. "[Yang] is embracing the student athletes, and they are embracing him back."
"[Sports are] a big part of their development and their education," Yang said of his children. "It's not just math and English and things like that, but physical education [that is important] as well, all the way up to college."
Yang wishes to introduce his children to many various sports. "My kids are homeschooled, so they don't get a lot of exposure to different sports. It's important for them to see what's available."
That mindset comes from personal experience for Yang, as sports played a significant role in his youth.
"I played tennis, but I don't want to force my kids to play tennis," he said. Instead, Yang would rather have his children find the sports they love and pursue those.
The games also give Yang an opportunity to spend more time with his children, which he says can be difficult at times because he is always working at the restaurant.
"It's fun for the kids," he said. "And plus, a lot of the players, whether it be [players from] basketball, women's soccer, softball or football, are customers, and it's fun for the kids to cheer them on and see them in a different setting."
It is fun for Yang, too. "[I enjoy] getting to know some of the players because some of them are customers. But they are not just customers to me, and I like them to know that. It was a big deal to me when I was in high school when family and friends could come and watch, so it's fun."
Yang carries his talent and passion for tennis to the table as well, regularly playing Ping Pong tournaments with some locals, including Barnts.
"Jay, when he's on, is at another level," said Barnts of his friend's Ping Pong skills. "He 'brings his own paddle,' as we like to say. It's not a real tournament unless he's there."
"He's only saying that because he beat me once," joked Yang of Barnts' praise. "And he's right; I was off that day.
"But his serve, well, we're not quite sure if it's exactly legal," finished Yang with a sly smile.

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