Last week, we heard from the towering presence that is Eugénie Frerichs. Moving through the city to new locations and new personalities, we visit with Katie Dober.
Dober’s strong piercing gaze peering out over the streets of Portland belie her soccer background as a player and coach not to mention her deep Oregonian bona fides as a third generation logger. Never one to sit still for long, she was traveling with friends in Costa Rica when I tracked her down. Between dodging the rain and hanging out on the Pacific side beaches, Katie took a few moments to share some thoughts about her involvement in soccer and her skill with a saw. Clearly, Dober is as comfortable on the pitch as she is on a remote logging road.
Questions and answers have been edited for clarity.
What’s your background? Where are you from?
Katie Dober: I’m from Forest Grove, which is a small town west of Portland. I work for my family’s construction company, Dave Dober Construction, where I do our billing and operate equipment.
How would you describe yourself as a soccer fan to other people?
KD: I would describe myself as someone who doesn't just love to play, but enjoys watching, and being in that environment!
How’d you get into soccer?
KD: I have played soccer since I was about seven years old. I played on a coed youth team in Forest Grove until high school. Then I played on the varsity team all four years of high school. In 2004, I coached my first team which was a youth-7 team. Than I believe it was in 2006 when I started coaching at Forest Grove high school as a varsity assistant coach. I did that for two seasons, then work got too busy and I couldn't do it anymore. I now am playing on a coed indoor league in Beaverton.
I also heard you come from a logging family. What’s the background on that? Do you know how to use the saw you hold in the photo or is it just a prop?
KD: My family business—the construction company my dad started about 40 years ago—mainly builds logging roads, but also does logging. We have log trucks that stay busy year-round. And a rock crushing unit. My grandfather on my father’s side owned a saw mill out in Gales Creek. So my entire family has basically been in the logging industry for many years. And yes, I do know how to use the saw!
