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Daren Nystrom is kicking off the new year in style.

The La Conner native will be in Pasadena Jan. 1 to work the storied Rose Bowl football game as a senior associate athletic trainer for the University of Washington.

Look for Nystrom on the Husky sideline, his outdoor office the past 12 seasons, when the UW meets Ohio State in the nationally televised game, college football’s oldest bowl contest.

The Huskies have gone bowling every year since 2010 but will be playing in the popularly dubbed “Granddaddy” of bowl games for the first time since 2001, a 34-24 Husky win over Drew Brees and the Purdue Boilermakers.

“Everyone is very excited about this game,” Nystrom, a 1998 La Conner High grad, said. “We’ve been very lucky to go to nine straight bowl games, all of which have been unique and great experiences. This game, however, is the one that has the most history and just feels different.

“We’ve played there – as UCLA’s home stadium – four times during my career and to get to play there for the actual Rose Bowl game will be a bucket list item, for sure,” he said.

An added bonus for Nystrom is that his family gets to join him for the game.

“Everybody is ready to get to Pasadena and get started,” he said.

Nystrom traces his start in athletic training to a career fair at Skagit Valley College that he attended while a La Conner High student.

Ken Winkes, who was then the school’s principal, took a La Conner student group that included Nystrom to the SVC event, where there were representatives from Whitworth University in Spokane.

“They were featuring their athletic training program,” recalled Nystrom, “which sounded interesting to me as I knew I wanted to continue to be around athletics for a career.”

He completed work on a bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training and Sports Medicine at Whitworth in 2002, then earned a master’s in Exercise Science from Fresno State University two years later.

That opened the door to a career that has allowed Nystrom to work with numerous famous athletes and entertainers, including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Usher, Shaquille O’Neal, Duff McKagan and the late Junior Seau.

He began working with the UW football team in 2007. He and the Husky training staff are responsible for the healthcare of UW student-athletes.

“As Certified Athletic Trainers,” he said, “we help to prevent, evaluate and treat all injuries and illnesses to the players, as well as help them with routine medical needs.”

It’s no ordinary 9-to-5 job.

“We’re specialists in taping, bracing, casting, therapeutic rehab, orthopedic injury evaluation, concussion evaluation and management and all of the logistics that go along with all those areas,” Nystrom explained.

That’s not all.

“We’re present for all weightlifting, conditioning, practices and games – both home and away – and work under the direct supervision of a team of physicians,” Nystrom said.

He is often sought out at Husky games by fellow La Conner alums wanting to wish him well.

“If I get to the game early,” said Leon John, a UW season ticket holder and 1976 La Conner High graduate, “I try to get to the sideline to say hello to Daren.”

He loves his work, but also looks forward to vacationing in La Conner, where the Nystroms have deep roots.

“My family and I come back to La Conner frequently to visit my parents, brother and Nana, and to go crabbing,” he said. “I really enjoy coming up in the spring and summer for the local berries and to get out on the water.”

For Nystrom, it’s a matter of having the best of all worlds.

‘I’ve really enjoyed this job,” he said, “particularly here at UW because of the awesome people---coaches, players, staff, and administration – that I get to work with.”