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Hometown Sports HIGH SCHOOLS, RECREATION & SIGN-UPS

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Heritage names new varsity water polo coach

by Kyle Szymanski Staff Writer

The Heritage girls’ water polo team didn’t have to look far to find its next varsity water polo coach — she was already a part of the program.

Shannon Yancey, the Patriots threeyear junior varsity head coach, will rise to the varsity position, replacing the six-year head coach Jeff Lapum, who recently resigned.

“We are very excited about her connection with the girls, her connection to the program, and we are also excited to maintain the consistency to the strong tradition that we have built,” said Athletic Director Nate Smith.

Yancey, a 16-year Liberty Union High School District physical education teacher currently at Heritage, figures to make the team’s coaching transition as fluid as possible.

She’s currently a teacher at the school; she’s been a fixture on the varsity team’s bench for years; her daughter, Makeila, is a squad member; and the Yancey family lives in the same neighborhood with at least four current team members.

“(Jeff Lapum) called me over to his house and sat me down two separate times and said, ‘Shannon, you just need to go for the varsity position,’” Yancey said. “’You

Multi-sport star

Akili Calhoun, seen here in a discus competition, has announced that he will be graduating early in order to enroll at the University of California,

Berkeley, where he will continue to play football. Press file photo

Liberty multi-sport star Akili Calhoun has announced that he will be graduating early, in order to enroll at the University of California, Berkeley, where he will play football.

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound product, was named to the all-Bay Valley Athletic League first offensive and defensive teams in 2019, as well as the all-league second offensive team in 2018.

He tallied 41 tackles, seven sacks and caused one fumble in 15 games, spanned over

Heritage’s water polo coach Shannon Yancey, seen here with her former junior varsity squad, will move up to the head varsity position this season.

are the one to do it, you know the most, you know these girls, you know our program.’ It just seemed to be that natural fit.”

Yancey will inherit a perennial powerhouse squad, which, under Lapum, posted a winning record in all six league seasons by winning the program’s first league title in 2016; its first North Coast Section crown in 2018; and finished its league slate a combined 32-1, over the last four years.

Luckily for the Patriots, Yancey is no stranger to sustained success, herself. two stellar seasons on the varsity squad, according to Maxpreps.com.

The move was hastened by the high school football season being pushed back, due to COVID-19-related concerns. The local football season ordinarily wraps up by midDecember.

“I love Liberty, it has taught me a lot about not only ball, but life as well,” Calhoun said in a statement. “I love Brentwood, and I always will.”

During an eight-year stint on the USA wrestling team in the 1990s, she garnered one world championship, four national championships and four world silver medals. She also coached wrestling internationally for several years and won a live tour of hit TV series ‘American Gladiators.’

However, years later, fate, family and a coincidence have switched her focus toward the acclaimed water sport.

Yancey says district officials long urged her to enter the high school coaching ranks.

Photo courtesy of Shannon Yancey

Water polo eventually won out when several of Yancey’s youth-water-polo-playing neighbors began persuading the family to have Yancey’s two soccer-loving daughters play polo.

Soccer and water polo had traditionally overlapped — preventing inclusion in the water sport — until Yancey’s oldest daughter reached high school, when by chance,

see Yancey page 15

COVID-19 pandemic shakes up cheerleading

Liberty multi-sport star to graduate early

Heritage’s junior varsity water polo coaching

Photo courtesy of Liberty High School

The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken up the high school sports landscape, including cheerleading. Liberty High School has announced it’s seeking cheerleaders for the 2020-2021 school year, but the first step in the process is jumping online to fill out a series of questions, including: why prospective members want to be on the team; potential contributions to the squad; and what positive qualities make applicants a good fit for the unit? “Due to COVID-19 and distance learning, our tryout and season will look a little different,” said team officials in a statement. Prospective applicants can visit https://bit.ly/thepressnet_CHEER to fill out the questionnaire. More details on the tryout process are due to be released soon.

Yancey from page 14 position had also opened up.

Then varsity girls’ water polo head coach at the time, Jeff Lapum, just happened to live near the Yancey family, which sealed her entrance into the sport.

“Jeff said it would be the best fit ever,” Yancey said. “‘Your girls want to play; you and I live right next to each other. We could strategize, we could plan, we could be on the same page. I think you really should go for it.’ I took the job knowing Jeff and I could run the program well together.”

The duo saw the program soar to new heights, a trend Yancey hopes to continue.

Like many sports, the water polo team recently jumped into offseason work for about six weeks in county and district-approved small group camps. However, all such activities have since halted, after three district students tested positive for COVID-19, apparently contracted outside of their county health services-approved workout pods.

While many Patriots are continuing non-school club water polo team activities, Yancey has resorted to group texting her players, in order to keep them apprised of developments and training individually.

The players, meanwhile, are elated to have Yancey at the helm.

“The whole varsity team is excited that Shannon is the new coach,” said rising senior Ella Simone. “She has always been a teacher on campus that students really connect with. She’s been a coach and athletic trainer in the past so she is bringing a lot of new aspects to the team. The team is just excited to have a positive coach that is going to push us in a way that is going to make up stronger in the water and better people overall.”

It’s unclear when district-approved outdoor sports camps will continue, but California’s high school sports governing body is hoping that the water polo season can commence near the end of the year, with official first-day of practice dates set for mid-December.

“Our girls were looking good and strong, and they were happy for the season,” Yancey said.” We are going to continue with that as soon as they give us the go-ahead to get back in there. We just have to follow protocol as to when we can begin passing balls and shooting balls and all that great stuff. Hopefully, that will come in the winter months.”

For now, the team’s future looks bright.

The squad is slated to return seven of eight all-league members from last year’s squad, including first-team members Kayla Longoria and Simone; second-teamers Caleigh Quist and Kylie Murphy and an honorable-mention to members Elly Longoria, Makeila Yancey and Kendall McCallum.

“We are just praying every day that it works out, because this is going to be a great year,” Yancey said.

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The Press archives: A look back at the best in sports

The Press continues its look at the archived athletic moments and feats that frame history and provide much-needed sports action during this pandemic-induced stoppage of play.

2019

Former Heritage High School and Arizona State University swimmer, Daniel Comforti competed in the 200-meter individual medley and 100- and 200-meter breaststroke events at the U.S. National Swimming Championship at Stanford University in Palo Alto

2018

Heritage High School teacher Nate Smith, a veteran high school and college coach, was named the Patriots’ new athletic director.

2017

Youth runners Chase and Cody Aldridge qualified for the USA Track and Field (USATF) Olympic Nationals in Kansas after impressive performances at the USATF Regional Track and Field Championships in Cupertino.

“To qualify for the USATF nationals in this area of the country is pretty tough, because California has a lot of fast runners,” said Shanyn Aldridge, mother of the 8-, 11- and 14-year-old boys.

2016

Little League umpire Roger Buhlis, an Oakley resident, was selected to work the Little League World Series Big League Division in South Carolina.

“It’s an honor,” he said. “It’s recognition of not just dedication, but also recognition of quality umpiring skills, and the positive

#1 SELECT

Photo courtesy of Roger Buhlis

Oakley resident Roger Buhlis traveled to South Carolina in 2016 to umpire the Big League Division of the Little League World Series.

attitude and energy I have toward the Little League program.”

2015

When Brentwood’s C.J. Leveque got a call at the last minute to take on Deutsch Puu for the Muay Thai Global Super Heavyweight Championship, he was pretty sure it would be his final fight for any mixed martial arts promotion.

Despite being inexperienced in Muay Thai and facing a tough opponent, Leveque stood strong, got ahead on the cards and won with a technical knockout in the fourth round at the Red Lion Hotel and Conference Center in Sacramento.

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COMMUNITY The 2020 time capsule of our lives

“There is an old African proverb. ‘When you pray, move your feet.’ As a nation, if we care for the Beloved Community, we must move our feet, our hands, our hearts, our resources to build, not to tear down, to reconcile and not to divide, to love and not to hate, to heal and not to kill. In the final analysis, we are DALTON one people, one family, one house – the American house, the American family.”

The above passage is the last paragraph in Congressman John Lewis’s book, “Walking with the Wind.”

In 2001, I escorted 100 students to Washington D.C. and the Deep South to include Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. About 25 of the students were from Liberty High School. The goal was to meet people that were foot soldiers with Martin Luther King Jr. to establish voting rights and other equities that we take for granted. In our journey, we were privileged to meet John Lewis, the man who had become the icon of “Bloody Sunday.”

On March 7, 1965, Lewis and 565 other peaceful demonstrators marched from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. At that time, even though almost 50% of the population in this area was made up of African-Americans, only 2% voted. Many barriers kept them from registering and voting. When they reached the end of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, they were met by State troopers who billy clubbed and beat the peaceful protesters. Lewis himself almost lost his life that night.

This month, we lost a major foot soldier in the battle for voting rights and equity. Lewis lost his battle with pancreatic cancer.

Not more than a couple of months after the trip, 9/11 changed our world. But our world was already changing in hometown Brentwood. A town known for its farming community, was now growing beautiful homes that for the rest of the Bay Area were considered much more reasonable in price compared to Oakland, San Francisco, Richmond and other surrounding cities. The east Contra Costa County cities were becoming more diversified. But this diversity was not an easy growth. I reached out to a man named Reverend Samuel Billy Kyles. He was the reason that Martin Luther King Jr. was in Tennessee that fateful day to support the working poor. When I reached out to Reverend Billy for advice on why this change was so difficult, he said, “Christina, this is not a race issue. This is a class issue. People are moving to a small town that have developed survival skills of large cities. The behaviors that work in a large city, don’t necessarily work in a small town.”

With the support of all the school dis“ There is an old African proverb. ‘When you pray, move your feet.’ As a nation, if we care for the Beloved Community, we must move our feet, our hands, our hearts, our resources to build, not to tear down, to reconcile and not to divide, to love and not to hate, to heal and not to kill. In the final analysis, we are one people, one family, one house – the American house, the American family. ” Congressman John Lewis

tricts, the cities of Oakley and Brentwood, the Brentwood Rotary, and The Press Newspaper, we were able to fly Reverend Billy to our small towns to educate and train all of us as we worked through the growth pains of East Contra Costa County. Diversity groups were established, and conversation happened.

I reflect on this trip, not only for the passing of a man who knew how to “move all our feet” but for the importance of conversation to create positive change. 2020 is halfway through. Our local towns again are working hard to support each other, whether it is through the recognition of diversity or the struggles of small business, but also the need for active listening and powerful conversation. What camera shots of pictures, memorabilia, memories and positive actions would you put into a time capsule for our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren to discover in 50 years? Of course, a face mask would be included, maybe cutouts of fans that should’ve been at baseball games, along with snapshots of zoom calls. You might even throw in a roll of toilet paper, such a luxurious commodity in 2020. With a little over five months to go, who do you want to be to change 2020 for the better? Snap that image, and put it in your time capsule. Make this year a year of positive change as Congressman John Lewis did in 1965. Move your feet.

Christina Dalton, ACC, is a certified Life Coach who has recently retired as the Lead Counselor at Heritage High School. Previously, she has served as the math department chair at Liberty High School and was a member of the lead team to open Deer Valley High. Prior to her educational career, she was a marriage and family counselor. She brings these opportunities into empowering her clients through life coaching. She is the owner of Expanding Your Horizons - (Coaching for Life). She may be reached at: EYHLifeCoach.com.

Gas from page 3 20 fueling stations, with its convenience store and gas station operating 24 hours and its drive-thru car wash available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

All residents within 300 feet of the proposed project were notified of its possible arrival, with none expressing formal objection.

“I think if there was concern from the neighbors on the south side of Lone Tree — they were all notified of this meeting, of this application — they would have either sent us emails or participated in this meeting,” Councilmember Karen Rarey said.

City staff further noted that there is no evidence to suggest the project’s approval would cause urban decay and struck down the notion that it’s the city’s responsibility to shield current businesses, like the Brentwood Auto Spa, from competition when reviewing land-use applications.

Additionally, it appears that the established auto spa and future gas station and car wash would offer different services, according to a city staff report.

“The proposed use is exclusively drive-thru, with price options that would typically range between $10 and $14,” Hill wrote. “According to its website, Brentwood Auto Spa, in addition to washing and polishing, also provides services not available at a drive-thru, including detailing, carpet shampooing, tar removal, odor removal, leather conditioning and water spot removal. As a result of these additional services and features, the range of car wash prices at Brentwood Auto Spa is between $28 to $43.”

Several councilmembers appeared to base their decision on the fact that the proposed project conforms to the city’s general plan and meets California Environmental Quality Act guidelines.

“We have put (the proposed business) through the whole process to see if this is something that can actually happen within that community, and it has done everything it needs to do,” Councilmember Johnny Rodriguez said.

But Brentwood Auto Spa attorney Becky Diel noted the new business’s arrival could have negative effects.

She stated Brentwood Auto Spa saw a 10 to 15% decrease in volume when the nearby Arco station opened up a full car wash, and projected that the auto spa’s business could dip by an additional 20 to 30% — rendering the business unprofitable in its current form, forcing a partial or full closure.

She also warned the council that California has mandated a fuel consumption reduction by 2030, meaning the public’s gas needs will be reduced and stations will close.

“Each of these gas stations represents a brownfield, which is a term applied to property where its expansion, redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance,” Diel said. “A shuttered gas station presents a potential toxic wasteland.”

Opposing attorney Bryan Wenter said Rotten Robbie officials are excited to come to Brentwood. He claimed that Brentwood Auto Spa’s concerns were centered entirely on economic competition.

“It’s a great project,” he told the council. “It’s coming, and you have a committed business owner in a scary economic environment that remains committed to doing a project in a great community like Brentwood.”

The proposed business has not publicly disclosed an opening date. For more information on the project, see packet page 139 at https://bit. ly/2X46Zwc.

Cancer from page 4 at the end stages of their life, so it’s a very isolating way to spend the last three months you have.”

In reaching out to friends who are staunchly opposed to wearing masks, she learned some of the opposition stems from the confusion around the messaging.

“The government is telling you to wear whatever you have, and that it’s better than nothing, but for someone who’s critical of the mask orders, it comes across as confusing,” she said. “It would be better to make really clear standards.”

But one of the most difficult aspects of COVID-19 for the cancer patient, she said, is going it alone to treatments. Her husband drives her to Southern California, but he isn’t allowed in the cancer center.

She described the moment she received difficult news regarding her treatment plan. She sat alone crying.

“My doctor said, ‘I want to hug you and I can’t, and I’m so sorry,’” Buscho recalled. “So I’m just going to cry, and you’re going to cry, and we’ll just cry together. Meanwhile, my husband is on video chat, and he’s just watching helplessly through the whole horrible interaction.”

Between the feeling of complete isolation and watching her friends die, Buscho urges the people who are opposed to wearing masks to reconsider their stance.

“For me masking is so important because if our community were to completely commit to masking, then it would mean we could reduce the transmission rate … and it would mean I could leave my home,” Buscho continued. “I’m part of an invisible population that you won’t see protesting and you won’t see crying in the streets because we can’t … We are all in our homes until the community gets behind us and decides to start wearing masks.”

To contribute, visit https://bit.ly/thepressnet_BuschoRV. If you or someone you know can connect the Buscho family to an RV dealer who can offer the vehicle at cost or near cost, please email abrown@brentwoodpress.com. To view a video, visit www.thepress.net / multimedia