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Brentwood teen wins some, learns more on big stage

Liberty senior competes in American Cornhole League World Cornhole Championship

by Michael Dixon Correspondent

During the first week of August, Liberty High senior Spencer Fabionar was in Rock Hill, South Carolina, competing in the American Cornhole League World Cornhole Championship. The trip provided Fabionar with positive memories and learning experiences.

Fabionar competed in both singles and doubles. In singles, he went 3-2. In doubles, he went 2-2. He also participated in team doubles, which features three different pairs of teams competing in matchups. The group that wins two (or more) advances. In that event, Fabionar and his various partners took third place.

“It went alright,” Fabionar said of his experience. “I feel like I could have done a lot better. It was a huge place. In some games, I got a little nervous. In some games, the boards were too sticky. It was a lot of fun and a great learning experience.”

Among the learning experiences for Fabionar was realizing that he has to get better, noting how many quality opponents there are. “I thought I was pretty good. But when I went there, everyone’s top level,” he said.

Despite the better opponents, another lesson for Fabionar was to focus more on himself than the opponent.

“When you’re playing, you’ve got to play your own game,” he said. “When you play against other people, you do other things than you’re used to. I like to block, push and get around bags. When I started playing singles, I started doing things I’m not used to. I learned to focus on my own game and do what I’m good at.”

Fabionar playing on a big stage is notable not just because of the quality of the opponent but also because of his relative experience -- or lack of it. Fabionar is still relatively new to cornhole. He said he was previously “addicted to bowling.” But during the COVID-19 pandemic, the bowling alley shut down. Shortly thereafter, though, the Brentwood Bombers began having cornhole events in the bowling alley’s parking lot. With the encouragement of his dad, Mike, who said that Spencer couldn’t only sit around the house, he began playing in those tournaments about a year ago.

A year into playing cornhole, Fabionar is now sponsored by the Brentwood Bombers.

While the American Cornhole League season just ended, Fabionar has two more big events on the horizon. The first is Hot Cornhole Nights this weekend in Madera. Two weeks later, Fabionar will be at Spencer MacKenzie’s Throwdown, one of the biggest tournaments in the world, in Ventura.

Fabionar also plays in cornhole leagues in the same way that he used to play in bowling leagues and has the same passion for it.

“I play cornhole every day,” he said. “If I’m not at a tournament, I’m at my house playing. I love the game and play it every day. There’s a tournament pretty much every night locally that you can spend $10-$20 and get in. If you make the podium -- finish in the top three -- you make your money back.”

Photo courtesy of Spencer Fabionar Liberty High senior Spencer Fabionar recently competed in the American Cornhole League World Cornhole Championship in South Carolina.

Aquaknights wrap up successful season

by Michael Dixon Correspondent

A season ago, Sam Dix had just completed his first season as coach of the Aquaknights swim club. The club had 135 swimmers and finished 14th in its division at the County Championship Swim Meet. One year later, the Aquaknights had improved in more ways than one.

The club grew by 50 members in 2022, to 185 swimmers total. It also saw better results in the pool. The Aquaknights won the East County Swim League and sent nine swimmers to the County meet. Once there, the Aquaknights finished fourth in their division.

“Last year was the first year with me as head coach,” Dix said. “There was some uncertainty for families not knowing what to expect from myself and the coaches. Once we started and proved to a lot of the families what we had put in place and that the coaches we assembled knew what they’re doing, word got around and we started to make a bigger appearance at bigger meets.”

“Our presence on the deck as coaches at practices and meets makes a big difference,” he added. Our coaches are engaged in every single swimmer’s swim.”

The results showed -- and not just in the number of swimmers to qualify for county. In many cases, swimmers qualified in more than one event.

That included Paige Weideman, who swam in five individual events in the 11-12 year-old girls division. She qualified for county in four of those events and finished second in the backstroke. Daniel Fowler, meanwhile, swam in the 15-year-old boys division and qualified for county in every event.

Hudson Lanam qualified for county in the final league meet of the season and placed in the top 20 in the 9-10 year-old boys group.

The Aquaknights also sent five relay teams to county. The quartet of Kasen Johnson, Ezra Christensen, James Tynes, Johnny Continente made up two of those teams, the freestyle and medley relays in the boys six and under group.

And while the results are impressive, they’re not the most important thing for Dix and the coaching staff.

“The swimming is a byproduct of what we produce -- it’s fun and fun for the entire family,” Dix said before chuckling and paraphrasing Disney’s Inside Out. “Our goal is to create core memories for our swimmers and families.”

“I grew up in rec swimming,” he added. “I don’t remember races and times so much. But I do remember the moments with friends, family and other teammates.”

More than the results, Dix was proud of his swimmers’ sportsmanship..

“That’s the one thing we encourage from the first day they walk on the deck,” he said. “When they’re in the water and on this team, they show good sportsmanship. Win or lose, when the race is over, they shake hands with the swimmer on their left and on their right. As long as they put in their best effort, their season should be a success. We want good sportsmanship and good character, and with that comes better swimmers.”

With the competitive season over, the Aquaknights will shift to clinics that focus on technique, identifying specific areas of improvement for each swimmer. Those clinics will run from September to November. The Aquaknights will then take December through February off before starting spring clinics in March.

“Looking forward to another season,” Dix said. “This was only my second year as head coach, but I look forward to bigger and brighter plans.”

Photo courtesy of the Aquaknights The Aquaknights recently finished fourth in their division at the County Championship Swim Meet.

Photo by Katrina Kniss Kellen Chadwick came out victorious in the International Motor Contest Association Modified main event on Aug. 6.

Oakley resident wins Antioch Speedway race

Kellen Chadwick of Oakley won the 25-lap International Motor Contest Association Modified main event on Aug. 6 at Antioch Speedway for his third win of the season.

Terry DeCarlo, Sr. set the early pace, but rookie Kenneth Robles made an inside pass in Turn 2 of the fourth lap to take over. Chadwick quickly moved into second and made a Turn 2 pass on the seventh circuit to take the lead.

Rookie Trevor Clymens settled into second as a three-car battle developed between Bobby Motts, Jr. Eric Hamilton and Nick DeCarlo for third.

Motts had a flat tire and brought out a Lap 15 yellow flag. Hamilton held third place until surrendering the position to Nick DeCarlo on Lap 23. However, Chadwick stretched his advantage to about half a straightaway over Clymens in victory. Nick DeCarlo ended up third ahead of Hamilton and Terry DeCarlo Jr.

Tournament champs

Photo courtesy of the West Coast Soccer Club

The 2006 West Coast Soccer Club Krossfire recently won the Surf Invitational Tournament held in Lathrop. The Krossfire defeated Pajaro Valley 2-0 in the deciding match. “I really enjoyed coaching the Krossfire this weekend and I am very proud of the hard work they put into each game to come out with the championship,” said Krossfire coach Adaurie Dayak. The Krossfire’s next big challenge is when it begins play in the Girls Academy League.

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Sabbatical about more than just drinking

Distillery’s staff hopes for more U-pick events, farm-to-table offerings

by Jake Menez Staff Writer

A man in work clothes steps into the tasting room of Sabbatical Distillery in Stockton on a Friday evening. The traffic on Highway 4 is nearly at a standstill and he’s dropped by to get out of it for a while. Danny Leonard, one of the co-founders of the distillery, laughs and says that’s part of why they chose the location they did.

The distillery opened in May 2021 after being delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and is the first in San Joaquin County since Prohibition over 100 years ago, according to its owners. It is part of Victoria Island Farms, a sprawling farmland on a 7,000-acre island in the Delta that has been in Sabbatical co-founder Jack Zech’s family since the early 1960s.

Capitalizing on that location, Sabbatical’s spirits are described by its founders as “farm-harvested,” using as many products as possible from Victoria Island Farms, such as the corn for the whiskey and the blueberries for their new blueberry lemon vodka. Farm-fresh almonds, honey and other seasonal offerings are available for purchase in the bottle shop, underscoring the marriage between the distillery and the farm that houses it. U-Pick events for the blueberries have drawn crowds of people from as far as Santa Barbara, according to Zech.

“The space we use for the distillery is actually the old asparagus packing shed,” Zech explained. When demand for asparagus declined, the 9,000-square-foot space suddenly became the perfect spot for the two friends to try their hand at whiskey-making like they’d talked about since they met in college 15 years ago.

After leaving behind white-collar jobs to pursue their shared vision, Zech and Leonard realized they needed knowledge of the whiskey-making process to complement their passion, according to Leonard. To that end, they sought the help of Jake Norris, an experienced distiller with previous experience helping to craft award-winning whiskeys in Colorado. Although Norris remains a partner at Sabbatical, the day-to-day process of spirit making is now handled by Leonard and Zech after working closely with Norris in the lead-up to the distillery’s opening.

The result is a collection of Japanese-style whiskeys, as well as a gin, that have won their share of awards in international competition. This lineup of Sabbatical’s spirits will soon be available in stores due to a new partnership with a local distributor. However, the on-site bottle shop at Sabbatical will remain the exclusive home of more limited releases, such as their Port barrel-aged whiskey and their asparagus root amaro.

Part of the goal of Sabbatical, according to Leonard, is to educate potential whiskey-lovers.

“It can be intimidating,” he says of learning how to talk about whiskey. The stereotype of “whiskey snobs” with waxed mustaches and suspenders is one Leonard and Zech hope to dispel by getting more people interested in the process. The distillery offers free product tastings for guests that give them a chance to learn about the different spirits. They also offer guided group tours of the facility with the same educational purpose in mind.

More information about Sabbatical, including details about products and tastings, can be found online at www.drinksabbatical.com. To view a video, visit www.thepress.net/multimedia

Photo by Jake Menez Sabbatical Distillery co-founders Jack Zech (left) and Danny Leonard (right) pose with the barrels used to age their award-winning whiskeys.

How you can still help Ukrainian refugees

Area residents can make donations of money or supplies to these accredited charities:

Red Cross

redcross.org/foxforward

Save the Children

https://www.savethechildren.org/

Project Hope

https://www.projecthope.org/

Global Giving

https://www.globalgiving.org/ projects/ukraine-crisis-relief-fund/

UNICEF

https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/ unicef-children-crossfire-ukrainecrisis/39542

Matthew 25: Ministries

https://m25m.org/about-us/

International Medical Corps

https://internationalmedicalcorps. org/updates/we-are-helpingpeople-affected-by-conflict-inukraine/

Razom for Ukraine (Means ‘together’ in Ukranian)

https://www.facebook.com/ RazomForUkraine/?ref=page_internal

Americares

https://www.americares.org/ emergency-program/conflict-inukraine/

International Medical Corps (based in California)

https://internationalmedicalcorps. org/emergency-response/war-inukraine/

Project C.U.R.E

https://4agc.com/donation_ pages/8a290f09-345f-498a-a4e513e69d746ce1

World Central Kitchen (cooking hot meals for refugees)

https://donate.wck.org/ give/236738/#!/donation/checkout

Voices of the Children

https://www.voicesofthechildren. org/?page_id=294

Catholic Relief Services

https://www.crs.org/media-center/ current-issues/ukraine-conflictfacts-and-how-help

International Rescue Committee

https://help.rescue.org/donate/ ukraine

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