BA Issue 99, April 2015

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8 locker

room: The Warriors are gonna win the NBA title. We know it. You know it. But how do we know it?

Reasons.

We have them.

Fence: 55 The Tryouts, sign-ups, fund-raisers and more!

58 Advertiser’s index 4

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OVERwhelmingly Conflicted R

Gigi Garcia, left, and Destiney Lee celebrate their state title for McClatchy.

egular readers of this column probably know our stance on the way the California Interscholastic Federation employs its Open Division within the state basketball championships.

It’s never quite won us over. We’ve always understood the logic behind it — separate the most elite programs from the Division I-V fields to allow for more parity there — but have had a difficult time watching it end the seasons of some very good NorCal boys and girls teams which were considered too good for their own divisions, but clearly weren’t at the caliber of the top 3-4 teams in the region.

And then came the two-day, 12-game thrill show that was this year’s state championship weekend at Haas Pavilion. There were plenty of winners over the weekend, but none bigger than the CIF. In the third year of the format that includes an Open Division, this was the weekend it was waiting for.

Seven of the 12 games were decided by single-digit margins, five were decided by four points or less. Four of the games needed overtime, three of them needed TWO overtimes. There were six (!) first-time state champions, and five other schools who played in their first state final.

And the two Open Championship games were both perfect closers to the weekend, each one pitting the top two ranked teams in the state and featuring some of the best talent in the country. And lastly, the North and South each won six games.

It was the epitome of everything the CIF wanted to accomplish with the Open Division. It was also a lot of fun to watch, photograph and write stories about, and it sure made one fun issue to put together.

We aren’t total converts to this current format, but if every future state championship weekend can come close to that of 2015’s, then we’re not going to bash it too much.

THE BIG 1-0-0 Next week we will turn 100, as in our 100th issue. And it’s sort of a big deal, which we plan to celebrate. We’d like elicit your help in celebrating. As part of the issue, we’re going to be compiling lists of the Top 25 athletes and the Top 25 teams that we’ve covered over our first 100 issues.

If any of you loyal readers have thoughts on who should be included on those lists — and let’s not kid one another, we know you do — then send us an email with your nominations. You can also tweet to @SportStarsMag using the hashtag #SSM100. We will make a special note of which athlete and team received the most reader support. Also, if you had a favorite SportStars cover over these past five years, please feel free to share that too. Now, we’re off to buy a cake big enough for 100 candles. ✪

join our team PHONE 925.566.8500 FAX 925.566.8507 Editorial Editor@SportStarsOnline.com Editor Chace Bryson • Chace@SportStarsOnline.com Staff Writer Jim McCue • JimMcCue16@gmail.com Contributors Bill Kolb, Matt Smith, Clay Kallam, Ben Enos, Dave Kiefer, Liz Elliott, Tim Rudd, Trevor Horn Copy Editor Bill Kruissink Photography Bob Larson, Jonathan Hawthorne, James K. Leash, Norbert von der Groeben, Phillip Walton, Doug Guler, Dean Coppola, Berry Evans, III Marketing/Events Ryan Arter Editorial Intern Mike Young Creative Department Art@SportStarsOnline.com Production Manager Mike DeCicco • MikeD@SportStarsOnline.com Publisher/President Mike Calamusa • Mike@SportStarsOnline.com Advertising Sales@SportStarsOnline.com, 925.566.8500 Account Executives Camps & Clinics: Ryan Arter • Camps@SportStarsOnline.com Alameda County: Berry Evans • Berry@foto-pros.com Central Valley, World Events: Anthony Grigsby • Area Director anthony.grigsby@worldeventssports.com Darin Wissner • dwissner@wordeventssports.com Reader Resources/Administration Subscription, Calendar, Credit Services Angela Paradise • Info@SportStarsOnline.com Distribution/Delivery Phillip Walton • Mags@SportStarsOnline.com Information technology John Bonilla CFO Sharon Calamusa • Sharon@SportStarsOnline.com community SportStars™ Magazine A division of Caliente! Communications, LLC 5356 Clayton Rd., Ste. 222 • Concord, CA 94521 • info@SportStarsOnline.com www.SportStarsOnline.com

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Got Send your nominations to: Next? Editor@SportStarsOnline.com or tweet us using #SSOTW

Aisia

Robertson Bishop O’Dowd - Basketball - Senior With Asha Thomas sidelines for much of the season, the Dragons morphed into Aisia Robertson’s team. She was the senior leader and go-to star through the first two months, so it was no surprise — even with Thomas once again sharing the backcourt — that the Kansas-bound guard took over in the second half of the CIF Div. III Girls State Championship game on March 27. Robertson scored a team-high 16 points and added eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. She also committed just one turnover while playing 28 of a possible 32 minutes. With Robertson leading the way, the Dragons outscored Brea Olinda 18-9 in the third quarter and never looked back on their way to a 55-40 victory.

WHAT they SAID: “She’s probably the best guard we’ve seen all year,” Brea Olinda coach Jeff Sink said. “She’s the total package. Her athleticism is off the scale. She’ll be a great college player, and if she keeps developing her outside range, I think we could see her in the WNBA”

honorable mention Chris Hansen: Campolindo’s senior post player closed out his career with a monster doubledouble of 25 points and 14 rebounds in 70-57 a Div. III state finals loss to DamienLa Verne.

Madeline Holland: Archbishop Mitty’s sophomore guard scored eight points to go along with a game-high 13 rebounds as the Monarchs won the Div. II state championship 53-31 over Mark KeppelAlhambra.

Keith Smith: San Ramon Valley’s senior point guard scored a team-high 20 points and added eight assists and six rebounds to lead the Wolves to a 79-71 double-overtime Div. I state championship victory over Chino Hills.

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Say What

Trending What’s hot this week in the world of stuff that’s hot Mick Jagger is 71 years old and still the best rock ’n’ roller on the planet. Need proof? He’s dating a 28-year old ballerina. Your move, current rock star like …. uhh ….

Adam Levine? No? Maybe? Do they still have rock stars?

The media reports that Hillary Duff has a weird collection of tattoos. Isn’t that weird? That the media is reporting on Hillary Duff?

WrestleMania was held at Levi’s Stadium, the 49ers new stadium and Seth Rollins was crowned the new WWE champion. Nice to see that you CAN win something at that stadium.

In Fake News news, Trevor Noah has been named as the new host of The Daily Show. We watched his clips and he’s funny, but we already miss Jon Stewart, who hasn’t even left yet.

Adam West and Burt Ward — Batman and Robin from the 1960s schlock-fest — will reprise their roles in an animated movie set to premier in 2016.

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“It feels surreal right now. It feels surreal. It’s like I’m dreaming.

It’s hard to explain.

Everything is kind of fuzzy.”

Bishop O’Dowd boys basketball coach Lou Richie in the immediate aftermath of the Dragons’ 65-64 win over Mater Dei-Santa Ana in the CIF Open Division State Championship. It was O’Dowd’s first state championship since 1981. Richie was a member of the 1987-88 Dragons team which lost a dramatic state final.

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1

count 'em

top 5 reasons the warriors win the nba title Cards on the table: We’ve never been especially enamored of the NBA. Always been more MLB-NFL oriented, with a side of NCAA hoops. But. Dang if this Warriors team kinda captured our attention. And it has us in a mind to wax rhapsodic. Without further ado, here are the top five reasons the 2014-15 Dubs will win the NBA title and go down as one of the greatest teams in NBA history.

1. HOME — Sitting pretty at 34-2 at this typing, Golden State has a (completely reasonable, almost expected) shot at finishing with an eye-popping 39-2 home tally. For reference, only the 1985-86 Celtics (40-1) can claim a better home mark. You know, the NBA champion, Larry Legend-Led, Hall of Fameladen Celtics? You might have heard of them.

2. HISTORY — Likewise, the overall single-season record. Sure sure, the Dubs can’t touch the (all-time, greatest, most ridunkulous) 72-10 mark of the 1995-96 Bulls squad. You know, the Toni Kukoc, Luc Longley, Bill Wennington Bulls. Oh. They had some bench guys you might have heard of, too, like Golden State head coach Steve Kerr, television personality John Salley, and, uh, Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan. Still. 69-13 (for an 84.15 winning percentage) wouldn’t be too shabby. We aren’t saying that this Warriors team would take down that Bulls squad in a seven-game series.

But. We’d like to see how it played out. Just sayin’.

3. HEART — Did you know that Golden State hasn’t lost more that two consecutive games all season? That’s it. Two. And each time after the second loss, Splash & Co. has come out and laid the thump on the next unsuspecting victim. Like when GS got blindsided in Utah on Jan. 30, and came out the following night for a 106-87 beat down of the better-than-average Suns. Heart, baby.

4. HEAD — Anyone who has lingering doubts about the decision to show Mark Jackson the door in favor of Little Stevie (Wonder) Kerr, please crumple up this magazine, drop it in the blue bin on your way out (recycle people, please) and don’t bother checking back next issue. Because Kerr is playing this team like a well-tuned fiddle. Nobody has more minutes per game than deserving MVP candidate Steph Curry, who is playing a whopping 32.8 per 48 in his 71-of-73 games this season. Which, in case you’re wondering, is four fewer than The Beard (James Harden) and one more than The Cheekbone (Russell Westbrook).

5. HEY-YOU-GUYS! Speaking of Kerr. Is anyone playing his bench more or better or deeper than Little Stevie? We think not. Look. Max contract guys David Lee and Andre Unpronounceable are making noble contributions off the bench. And guys with names like Speights, Ezeli, McAdoo (not Bob), Livingston (we presume) and Holiday are mentioned on a regular basis as key contributors. We’re just sayin’.

— Bill “Totally Drinking The Kool-Aid” Kolb P.S. And you thought we were just gonna go Steph, Klay, Draymond, Barnes and Bogut.

Which we totally could have done. Because. Like. Whoa.

The number of hits San Ramon Valley-Danville baseball pitcher Joey Matulovich allowed in back-to-back complete game shutouts of College Park-Pleasant Hill and Palo Alto.

The senior allowed his one hit to Bay Area-heavyweight College Park on March 13, going seven innings and striking out 12. Then on March 21, he struck out 11 and walked three in a seven-inning no-hitter at Palo Alto.

Through March, Matulovich had a 2-1 record with a 0.98 ERA with 30 strikeouts through 21.1 innings of work.

Jane Tyska/TNS/ZUMAPRESS.com

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StorybookFinish Bishop O’Dowd’s Ivan Rabb joins short list of elite high school athletes in a team sport who have closed their career with a shining moment In some sports, such as track and field, it’s much easier for great California high school athletes to end their careers with a magical moment.

It’s the final race, final jump, final relay leg and they do what they usually do. Win, collect a medal, wave to the crowd (now at Veteran’s Stadium in Clovis) and head off toward college.

Watching someone like Marion Jones of Thousand Oaks do that in 1993 still can cause goose bumps many years later.

In other sports, like football, basketball and baseball, getting the opportunity to do something magical as a final moment for a prep career is much more unpredictable. Simple bounces of the ball can decide the games; a great player can be on a losing team; and just having to be subbed out of a lopsided win are all factors that can prevent that special, spine-tingling experience.

In this year’s CIF Open Division state final, of course, everyone there will be able to tell the story of Bishop O’Dowd’s Ivan Rabb for many years. Rabb got to enjoy such a moment when he connected for a game-winning free throw with 0.8 seconds left to give the Dragons their 65-64 win in overtime over four-time defending state champion Mater Dei-Santa Ana. One player who did not get that magic moment was 2013 and 2014 Mr. Basketball State Player of the Year Aaron Gordon of Archbishop Mitty-San Jose. Gordon was on a Mitty team as a senior that lost to Mater Dei in the Open Division state championship.

It wasn’t a game-winning basket or game-winning point, but the legendary Jason Kidd of St. Joseph-Alameda had such a moment in the 1992 CIF Division I final (also against Mater Dei).

With the Pilots firmly in control in the fourth quarter, Kidd got a steal and dunk. He came off the court and all who were there knew that one chapter was over but another chapter was beginning in what might be a great career.

Some of the best magical moments to end a prep career also have come in baseball.

In the 1979 CIF L.A. City Section championships at Dodger Stadium, Granada Hills won the title over Crenshaw of Los Angeles when Granada Hills senior pitcher John Elway struck

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out Crenshaw’s Darryl Strawberry. Elway’s next stop was to play football and baseball at Stanford.

In another L.A. City baseball final a few years later, Cleveland-Reseda pitcher Bret Saberhagen completed a no-hitter in his last game. He would later become a World Series MVP for the Kansas City Royals.

Football might be even harder for a player at Rabb’s level to have a final magical moment. One of the best we’ve ever seen was by Pittsburg defensive end Regan Upshaw, who got a sack against De La Salle-Concord that sealed a win over the Spartans in the 1991 CIF North Coast Section Division I championship. Upshaw went on to have a solid NFL career. De La Salle hasn’t lost an NCS playoff game since that play.

Rabb also could have just as easily suffered a horrendous final moment for his prep career if he had missed both of those final free throws. We didn’t see it, but have researched the final

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game that Barry Bonds played in baseball for Serra-San Mateo.

It was a CIF Central Coast Section baseball game and the MLB career home run king (add asterisk if you wish) struck out in his final at-bat.

Note: Go to CalHiSports.com to sign up to the NFHS Network for an unbelievable 50 percent off. The NFHS Network does live video streaming for every CIF section in the state and does live video streaming for many of the state’s top inter-sectional football games. A one-year sub to the NFHS usually costs $119.

Only through CalHiSports.com can you get it for $59.99. Check out this offer today. A subscription now takes you through the 2015 football season and would even auto-renew at this same low price. ✪ Mark Tennis is the co-founder of Cal-Hi Sports, and publisher of CalHiSports.com. Contact him at markjtennis@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter, @CalHiSports.

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girls basketball Rankings

boys basketball Rankings

All records are FINAL 1. (1) — St. Mary’s-Stockton 34-1 Team supposedly a year from a mythical national title contender arrived early, beat Mater Dei in Open Div. state final 2. (2) — Mater Dei-Santa Ana 31-3 In all 3 of their losses (and in some wins), Monarchs couldn’t hold leads in the second half 3. (3) — Chaminade-West Hills 27-4 Team that beat Mater Dei twice could be top competition for St. Mary’s next season 4. (4) — Long Beach Poly 26-4 Having win over Chaminade is difference between Jackrabbits and Miramonte for the fourth spot here 5. (5) — Miramonte-Orinda 30-3 Matadors have lost in two straight NorCal Open Division finals, this year to St. Mary’s.

6. (6) — Sierra Canyon-Chatsworth 23-5 Trailblazers won third straight state title behind graduating standouts Kennedy Burke & Cheyenne Wallace 7. (7) — Sacred Heart Cathedral-S.F. 18-11 CCS Open Div. champions gave No. 1 St. Mary’s huge scares twice, the second time in NorCal semis 8. (8) — Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland 25-9 Way Div. III state champs looked in last two games, makes one wonder how good they could’ve been if healthy all season 9. (10) ▲ St. Ignatius-S.F. 22-7 Wildcats were knocked out of NorCals by Miramonte, but after a first-round triumph over Salesian.

10. (9) ▼ Bishop Alemany-Mission Hills 24-7 League win over Chaminade and playoff win over Sierra Canyon helped boost final ranking 11. (11) — Pinewood-Los Altos Hills 24-4 Last 2 losses were to Sacred Heart Cathedral (CCS playoffs) and Miramonte (NorCals) 12. (15) ▲ Archbishop Mitty-San Jose 25-6 Winning Div. II state title and getting co-title in WCAL gave the Monarchs a boost in final rankings 13. (12) ▼ Vanden-Fairfield 30-4 Div. III state title run was ended by Bishop O’Dowd, but Vikings still earned first section title 14. (13) ▼ Brea Olinda-Brea 26-4 Coach Jeff Sink’s team lost in Div. III state final to O’Dowd; loss before that was to Mater Dei 15. (NR) ▲ La Jolla Country Day 18-11 Forget losses, because Torreys have to go in front Eastside Prep after winning Div. V state title 16. (14) ▼ Eastside Prep-Palo Alto 25-6 Panthers’ six-player roster lost 3 times to Pinewood and all three in close games 17. (18) ▼ McClatchy-Sacramento 27-7 Div. I state champs bounced back from early-season losses and a loss to No. 1 St. Mary’s section final 18. (20) ▲ Clovis West-Fresno 26-5 Coach Craig Campbell’s squad beat Alemany in SoCal Open Div. first-round matchup 19. (NR) ▲ Modesto Christian 27-5 CIF did Crusaders no favors by making them start NorCal Open Div. playoffs at St. Mary’s 20. (NR) ▲ Salesian-Richmond 30-4 Pride’s 30-win resume includes wins over McClatchy and Sacred Heart Cathedral.

Dropped Out: No. 16 Oaks Christian-Westlake Village, No. 17 Serra-Gardena and No. 19 Mark Keppel-Alhambra.

All records are FINAL 1. (1) — Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland 28-4 Dragons go wire-to-wire as the state’s top team and finish No. 1 in the state for the first time in program history 2. (2) — Mater Dei-Santa Ana 31-2 Streak of four state titles ends in a 65-64 overtime loss to O’Dowd in Open Div. state final 3. (3) — Bishop Montgomery-Torrance 31-2 Knights won CIFSS Open Div. title (Mater Dei lost in semis), but lost to Mater Dei in the SoCal Open Div. semis 4. (4) — Fairfax-Los Angeles 32-3 Made it to the SoCal Open Div. final where it lost to Mater Dei; best win was over No. 6 Sierra Canyon 5. (5) — Etiwanda 24-9 Give the Eagles credit for knocking off Mater Dei in CIFSS Open Div. semis.

6. (6) — Sierra Canyon-Chatsworth 26-4 CIF Div. V state champs will likely be in the Open Div. next year and may start 2015-16 season as state’s No. 1 7. (7) — Damien-La Verne 26-5 Winning Baseline League (which included Etiwanda & Chino Hills) prepped Spartans for Div. III state title run 8. (9) ▲ Orange Lutheran-Orange 24-6 Lancers made it to CIFSS Open Div. semis with big win over Centennial-Corona 9. (10) ▲ Cathedral-Los Angeles 22-8 The Phantoms will be another SoCal team that should be a force next season 10 .(11) ▲ Modesto Christian 30-4 NorCal Open Division finalist won tough SJS Div. II title and had strong state run before running into O’Dowd 11. (12) ▲ Monte Vista-Danville 27-4 Big difference between the CIF Open Div. and Div. I, which is why NCS Div. I champs rank ahead of San Ramon Valley 12. (15) ▲ San Ramon Valley-Danville 27-4 Double OT win over Chino Hills in Div. I state final showed a lot of grit, will and depth 13. (8) ▼ Chino Hills 24-8* NorCal fans who saw Lonzo Ball for first time against SRV know why there’s so much excitement about him 14. (13) ▼ Centennial-Corona 25-6 Lost to Chino Hills in the SoCal Div. I regional championship; had early-season win over Etiwanda 15. (14) ▼ Folsom 28-5 Bulldogs won SJS D1 title and played in this year’s Open Div. after reaching 2014 Div. II state final 16. (18) ▲ El Cerrito 29-4 Gauchos won NCS Div. II crown and had win over NorCal Div. III champ Campolindo 17. (NR) ▲ De La Salle-Concord 27-5 Owning three wins over Div. I state champ San Ramon Valley gets Spartans into final rankings 18. (17) ▼ Redondo Union-Redondo Beach 25-8 Seahawks had regular-season win over Centennial, but couldn’t get past Huskies in SoCal playoffs 19. (16) ▼ Campolindo-Moraga 28-5 Cougars avenged a loss to Drake-San Anselmo to reach Div. III state final where they lost to Damien 20. (NR) ▲ Woodcreek-Roseviille 27-6 Big-time frosh Jordan Brown and Co. beat DLS in NorCal Div. I semis and had win over Folsom *Forfeit loss not included.

Dropped Out: No. 19 Serra-San Mateo and No. 20 Archbishop Mitty-San Jose

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OPEN FOR DEBATE

I go to Miramonte. Our girls won the NCS title, beating Bishop O’Dowd. Because O’Dowd lost, they got to play in Div. III and won a state title. We had to play in the Open Division and got beat in the NorCal finals. So how is it right that O’Dowd gets to brag about being a state champion when we beat them in NCS? M.M., Orinda

T

here are two parts to a simple answer: It isn’t right, and life isn’t fair – but as always, there’s more to it.

The Open Division was designed to separate schools that have the opportunity to recruit, and/ or have traditionally strong, well-supported programs, from those that are either unable (or unwilling) to recruit and are not perennial powerhouses. In theory, it’s great, because teams like Mater Dei and Long Beach Poly from down south and teams like St. Mary’s of Stockton and Sacred Heart Cathedral from the north operate at a different level than other schools.

But the devil is in the details, and by picking eight teams for the Open from the north, that dooms six or seven to also-ran status, and gives teams nine through 12 — who play in their own divisions against non-Open teams from Southern California — a much better shot at winning a title.

Here are two possible solutions: ›› Just take four teams into the Open. Realistically, only four teams from each region have a shot. There might be an unusual year with five candidates, but usually there are two or three. This year, in the north, it was pretty much St. Mary’s of

Kaitlin Fenn, Miramonte

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Stockton and everyone else, and Miramonte would have been stuck in the Open even with four teams, but that leads to … ›› Only the teams picked for the Open Division can play for a state title. All other divisions finish their season in the regional championship. For example, O’Dowd’s last game would have been against Vanden for the NorCal title, and that would have been it. By not qualifying for the Open, the chances for a state banner on the wall are gone.

There are several advantages to this. It takes away any hint a team might try to lose in section playoffs so it could avoid being bumped to the Open. Second, it delivers a true state champ, as it’s unlikely the Div. V winner would stand much of a chance against the Open winner – or even the semifinalists.

So why is it right the Div. V winner can make the same claim as the Open Division winner (“We’re the champs!”) when the Open team is very likely so much better?

Combining the two proposals would be the optimal solution, with any team that qualifies for the Open getting a big banner to hang in the gym from the state and other special treatment (every Open game is televised, say).

Of course, this is just another beautiful theory that will be assaulted by some ugly facts, in this case the TV deal CIF has struck with Comcast. Comcast shows 12 state championship games, and instead would have just two.

Given that, don’t expect any major changes in the near future, especially as this system is better than the one that preceded it. ✪

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Placer Valley prepares to host massive youth track and field championships in May

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ore than 1,200 youth track-and-field athletes, ages 7 to 18, are expected to compete at the annual Pacific Association Youth Championships (PAC) taking place at Whitney High School in Rocklin on May 30-31.

The event is hosted by Revolution Express Track Club, in partnership with Placer Valley Tourism, and all competitors are members of the USA Track & Field (USATF) Pacific Association, the largest youth track-and-field program in Northern California.

The PAC championships will serve as a wrap-up for the USATF spring season, and the athletes competing have been preparing for this since the first weekend of March. Although this is not a qualifying meet for the Junior Olympics, it does serve as great preparation for the Junior Olympics qualifying meet which takes place at Whitney High on June 13-14.

“This is a full youth track meet, with everything except steeplechase and hammer,” meet director, Maura Kent said. “We have some amazing field athletes as well as great hurdlers and open running competitors.”

Athletes from as far north as the California-Oregon border to as far south as San Luis Obispo, and some even from Northern Nevada, will arrive in Placer Valley the last weekend in May for this event at Whitney High’s state-of-the-art track-and-field facility. Come check it out as the PAC Championships always provides outstanding action. ✪

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WRESTLING

The 47th annual NorCal Tournament of Champions took place March 14 at Del Oro High in Loomis and went beyond expectations.

Junior high wrestlers from all over California arrived to compete in 19 weight classes, ranging from 70 to 235 pounds.

Wrestlers in 6th through 8th grade came to compete not just from Placer Valley, but all the way from Redding to Bakersfield.

“We had to use both gyms at Del Oro and had 11 mats with matches going on from 9 a.m. until nearly 9 p.m,” noted meet director Rod Hedlund.

Hedlund, who has been at the helm for 42 consecutive years, pours his heart and soul into these championships — and it shows. The TOC is one of the longest running and most prestigious junior high wrestling tournaments in all of California. Hedlund’s dedication never wavers and he attributes much of the continued success of the TOC on the incredible support from the local wrestling community.

“I have people run staging that have been with me for more than 25 years,” he said. “Their kids are gone but they are still here helping year after year,” Hedlund explained.

The local USA Gold Wrestling Club had a great weekend with top 8 placers that included Damion Elliot (6th, 70-pound division), Isaiah Shannep (6th, 76 pounds), Jimmy Heryford

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(2nd, 83 pounds), Evan Ivaldi (8th, 83 pounds), Jake Lewallen (7th, 89 pounds), Elijah Blake (2nd, 95 pounds), Zachary Hancock (7th, 108 pounds), JT Stinson (3rd, 116 pounds), Riley Lewallen (2nd, 135 pounds) and James Durham (3rd place, 135 pounds).

Buljan Middle School of Roseville saw its own Caleb Switzer claim seventh place in the 153-pound weight class. In the 185-pound weight class Adam Lowe from Loomis placed third, and Garret Houser of Granite Oaks Middle School in Rocklin came in seventh place in the 205-pound division. Finally, at 235 pounds, Izaias Andrews took home a fourth place for Springview Middle School in Rocklin. ✪ — Copy and photos provided by Placer Valley Tourism

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Vincent Tanisawa

FoothillPleasanton begins the tenacious EBAL season hoping its 7-0 start is a harbinger of greater things to come Story by Chace Bryson Photos by Phillip Walton 16

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J

oe Danckert thought about it and he chose his words carefully.

The three-year varsity pitcher for Foothill in Pleasanton knows about fast starts to a baseball season, and he knows how quickly they can slip away.

After a 5-1 win over Enochs-Modesto on March 21 at Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton, the Falcons finished March with a perfect record of 7-0. But Danckert knows what’s ahead: 14 games in the East Bay Athletic League, considered among the toughest baseball leagues in the state. And he know’s what’s behind: a 2014 season that featured a 7-0 start through March 27 and included just eight more wins over the last two months.

So when asked about the team’s confidence as its continued to add to its hot start, the co-captain and left-handed starter responded with the past and future very much in mind.

“It’s fun showing up at the diamond knowing that everything is going well,” said Danckert, who finished March with a 3-0 record with a 1.12 ERA and just 12 hits allowed over his first 18.2 innings.

“We have to just compete at a high level and take a mindset that we need to just win this one. Games are going to get harder and we’re going to need to compete even harder.”

Of the eight teams in the EBAL, only one will begin league play on April 1 with a losing record. That team, De La Salle-Concord (2-3), is the defending North Coast Section Division I champions. The Spartans actually eliminated Foothill 1-0 in the NCS semifinals last May. Amador Valley, the school across town from Foothill, finished March undefeated with a record of 6-0. Livermore begins EBAL play with a record of 6-1 and San Ramon Valley-Danville — the 2014 NCS Div. I runner-up — begins league with a 5-1 mark.

Foothill’s league opener comes against Monte Vista-Danville, a team off to a 4-2 start that has outscored opponents 32-8 over its final three games of the month.

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Records through 3/28. (source: MaxPreps.com)

Joey Lea “The EBAL is just a tough league,” Danckert said. “It’s fun knowing that you’re going to have to work hard to get what you want. It’s not fun getting everything easily.”

Foothill sure has made things look easy over its first seven games.

The Falcons have outscored opponents 39-10 during the seven-game start, and have defeated traditionally strong East Bay programs like Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland, Heritage-Brentwood and James Logan-Union City. Perhaps among the most positive signs that the fast start isn’t a fluke is the fact that so many players have contributed.

Foothill has had 12 different hitters collect RBI through the first seven games. On the mound, coach Angelo Scavone has used six pitchers who have combined for a 1.17 ERA and allowed just 36 hits over 48 innings.

“I have 23 guys I can put on the diamond and feel confident about,” Scavone said. “But we have unbelievable senior leadership this year and I think that’s been a big key.”

In addition to Danckert, the three other senior captains are centerfielder and leadoff hitter Ryan Probst, first baseman Stone Godi, and catcher Nate Jetter. Another senior, third baseman Vinny Tanisawa, has been among the biggest contributors to the Falcons offense so far, knocking in a team-best nine RBI. There’s also the junior tandem of Justin Goodman and Joey Lea. Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, and like us on Facebook!

Goodman is batting .636 as the team’s No. 3 hitter. He finished March 7-for-11 with two doubles, four walks, nine RBI and no strikeouts.

“He’s really just a little guy who just squares the ball up every time,” Scavone said of Goodman, who plays infield for the Falcons.

Lea, also a left-hander, already has a no-hitter under his belt. He came up with the gem on March 4 at home against West-Tracy. Lea threw just 87 pitches and allowed just two base runners, both by walk, and struck out four.

Brandon de Gues, a senior right-hander, has carved out a noticeable role as the team’s hammer from the bullpen. Reaching the low-90s with his fastball, de Gues struck out 16 batters over his first 8.2 innings.

But even with all these numbers, the past is still too recent to leave anyone comfortable. The Falcons finished 5-9 in EBAL play a year ago and will be looking for their first winning league season since going 10-4 in 2010. The latter was the last year the Falcons played for an NCS title, something Foothill has yet to win.

“It’s so hard to to predict because of the league being such a juggernaut,” Scavone said. “If we keep on keeping on here, we’re going to be in a lot of ball games. We’re going to be there and we’re going to be scrappy.

“It’s going to be fun. A lot of fun. If you get your kids to play well on that given day, you’ve got a chance.” ✪ Subscribe to s360 at SportStarsOnline.com

1. (2)

▲

College Park-Pleasant Hill

6-2

2. (4)

▲

San Ramon Valley-Danville

5-1

3. (1)

▼

Valley Christian-San Jose

11-2

4. (5)

▲

Archbishop Mitty-San Jose

9-2

5. (6)

▲

Bellarmine-San Jose

10-1

6. (3)

▼

De La Salle-Concord

2-3

7. (7)

— Elk Grove

5-3

8. (8)

— Serra-San Mateo

7-4

9. (11)

▲

Foothill-Pleasanton

7-0

10. (12) ▲

St. Francis-Mountain View

6-3

11. (13) ▲

Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills

10-0

12. (14) ▲

Vintage-Napa

12-1

13. (9)

Franklin-Elk Grove

6-2

Davis

6-3

▼

14. (10) ▼

15. (15) — Maria Carrillo-Santa Rosa

6-1

16. (16) — Vanden-Fairfield

9-3

17. (18) ▼

Jesuit-Carmichael

4-2

18. (NR) ▲

Amador Valley-Pleasanton

6-0

19. (19) — Redwood-Larkspur

9-1

20. (17) ▼

6-6

St. Mary’s-Stockton

DROPPED OUT: No. 20 Lincoln-Stockton

BIGGEST MOVER: Preseason No. 1 College Park fought its way back to the top spot after an impressive showing at the National High School Invitational in Cary, North Carolina. The Falcons picked up convincing wins over defending Tennessee and Pennsylvania state champions, and another win over a strong Florida team. They lost 8-3 to San Clemente in the an all-California championship game. San Ramon Valley settles in at No. 2, piggybacking on College Park’s success since the Wolves have a win over the Falcons.

TEAMS REMAINING FROM PRESEASON TOP 20: 13

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SOFTBALL NOTES

Stampede days are back again Livermore’s Robertson Park becomes the hub of the NorCal softball universe from April 2-4 as the always-competitive 21st Annual Livermore Stampede takes place.

This year’s 16-team field is about as good as any softball fan could ask for. We’re here to break it down for you a bit.

Of the 16 teams, seven can be found in our SportStars NorCal Top 20 rankings compiled after games played on March 28. Four of the teams — Archbishop Mitty-San Jose, Benicia, HeritageBrentwood and Alhambra-Martinez — are inside the Top 10. Here’s a quick glance at where each of those teams stands coming into the tournament.

ARCHBISHOP MITTY — The Monarchs will enter the tournament ranked No. 2 in the NorCal Top 20. They went 9-2 over their first 11 games, batting .332 as a team and riding the pitching tandem of Desiree Severance and Stephanie Kristo. Severance may be making her biggest impact at the plate, though. She hit a robust .467 with 18 RBI in only 11 games.

BENICIA — One of three defending section champions in the field, the Panthers (ranked No. 4) will be the only unbeaten team entering the tournament. They’ve cruised to an 11-0 record behind an offense that is batting .403 and averaging just shy of 10 runs a game. Benicia gives up its share of runs, but nobody can quiet its bats enough to slow the Panthers down. Three different players have 10 RBI or more.

HERITAGE — The only blemish on the Patriots’ record through their first six games was an 8-6 loss to Livermore in the Queen of the Mountain Tournament in early March. Heritage, ranked No. 9, is a potent mixture of speed and athleticism. The team is still predominantly young (just one senior on the roster) and battles some inconsistency because of it. But with hitters like Kim Trice and Tamia Lee, it won’t be an easy matchup for any team.

ALHAMBRA — The No. 10-ranked Bulldogs are another extremely young, but super-talented roster. The inexperience showed with a pair of losses in the Queen of the Mountain Tournament, but the team rebounded and opened league with two blowout victories to improve to 4-2. Sophomore Brianna Perez and Karlee Sparacino are both batting over .550.

The remaining ranked teams in the field are No. 15 Castro Valley (which won the Queen of the Mountain), No. 16 Foothill and No. 17 Livermore. The other nine teams making the trip to Robertson Park include, Dougherty Valley-San Ramon, Freedom-Oakley, Cosumnes Oaks-Elk Grove, Granada-Livermore, Monte Vista-Danville, California-San Ramon, San Ramon Valley-Danville, CarondeletConcord and Presentation-San Jose.

The tournament format includes two days of round-robin play in four pools of four with championship flight brackets drawn up on the final day.

Our choice for toughest pool goes to Pool A, which consists of Castro Valley, Dougherty Valley, Livermore and Freedom. While Castro Valley and Livermore are the ranked teams, don’t be surprised if Dougherty Valley wins the pool behind its dominant pitcher Carolyn Lee. ✪ — Chace Bryson

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Records are through 3/28. (source: MaxPreps.com) 1. (1)

— Pioneer-San Jose

13-0

2. (2)

— Archbishop Mitty-San Jose

9-2

3. (4)

▲

James Logan-Union City

5-0

4. (5)

▲

Benicia

11-0

5. (6)

▲

San Benito-Hollister

4-1

6. (7)

▲

Carlmont-Belmont

12-2

7. (8)

▲

Pioneer-Woodland

12-1

8. (3)

▼

East Union-Manteca

11-1

9. (9)

— Heritage-Brentwood

5-1

10. (10) — Alhambra-Martinez

4-2

11. (13) ▲

Ponderosa-Shingle Springs

13-1

12. (NR) ▲

Woodcreek-Roseville

14-1-1

13. (14) ▲

Notre Dame-Salinas

11-2

14. (11) ▼

Notre Dame-Belmont

12-3

15. (15) — Castro Valley

6-2

16. (16) — Foothill-Pleasanton

4-1

17. (17) — Livermore

4-1

18. (19) ▲

Elk Grove

8-2

19. (20) ▲

Mt. Pleasant-San Jose

9-3

20. (NR) ▲

St. Mary’s-Stockton

14-1

DROPPED OUT: No. 12 Vacaville and No. 18 Casa RobleOrangevale.

BIGGEST MOVERS: Woodcreek takes the honor for biggest mover this week, vaulting into the rankings to No. 12 after winning the Stephanie LeDoux tournament. The Timberwolves defeated Rocklin 9-1 in the semifinals and Roseville (a previously-ranked team this season) 1-0 in the final. Woodcreek takes the spot of Vacaville, which began the year inside the Top 5 but has scuffled to an 8-6 start.

TEAMS REMAINING FROM PRESEASON TOP 20: 11

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Register for activities and camps Design a summer calendar, include all family schedules Arrange for summer childcare Pack a summer survival bag (Sunscreen, hats, water bottles, snacks, etc) Create a list of at-home outdoor activities Don’t forget the sidewalk chalk and bubbles!

What are your child’s interests? Some interests are easy to spot like playing a sport or musical instrument. Think about the moments that you have seen your child the happiest. What were they doing? Taking cues from where they derive the most joy or times that they are being positively challenged will help when booking unique activities. Are you looking to use the summer to build on specific skills?

Perhaps learning a language in an immersion camp will help your child when they start back up in school. Perhaps your camper loves electronics; supporting that interest through a robotics camp could be just the way to help them blossom.

Rotate seasonal wardrobes Get the outdoor gear ready- spruce up the bikes and have helmets ready!

Prepare a shopping list for summer necessities - swimsuits, coolers, floaties…

• Cost - What is your budget for summer programming?

• Location - Is it important to choose a camp that is close to home, work, or a caretakers residence?

• Scheduling - Make a family calendar! This will help keep everyone on the same page during the busy summer months. Be sure to add carpooling options to the schedule!

• Indoors or Outdoors - Does your child love to run wild outside or does she prefer the comforts of the indoors?

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Enrichment programs can vary from chess to gymnastics, horseback riding to martial arts. It is a way for kids to achieve high-level thinking and is vital in developing the whole child. Such programs help children advance and strengthen social, emotional, cognitive and physical skills. Kids can play out their curiosities in a learning environment where mistakes are looked at as opportunities for growth and in turn for strengthening self-confidence. Programming that allows a platform to tinker and create fortifies children’s problem-solving and keep their minds agile, especially during extended breaks from formal schooling.

In the Bay ASrea alone there are over 1200 camps and summer programs to choose from. We’ve spoken with thousands of parents, camp directors and program owners, asking pointed questions about each program. As we get insider information we forward it on to our Camperoo Community. We believe in these unique programs and the important work they are doing.

More traditional camps such as study abroad, specialty sports camps, intensive college prep and outward-bound programs are offered locally, nationally and internationally. The Camperoo concierge service can help you find the right program for your summer!

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The Bay Area community leads innovation, has a fierce appreciation for natural beauty, and is the birthplace of forward thinkers. With a community that heavily invests in future generations there’s an incredible offering of unique summer enrichment programs. Check out technology, leadership, innovation, storytelling and bicycle camps! The following programs are offered at multiple Bay Area locations.

Makers, technologists, and creative minds unite in one place!

Camp Edmo (PreK-5) and Camp Edtech (6-8) programs incorporate the best new ideas in education and development found in today’s top classrooms and educational programs, including the common core, Next Generation Science Standards and the Mindfulness and Makers Movements. Most of all, it’s fun. We like it for the well-rounded balance of fun and project-based activities!

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Technology at its best, featuring camps in App development, video game design, minecraft, programming, web design, film, photography, robotics and more. Be part of the world’s largest tech camp held in prestigious universities at three sites in the Bay Area. Instruction is a balance of indoor tech skills and a variety of outdoor activities each day. Day and overnight options, as well as many specialized programs, for high school kids.

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San Francisco embodies art, music, design and individualism. Camperoo takes inspiration from The City by the Bay to curate a list of summer programing gems. City locals have an eclectic style that kids can enhance through design and creation of unique, wearable art at jewelry camp. They can use their surroundings as a muse to rock out at music camp.

Maybe your camper loves the adventure of exploring new neighborhoods? They can bring that action to espionage camp. Or keep them innovating in design camp!

Collect inspiration from nature to create beaded jewelry projects for necklaces, earrings and bracelets. Highly trained, enthusiastic staff passes along the art of jewelry making to students in a fun, engaging and socially conscious way. In addition to jewelry design, enjoy guided hikes, yoga, and dance to build eco-consciousness and active lifestyles.

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The fast pace of the Silicon Valley bodes innovation and an environment where big ideas are embraced.

With so many interests and cultures in one area it’s only fitting that the summer programs run the gamut from ice skating to Lego building. Young entrepreneurs can grow their prowess in start up camps and young chefs can learn cutting-edge kitchen skills. Take a look at leadership, design, writing and martial arts programs.

Build and program robots, explore different themes in Legos and experience the practical power of engineering in different thematic programs that vary week by week. If your child loves Legos, this camp enhances their experience with structured project-based curricula taught by experienced instructors. Build fine motor skills, problem solving and teamwork in a friendly and fun environment. There’s even an all-girl camp to unleash your daughter’s inner engineer.

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Something for everyone, whether it’s a beginning performer or an intensive workshop. Weekly themed programs include Broadway-style performance, comedic entertainment, auditions, and productions. Each session culminates in an end-ofweek performance and project. Every camper leaves with more confidence and a new toolbox full of skills.

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Campers learn to think outside the box, to learn without fear and to take existing ideas and turn them into new ideas. Minds will be molded to create future entrepreneurs.

Each week culminates into a different project geared towards their age level. Hands-on innovation projects mimic real-life challenges, preparing campers for an entrepreneurially inspired future.

“ Build Something Awesome, Then Learn To Sell It. �

Creative writing, critical writing, reading comprehension and the fundamentals of writing essays. Kids of all ages are able to gain confidence in the development of their writing skills by writing their own plays, poems and stories!

Comprehensive theater training that promises to be engaging, challenging and inspiring! Campers will have hands on workshops in voice, acting and dance, gaining the necessary building blocks to grow as a performer.

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Challenging but fun academic environment focused on advancing math skills and committed to creating an atmosphere that inspires lifelong learning. Classes range from common core focused to geometry, algebra, calculus vand more!

Get active and embark on an outdoor adventure by gaining confidence in skills like climbing, cycling, hiking and more!

We love this camp because it gets kids from out in front of the screen and on their feet.

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Marin captures so much of what makes the Bay Area distinctive. Beautiful coastal waters and picturesque headlands are the pride of nature-enthused locals. Kids can capitalize on their pristine surroundings by checking out nature camps that explore both land and sea. Campers can also grow their personal design flavor at fashion camp, learn how to cook with local ingredients in a culinary program or perform original songs at a music camp.

Campers make new friends and learn about fascinating reptiles and amphibians. From life in the ocean, to life on land, each day is jam packed with hands-on science lessons.

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Set in stunning coastal landscapes, every day is a chance to explore and expand minds by learning about natural history, marine life and coastal ecosystems. Campers will make friends and connect with nature by having hands-on experience in a national park!

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About Camperoo Camp is special. In one week, a child can create an authentic, deep emotional connection that influences him/her for life. At Camperoo, we know this, we’ve felt this and now we’re here to help parents create that extraordinary moment for their child. Tell us a bit about your child, and we will use our expertise to match your child with amazing programs and instructors. We talk to every camp owner, vet all programs, and present them in an unbiased way via our website and concierge services all in an effort to simplify things for you!

For additional summer programs, or to find out more about our free concierge services, join our community at camperoo.com.

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Kids have a blast at annual Kids Adventure Connection Weekend at the Ocotillo Wells SVRA Each winter, the Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area in Borrego Springs holds its annual Kids’ Adventure Connection Weekend. The fun-filled festival is based on the Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights with an off-highway vehicle recreation twist.

This year, the event kicked-off with the kids learning about the Tread Lightly! Principles and trail safety while operating remote-controlled Jeeps to maneuver over obstacles. After learning about safe and responsible recreation, families geared-up for an off-road trail ride to discover California’s past.

Once riders arrived at their destination, members of the Imperial Gem and Mineral Society were on hand to talk about the history of prospecting in the area. The kids stepped back in time a bit more and tried their luck at dry-panning for gold. “Eureka!,” one kid exclaimed as he saw gold come into view.

Following a night in a sleeping bag under the stars, families spent the morning exploring the desert around them, playing tug-o-war, participating in a pick-up football game and doing arts and crafts activities. Then participants assembled for the big awards ceremony where they were presented their coyote paw Olympic medals and Safe Rider t-shirts.

Participants are already looking forward to next year’s adventure. We would like to convey a special thank you to our partners, Tierra Del Sol 4-Wheel Drive Club for their generous support for this event.

For 2016 program dates and further information, please call the Ocotillo Wells Discovery Center at (760) 767-5393, or check on the Ocotillo Wells Facebook page. ✪ — Photos and copy provided by California State Parks SVRA

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Sharing a Passion By darin wissner | Contributor

W

hen the varsity boys rugby team of River City High traveled to face Kennedy-Sacramento on Jan. 30, it wasn’t any sort of big showdown or key matchup. Not in the Northern California rugby scene, or even the hyper-local Sacramento scene.

This was a match on a different spectrum, but just as important. River City and Kennedy represent the growth of rugby in the region. While KenForman nedy is in just its sixth year as a program, the Raiders of West Sacramento were playing their program’s first match.

What’s somewhat unique about both young boys programs is that the coaches leading the charge for them, are women.

Coaches Mary Swanstrom of Kennedy and Kate Forman of River City are both teachers who found their way to the rugby sidelines in different ways.

“I started playing rugby when I was 18,” Forman said following River City’s 19-14 win over Kennedy. “I found the sport in college when I attended the University of Iowa. I saw a flyer on campus and I was like, that is what I need to do. I went to the first practice and I was able to hit someone! That was it. I was sold.”

Forman continued playing rugby in the Midwest and then teaching brought her to West Sacramento five years ago.

“This team is the realization of my captain (John Gray’s) dream. He showed up in my classroom a year ago, knowing my background, and asked if I would sign on.

We started with six boys. We had twice-aweek practices. Nobody had a background in rugby other than him and myself. After some time of just digging in and spreading the word, by Thanksgiving, we had 30 kids.”

Unlike River City, which is in its first year, Kennedy does have a little bit of history.

Swanstrom was brought on board to coach in 2012 after James Allison, a current Kennedy assistant coach, was instrumental in bringing rugby to Kennedy High in 2009.

“Mary has done a tremendous job with the boys,” said Allison, who along with his coaching duties, currently plays rugby for UC Davis. “We could not be happier with where Kennedy rugby is going.”

Swanstrom also found her passion for rug-

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by in college.

“I was dating a guy who was playing rugby at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and there wasn’t a women’s team, so I started one,” she said. “I’ve been playing on and off ever since.”

Working in the television news field, Swanstrom bounced around the country.

However, she found rugby everywhere she went. She played for a men’s team in Reno, as well as on teams in Indiana and Chicago. Her team in Chicago was nationally ranked.

Not surprisingly, River City and Kennedy found themselves evenly matched on the field. Gray spurred River City’s victory by scoring one try and kicking for two conversions. Bobby Baffico, the outside center also scored two tries.

Both teams had an equal amount of penalties, which didn’t surprise Forman considering both teams are young and still learning.

Both coaches acknowledge that they have such a short amount of time to teach all faucets of the game, but an equal amount of time is needed to educate the sportsmanship of the game that rugby has long been accustomed to. f “I believe that if you’re not having fun playing rugby you shouldn’t be playing rugby,” Swanstrom said. “Coaches can make it hard and make it not fun. Sportsmanship, and more importantly, the spirit of the game, is what I preach. If there is a malicious act on the field committed by one of my players, they are off the field.”

Swanstrom has instituted a leadership academy within the team this season. Leaders of the team, and anyone who is interested in being leaders, meet once a week to talk about how to be a leader.

Forman is still playing mostly catch-up with her fledgling program at River City.

“My boys are experiencing rugby for the first time,” the coach said. “Our first match ever was right here against Kennedy. I tried to explain to them as best as I could that this is how it works. ‘There is a social after the game, you shake hands, you nominate captains, you nominate player of the games’ but it didn’t set in until they experienced it.

“We lost the game, but they still did all the things I told them and they showed up the next day just absolutely pumped. Even in a loss, I was able to show them something, something new to them. These kids are finding a brotherhood, a brotherhood that they may not have been able to find elsewhere while in high school.” ✪

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Unshakable belief between coach, players & community led San Ramon Valley to first state title

T

wo flights of stairs below court level at Haas Pavilion on the Cal-Berkeley campus, San Ramon Valley High point guard Keith Smith is leaning against a hallway wall as he prepares to answer questions for a postgame interview.

After playing all 40 minutes of a double-overtime California Interscholastic Federation Division I State Championship victory — the first in his school’s rich basketball history — it’s the least the wall can do to provide the Wolves’ point guard some much-needed rest.

But tell the 7,000-plus fans who watched the 79-71 San Ramon Valley win unfold, and many might fight the imagery,

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Story by Chace Bryson | Photos by Phillip Walton asking: Could it be that Smith was the one holding up the wall?

This story is about leaning, and support.

For 33 games of the 2014-15 season, the Wolves leaned upon their 10 seniors. Perhaps none carried the load more than Smith, who cranked out one of his greatest games on the biggest stage with 20 points, eight assists and six rebounds against Chino Hills. But when he needed support, fellow seniors like Christian Fuca, Kyle Spackman, Gregg Polosky, Drew Kunde and J.J. Koski were all there to make big play after big play.

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“It’s cliché to say they’re family, but that’s who they are,” San Ramon Valley coach Brian Botteen said of the seniors in the immediate aftermath of the state championship victory.

“These guys have been so close for so many years. The first day in summer camp when we watched them as freshmen, they beat our seniors in a pick-up game. You knew there was something there because of their cohesiveness. They’re just family.

That’s why they were able to pull it out tonight.”

Then there’s Botteen. If it weren’t for an outpouring of support from the San Ramon Valley basketball community back in May 2014, the Wolves’ boys junior varsity coach of seven years would not have been hired as the replacement of the Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, and like us on Facebook!

Records are FINAL

Keith Smith passes the ball to Kyle Spackman. long-tenured and extremly successful varsity coach John Raynor. The San Ramon Valley Unified School District named Botteen the first new Wolves varsity basketball coach since 1986 on May 20, but only after parents and students cried foul when the job was first offered to former James Logan-Union City girls varsity coach Frank Borghi.

Borghi withdrew his name from consideration for the job after witnessing the volatile meeting in which the community demanded the administration — which included Raynor, who remained the school’s athletic director — show loyalty toward Botteen. Not long after, Botteen found himself enjoying a baseball game at Evans Diamond on the Cal-Berkeley campus, in the shadow of Haas Pavilion. There with his wife, Botteen said they talked about returning in March for a state championship.

“We sat over there for an hour and just dreamt it,” the coach said.

That dream never died.

If Botteen hadn’t become the coach, then maybe the Wolves’ bus would’ve headed straight back toward Danville after a nonleague win at Berkeley High just two nights before Christmas. Instead, it detoured

“You knew there was something there because of their cohesiveness.

They’re just family. That’s why they were able to pull it out tonight.”

— San Ramon Valley coach Brian Botteen

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three blocks east to park outside of Haas Pavilion.

“We stopped right out front and Coach told us, ‘We’re going to be here in a few months,’” Smith said. “Ever since then we’ve just been going up and up.”

Almost three months to the night, the Wolves took the floor for a state championship final for just the third time, and the first since 1992. Chino Hills, an extremely talented team from the southeastern suburb of Los Angeles, came north as the No. 8 ranked team in the state and a favorite to beat the Wolves despite it being the school’s first state final appearance.

“The community gave us a chance, but after that we were kind of the underdogs,” Smith said. “I like the role, though. It feels a lot better.”

That’s because it was one of comfort. It’s the role San Ramon Valley embraced all season as it fought for respect in the East Bay Athletic League amongst perennial state-power De La Salle-Concord and defending CIF Div. I state champion Monte Vista — the Wolves cross-town arch rival.

San Ramon Valley finished third in the EBAL and exited the North Coast Section Div. I playoffs in the semifinals after losing Subscribe to s360 at SportStarsOnline.com

1. (1)

— Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland

28-4

2. (2)

— Modesto Christian

30-4

3. (3)

— Monte Vista-Danville

27-4

4. (8)

▲

San Ramon Valley-Danville

27-6

5. (4)

▼

Folsom

28-5

6. (5)

▼

El Cerrito

29-4

7. (6)

▼

Moreau Catholic-Hayward

22-7

8. (7)

▼

Campolindo-Moraga

28-5

9. (9)

— De La Salle-Concord

27-5

10. (10) — Serra-San Mateo

23-6

11. (11) — Archbishop Mitty-San Jose

20-11

12. (12) — Woodcreek-Roseville

27-6

13. (13) — Sacramento

28-6

14. (14) — Sir Francis Drake-San Anselmo

28-6

15. (15) — St. Francis-Mountain View

22-6

16. (16) — Capital Christian-Sacramento

27-9

17. (17) — Sierra-Manteca

30-3

18. (18) — Sheldon-Sacramento

21-8

19. (19) — Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa

30-4

20. (20) — University-S.F.

28-9

DROPPED OUT: None

biggest movers: With just six NorCal teams remaining heading into the state championships, there wasn’t bound to be a lot of movement. San Ramon Valley made the most of its opportunity by winning the Div. I state championship in double overtime against Chino Hills (which entered the weekend No. 8 in the state). That win was enough to vault the Wolves four spots into the Top 5.

We kept them below Monte Vista (which was placed in CIF Open Div.) since SRV’s cross-town rival could claim both the EBAL and NCS Div. I title, as well as more key wins over Top 20 teams.

TEAMS RANKED IN PRESEASON TOP 20: 11

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to De La Salle for the third time this season. Monte Vista would beat De La Salle 50-49 in the NCS final.

The Wolves continued to lean on each other, bracing one another for one last gasp. As the No. 3 seed in the regional tournament, they won their first two games by 14 and 15 points, respectively. They were then able to grind out a NorCal championship victory, 43-39 over Woodcreek-Roseville at Sleep Train Arena on March 21, leading them to Haas Pavilion where they endured 11 lead changes, eight ties and two extra periods before finally coming out on top.

“We’ve been in a position all year where people overlook us,” Botteen said after the state final. “We remain unapologetic. Our guys have stepped up. Chino Hill is a helluva team. We knew we were in for a dogfight.

“Our guys just have an indomitable spirit about them. ... They just stepped up when they needed to the most.”

San Ramon Valley trailed by as much as seven points late in the second quarter against Chino Hills, but closed the half with a momentum-grabbing 3-pointer by Kunde with 15 seconds left. Fuca, who was held scoreless in the first 16 minutes, opened the second half with a 3-pointer. He’d finish the game with 18 points. The Wolves closed the third quarter on an 11-3 run, and a basket by Polosky to open the fourth put SRV up by seven.

Chino Hills and star junior swingman Lonzo Ball would not go quietly. The Huskies rallied back and took a 60-59 lead minutes before Ball fouled out with 3:18 left to play. He had 30 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks when he exited. Chino Hills would lead only one more time, 63-61 with 57 seconds to play. Fuca tied the game with two free throws 17 seconds later and San Ramon Valley never trailed in either overtime.

It was only fitting that five different San Ramon players scored in the second overtime to put the Huskies away. Smith, Fuca, Kunde, Polosky and Spackman.

The last two, both finished double-doubles in points and rebounds. The 6-10 Polosky had 12 points, 10 boards, and the 6-7 Spackman delivered 15 and 15.

“Honestly, I think we felt like we had (the game) the whole time,” Smith said, leaning up against that wall. “We just love each other. You walk into our gym and it says ‘Home of Champions‘ not ‘School of Champions.‘ It really is a home there.” ✪

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FINAL ACT

Ivan Rabb. Photo by Berry Evans III

Paris Austin. Photo by Phillip Walton

Bishop O’Dowd tandem closes career in dramatic fashion

I

van Rabb and Paris Austin spent the eve of their final game as Bishop O’Dowd High teammates breaking down all the different scenarios that could present themselves when the Dragons took the floor against Mater Dei-Santa Ana for the California Interscholastic Federation Open Division State Championship.

They covered everything. And then they covered it again.

Finally, it wasn’t time for that anymore. It was time to just be Ivan and Paris — not the dynamic forward and point guard leading the nationally-ranked Bishop O’Dowd’s quest for a first state title since 1981, but the best friends who have been at each other’s side since fourth grade.

“We went out for ice cream,” Rabb said. “We got our mind off the game. It’s not about basketball, it’s about us as a family.

We went out and got our mind off of it. I dropped him off at home. We went home and we slept.”

Close to 24 hours later, Rabb and Austin would carry their team to a dramatic state championship victory in a scenario that might’ve been hard for them to imagine the night before.

Austin entered the fourth quarter on March 28 at Haas Pavillion with just three points and the Dragons trailing 40-37.

In fact, to that point, Bishop O’Dowd hadn’t had a single lead.

Everytime the Wolves would pull into a tie, Mater Dei would have an answer. Austin opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer — the first of 13 fourth-quarter points for the Boise State-bound guard.

Rabb scored four of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, but it was senior guard Austin Walker’s only basket of the game — with 10 seconds left — that tied the game and eventually forced overtime after Mater Dei missed two game-winning shot attempts. The Dragons still hadn’t led at any point in the game. And they would fall behind by four early in overtime.

“We talked all this week about adversity,” Bishop O’Dowd

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coach Lou Richie said after the game. “Everyone says how good we are, we’re favored, but what happens if we get down?

All the games we played this year and lost, we’ve gotten down and haven’t handled adversity well. Credit to our seniors. They hung in there. Kept fighting.”

Another senior, Franklin Longrus, gave the Dragons their first lead of the game, 64-63, on an offensive putback with 1:18 left in overtime. Mater Dei’s Rex Pflueger tied the game by making one of two free throws, which set up Bishop O’Dowd’s final possession. Rabb got the ball, drove the baseline and was fouled with 0.8 seconds left as he attempted a floater from about five feet away from the rim.

The McDonald’s All-American went to the line for two shots, and didn’t even hit the rim on his first attempt. “I had to laugh and giggle,” Richie said. “You can just imagine. He’s here at Cal-Berkeley, it’s his last high school game, and everyone is ‘SHHHH.’ He was nervous and he short-armed it.”

But the second shot was right on the mark. Mater Dei got a last second 3/4-court heave, but it wasn’t close.

“There wasn’t anything in my mind,” Rabb said describing his thoughts after the first free-throw attempt. “I knew for a fact that I was going to make the second one.”

Rabb finished with 19 points and 21 rebounds. Austin finished with a game-high 21 points — 18 of which came in the fourth quarter and overtime — and added seven rebounds and seven assists. In bringing O’Dowd it’s first title in more than 30 years, the senior class of 2015 scored all but three of the Dragons 65 points.

Rabb held court after the game, talking to reporters while sitting on the scorer’s table. He was at peace. Only the ice cream was missing.

“I couldn’t have written it any better,” he said. ✪ — Chace Bryson Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, and like us on Facebook!

Aisia Robertson and Asha Thomas

Fueled by seniors Aisia Robertson and Asha Thomas, Bishop O’Dowd completed a year-long quest for closure

A

fter the final buzzer sounded at the University of California’s Haas Pavilion on March 27, senior Bishop O’Dowd guard Aisia Robertson put her arm around four-year teammate Asha Thomas.

It was a fitting end for the season, and for the illustrious high school careers of the Dragons’ two star guards.

After both provided dynamic performances in a 55-40 win over Brea Olinda, Robertson and Thomas were walking off the floor as state champions — something they never had an opportunity to chase as juniors.

Bishop O’Dowd lost its chance at the 2014 title when the team was disqualified from the playoffs after scheduling too many regular-season games. Despite two official appeals, the ban was upheld and the Dragons were eliminated from postseason contention.

“It’s wonderful,” said O’Dowd coach Malik McCord after the win. “Last year, I was proud of us for fighting to get into the playoffs. We did our best, but it didn’t happen. This year, we turned things around. The girls never got down on themselves. They always came together, and that really makes this special. I love my kids, I love my staff, (and) I love the school. And I can’t say enough about all the support we’ve been given.”

Robertson and Thomas, both four-year varsity players, spurred a unique Dragons offense built around the team’s skills, shooting and ball-handling. Bishop rarely plays any forwards or centers – every player that took the court for O’Dowd in the title game was listed as a guard. Guards who dribble and pass circles around hopeless opponents, with their senior stars at the helm.

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Story by Nick Hastings Photos by Phil Walton . Jonathan Hawthorne Robertson led the team with 16 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals in the state final. Thomas delivered an equally well-rounded performance with 12 points, five assists and four rebounds.

“Their overall team speed is excellent,” Brea Olinda coach Jeff Sink said after the game.

“They’re difficult to guard. We had to give up the three. And in the second half, their athletes really dominated. We had to gamble and go away from our game plan. They’re more athletic than we are. Their style of play is kind of the new wave of basketball.”

Sink went on to compare the Dragons’ five-guard offense to college juggernaut Connecticut, where every player on the court is expected to shoot and handle the ball.

Brea standout guard Reili Richardson corroborated Sink’s story. “It was a lot of pressure (trying to guard Robertson and Thomas). We tried to have our bigs hedge on screens, but they were too fast.”

Despite their indisputable status as an offensive juggernaut, though, the Dragons struggled at times during the season. Last June, Thomas suffered an ACL tear during an AAU tournament that placed her entire basketball future in jeopardy.

“When I came back from the injury (in a February game against Berkeley), I wasn’t sure if I was ready to play,” Thomas said. “I knew I wanted to, but ... Physically, I didn’t know if I could.”

When asked if she thought she would play in the CIF championship, she was overwhelmed.

“No,” she said through tears. “I always said that I would, but I didn’t really know. I prayed about it, and I’m here now. I’m blessed.”

Thomas’ injury, though, may have been a blessing in disguise for the Dragons. Her absence allowed Robertson to operate solo, learning how to lead a team through adversity.

“I think (the injury) challenged both of us,” Thomas said. “But it made our bond stronger and it made us stronger as individuals. It helped Aisia learn to lead a team.”

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Aisia Robertson

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O’Dowd struggled without Thomas’ steady play at the point guard position, losing seven of its first ten games. Over time, though, Robertson began to spread her wings, and the Dragons won their next twelve games leading up to Thomas’ return. After she came back, the team lost only twice — a nonleague showcase game to eventual Open Division state champion St Mary’s-Stockton, and the North Coast Section Div. III final against a Miramonte-Orinda team which was the NorCal runner-up to St. Mary’s in the Open Div. field.

As for Robertson, Sink effused praise.

“She’s probably the best guard we’ve seen all year,” he gushed in the postgame press conference. “She’s the total package. Her athleticism is off the scale. She’ll be a great college player, and if she keeps developing her outside range, I think we could see her in the WNBA.” Joked Brea Olinda senior Sierra Bonono, “Coach is going to have nightmares about her.”

Robertson will continue on to a collegiate career at Kansas. Thomas, on the other hand, is staying put. Her college career will take place in the very same gym where her high school career ended with a state title — Cal’s Haas Pavilion.

Although the Dragons’ season depended heavily on their two senior stars, Robertson and Thomas couldn’t have done it alone. Myah Pace, a 6-foot sophomore guard” was the tallest player to appear in the game for O’Dowd. She made her presence known with nine points and 15 huge rebounds.

“It was for the seniors,” Pace said of her effort. “I knew that last year, it really hurt to have (the playoffs) taken away from us. I just wanted to play as hard as I could, because even though I have two more years, I know (the seniors) don’t.”

The Dragons’ stifling defense also played a huge factor in their victory over Brea. O’Dowd’s five-guard lineups allow McCord to freely switch defensive assignments without worry.

“We knew that (Richardson) was Brea’s strength.,” McCord said. “Our big adjustment at the half was to give her star treatment. We wanted to deny

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Aerial Chavarin Records are FINAL

Asha Thomas

Myah Pace

her the ball. I think Asha Thomas did an excellent job on her, and (sophomore guard Alexa) Mason coming in did a great job as well. It was important to shut her down, because she can get hot quickly.”

Richardson ended the game with 19 points, and Brea’s freshman post Tyiona Watkins collected seven points and 13 rebounds, but they were hard-earned. Richardson shot just 5 of 18 from the floor (including 2 of 7 from 3-point range), and Watkins struggled from the field, shooting just 3 of 15.

O’Dowd’s dominant defense is a product of superior conditioning, according to McCord.

“Our girls ... You can just look at their faces and see how much they run all season. We knew (Brea) doesn’t go too deep into their bench.”

Richardson played all 32 minutes of the final and Brea Olinda used just three bench players. Of those three players, only one logged more than two minutes of playing time.

“So it was like a boxing match,” McCord continued. “By the third and fourth quarters, their shots started falling short and the legs weren’t there.”

A dominant performance on the boards helped turn the game in the Dragons’ favor in the second half. As both teams missed shots, O’Dowd’s girls were there to pick up the loose balls. In addition to Pace’s 15, junior guard Aerial Chavarin Follow us on Twitter & Instagram, and like us on Facebook!

pulled down 14 rebounds, 10 of which came on the offensive end. Overall, the Dragons outrebounded the Wildcats 51-37.

The third quarter was a turning point in the game, as the two teams came out of halftime deadlocked at 22-22. Robertson, though, was having none of it, putting the team on her back en route to scoring 11 of her 16 points in the quarter.

“I told them (in the locker room) that they had an ‘F’ for the first half,” laughed McCord after the game.

“But the girls have overcome so much already that I was never worried.”

The Dragons came out and won the third quarter by 11 points, taking a near-insurmountable lead into the final period. Just in case Brea Olinda had any thoughts about mounting a comeback, Thomas was there to drive the point home, scoring seven straight points to begin the fourth and put the game away for good.

“This is a team that fought through battles, adversity and sickness. We’ve had injuries — starting with me — and everything that you would think could block us from getting to where we are right now,” said Thomas.

“Senior year… You would want to go out with a bang like this. Our seniors showed leadership, and the rest followed. So we were together.”

And together, they got redemption. ✪ Subscribe to s360 at SportStarsOnline.com

1. (1)

— St. Mary’s-Stockton

34-1

2. (2)

— Miramonte-Orinda

30-3

3. (3)

— Sacred Heart Cathedral-S.F.

18-11

4. (4)

— Pinewood-Los Altos Hills

24-4

5. (6)

▲

Archbishop Mitty-San Jose

25-6

6. (5)

▼

Ea stside Prep-Palo Alto

25-6

7. (8)

▲

Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland

25-9

8. (12)

▲

McClatchy-Sacramento

27-7

9. (7)

▼

St. Ignatius-S.F.

22-7

10. (9)

▼

Vanden-Fairfield

30-4

11. (10) ▼

Dublin

28-4

12. (11) ▼

Brookside Christian-Stockton

27-4

13. (13) — Carondelet-Concord

28-4

14. (14) — Salesian-Richmond

28-4

15. (15) — St. Mary’s-Berkeley

24-9

16. (16) — Modesto Christian

27-5

17. (17) — Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills

27-5

18. (18) — Piedmont

21-12

19. (19) — Scotts Valley

25-6

20. (20) — Antelope

27-3

DROPPED OUT: None

BIGGEST MOVER: Movement was minimal with just six teams playing the final weekend, but McClatchy’s doubleovertime state title win over Serra-Gardena (entered as No. 17 in the state by CalHiSports.com) was enough to bump the Lions four spots and into the Top 10. Archbishop Mitty and Bishop O’Dowd each moved up one spot following their own state title victories. Mitty won the Div. II crown over Mark Keppel-Alhambra (No. 19 in state), and O’Dowd won the Div. III title over Brea Olinda-Brea (No. 13).

TEAMS RANKED IN PRESEASON TOP 20: 16

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MAGIC finding the

Preseason for spring sports is finishing up; league play is here. Teams are getting more comfortable with each other, players are finding their role on the team and pressure to perform consistently well is growing.

This pressure can be a good thing — if pre-season is going well and confidence is strong. If pre-season has been rocky and inconsistent, the pressure can be problematic. Working on consistency can be one of the trickiest parts of being an athlete. Some days are excellent: you’re technically sound, physically strong and everything feels easy. Then the next day, the magic is gone. What happened?

Where did it go?

First, let’s look at what the magic is. Simply stated, it’s the the right balance of skill, stress and control. Let’s break it down. ›› SKILL — Most athletes spend at least 90 percent of their time developing their sport-specific skills. This is important, because without solid physical skills, stress and control don’t matter much. Coaches often are quite good at teaching this part of the sport and high school-age athletes are technically better than they’ve ever been. ›› STRESS — Sports tend to be quite stressful, extremely stressful for some. Stressful situations force us to focus and engage, which is good. But to perform well, stress needs to be managed. I often talk to my athletes about the “magic combination” of having an energized, ready-for-battle-body (below the shoulders) and a calm, cool and collected brain (above the shoulders). While each sport requires a slightly different ratio of ideal stress (think golf vs. football) each athlete requires his or her own unique magic combination. ›› CONTROL — The type of stress we experience just before competition (pre-performance stress) results in feeling jittery, sweaty. One’s thinking speeds up and for some, a nauseous stomach arrives. These are all symptoms of adrenaline surging through our body. Channeled properly, adrenaline is like rocket fuel for our muscles. But if left unchecked, surging adrenaline can destroy our performance.

Proactively controlling your stress response is key.

So how do you achieve your personal magic combination?

Regarding Skill: Again, most athletes spend most of their time on this. The question is, do you spend enough time practicing at the same intensity level that you use in a game? Most athletes don’t. This solution is simple, dial up the intensity this week in practice. If you normally practice at a Level 6 intensity, push yourself to practice at a Level 8. Play faster, more aggressively, and set tough goals for yourself. Practice getting more comfortable being uncomfortable.

Regarding Stress: Your ideal stress level should allow

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How do you find, and maintain, that perfect competitive balance where everything just feels easy? get mental: erika carlson

for slow thinking, a strong sense of confidence and feeling in control of your body. First, you need to assess your personal ideal levels of stress, for above and below the shoulders. If you’re a golfer, or in the batters box (baseball and softball), your ideal body stress level will still be on the low side (3-5). If you play lacrosse or volleyball, you will need a higher level of body stress (7-9) to prepare you for contact and allow your body to generate explosive movement. Once you’ve assessed your ideal stress levels, it’s time to learn how to raise and lower (control!) your magic combination.

Regarding Control: How much time do you practice controlling your stress in preparation for competition? The good news is there are simple ways to make a big difference in controlling your stress levels.

HOW TO DECREASE STRESS ›› Be prepared. There is no better way to increase confidence than improving your preparation. Your goal should be to arrive at a competition feeling like you’ve earned the right to be confident. ›› Practice simple thinking. In practice, challenge yourself to make thinking as concise as possible, then add intensity (speed, aggressiveness) and try and maintain your simple thinking. ›› Breathe. I cannot overstate the value that slow, deep belly breathing can have on your mental performance. It will help you to feel in control of your body which will give you a sense of control mentally.

HOW TO INCREASE STRESS ›› Warm-up with intensity. Challenge yourself to engage in warm-ups at the same intensity level as you will play in the game. Doing so helps make an easier transition into the game and allows you to get more comfortable playing at a high intensity level. Tip: If you can play the first five minutes of your game well, you will have a competitive advantage over those who are still trying to adjust to the game’s intensity. ›› Listen to pump-up music. It’s no secret that music can be a great pre-game motivator. If you need to get fired up (increase intensity) then music is a direct line to your nervous system. ›› Keep moving. The goal of raising stress is to increase intensity, but it’s still important to manage tension that may keep us from performing the technical parts of our sport (ex. good passes, fast digs, knowing our options). Jumping on your toes, arm swings, tensing and releasing your shoulders can be helpful to keep intensity high while keeping the steady stream of adrenaline moving throughout your body.

Consistency in performance is challenging, but not impossible. Your homework: Find your own personal magic combination that reflects your personal needs and the needs of your sport and position. Good luck out there! ✪ Erika Carlson is a certified mental trainer and owner of Excellence in Sports Performance in Pleasanton.

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Burning Up With temperatures on the rise, it’s never too early to get vigilant about heat illness prevention health watch: Ryan Sargent

As the spring sports begin, so does the increase in temperature and chance of developing a heat-related illness. The California Athletic Trainer’s Association defines heat illness as a serious medical condition caused by the body’s inability to cope with heat, resulting in heat cramps, heat exhaustion or heatstroke.

Athletes who train and practice in the late summer months experience more occurrences of heat-related illnesses than athletes in winter or early spring sports. The potential risk increases with rising ambient temperatures and relative humidity especially with young athletes who can sweat less, adjust more slowly and produce more internal heat than adults. It is important to note that heat injury is preventable. All reasonable steps should be taken reduce the number and severity of heat illness among high school athletes. Overweight or poorly conditioned athletes may require reduced or modified activity as well as extra monitoring of signs of distress.

Heat cramps are painful, involuntary muscle contractions or spasms in the abdomen, arms or legs caused by intense exercise in warm environmental conditions. They are related to dehydration, electrolyte imbalances and fatigue. Signs of exercise-associated heat cramps include thirst, volume sweating, muscle spasm and fatigue. Treat heat cramps by reducing activity level, drinking cool water or sport drinks and gently stretch and massage cramped areas.

Frequently the signs of heat exhaustion are a body temperature

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above 102° F, dehydration, dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting, headache, nausea, diarrhea, decreased urine output, muscle cramps, profuse sweating, chills, clammy skin, weakness, and hyperventilation.

These symptoms indicate the point when the body has exhausted the ability to sweat and core temperature quickly rises. When this happens athletes should quickly move or be assisted to a shaded area, remove tight clothing, drink cool fluids and refer to a physician.

Heat stroke is a life-threatening medical emergency characterized by dizziness, apathy, irritability, confusion, aggression or emotional instability. Physical signs include hot and dry sweat-less skin, core temperature above 105° F, seizures, rapid pulse, hyperventilation, vomiting or diarrhea and loss of consciousness. The body’s cooling system has completely shut off and goes into shock leading to extreme internal body temperature and organ failure. At this point, It is important to reduce body temperature as soon as possible by removing clothing and equipment and submersing the athlete in a pool or tub of cold water. The athlete should not drink any fluids.

Coaches should be encouraged to require rest and hydration periods during all practices, weightlifting and conditioning sessions. Water or sports drinks should be readily available when exercising in hot weather.

Coaches who adhere to conditioning programs that allow athletes to gradually adapt to heat conditions over a 10-14 day acclimatization period can significantly reduce the risk to young athlete’s health. ✪

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smart swimmin’

Don’t let “Swimmer’s Shoulder” drag you under this season

As swim season hits full stride and swimmers start ratcheting up their training, we’re going to talk about shoulder problems. Poor stroke mechanics, training errors, overuse and muscular imbalances are some of the elements that can contribute to shoulder pain in swimmers.

So, how do you avoid overuse injuries and biomechanical problems, often referred to as “swimmer’s shoulder?” One of the most important things for a swimmer to understand is the difference between normal muscle soreness and fatigue versus early symptoms of an injury, such as decreased range of motion, weakness or pain.

If the symptoms seem abnormal, try to determine any contributing factors, such as changes in intensity, distances or stroke mechanics. The sooner you notice and address a potential problem, the better the chance for a fast and complete recovery.

Some things to keep in mind:

›› Address shoulder weakness

injury avoidance: hunter greene, m.d.

Hunter Greene, M.D., is a board certified orthopedic surgeon with Summit Orthopedic Specialists in Carmichael.

He specializes in adult and pediatric sports medicine.

Another important aspect of injury prevention and rehabilitation is strength and conditioning. Due to the unstable nature of the shoulder, a strong and stable scapula (shoulder blade) is important. Scapular weakness can contribute to a faulty stroke and put increased stress on the rotator cuff and biceps. Two areas to pay special attention to are the internal rotators of the shoulder and the scapular stabilizers, which have been shown to be more prone to fatigue in freestyle swimmers.

›› stretch, but not too much Finally, to minimize the risk of injury, be cautious with stretching. Most swimmers are not lacking in flexibility and actually have a tendency to be hypermobile. Try to avoid partner stretching, which can be too aggressive. A gentle 5-10 minute upper extremity warm-up should be enough to increase blood flow and prepare the muscles for a workout.

If you do experience persistent shoulder pain that is something other than normal muscular soreness, be sure to see a physician or other sports medicine professional. Remember, you need to pay attention to your body. If you push through and ignore pain, the inflammatory response will increase and make the pain more widespread. This will make it harder to pinpoint a diagnosis and focus the treatment on the source of the pain.

Wishing you a fun and healthy swim season. ✪

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powered by trucks: anthony trucks

Pay Attention to Pain “It’s nothing, I can handle it. I’ll just push through the pain” Worse words have never been uttered when in my presence at the gym. I was a professional athlete, so injuries, big and small, were a part of my life. Heck, an injury ended my NFL career.

The problem is that people don’t fully comprehend the magnitude of exponential effects an injury, left untreated, can have on their body, career and life.

Most athletes are trying to prove how tough they are and how un-fazed they can be by physical issues. This way of thinking shortens more careers than you’d believe.

It starts small, with something as seemingly benign as a sprained toe. To compensate, the athlete shifts his weight when working out in the weight room. Now other body parts are being asked to do more than usual as they try to adjust and take on a greater load than they’re used to. Then, gradually over time, BAM! Something goes out. It could be a shoulder, hip, back or ACL. The slow degradation of the body part happens almost without notice over time. The only alert your body will give is its best way of notification: pain. So the next time you’re in the weight room and you feel something nagging at you, or you notice some small ache that won’t go away, don’t just continue to push past it. Make a SMART decision to stop for a moment and get it looked at.

You’re no good to your team if your on the bench in a brace. ✪ Anthony Trucks is an IYCA-certified trainer who covers weight training for SportStars.

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training time: tim rudd for iyca

Speed Requires Recovery

There’s a fine line between condition training and speed training If athletes are going to increase their speed, quickness and agility they must train at high speeds. Many times coaches keep the drills too long and the rest too short; this simply becomes a conditioning session, not a speed session. That’s because it represents a failure to appreciate the importance of proper recovery and duration required for maximum speed.

Speed and quickness requires appropriate recovery time between reps for maximizing an athlete’s speed and quickness.

Speed and agility training is governed by the energy system demands of the ATP-CP system, which is mainly responsible for producing power very quickly in very short periods of time (3-7 seconds). This power-producing energy system requires time to regenerate in order for an athletes to master

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movement efficiency with as much speed, agility and quickness as possible.

It also must be understood that most athletic plays only take a few seconds before lower intense movements or a stoppage in play takes place. So if it’s speed and quickness athletes are after, then they should allow up to as much as a 50:1 rest-to-work ratio, and as low as a 20:1 if full recovery is what their after.

This, of course, is ideal, but time is not always a luxury. This can be adjusted to as low as 8:1 or 12:1 rest-to-work ratios if time is limited or other qualities of speed need to be trained. The more advanced an athlete, the more rest is required. But even with this lower rest-to-work ratios, as a trainer, I know I’m still getting enough recovery so my athletes can go hard the next rep or set.

If athletes are still breathing heavily while performing their next rep, then coaches have to realize their athletes are training for condition — as they have not recovered enough to achieve maximum speeds required for speed training. ✪ Tim Rudd is an IYCA specialist in youth conditioning and owner of Fit2TheCore.

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A Higher Perspective........................................................................................................58 Acalanes Football Dons Camp..........................................................................................58 A G: Guidance For Your Football Future.............................................................................56 Aspire Summer Core Intensive For Athletes......................................................................19 Bentley School Lafayette..................................................................................................49 Big O Tires Northern California/ Nevada.............................................................................2 California Football Academy.............................................................................................20 Off- Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division...............................................................38 Camperoo Summer Enrichment Camps...................................................................... 21-36 Campolindo High School Cougar Camp............................................................................55 Capitol City Driving School...............................................................................................56 Championship Athletic Fundraising.................................................................................50 Cheergyms.Com...............................................................................................................18 Kops For Kids....................................................................................................................46 Cal Athletic Camps...........................................................................................................46 Core Performance.......................................................................................................55, 56 Core Volleyball Club..........................................................................................................57 Diablo Futbol Club............................................................................................................59 Diablo Trophies & Awards.................................................................................................55 East Bay Parks..................................................................................................................58 Excellence In Sport Performance......................................................................................16 Friends Of Camp Concord.................................................................................................44 Halo Headband................................................................................................................58 Hilton Concord.................................................................................................................57 Jumbo Sunflower Seeds...................................................................................................20 Lafayette Boys Basketball Assn........................................................................................57 Club Sport........................................................................................................................60 The Range Football Training.............................................................................................55 Moreau Catholic High School................................................................................55, 56, 57 Mountain Mike’s Pizza......................................................................................................45 Muir Orthopaedic Specialists............................................................................................53 Rugby Nor Cal...................................................................................................................40 Placer Valley Tourism Board........................................................................................14, 15 Wingstop.........................................................................................................................60 Renaissance Club Sport....................................................................................................12 Rhino Sports Of Northern California.................................................................................40 Saint Joseph Notre Dame High School..............................................................................48 San Ramon Golf Club........................................................................................................47 San Ramon Slammers Baseball........................................................................................56 Santa Clara Aquamaids....................................................................................................37 Sherman Swim School.....................................................................................................16 Shirt Girlz, The .................................................................................................................58 Sports Gallery Authenticated...........................................................................................56 Sports Stars Magazine......................................................................................................41 State Farm Lisa Truesdell Agent........................................................................................58 Stevens Creek Toyota..........................................................................................................5 Sutter Urgent Care..............................................................................................................3 Tpc / The Pitching Center..................................................................................................20 U C S F Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland......................................................................54 United States Youth Volleyball League.............................................................................13 West Coast Training Center...............................................................................................46 Win Anyway & All For Kids...............................................................................................57

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