BA Issue 46, May 24, 2012

playoff predictions: first pitch

vol. 3. issue 46

FREE

Pg. 8

May 24, 2012

Bay area

300th win!

best in prep sports

Ridiculous Foothill boys golf

coach randy willis’ mustangs #1 seed. Pg. 30

killing playoffs

Pg. 20

double

DIP

comeback seasons lead to olympic trials

Pg. 14

Cal’s Noel Frazier: A Game of Inches Pg. 24

LIFT OFF the goal is simple: clear seven feet and dominate the state meet

PHONE 925.566.8500 FAX 925.566.8507 Editorial Editor@SportStarsOnline.com Editor Chace Bryson. Ext. 104 • Chace@SportStarsOnline.com Contributors Bill Kolb, Erik Stordahl, Mitch Stephens, Doug Gardner, Matt Smith, Clay Kallam, Jim McCue, Eric Gilmore, Dave Kiefer, Liz Elliott, Tim Rudd, Jonathan Okanes Photography Butch Noble, Bob Larson, Jonathan Hawthorne, James K. Leash, Norbert von der Groeben, Phillip Walton Creative Department Art@SportStarsOnline.com Production Manager Mike DeCicco. Ext. 103 • MikeD@SportStarsOnline.com Publisher/President Mike Calamusa. Ext. 106 • Mike@SportStarsOnline.com Advertising & Calendar/Classified Sales Sales@SportStarsOnline.com, (925) 566-8500 Account Executives Erik Stordahl • Erik@SportStars Online.com, Phillip Walton • PWalton@SportStarsOnline.com Sac Joaqin edition: Ron Davis • RonD@SportStarsOnline.com • (916) 564-0111, Dave Rosales • DaveRosales64@gmail.com, Finn Jensen • finnjensen1@mac.com.

24 24

Jonathan Hawthorne

20 14 Jonathan Hawthorne

Meet the new guy!

Phillip Walton

eagles for falcons: Nicolo Galletti and the Foothill boys golf team swept the NCS and NorCal titles. Next up: State.

Anthony Trucks knows all about being an elite athlete. What? You think they let anybody in the NFL? Check him out. Pg. 23

ncs swim meet on tap farewell to legend: San Marin softball coach Randy Willis is leaving the dugout after this season.

Pg. 30

tread lightly: Be aware of increased risk of injury with football. Pg. 18

First Pitch................................................... 8

Powered By Trucks................................23

Locker Room..........................................10

Extra Bases..............................................30

AAA SportStars of the Week..............13

Training Time...........................................34

on the cover California High senior Noel Frazier.

Photo by Jonathan Hawthorne

Behind the Clipboard............................18

Impulse.....................................................35

Health Watch..........................................22

Camps + Clinics.....................................36

Reader Resources/Administration Ad Traffic, Subscription, Calendar & Classified Listings info@SportStarsOnline.com • Deb Hollinger. Ext. 101 • Distribution/Delivery Mags@SportStarsOnline.com Distribution Manager Butch Noble. Ext. 107 • Butch@SportStarsOnline.com Information technology John Bonilla CFO Sharon Calamusa • Sharon@SportStarsOnline.com Office Manager/Credit Services Deb Hollinger. Ext. 101 • Deb@SportStarsOnline.com Board of advisors Dennis Erokan, CEO, Placemaking Group Roland Roos, CPA, Roland Roos & Co Susan Bonilla, State Assembly Drew Lawler, Managing Director, AJ Lawler Partners Brad Briegleb, Attorney At Law 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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your ticket to bay area sports admit one; rain or shine This Vol. #3, May 2012 Whole No. 46 is published by Caliente! Communications, LLC, 5356 Clayton Rd, Ste. 222, Concord, CA 94521. SportStars™© 2010 by Caliente! Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. Subscription rates: 24 issues, U.S. 3rd class $42 (allow 3 weeks for delivery). 1st class $55. To receive sample issues, please send $3 to cover postage. Back issues are $4 each. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission of Publisher is strictly prohibited. The staff and management, including Board of Directors, of SportStars™© does not advocate or encourage the use of any product or service advertised herein for illegal purposes. Editorial contributions, photos and letters to the editor are welcome and should be addressed to the Editor. All material should be typed, double-spaced on disk or email and will be handled with reasonable care. For materials return, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope. SportStars™© and STARS!™© Clinics are registered trademarks of Caliente! Communications, LLC.

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Five fearless predictions for the home stretch of 2011-12

T

wo weeks. That’s essentially all Ridge. And if that wasn’t all, early postthat’s left of the 2011-12 high season favorites Jesuit-Carmichael and school sports season. And if you Elk Grove have already been eliminated. think we’re going to pass on our last ■ De La Salle and Deer Valley-Antioch chance to throw out some predictions, will play an NCS Division I boys volleyball well think again! final not to be missed.

Here are five things we expect to When these two inevitably meet for happen before the state’s interscholastic the final, they will have combined records athletics season wraps up with the state of 71-5. Heading into the semifinals on golf championships on June 6.

May 23, Deer Valley had surrendered Enjoy. just three sets since during a 20-match ■ Amador Valley-Pleasanton softball win streak that dated back to April 14. will repeat as North Coast Section Division De La Salle owned a 25-match winning I champs. streak dating back to a March 23 loss to Maybe it’s not the easiest no-brainer of St. Ignatius-S.F. The Spartans streak also them all, but seriously — who’s going to includes just three lost sets. hit off Johanna Grauer? Who? No, really.

What may make the final matchup We really want to know, will she give up even more enticing is that neither team more than seven hits for the entire posthas faced each other since they met in the season? We’re willing to bet she won’t. championship match a year ago and De ■ Foothill-Pleasanton golf will bring the La Salle won in four games, 24-26, 25-19, state boys golf title back to NorCal. 25-15 and 25-23.

It’s been a long time since the Bay If the championship clash plays out in Area has seen a team this dominant. The the fashion we expect it to on May 26, it Falcons shot 5-over par — as a team! — at should further fuel excitement for the dethe California Interscholastic Federation/ but of the CIF Northern Regional tournaNorthern California Golf Association ment which is set to begin next year. VolNorCal Championships on May 21 at leyball fans across Northern California Butte Creek Country Club in Chico. The should have no problem getting fired up last time a NorCal team won the state about a potential tournament featuring tournament was in 2006 when De La NCS teams like De La Salle and Deer ValSalle-Concord won by a mere stroke over ley, perennial SJS powers such as Jesuit, 363-364 over Cathedral Catholic-San Rocklin and Granite Bay, and Central Diego at Santa Maria Country Club.

Coast standouts like St. Francis-Mountain Fun fact No. 1: The individual chamView or Bellarmine Prep-San Jose. pion that year was a young lad named ■ Carrie Verdon will cement her legacy Rickie Fowler of Murietta Valley. He as one of the Bay Area’s best female disflashed the talent that would make him tance running talents ever. a PGA star by shooting an 8-under 64.

Chace@ If we’ve learned anything by watchWe have not been able to confirm if he SportStarsOnline.com ing Verdon over her four-year career at was wearing any bright orange that day, Campolindo, it’s to never bet against her. however.

(925) 566-8503 She always seems to simply find a way to Fun fact No. 2: The winning team of De win — her gutsy effort to repeat as the La Salle featured a 1-under 71 effort from Division III state cross country chamRoberto Galletti. Meanwhile, Foothill’s pion, running two-thirds of the race on NorCal championship this year was fuan injured foot, is evidence enough. eled by a 3-under par 69 from Roberto’s Verdon entered the North Coast Secyounger brother, Nicolo Galletti. tion Meet of Champions on May 25-26 ■ Davis will win the Sac-Joaquin Secwith the state’s No. 1-ranked girls time tion’s Division I baseball title. in the mile this season (4 minutes, 53.28 Never underestimate a team riding an seconds). When she ran that time at the emotional wave. The Blue Devils opened Distance Meet of Champions on March the SJS Division I North playoffs by 24, it ranked as No. 1 in the nation. It has defeating Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills 5-2 since slipped to No. 9. in a game they dedicated to the memory She didn’t run the mile at the state of Nancy Hatamiya, the mother of their meet a year ago. She competed in the senior captain, George Hatamiya. Honoring his mom’s 3,200 and finished third. She just happens to have the state’s wishes, the catcher played in the game just two days after she No. 6-ranked girls time in that event heading into the NCS succumbed to a year-long battle with lung cancer. He even championships. picked up a lead-off base hit in the victory.

Let’s put it this way, there’s a few more podiums in her As if that emotional wave wasn’t enough, Davis also boasts some serious talent. Pitcher Ben Eckels leads the way. He future. And we’re not going to be surprised if she’s standing struck out 12 and allowed just two hits in the win over Oak tallest. ✪

First Pitch Chace Bryson Editor

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Superheroes in need of some cinematic love

Saw The Avengers on opening weekend. This is significant in that, a) we have kids, man. We hardly EVER see movies in theaters and b) we HATE big (non-sports related) crowds, so opening weekends, not really our bag. That being said. Avengers = AWESOME. The part where that guy and that other guy fight? And then the other guy does that thing? Holy jeez. Can you believe Marvel hasn’t contracted with us to write their publicity copy? Us neither. The ‘assembled’ nature of the film got us thinking about super heroes who have, thus far, been slighted by the silver screen.

Aquaman

Frankly, we figured the success of Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth would have guaranteed a big-screen feature by the comic world’s greatest nature advocate.

Plus, Waterworld proved definitively that a completely water-based movie could thrive. Oh wait. (Also, the Vincent Chase version doesn’t count.)

Captain Marvel

We have a fever. And the only cure is more Shazam.

We wanna see Billy Batson kick Superman’s arrogant man-of-steel behind in 3D.

Marvel Zombies

How has this one slipped under the radar? Super heroes + Zombies = AWESOMESAUCE. What’s better than Hulk fighting Thor?

Hulk EATING Thor. Why hasn’t anyone else figured this out?

Plastic Man

Because the kids need to recognize that Spider-Man is, at best, No. 2 on the alltime list of sarcastic comic book protagonists. Also, those funky retro shades are making a comeback…

The Flash

Hellllloooo? Superman.

Batman. Green Lantern. We heard Wonder Woman was in development. How has DC allowed this seminal member of the Justice League to languish without a big-screen production? Is it because his arch nemesis is the uber-dorky Mirror Master? Can we really hold that against Barry Allen?

Story by Bill Kolb. Action figures courtesy of the Zackary DeCicco collection 10

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Best summer vacation so far

Hawaii

rapidFIRE Band you Favorite most want home-cooked to see live meal

Yearbook award you’re most likely to receive

Movie you’ve watched the most times

Three things you’d take as a foreign exchange student

Maroon 5

Mac N Cheese

Best Dressed

Stick It

Translation dictionary, food, phone

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Tacos

Best Sense of Humor

Morgan Matranga, Campolindo, diving

Hawaii David Karbo, California-SnRmn, track

sayWHAT “It was amazing. I was surprised. I actually found out as we were shaking hands. I didn’t know right off the bat that it happened, because I was worried since the ball was headed right up the middle.”

— Campolindo-Moraga junior pitcher Trent Shelton on breaking the aluminum composite bat of Cody Snider on a groundout for the final out of the Cougars’ 2-1 victory over Dougherty Valley-San Ramon on May 10.The barrel, which completely separated, landed about one-third of the way up the first base line.

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Kick-Ass

Running shoes, phone and Pokemon

count’EM Number of female pole vaulters at Las LomasWalnut Creek who own claim to one of the Top 100 marks in the nation for the 2012 high school season. Cimran Virdi’s (right) best mark this year is 12-foot, 9-inches — good enough for No. 5 in the state and No. 19 in the nation. Her senior classmate, Megan Gemar, has reached 12-feet even (#16 in CA, No. 74 in U.S.).

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Powered by

Amidst a crowd of upperclass-

men, the freshman took home the gold at the NCS Diving Championships on May 17. The Vikings standout displayed a litany of

emilie Weideman irvington . diving . freshman

dives with a spirit of grace and

honorable mention

steven stumph The Campolindo junior won two individual events at the NCS swimming championships on May 19, setting meet records in both the 200 IM (1:47.52) and 100 breaststroke (54.06).

calm over the 11-round event.

She finished with a total score of 432.25, establishing herself as a favorite for years to come. Wei-

derman edged out Carondelet’s

Brooke Osborn, who finished just seven points back at 425.05.

SportStars Magazine: What

dives were you focusing on the

nick rogers

most heading into the championships?

Emilie Wiedeman: For sure

The Montgomery-Santa Rosa soph had a holein-one on No. 17 at Castlewood Country Club’s Hills Course, helping him finish tied for fifth at the NCS Tournament of Champions on May 14.

my backs and reverses because those are scary for me.

SSM: So, did you expect to

win?

EW: I wasn’t expecting to get

first. I was expecting to do pretty good but not first, because i’m only a freshman.

SSM: Being just a freshman,

iris brand

how important is this title?

EW: It’s just as important as

any other meet, just moving

forward getting higher and higher a score for the competition.

SSM: What diving events can

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we find you at this summer?

EW: There’s gonna be Region-

als at Santa Clara this summer,

and there’s zones and Nationals (in Indianapolis, Aug. 7-11).

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Favorite athlete: Kristian Ipsen Favorite subject: Art and Science Favorite baseball team: Giants Favorite Starbucks item: Double Chocolate Chip Frappucino w/ peppermint

It was a splashing debut for the Amador Valley freshman at the NCS Swimming Championships on May 19. She won the 50 freestyle and then came back an hour later to take second in the 100 freestyle (losing by a mere half-second).

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For two swimmers, the NCS Championships went a long way in healing & proving serious talent

C

By Chace Bryson | Editor

helsea Chenault may swim in the Olympics some day.

It could happen just two months from now, or a little more than four years down the road. If and when it does happen, she’ll be showered with interview requests from local and national media. She will flash her pearly whites — an engaging smile that comes naturally and often. She will say nice things about her coaches from Carondelet High and her elite swim club, the Concord Terrapins.

She will talk about growing up following the career of another former Carondelet and Terrapins swimmer turned Olympic gold medalist, Natalie Coughlin.

And when it comes to the question of what happened along the way to help her reach her Olympic dream, there’s a strong likelihood she’ll begin her story with her sophomore year of high school.

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We, however, will start the story with her freshman year — when she was immediately anointed Carondelet’s next great swimmer after a dominant showing at the 2010 North Coast Section Swimming Championships. Chenault won four first-place medals that day, set NCS records in each of her individuals events — which included breaking a 17-year old mark in the 500-yard freestyle — and swam the anchor leg on a national-record swim by the Cougars’ 200 medley relay team.

Following a very successful summer campaign with the Terrapins, her return to the NCS swimming finals came eagerly anticipated. How many records would she set in her encore?

As it turned out she would have both of her records wiped off the board in what became a banner day for Amador Valley senior Catherine Breed.

Breed, who just completed her first year at Cal, beat Chenault to the wall by more than a half a second in the 200 freestyle relay. The day then Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com

went from bad to worse for Chenault as Breed outswam her in the 500 freestyle by three full seconds, and doing so in a time that was two seconds faster than Chenault’s record swim the year before.

“I was extremely frustrated,” Chenault said while recalling how she felt after the meet. “I let myself just kind of lose control (that season). By the time I wanted to pick it back up, it was too late and I kind of already knew what was going to happen. Watching how Catherine had been doing the whole year, I could of gone for best times and I could have really pushed myself because she was there. I was really upset that I didn’t take advantage of that opportunity.”

And if that day didn’t serve as the flashpoint, then a marginal summer season with the Terrapins completed her realization that she had to make some changes.

“Last year for Chelsea was, all in all, a little disappointing,” Terrapins coach Paul Stafford said. “But it ended up being pretty much a good thing because she really turned the corner after the summer and realized that she needed to do things a little bit differently — and she has all year long. She’s really matured a lot over the last year because of some of the experiences she went through.”

So it was no surprise to see the natural smile in full effect during the NCS Swimming Championships on May 19. Nor was it a surprise to see Chenault back to swimming at her record pace.

In her first individual race of the day, Chenault won the 200 freestyle by more than a second over Monte Vista’s Jenna Bauer.

The time of 1:44.76 was just shy of Breed’s mark from the year before, but it did set a National Independent high school record (for non-public schools). That record, previously held by U.S. National Team member Kate Ziegler, had stood since 2006.

In the 500 freestyle, Chenault left no doubt that she was back.

In finishing the distance race in 4 minutes and 38.05 seconds, she topped her nearest competitor by nearly nine seconds, posted her second-best time ever in the event, and took a full three sec-

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onds off Breed’s record time of 2011.

“After last year I felt I had some unfinished business to take care of, and this year I just really wanted to follow through on that,” she said afterward.

Taking care of that business has really boiled down to one thing.

“Really prioritizing what is important to me,” Chenault said.

“Last year, I was just thinking, ‘high school, high school, friends, parties, social life.’ Now it’s really, ‘I need to focus on swimming.

It’s 2012. I need to make sure that when I go out, I’m not going to eat what all my friends eat. I need to eat healthy. I need to stay focused. I need to train hard.’”

That training is focused toward a specific meet — the U.S. Olympic Trials from June 25-July 2 in Omaha, Neb. “Her training level in general has been way more consistent (this season),” Stafford said. “She’s way more fit than she was last year at this time. ... I’m excited. We have 36 days left, and (the trials) is really where her focus is. I’m excited and feeling good about it.”

It’s clear that Chenault is feeling good as well.

“It’s looking a lot better than last year, so I’m excited to see what I can do.” ◆◆◆ Jackson Miller does not have an identity crisis.

Outsiders may have considered that a year ago when the Las Lomas swimmer had a dismal showing at the 2011 NCS championships a mere five months after completing his first season as the school’s varsity football quarterback.

Miller, who like Chenault, had a strong coming out party as a freshman in 2010. He finished second in the 200 and 500 with strong swims behind senior teammate and future Cal talent, Greg Harper.

But 2011 was a different story. Granada freshman Nick Silverthorn dominated both events and Miller finished fifth in the 200 and seventh in the 500.

Photos by Jonathan Hawthorne

LEFT: Carondelet junior Chelsea Chenault cuts through the water during her record-setting swim in the 500-yard freestyle at the NCS Swimming Championships. ABOVE: Las Lomas’ Jackson Miller catches his breath following his 200-yard freestyle win over defending-champion Nick Silverthorn of Granada.

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“My muscles were just fatigued down,” Miller said of that meet. “I did not have the meet I wanted.”

But it had nothing to do with his time on the football field.

“Football is what I love to do,” he said. “For me, football is just going out there and having a great time. I love everyone I play with, and it’s just going out there and being a teenager and playing around. Deep down though, I’m a swimmer. It’s who I am. I’m a swimmer on the football field and I’m a swimmer in the pool. I can have a great time playing football, but swimming is really what I do.”

It’s what he did on May 19 when he got his chance at redemption.

He set a torrid pace right off the block in the 200 freestyle, and he led by nearly a full body length over Silverthorn after the first 125 yards. Only that’s when Silverthorn found his fifth gear and closed the gap considerably by the time each had made their final turn.

“That’s kind of how I swim my 200,” Silverthorn said. “I think (Miller) has figured it out by now. With 75 left, I just turned it on.”

Miller had just enough to hold him off. He finished in 1:36.85, two-tenths ahead of the defending champ. The time also usurped Silverthorn’s record from the year before. Miller and Silverthorn are both qualified to compete in events at the Olympic Trials.

“He’s a great competitor,” Miller said of Silverthorn. “The guy can flat-out swim. He’s one of those guys who you always know is going to come on strong at the end. Which counteracts me because I’m the type of person who is just going to go out and try to hold on. It’s definitely fun racing him, and I’m sure I’m going to be racing him many many more times in years to come.”

Because of an unfortunate false-start qualification in the 100 freestyle during the NCS trials, the 200 turned out to be Miller’s only individual race of the day.

But that was enough. Enough to erase the bitter memories of the year before, and to prove to any doubters that he is, indeed, a swimmer.

“It just feels good to finish off the meet and have a race that I can be proud of and be happy about,” Miller said. “It was really just a relief after the past three years. The record really just kind of tops it all off. That certainly made it all worth it at the end.” ✪ 16

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“Football is what I love to do. For me, football is just going out there and having a great time. ... Deep down though, I’m a swimmer. It’s who I am. I’m a swimmer on the football field and I’m a swimmer in the pool. I can have a great time playing football, but swimming is really what I do.”

— Jackson Miller

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Red Zone Training in San Ramon takes a youth-first approach In a blog post from early January, Jason Wong — a Level 3-certified International Youth Conditioning Association trainer who works as the Youth Fitness Program Coordinator at San Ramon’s Red Zone Training — attempted to answer the one question he hears most about his job: “What is Red Zone Training?”

The answer that Wong lays out in the post isn’t exactly cut and dried.

“We are what your child takes away from us,” Wong writes about the fitness center completely focused on youth, from mere children to promising young athletes. “In other words, we are a different experience for each child and our benefits have been predetermined by the needs of your child.”

Wong goes on to provide examples of the different ways Red Zone Training can benefit it’s young clientele.

“For the child who doesn’t play/like sports, we are an outlet for them to experience social interaction via movement and fun.

For the child who plays sports, we are a way for them to learn movements and develop motor skills not typically associated with their sport. ... For the child who thinks exercise is boring and no fun, well, lets just say we make things interesting.”

But the bottom line is Red Zone Training is about kids. Getting them active. Keeping them active. Getting them fit. Keeping them fit. Getting them healthy. Keeping them healthy.

Wong and Youth Performance Director, Jason Owings, attack these goals in multiple ways for a variety of age groups.

“Whether you’re a preschool-age kid learning to skip, or a high school athlete looking to increase your odds at getting

that Division I college scholarship, we have a program to fit your needs,” said Owings, a certified trainer of the Combine360 program.

The Combine360 program utilizes advanced training strategies designed and created for the specific needs of an athlete and will train the skill sets required to help athletes be at their best when their best is needed.

But, as Wong so eloquently stated in his blog post, the folks at Red Zone realize that every kid is different. Their programs are structured in three ways.

They offer Youth Fitness Training, which offers classes for 3-5 year-olds, 6-9 year-olds and 10-13 year-olds. These classes are focused on enhanced development, balance and coordination, speed, strengh and agility, and general health and fitness.

The next level is Team Athletics Training, which offers a more tailored approach for competitive athletes in the age groups of 10-14 years-old and 14-18 years-old.

“Our middle school and high school athletes enjoy a fun and intense fitness discipline and a training system based on the core elements of sport performance,” Owings says. “That system teaches each athlete to embrace every challenge as a springboard to exert their very best and get to the next level.”

Red Zone also offers camp options that include KidFIT camps for 6-12 year-olds and Speed and Agility clinics for 1218 year-olds.

To learn more about Red Zone Training, visit its website at www.redzonetraining.com. ✪

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Phillip Walton

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Studies show Mom is right: Football can be dangerous Football’s injuries, though, can easily reverberate through a lifetime.

A serious knee injury, say, that requires an operation, can lead to arthritis at a much younger age than expected, even if the knee seems completely fine a year or two after surgery.

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My mom doesn’t want me to play football because I might get hurt — she’s all worried about concussions in the NFL, but high school football isn’t the NFL. Still, I’m a little worried too. How dangerous is football?

L.M., Carmichael

s I’m fond of telling my girls basketball players, football isn’t a contact sport, it’s a collision sport — basketball is a contact sport, and so is soccer.

Injuries can happen in any sport, of course, and can happen getting out of the car, but there’s really no doubt that football is the most dangerous sport of all. The American Journal of Sports Medicine did a study in 2009 that showed that football players were the most likely to get hurt, followed by wrestlers — and then distantly trailing were girls basketball and girls soccer players.

The study focused on serious injuries (athletes were out of action for more than 21 days), and the data came from schools with athletic trainers.

If your school doesn’t have an athletic trainer, then the risk of severe injury is probably even higher, because treatment and prevention are so crucial in such a physical sport.

But there’s another aspect to the serious inju-

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May 24, 2012

ries — what kind are they?

A severely sprained ankle might keep a player out for more than three weeks, and so might a pulled hamstring. Neither of those injuries, though, is likely to have a long-term impact on someone’s body.

The hamstring will heal, and an adolescent will probably recover fully from an ankle sprain given enough rest. (Some say that any injury that happens before a person stops growing will be just fine with time; injuries that happen later in life, though, won’t ever completely go away.)

Football’s injuries, though, can easily reverberate through a lifetime. A serious knee injury, say, that requires an operation, can lead to arthritis at a much younger age than expected, even if the knee seems completely fine a year or two after surgery. And of course, brain injuries are in the headlines now as more and more information comes out about their long-term effects.

Behind the Clipboard Clay Kallam

So why link football with knee and head injuries? Because football is a collision sport, and collisions put a lot more stress on the knee than just contact, and collisions are usually what cause concussions.

It is true that the collisions in high school are less dangerous than in the NFL because the players are smaller and slower. All high school physics students can tell you that force equals mass times acceleration, and a 6-2, 210-pound safety who runs a 4.5 40 is going to deliver a significantly more dangerous hit than a 5-10, 160-pound safety who runs a 5.2. Still, it only takes one collision in the wrong area of the body, and significant long-term damage can be done — and maybe never undone.

So don’t just go out for football without thinking about the possible consequences. If the risk is worth it to you and your family, then go for it — but realize that the chances of getting seriously hurt are almost three times greater in football than in basketball. ✪ Clay Kallam is an assistant athletic director and girls varsity basketball coach at Bentley High in Lafayette. To submit a question for Behind the Clipboard, email Coach Kallam at clayk@ fullcourt.com

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Nicolo Galletti. Photos by Phillip Walton 20

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Up Swing Foothill boys golf heads to the CIF State Tournament on a redhot run that just might bring the state crown back to NorCal

A

By Chace Bryson | Editor

t this point, it’s gotten ridiculous.

Over the past three seasons, the Foothill High boys golf team has been as consistently good — scratch that, dominant — as any high school sports program in Northern California. That goes for any sport.

After their most recent sweep of the North Coast Section Tournament of Champions and the California Interscholastic Federation/Northern California Golf Association NorCal Championships, the Falcons deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as Bishop O’Dowd girls basketball, Campolindo boys swimming, De La Salle soccer and any other program in the midst of an extended championship run.

Only, one might contend that what Foothill golf is doing may be even more impressive. This is golf, remember? This is the sport that never fails to humble even its greatest competitors from time to time. Taking it a step further, it’s a team sport that is incredibly reliable on each individual’s performance apart from his teammates.

“Golf has alway been an individual sport,” senior Travis Rowney said. “This team has bonded so well because we have six really good golfers on this team. We know if we just play our normal round we’ll win nearly every time. So we try to keep each other up, because our decent rounds are all the same. We all have the same kind of potential.”

That potential has been on full display since mid-May when the Falcons surprised no one by cruising to their third NCS Tournament of Champions crown.

As if the Falcons talent wasn’t already enough, their home course of Castlewood Country Club was the host site for the NCS TOC — and not surprisingly, they made things look easy.

Brett Thawley and Tanner Hughes both played 1-under par, Nicolo Galletti shot even par, Roshan Chekhuri shot 2-over and Rowney shot 4-over for a five-man score of 354.

Dublin would finish second — 29 strokes behind.

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“For the last for years we’ve been knocking on the door with players like Taylor Bromley (right) and Joe Furtado who are our seniors. We’ve been close, and finally we made it. It’s been a long time for Dublin.”

— Dublin coach Jim Collins One week later, on May 21, the Falcons were just as good.

Galletti led the way with a 3-under 69, and no Foothill player shot high than 4-over as they rolled to a team score of 365 at Butte Creek Country Club in Chico. The score was just good enough to edge Robert Louis Stevenson-Pebble Beach (366) for the Falcons’ second NorCal title in three years.

“We sort of knew we had a good scores going because we had all played behind each other,” Rowney said of the time he and his teammates spent waiting as the final scores trickled in at Butte Creek. “We kind of knew what kind of scores we were shooting, and felt that the only team we really had to worry about was Robert Louis Stevenson. We knew they matched up well with us.”

In a strange twist, it was the second consecutive year the CIF and NCGA used the Chico course for the event. That seemingly gave Foothill and other qualifiers from a year ago at least a minor advantage over the new teams and individuals in the field.

“The course looked exactly the same,” Rowney said. “I don’t think anything changed, and it did provide a bit of an advantage. We knew where to hit them and where to miss them. The greens might have been a little harder than last year.”

The win qualified Foothill for its third straight trip to the CIF State Championship Tournament on June 6. Southern California plays host to the event his year with San Gabriel Country Club providing the course.

It’s an unfamiliar track to Rowney and his teammates, but they will carry the advantage of having been to each of the last two state tournaments. Foothill finished fifth out of six teams in 2010, and climbed two spots a year ago to grab a third place finish.

If there is any team poised to bring Northern California its first state golf title since De La Salle won in 2006, it would

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seem the Falcons are the best candidate since.

“Just play it like a normal tournament,” Rowney said when asked what the team’s approach would be its third time through. “We understand it’s the state championship. But we can’t go into that tournament thinking it’s anything different than what we’ve been playing. It’s all about understanding the situation and understanding the point you’re at and the level of your competition. If you play your game, there’s nothing you need to worry about.”

Lost in the dominance of Foothill’s postseason were a couple of the other good stories.

Dublin’s performance at the NCS Tournament of Champions, while finishing a distant second to the Falcons, was still a breakthrough performance for the Gaels.

“For the last four years we’ve been knocking on the door with players like Taylor Bromley and Joe Furtado who are our seniors,” coach Jim Collins said. “We’ve been close, and finally we made it. It’s been a long time for Dublin.”

For Bromley and Furtado, the win was especially rewarding.

During their four years with the program, they helped lead the Gaels to a 46-2 record in Diablo Foothill Athletic League play and undefeated marks in each of the last two years.

“It feels great,” Furtado said. “We finally got the monkey off our back.”

San Ramon Valley golfer Cody Blick, who has had solid seasons over each of the last two years qualified for his first state tournament by posting a 1-under par 71 at Butte Creek.

The score was six strokes better than his finish at the same course the year before. ✪ Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com

Former football standout joins the SportStars team to talk weight training

W

elcome to my new column where I hope to cover all areas of weight training.

Before I get started I would like to introduce myself because content is only as good as its source. I grew up in Antioch where I attended Antioch High. I earned a football scholarship to the University or Oregon where I received a bachelor’s degree focused in anatomy, biology, and human physiology. After college I spent time on the rosters of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins and Pittsburg Steelers, before suffering a career-ending injury.

I opened up a training facility in Antioch, which is now moving to Brentwood, in 2008. I have trained hundreds of athletes from youth to professionals in many sports. I am a published best selling author, creator of a sports performance app, public speaker and all around passionate guy who LOOOOVES training. So let’s get started.

In order to truly get to the depth of the ensuing strength training discussions, groundwork has to be laid, so a few areas must be addressed.

1. Training young athletes: The goal is to have a safelydesigned program that has a proper progression so a person can develop into being able to do more intense lifting as they grow over the years.

2. The Program: The biggest problem I find with new clients who are looking to start strength training is their lack of past experience in having a correctly-designed program. What people usually do is start training with no clear plan in place. The problem here is that you never know how one day will affect your training goal six months later, because there is no tracking or progression in place. This is the MOST important part of starting to train.

Powered by Trucks

Anthony Trucks

A poorly designed program followed perfectly is better than a perfectly designed program followed poorly.

3. Technique: Before starting any program you MUST do a proper assessment and movement screen to determine what exercises you are actually CAPABLE of doing in the weight room. If you are not capable of performing a certain exercise correctly because of physical limitations, more harm will be done than good. The next HUGE aspect to this is even if you have a perfect program created, failing to correctly go through the proper range of motion on any lift wastes the program, your time, the exercise being used, and can cause injury over time.

4. Consistency: A poorly designed program followed perfectly is better than a perfectly designed program followed poorly. Most people don’t have the patience to follow a program through, which leads to them jumping around the weight room and later wondering why they aren’t improving. How can you reach your goal if you keep going off the path?

Now that we have that clear, the FUN can begin. In the following columns I am going to give you some of the most cutting edge, creative, and thought provoking weight training theories, exercises, and programs out there. I am ALWAYS learning to get better daily, so strap in people and enjoy the ride! ✪ Anthony Trucks was a decorated football player for Antioch High and the University of Oregon before spending time on multiple NFL rosters.

His Trucks Training facility has been operating since 2008. Powered

By Trucks will run once a month in the magazine and will include additional content at SportStarsOnline.com. Send your weight training questions to Anthony at Contact@TrucksTraining.com.

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Noel Frazier is convinced he let a state high jumping title slip through his fingers a year ago — and he won’t let that happen again

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Bar Flies Following are the state’s Top 10 boys high school high jump marks for 2012 as of May 21, according to Dyestatcal.com Miles Poullard (Colony-Ontario)

Cody Crampton (Canyon-Anaheim)

Noel Frazier (California-San Ramon)

6-10

Gyle Becker (Bullard-Fresno)

Londeen McCovery (Consumnes Oaks-Elk Grove) Manny Hernandez (Oakdale)

Brandon Greene (Bonita Vista-Chula Vista) Stephen Dorsey (Monterey)

L.J. Moore (Central-Fresno)

6-9 6-9 6-9 6-9 6-8 6-8

Brandon Greene (Bonita Vista)

N

7-0

6-11

6-8

By Chace Bryson | Editor

oel Frazier loves basketball.

It’s the sport his two older brothers played, and what the California High senior gravitated toward playing very early on.

It’s not the sport he’s most gifted at. Nor is it the one that’s earned him a scholarship to attend Cal-Berkeley next fall.

That’s track and field, and more specifically the high jump.

Both of which he had to be convinced were worth trying.

“I honestly didn’t want to do it at first,” Frazier said. “I hated track and thought it was really boring.”

But it’s a funny thing: Once you realize you’re good at something, it becomes a lot less boring.

Frazier realized he was pretty good while competing at the 2010 North Coast Meet of Champions his sophomore year.

Still figuring out the nuances of the event, his jumps had been hovering around 6-2 or so. But at the MOC, he hit on jumps of 6-5 and 6-7 — which was good enough for second place behind St. Mary’s-Berkeley senior Maurice Spikes and qualified him for the California Interscholastic Federation state meet.

“I didn’t even know what happened,” Frazier said reflecting back. “I was surprised at myself. After that I sort of told myself, ‘If you’re going to be more than just good at this, you might as well try to be the best you can be at it. There’s no point putting that to waste.’ It was at that point that I figured that I’d put all my energy toward this.”

The following year he reached a height of 6-11, a mark that placed him second all time on his school record list. He only needed to get to 6-8 to become the NCS champion in the event before nearly winning a state title.

He enters the 2012 Meet of Champions on May 25-26 owning the third-best jump in the state this year (6-10), according to Dyestatcal.com. As he sets to defend his NCS crown, he hopes to better that 6-10 mark and lay the ground work for a state title at the CIF meet on June 1-2 at Buchanan High in Clovis.

“Last year, I had it,” Frazier said of the state title that slipped through his fingertips and wound up being a runner-up finish.

“I should’ve won. Cody Crampton (of Canyon-Anaheim) did jump a height higher than me. He out-jumped me, and I just

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“This year, there’s no messing around.

No saying, ‘Hi,’ to other jumpers.

I’ll be your friend after the meet, but when the meet starts it’s going to be all business.”

— Noel Frazier had to live with that. But it was a disappointment. You go that whole way, that whole season, and you don’t win. That’s my motivation for winning it this year. ... No regrets.” ◆◆◆ Frazier ended up inside the oval after the Grizzlies’ longtime track and field coach Mark Karbo tracked him down as a freshman — more than likely in the gym — and convinced him to come out and give the sport a try.

The polite and soft-spoken Frazier had his doubts, but grudgingly accepted the invitation.

It didn’t take Frazier long to realize the learning curve for the high jump would be a steep one.

“It took me a while to figure out that it’s strictly technique,” he said. “It’s not just running from a random spot and jumping.”

Fortunately for Frazier, the newest member of the Cal High track and field coaching staff just happened to specialize in high jumps. The key would be whether Noel would want to tune him in at all times.

James Frazier was a Pac-10 champion in the high jump and a two-time All-American whose jump of 7 feet, 6 inches in 1980 remains the University of Arizona’s outdoor record.

That year he ranked as one of the top three high jumpers in the country.

And before 2010, none of his four sons had shown a desire to take up high jumping. And he’d been OK with that.

“For you to be successful at whatever you do, you have to have passion for it and an internal drive,” James Frazier 26

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said. “I think every father would love to see their kid follow in their footsteps because they have experience to draw from and share with them. But everybody is not designed to run track or high jump, and I accepted that very early on in the process.”

And yet, here was Noel, giving it a try. And it was clear that he shared his dad’s talent.

“When he first started out he showed quite a bit of potential,” said James Frazier, who said his path to the high jump also originated from being coaxed off the basketball court.

“He came out for his freshman year and jumped 6-2, which was exceptional for someone who didn’t have any track experience.”

But it was clear from an early standpoint that father and son would need to work together to make the coach/athlete relationship work.

“We got into it more than we should’ve.” Noel said with a smile. “At the same time, I realized it was an advantage, too.

Not every athlete gets 24 hours of support at home and access to their coach at any time.”

They made it work, and the results have been obvious.

“I can’t be more pleased,” James said. “Whether he wins state or not, I think he’s done a great job.” ◆◆◆ Seven feet.

Noel hasn’t conquered it yet — in practice or in a meet.

He’s more than aware that it’s a height he’ll need to reach if he wants the state title.

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“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been at 7 feet, and barely miss it,” he said. “I’ve got so much height over it, but I just can’t get it.”

So what’s holding him back?

Noel claims it’s a technique flaw that involves how he positions his legs and feet after take off and doesn’t allow him to get a maximum kick once he’s in the air. It’s something he said he’s really been focused on correcting as he builds toward his final two meets.

James didn’t deny that technical issue was there, but he also pointed to something else.

“As an athlete, I tell Noel all the time that you have to walk the walk and live the talk,” said the coach who has the added perspective of a father. “Part of that is not just performing on the field, but it’s the activities you do off the field in preparation for the meet. Noel has faced some challenges on how he manages his out-of-track life in regards to eating and sleeping patterns. That’s something he’s working on, too.”

One of those things, or perhaps all of the above, may have come into play at the state meet a year ago when Noel was only able to reach 6-5 during the qualifying jumps. It was a performance that left him unseeded for the finals, and put him behind the 8-ball when it

came to his showdown with Crampton.

Getting seeded as the top jumper allows that jumper to go last, a definite advantage.

Crampton was able to make the most of it and pushed Frazier to No. 2 on the podium.

Crampton, now a senior, is back in the mix for the state meet this year. He’s cleared 6-11 (his winning height at state a year ago) once already this season, doing so in a March 22 dual meet against El Modena. The state’s leading mark so far belong to Miles Poullard of Colony-Ontario. Poullard jumped 7-0 as part of his league championship meet on May 3.

Which puts Noel’s focus back on that 7 foot mark.

“He’s jumped 6-10 three or four times this year,” James said. “He’s got the height for seven. He’s got the potential and strength to do it.

I have no doubt.”

And if he doesn’t reach that mark, or win that state crown, Noel is adamant it won’t be for a lack of focus or effort.

This time there won’t be regrets.

“This year, there’s no messing around,” he said. “No saying, ‘Hi,’ to other jumpers. I’ll be your friend after the meet, but when the meet starts it’s going to be all business.” ✪

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Tommy John Surgery was a breakthrough, but you should still hope to avoid it

O

n July 17, 1974, a 31-year-old Thomas Edward John was pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Montreal Expos. He had runners on first and second and was going to throw a pitch called a “sinker,” which he felt would finish his inning. As he threw the ball, he immediately felt searing pain in the elbow. He tried one more pitch, no speed, just elbow pain.

He was done, or so he thought.

As a consultant to the Dodgers, Dr. Frank Jobe felt that he could repair the damaged ulnar collateral ligament (also known as UCL) by drilling two holes in the humerus and ulna and placing a graft taken from the forearm, hamstring, hip, or knee. The UCL’s main purpose is to protect and resist against forces that bend your elbow toward your body, also known as valgus stresses.

At the time of the surgery, Dr. Jobe gave Tommy John a one percent chance of returning to baseball. Fortunately, he did return to baseball and went on to win 164 games. Prior to the injury he had won 124 games.

There are currently 29 active ballplayers in major league baseball (MLB) slated to have, or who have already have had, Tommy John surgery. Unfortunately, with all the studies showing good outcomes, this has mistakenly given unfounded hope that this surgery will bring increased pitching velocity to a young pitcher who struggles with injuries and inconsistent innings.

In 2009, a study of 743 overhead throwers with Ulnar Collateral Reconstructive surgery was presented to the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM). In their study, they concluded that 83 percent of athletes returned to previous or higher level of competition in less than one year. Out of the 743 participants in the study, complications occurred in 148 patients (20 percent), including 16 percent considered minor and four percent considered major. Tommy John himself suffered ulnar nerve damage with his UCL rupture, which prolonged his rehabilitation to about 18 months before returning to the mound.

In an interview with ESPN, Dr. Jobe discussed the question of whether an athlete can gain velocity with pitching after the surgery: “It wouldn’t help if you didn’t have it before. All the surgery does is get you back to your normal elbow. You either have the stuff or you don’t.”

The surgery seems to return the pitcher to the prior level before stretching or damaging the UCL. There is no evidence of increased speed, except for the return of the prior pre-injury speed of the pitcher.

Several studies have shown that there are factors compounding this injury. These include: ■ Throwing velocities > 80 mph (73%) ■ Year-round throwing showcases (69%) ■ Early Breaking pitches (67%) ■ Seasonal Overuse (62%) ■ Inadequate Warm-ups (23%) ■ Poor Throwing Mechanics ( research currently being performed) By reducing your risk factors, and keeping an open line of communication with your coach about any pain while pitching, you can avoid this painful season ending injury.

A great resource for the bio-mechanical fault that may be causing the Tommy John Injuries is presented in an article in ESPN The Magazine. “Force of Habit: Science, not the scalpel, is the real solution for Tommy John injuries. Too bad few MLB teams are paying attention” by Lindsay Berra.

The article presented the bio-mechanical differences of two pitchers. One with good mechanics and another doomed to further UCL damage if he doesn’t change his mechanics. The data is well presented with many key points on how to save your pitchers from this injury.

Currently you can find a link to this article and more articles regarding sports injury prevention on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ChildrensHospitalSportsMedicine. ✪

Health Watch Robin Bousquet

Robin Bousquet is a senior physical therapist for the Sports Medicine For Young Athletes, a division of Children’s Hospital Oakland with a facility also located in Walnut Creek. If you have questions or comments regarding the “Health Watch” column, write the Sports Medicine For Young Athletes staff at Health@SportStarsOnline.com.

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Top-seeded Mustangs look to send decorated coach out on top By harold abend | Contributor You might think a softball coach with eight Marin County Athletic League and five North Coast Section championships in 16-years at the helm would be all business.

Not Randy Willis of San Marin-Novato.

The 65-year old Willis’ coaching approach has produced results at the high school level, and in travel ball with some of Northern California’s top teams that would have allowed him to coach Olympic-level talent.

As the retiring Willis prepares to lead San Marin into his final NCS playoffs — in the afterglow of his 300th career win — he reflects back on the good and the bad, and a desire to go out on top in his own way.

“We have three goals at San Marin. Have fun, have more fun and have way more fun,” said Willis, whose team captured the MCAL title on May 19 with a 7-5 win over Tamalpais that marked career victory No. 300 for the coach.

The Mustangs entered the NCS Division III as the No. 1 seed behind a 21-1 record. The seed earned them a first-round bye and allows them to open at home with a quarterfinal on May 25 or 26. The program’s last NCS title was a Division IV crown in 2007.

“Its amazing how it all came together, MCAL championship, win number 300,” Willis said after the MCAL Tournament finals win sealed his 300th victory. “And what’s best about it is I’m so happy for this group of girls. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier about an MCAL win.”

And now Willis would like to reach that second goal, a sixth NCS crown — not just for him, but for the girls.

“To go out on top and win NCS would be really cool, especially for this particular class.” Willis remarked. “They were freshman the last time we won MCAL and all my classes have won MCAL and NCS at least once.”

It’s no surprise the fatherly approach comes from the fact Willis coached his only child in softball from the time Jennifer Willis began competing as a 9-year old.

When Jennifer transferred to San Marin from Marin Catholic-Kentfield as a junior in 1996, the coach at the time put her at third base despite the fact she was an Under-18 Gold travel ball pitcher with the California Haze — the team Randy coached along with pitching guru John Heliotes.

The next year, Willis was asked to take over at San Marin when he agreed to not bail out after his daughter’s senior year.

Willis put Jennifer in the circle and the Mustangs went 22-0 en route to an NCS championship. The season culminated in a 3-0 win over Casa Grande-Petaluma in 2A Redwood Empire title game.

“It was and still is the biggest win of my career,” Randy Willis said. “No one expected us to win. Casa had six girls that went on to play in college.”

Jennifer, currently an office manager for a computer company in Sonoma County, followed her catcher to Cameron University in Oklahoma as the only two college-bound

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San Marin-Novato Softball Mustangs.

The year after Jennifer graduated brought turmoil. Willis was forced to cut two star players right before the playoffs.

The team didn’t fare well.

“There was some doubt in my mind, but I had told the AD the year before that my daughter was a player but I was a coach. I knew I would continue, I just didn’t think it would be for 16 years.”

And as he nears the very end of that stretch, he does so with an extremely talented team.

The Mustangs were batting .378 as a team through their first 20 games, and featured seven different players with 13 or more RBIs. And to further underscore just how potent Willis’ lineup is, four of those seven players have at least 10 extra base hits.

Leading the way is senior Dani Albini, who boasted a .564 average with 22 RBI through the team’s regular season schedule. Sophomore Paige McIntosh had a team-leading 23 RBI to go with a .459 average and 14 extra-base hits (four home runs).

Albini, who will take her softball talents and 4.0 GPA to UC Davis in the fall, is also the team’s leader in the circle.

She went 18-1 during the regular season, striking out 122 in 103 innings pitched. She entered the postseason with a 0.82 ERA. Much like the other four seniors on the team, she would be thrilled to close out her coach’s career with a victory.

“He cares a lot about the game and winning,” Albini said.

“But (he cares) even more about the girls and them having fun and bonding together.”

Willis has bonded with the girls just as much as they’ve bonded with each other.

“The best thing is the relationships I’ve had with the girls.

It’s great when one of them comes back and gives me a big hug,” he said. “It’s more than just softball and pennants.

Seeing them go from gangly girls to grown women is a validation of what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.”

A few years ago, Randy and his wife Jane, who works for Novato Unified Schools, bought a place in Casa Grande, Arizona.

“Years ago, we used to go down to Spring Training.

Now, we can spend November to May in Arizona and catch the Giants and all the great college ball around there,” the coach said. “The rest of the time we’d like to travel since we’ve never gotten to travel. We have a trip planned next year to Italy, and we’d like to go to Greece and Egypt.”

First, however, there’s business at hand and fun to be had. On the softball diamond. ✪

Retiring San Marin softball coach Randy Willis has always insisted the goal for his program was to have fun. Here he mucks it up with the five seniors on his 2012 roster. From left to right, Gianna Bruschera, Angela Huidekoper, Willis, Dani Albini, Bridget Pacchetti and Whitney Bynum.

Harold Abend photo

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MANY MUSTANG MEMORIES Retiring San Marin softball coach Randy Willis reflects on some the best talent he’s seen during his 16-year tenure.

■ BEST TEAMS: “For a single year it was the (undefeated) 1997 (NCS championship) team,” he said. “But my best overall team was the 2002-2005 group that won three-out-of four NCS championships.”

■ BEST PLAYER HE’S COACHED: While Willis has coached over 80 girls to the next level between high school and travel ball combined, none matches the one year of travel ball coaching Alicia Hollowell — the USA Olympic team pitcher who holds every high school strikeout record in the state, according to the Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book.

■ SAN MARIN’S BEST: Here’s a sampling among the many the coach listed.

Lindsay Benson — The ace of the 2002-2005 team who went on to Utah State.

Kristina Lewis — She followed Benson into the circle and went to NCAA Division II-power Humboldt State after graduating in 2007.

Liz Hartmann — A 2001 grad who played at Notre Dame and is currently one of Willis’ assistants.

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Cougars enter Div. II playoffs with chance to complete a historic run

By Chace Bryson | Editor It doesn’t seem all that long ago when James Marvel toed the rubber on the Saint Mary’s College baseball field and fired a fourhit shutout of Alameda during a 7-0 win in the North Coast Section Division II final.

Marvel was just a sophomore then.

He’s since grown up, is set to attend Duke next fall, and hoping to be on the mound June 2 to deliver the final out on an NCS championship victory for a third straight year.

If it happens, it would lead the Cougars into a truly dynastic realm.

No East Bay team has won three consecutive NCS baseball titles at any point in the history of the championships, modern era (beginning in 1975) or otherwise. Only two schools have accomplished the feat, JustinSiena-Napa won consecutive NCS Class A titles from 2003-2005 and Casa GrandePetaluma secured four 3A Redwood Empire titles from 2004-2007.

Three titles has always been the goal of this Campo roster since much of it came together as freshmen and sophomores in 2010.

And they are now just four victories away.

On May 22, Campolindo entered the Division II playoffs as the No. 1 seed after winning the Diablo Foothill Athletic League title and finishing the regular season with a record of 19-4-1. None of this success really came as a surprise to anyone following the high school baseball scene over the past few years.

“We’ve had high expectations all year from other people, but it wasn’t just from them,” Mavel said. “We’ve always carried high expectations of ourselves within our own team.

We’ve always set high goals, and winning a third championship is one of them.”

The gluttony of talent that’s carried the Cougars on this run has been well documented. Campolindo features seven players with scholarships to attend Division I programs, four of them seniors and the other three juniors. The seniors include Marvel, his catcher Austin Rei, shortstop Josh Cushing and outfielder Cole Rider. Rei and Cushing are both committed to the University of Washington and Rider will attend Johns Hopkins. The juniors, who were all part of the first championship team as freshmen, include Trent Shelton (Oregon State), Brett Stephens (UCLA) and Robbie Tenerowicz (Cal).

That the core of this roster has been together for the entire championship run, and

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Campolindo Baseball

Butch Noble

Campolindo’s James Marvel

beyond in some cases, may prove to be the Cougars biggest strength in fending off a very strong Division II field this year.

“I’ve been pitching to Austin Rei since the sixth grade,” Marvel said. “It’s a really great chemistry thing, and we’re comfortable with the people that we’re around every day.

We’ve been lucky to establish that over the years. There’s no greater feeling than being able to take the field with your friends.”

The regular season wasn’t a completely smooth ride for Campolindo. They scattered four losses across the schedule, including a 3-0 home defeat to Dougherty Valley on April 17. The Cougars avenged the loss with a 2-1 victory on May 10, but not before the WIldcats loaded the bases in their final at bat.

Dougherty Valley grabbed the No. 2 seed in Division II and has a legitimate chance at seeing Campolindo again in the final.

Marvel, who’s already been through this twice before, admits that the third title may end up being the hardest to get.

“It’s not necessarily fair to compare each championship,” he said. “But if you were going to pick one (to single out as the toughest), now might be the time. We’ve won two in a row and have a giant target on our back at this point.” ✪

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Best guys on the bump: Taking a look at the Bay Area’s top pitchers In the previous editions of this column, I have focused on position players and how each position is distinctly valued by scouts. The main focus has been on the positions where scouts are looking for the best talent in the middle of the field — centerfielders, shortstops and catchers.

Talk to most baseball people and they will tell you that if a team is strong in those three spots, it is likely a good team. However, if that team has subpar pitching, well, scrap that idea!

Northern California is generally blessed with good amateur pitchers, a notion that is often reflected in the MLB first-year player draft each June. Lately, this region has been very strong.

In 2011 there were two local high school pitchers drafted in the first round, Joe Ross of Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland (Padres) and Robert Stephenson of Alhambra-Martinez (Reds). Look a little deeper and you find more pitchers from this region: Erik Johnson of Cal and Los Altos High (White Sox, 2nd round), Drew Gagnon out of Long Beach State and Liberty-Brentwood (Brewers, 3rd round), Evan Marshall out of Kansas State and Homestead-Cupertino (Diamondbacks, 4th round), and J.R. Graham of Santa Clara and Livermore (Braves, 4th round).

Each of those pitchers participated at Bay Area World Series or an event that originated at BAWS. There are not likely to be any local high school pitchers selected in the first round of the 2012 MLB draft, but two local college pitchers will go very early, possibly in the first five picks. Mark Appel of Stanford (Monte Vista-Danville) and Kyle Zimmer of USF both remain strong possibilities to be selected first overall. Zimmer is a Southern California native, but the region can claim Appel, kind of — he is actually a native of the Houston area.

There are a few local high school pitchers who could get selected in the early rounds, depending on their signability. Paul Blackburn (Heritage-Brentwood) could go as high as the second round and Freddy Avis (Menlo School-Atherton) is a second and possibly a first-round talent. He reminds me of Jake Peavy. Blackburn signed with ASU and Avis signed with Stanford. ASU’s recruiting class could be in trouble because right-hander Chris Flexen (Newark Memorial-Newark) is also favored by the scouts and could be taken in the top five rounds.

There will be a nice representation of juniors at BAWS 2012. De La Salle has a couple of very talented junior right-handers in Andrew Buckley and A.J. Puckett. Left-hander Kevin George of Casa Grande-Petaluma will get a lot of attention this summer and fall. Others to note are right-handers Ryan Bohnet (Benicia), Chris Viall (SoquelRedwood City) and Mitch White (Bellarmine Prep-San Jose). Kevin Flemer (St. Mary’s-Berkeley) and Steven Farinaro (Head-RoyceOakland), both right-handers, are two of the best local juniors and both have already verbally committed to D1 programs.

Among sophomores, a good place to start is at St. Francis-Mountain View with southpaw John Gavin. Soquel also has a strong lefty in Hunter Parkinson, as does Campolindo-Moraga with Matt Ladrech.

Of course there are many more talented young pitchers in this region and there really isn’t room to list them all. ✪

Scout It Out Loud Blaine Clemmens

Blaine Clemmens is the founder and director for the Bay Area World Series showcase event that will celebrate its ninth year this June. He has been a Bay Area scout for several years, spending time as the recruiting coordinator for USF and the Northern California scouting supervisor for the Atlanta Braves. For more information on the Bay Area World Series, visit www.bayareaworldseries.com

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Young athletes are highly susceptible to various states of overtraining

I

n the last issue I discussed how CrossFit and similarly styled programs work.

Each day the goal is complete physical exhaustion; either through maximal reps, maximal weight, maximal speed, or some combination of all three components. This is detrimental to your athletes’ performance, athletic career and health.

A concept that is not talked about enough in relation to your athlete’s daily schedule is overtraining. Think about this for a minute. They wake with inadequate sleep, go to school all day, then go to practice, then go train and finally they get home and have homework. So maybe they get 6 hours sleep, if they’re lucky. Their nutrition is probably like the typical teen, no breakfast and mostly junk throughout the day, and maybe at dinner they get a healthy meal.

Add all this to the problem discussed above with training programs that just beat the crap out of your athletes, and you have an athlete on the verge of being one who is over trained or is already there.

Monitoring all these stresses, as well as the current state of your young athlete, are important factors in the management of volume and Tim Rudd for IYCA intensity within their training programs.

Overtraining is the chronic inability of the body to adapt properly to the stress imposed upon it through the physical and mental demands of training. This happens when the body is under more stress than it has the ability to adjust to. Over time the result is a general breakdown in the different systems that regulate the body.

There are three general categories of overtraining that relate to which branches of the body’s nervous system primarily affected by excessive stress.

This is broken into sympathetic, parasympathetic and central nervous system overtraining.

Sympathetic overtraining is probably the most common type of overtraining.

This usually occurs in athletes who are exposed to excessive amounts of strength training and explosive-power/anaerobic-dominant type exercises without giving their bodies a chance to recover. It’s correlated with mental stress as well.

When these activities are done with more volume and intensity than the athlete can adapt to, sympathetic overtraining results.

Symptoms to look for in your athlete are disturbed sleep patterns, loss of appetite/weight loss, increased resting heart rate, irritability, fatigue and a decrease in performance. This is a very dangerous state for your athletes as they are at a much higher risk for injury as well.

Parasympathetic overtraining is much more commonly seen in endurance type athletes and high volume sports, and typically results from an excessive volume of aerobic activities.

Athletes in this state will feel tired, lethargic, heavy; and they may often feel depressed or unmotivated to train or compete at all. There is a decrease in resting heart rate and they feel like they just want to sleep all the time.

The final category is Central Nervous System overtraining. This type of overtraining occurs primarily from a chronic overload of activities that place a high demand on the central nervous system. Exercises and activities such as maximum effort strength training (90% of 1RM above); high intensity plyometric, explosive speed and power drills, such as sprints and jumps, etc., are all very taxing on the CNS and can lead to this type of overtraining when performed with too much frequency, volume and intensity.

Understanding the causes and symptoms of the different kinds of overtraining is an important first step to preventing it. But the best prevention comes from a properly designed program for your athlete that takes the above factors into consideration, as well as eating properly, getting enough rest, and avoiding mental stress. ✪

Training Time

Tim Rudd is an International Youth Conditioning Association specialist in youth conditioning (level 3), speed and agility (level 2), and nutrition specialist (level 1).

For more information on anything you read in Training Time, email him at tim@ fit2thecore.com.

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Memorial Day Hoops

Tri-Valley Tri Club

Instead of blasting the AC and channel surfing while eating bon bons and ring dings, why don’t you do something worthwhile this summer? We recommend becoming a triathlete. Before you choke on your ice cream sundae, you should know that our friends at Tri-Valley Tri Club will take good care of you. Join their 13-week training program from June 18 thru Sept. 16 and make this happen! Hit ‘em up at www.trivalleytriclub.com for more info.

Bay Area Hoop Review’s Memorial Day Classic Tournament is going down May 26-28. It’s gonna feature the top hoopers from all over and it’s gonna be held at NorCal Courts. For more info, go to www.hoopreview.net

More Memorial Day Hoops

Our buds at Dream Courts are holding the Nike EYBL Tournament showcasing national talent playing at an elite level. For more info call 510786-3732. The beauty of both Hoop Review and Dream Courts is they’ll be hosting tourneys throughout the entire summer, but it all starts Memorial Day Weekend. Booyah.

First Tee of Contra Costa

If you like golf and enjoy helping golf programs, then you need to participate in the First Tee Contra Costa’s Third annual Multi-Course Golf Fundraiser Golf Tournament. It’s being held at Boundary Oak, Lone Tree and Diablo Creek Golf courses on July 20. The sponsorship opportunities are aptly named: Par, Birdie, Eagle, etc., but we say go with the Albatross sponsorship. Individual registration for all courses is only $125 per golfer. In addition to green fees and cart, you get a breakfast AND lunch.

Proceeds benefit the First Tee Contra Costa.

For more info contact Sandy Day at (925) 6866266 or email sandy@ci.concord.ca.us.

Get more Impulse online!

Welcome to Impulse, your one-stop shop for gadgets, gizmos and gear. Compiled by staff writer Erik Stordahl, Impulse provides you with what’s currently hot on the market. This week we tour some options that could occupy your summer (in a good way).

Jonathan Hawthorne

Bass Pro Shops

Seriously, put down the junk food! It’s time to get out and enjoy the fresh air.

Let Bass Pro Shops help you.

They’re gonna teach you the basic do’s and don’ts of hiking, campfire cooking, backpacking, kayaking and canoeing, and on and on. They hosted tutorials from May 18-28,t but there will be more opportunities to learn from these masters of the outdoors. When they’re through with you, you’ll be the next Bear Grylls. Or something.

New SSOTW partners

Flip over to page 13 where you can ooh and aah over the masterful achievements of our studs and studettes (it’s a word). There you’ll also find our friends who sponsor the program and starting this issue we’re pumped to have Boomers (Bay Area edition) and Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park (Sac Joaquin edition) join the fun. They’ll be donating gift cards and coupons for the athletes honored.

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Butch Noble

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BASEBALL/SOFTBALL

All American Sports Academy The goal of the All American Sports Academy is to train and educate all student athletes on the correct physical skills and mechanics needed to compete at all levels, as well as understand the proper practice habits and time management skills needed to improve their game. The Academy prepares their student athletes both physically and mentally to be the best that they can be. The organization is holding camps at various locations from June 11-July 26. Info: (209) 833-2255, Email: dnelson@ allamericansportsacademy.net Blankenship Baseball We are a year-round competitive baseball program based in Danville.

The Camp focuses on teamwork, hustle and sportsmanship.

We also offer small group training as well as one-on-one training. Info: lancerblankenship@ sbcglobal.net or 925-708-3173.

Cabernet Baseball Club The Livermorebased club hosts baseball and softball camps beginning as early as June

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12. Camp are for players ages 8-14.

Lil’ Baseball also offered for ages 3-7. 925-416-1600, http://cabernet. thepitchingcenter.com.

East Bay Youth Sports Baseball is Fun Beginner Camp.

July 25-Aug. 4, 9 a.m.-noon, Mon.Thur. at Tice Valley Park; Extended day/week available with Deluxe Sport Option. Ages 5-9. $35/$75.

Registration: 925-952-4450, www. walnutcreeksportsleague.com.

EJ Sports EJ Sports provides individual, group, team, coaching and manager clinics in many levels of baseball. Among the numerous different services offered, the Spring Clinic, Summer Clinic and the Fall League for children of Little League age has proven to be successful, instructional and most of all fun for the kids. Contact EJ Sports for a list of upcoming clinics, or contact your local little league to see if they participate in our coaches and managers training program. Info: 925-866-7199, www. ejsports.com.

The Pitching Center In an effort to develop baseball players to their full potential, The Pitching Center has become the Total Player Center (TPC), a full-service

baseball/softball training academy.

We provide comprehensive, fullyintegrated training programs that evolve based on the best research and information available in areas from health/safety, peak performance, education techniques and more. Age- and skill-specific programs available for students age 8-High School. Info: 925-416-1600, www.thepitchingcenter.com.

BASKETBALL

CalStars The Stars Basketball Academy (SBA) is pleased to announce our youth and high school summer camps. The SBA is a fundamental based skills development camp for kids in 3rd grade-High School. We offer three youth (3rd-8th) sessions and two high school (9th-12th) sessions. Go to www.calstars.org for more info.

East Bay Youth Sports Basketball is Fun beginner camp.

July 11-21, 9 a.m.-noon, Mon.-Thur. at Tice Valley Park; extended day/ week available with deluxe sport option. Ages 5-12. $35/$65 per week.

Registration and info: 925-952-4450, www.walnutcreeksportsleague.com.

FastBreak Basketball Margaret Gartner, the highlydecorated girls basketball coach for Carondelet High in Concord, leads this girls basketball camp focused on fundamentals. Five week-long sessions are available. Session I, June 18-22, is for grades 6-10; Session II, June 25-29, Grades 1-6; Session III, July 9-13, Grades 1-6; Session IV, July 16-20, Grades 6-10; Session V, July 23-27, Grades 4-10.

If your daughter wants to learn and/or improve her basketball fundamentals and skills while having fun; then FastBreak Basketball camp is the answer. Info: www.FastBreakBball. com; or email Fastbreak_club@ yahoo.com Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors welcome players of all skill levels to participate in a variety of summer camps that will run in gymnasiums throughout the Bay Area from June 11-Aug. 17. The camps are typically for boys and girls ages 7-15. Info: camps@gs-warriors.com; 510-9865310.

Mike Allen Sports Learn the basics of basketball, sharpen your skills and improve daily

at the Ballin’ Ambassadors basketball clinics!

Hosted by MIke Allen Sports in the South Bay, registration is easy. Go to www.mikeallensports.com to reserve your spot. 408-279-4123.

CHEER

CheerGyms.com Six camps are offered from June through July: Coaches Camp, Freedom High School 2-day Cheer and Dance Camp, 2-Day Cheer Camps at ALL Cheergyms. com facilities, Jr. High/High School Cheer Camp-California Session 1, Individual/Group Stunt Cheer Camp, Jr. High/High School Cheer Camp (Elite)-California Session 2. For more info: 925- 685-8176, 866-6857615, info@cheergyms.com; www. cheergyms.com.

East Bay Sports Academy East Bay Sports Academy offers the best in gymnastics and cheerleading training. Our top of the line recreational and competitive programs earned us

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the exclusive “Best in the East Bay” award for Best Gymnastics Classes 2011. You can bring your team to be a part of the excitement, as our talented & motivated staff becomes your team’s best support system. All of our team camps are custombuilt to complement your coaching needs and team goals. Info: 925-680-9999, www.

EastBaySportsAcademy.com.

Xtreme Cheer Camps Xtreme is a competitive All-Star Cheerleading, Dance and Recreational Tumbling Gym in Antioch. In it’s 4th year Xtreme is ready to take the competition world by storm yet again! The All-Star gym staff are enthusiastic, trained professionals and maintain many certifications in order to stay current on the latest teaching techniques. All of our camp classes are fast-paced, fun and geared toward achieving your child’s goals. Info: 925565-5464; xtremetumbleandcheergym@ yahoo.com

ENRICHMENT

Dianne Adair Programs Come join any of our eight Dianne Adair summer sites for our fun and exciting summer program. Each week campers will be able to choose from several camps, including sports, fashion, drama, CSI,

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science and so many more. In addition to our weekly camps, we have weekly field trips to places like an A’s or Giant’s game, museums, the Jelly Belly Factory, Six Flags, the pool, the movies, parks and the Zoo. We also offer many “in-house” field trips like Games2U Mobile Entertainment, the Bubble Lady, Furs, Skins and Tails, magicians, clowns, singers and many more. Field trips and camps vary by site.

Please consult your site of choice for more details. Bring in this article and receive half off our $40 summer registration fee. Info: www.dianneadair.org.

FITNESS

Aspire Pilates Dramatically increase core strength, power, flexibility, balance, focus and joint stability, while preventing injury.

Aspire prides itself on helping propel athletes to the next level by addressing muscular imbalances, helping athletes increase body awareness, correcting faulty body mechanics and accessing untapped strength. Info: 925680-4400, www.AspirePilatesCenter.com.

Fit 2 The Core As a Youth Conditioning, Speed/Agility and Nutrition Specialist with the International Youth Conditioning Association, Fit-2-The-Core Training Systems offers an innovative approach to getting your young athletes back on the field of play post-rehabilitation (which

gets your athletes to normal function), continuing the process by progressing their bodies to handle what they must endure on the field or court. For F2C’s Back to Sports programs we offer training weekdays, with 2 days/week or 3 days/ week program options. Bottom line: Our program gets your athletes back on the field. Sign up today for your two-week free pass at www.fasteryoungathletes.com, or call 925-639-0907 for more information.

TransForm FX At TransForm FX Fitness Boot Camp, we believe that parents can take better care of their kids when they take care of their own health and fitness. We have designed adult fitness boot camp workouts to fit your busy lifestyle. Each boot camp workout is designed to help you burn fat and increase your cardiovascular endurance in less time. Info: 925-289-8042; www. transformfxfitness.com.

Walnut Creek Sports & Fitness Walnut Creek Sports & Fitness is offering a wide range of different sports fitness camps and classes in 2012. Here are three we’re featuring.

Pilates for Sports — An ideal form of fitness for athletes to improve performance & prevent injuries. Hardcore Golf Fitness — A four-week golf-specific fitness camp is the ultimate physical conditioning program for golfers of any age who want

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to take their game to the next level. TRX Team Fitness —A cutting-edge six-week small group personal training program is a team-sports inspired program for athletes of all levels who want results in a challenging, motivating environment.

For all info: Contact Bob Boos, Personal Training Director. Phone: (925)932-6400 or email: bob@wcsf.net

FOOTBALL

Acalanes Football DONS CAMP The Acalanes coaching staff will host players from grades 3-8 on June 18-20.

At our camp you will learn skills, techniques, rules and how to perform to the best of your ability.

There are daily camp awards. All athletes receive a T-shirt. This is a non-contact camp focused on having fun while learning the game of football. Staff members are coaches, teachers and parents. Info: contact Mike Ivankovich at mivankovich@ acalanes.k12.ca.us.

Black Diamond Football Camp Black Diamond Football Camp is a fourday contact team camp from June 18-21 running from 4 p.m.-7:15 p.m. each day.

Cost is $1000 per team. This camp is designed to strengthen team concepts within YOUR program. Hosted by Pittsburg and Concord High Schools, it will take place at Pittsburg High. There will be Individual drills and team periods to install your offensive/defensive schemes. There will be a 7-on-7 passing competition, a

pass protection/blitz pickup session, team goal-line challenges, and controlled, fullcontact scrimmages. Info: Contact Coach Victor Galli at (925) 473-2390 ext. 7736.

Football University From the creators of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl comes a one-of-akind football training experience exclusively for the nation’s most elite youth and high school players. Born out of the appreciation that the most successful and skilled football players have mastered great technique, and that for many younger players this level of coaching is simply not available, the Football University (FBU) experience focuses on intense positionspecific technique training taught by our expert faculty of former and current NFL coaches who have a passion for sharing this experience with young athletes.

NorCal Football Camps Space is available in all of this year’s camps & Flag Football leagues. Led by Ken Peralta, Norcal Football Camps are focused on serving youth ages 7-14.

Norcal Flag Football Leagues serve kids entering grades 2-6. Info/registration: Ken, 650-245-3608, norcalyouthfootballcamp@ yahoo.com; www.norcalfootballcamps. com.

GOLF

The First Tee-Contra Costa The First Tee Summer Camp is a youth

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development Golf program for boys and girls ages 7-18.

Participants will learn about golf and the life skills and values inherent to the game. In addition to golf skills, rules and etiquette, participants are introduced to The First Tee Nine Core Values - honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy and judgment. Our Summer camps are four days a week, 4 hours/day @ Diablo Creek Golf Course, Concord. We have several weeks and facilities from which to choose. Fee assistance available. Info: Angela Paradise, 925-686-6262, Ext. 0, angela@thefirstteecontracosta.org; www. thefirstteecontracosta.org. See you on The First Tee! The First Tee-Oakland The First Tee of Oakland participants receive a minimum of 12 hours of instruction over an eight-week period.

Instruction is conducted at three City of Oakland affiliate golf courses.

Each of the golf courses donates their range, golf course and classroom use. We introduce the game of golf in a way that allows participants to progress with the mechanics required, and that teaches the values of the game, celebrates the fitness aspect of playing, and is offered at little or no cost. Info: 510-

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352-2002, info@thefirstteeoakland.org; www.thefirstteeoakland.org.

The First Tee-Silicon Valley The First Tee of Silicon Valley develops youth through the game of golf throughout Silicon Valley. We impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character, instill life-enhancing values and promote healthy choices though the game of golf.

Participants learn to appreciate diversity, resolve conflicts, build confidence and set goals for their future. Seasonal classes are offered at Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course (San Jose) and Palo Alto Golf Course. We welcome participants ranging from second to twelfth grade. Scholarships are available upon request. www.thefirstteesanjose.org.

The First Tee-Tri-Valley We’re a youth development organization using golf and its etiquette to teach important life skills and core values. We offer seasonal The First Tee Life Skills Experience Classes and Summer Camps for youth ages 7-17, held at the Pleasanton Golf Center on the Alameda County Fairgrounds. Once-a-week Summer Classes will be held MondaySaturday, beginning the week of June 11.

Junior Golf Summer Camps - Summer Camps will be held 8-10 a.m., Tuesday-

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Friday for seven weeks this summer.

Camps begin on the following Tuesdays: June 11, June 18, June 25, July 9, July 16, July 23 & July 30. Info: Call our office, 925462-7201; www.TheFirstTeeTriValley.org.

HORSEBACK RIDING

Earthquake Arabians Spring and summer camps are around the corner for Earthquake Arabians!

Registration is OPEN. Log on to www. earthquakearabians. com for more info.

925-360-7454.

Franklin Canyon Stables A well structured riding program housed at Franklin Canyon Stables in Martinez which provides two covered arenas and easy access to trails. Kim Bredehoft teaches riders of all levels with an instruction program that builds confidence and enables clients to reach personal goals that benefit them in all parts of life. Info: 925-228-1801; www. kimshorsetraining.com/franklin_canyon. html.

Kelly Maddox Riding Academy Summer Camp, July 16-20, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. daily; ages 5-16. Enjoy a week of fun-filled learning as you develop new friendships with other horse-crazy kids like yourself. Learn basic handling and

grooming techniques, as well as how to saddle and bridle your horse. Activities include learning horse colors, markings and breeds; art and crafts; a farrier demonstration and human horse show; bareback riding and more! Info: 925-5754818, www.KellyMaddoxTraining.com.

LACROSSE

Atherton/Vitality Lacrosse Join Atherton Lacrosse and learn the basics of the game in their spring, summer and fall camps. Every camper receives access to the best high school, college and professional lacrosse coaches in the Bay Area in a setting with an extremely low coach to camper ratio.

Every camper receives a free Atherton Lacrosse T-shirt. Every camper needs a lacrosse stick - we have partnered with Sling It! Lacrosse to bring the best value possible. Go to www.athertonlacrosse. com for more info. Sign up with Vitality Lacrosse to join one of their summer leagues in the Peninsula, Marin, East Bay, Petaluma and San Francisco. We serve the entire Bay Area! Go to www. vitalitylacrosse.com for more info.

MARTIAL ARTS

USKS Adult and children’s programs, kick box fitness, mixed martial arts. Providing

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excellence in martial arts instruction and services for the entire family. 925682-9517; www. usksmartialarts.com.

OUTDOOR/ADVENTURE SPORTS

Bear Valley Mountain Bring the entire family to mountain summer camps. This summer, Bear Valley has residential & day camps for soccer, archery, climbing & a variety of outdoor adventures including kayaking, tennis, cycling, hiking, camp fires & so much more. Bear Valley’s summer camps offer outdoor recreation programs for the whole family & is a great place to visit. Info: www.bearvalley.com.

Camp Jones Gulch Check out our wide variety of Teen Adventure Camps for both boys and girls. Camp dates range from mid-June to mid-August. Info: 650-747-1200, www.

CampJonesGulch.org.

City of Concord Skate and Swim Concord’s Skateboard Camp provides a way for children to learn from experienced instructors and improve their skills.

Participants learn skateboard safety, care of their skateboard, and all the essentials from dropping in, kickflips, the Ollie and more. All skill levels. There is a full-day camp option that combines the half-day skateboard camp with a half-day

of swimming and water games at the Concord Community Pool. Info: www. concordreg.org ,925-671-3404.

CYO Camp We’re located 60 miles north of San Francisco near the historic town of Occidental, and have provided summer camp to youth of the Bay area for over 60 years. Our seven-day traditional camps, for participants entering grades 3-9, focus on cultivating friendships, personal values and outdoor skills. Info: www.cyocamp.org.

Diablo Rock Gym We will be offering kids summer camps every week starting June 19, ending August 18.

Sign up for a week at a time or multiple weeks.

Ages 6-12; multiple kid and/or week discounts.

Call for pricing, 925-6021000.

Keigwins@theTrack We conduct motorcycle schools and practice events (“track days”) at famous racetracks in the Western U.S. Events are for experienced motorcyclists looking to improve skills and build confidence while having enormous fun riding in an ideal, expertlymanaged environment. Riders provide their own motorcycles and protective gear. Keigwins@theTrack takes care of everything else: Info: www.keigwin.com;

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650-949-5609.

RUGBY

Diablo Rugby Youth rugby is one of the fastest growing sports in the United States. Both non-contact and contact versions of the game are popping up in summer leagues, physical education classes, after school programs, YMCA’s, Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs and backyards all over the country. Based in Clayton, our club is dedicated to providing a positive rugby experience for boys at High School, Jr. High School and Youth levels. 925-381-5143, diabloyouthrugby@ gmail.com; http://diabloyouthrugby. clubspaces.com.

SOCCER

Diablo FC With a history that goes back two decades, the Diablo Futbol Club has proved to be the premier training ground for youth soccer players in the area. Headquartered in Concord, Diablo FC offers training to boys and girls from levels U6 to U23, and has premier, gold, silver and bronze level teams with players from throughout Contra Costa, Solano and Alameda counties. For complete info, call (925) 798-GOAL or visit www.diablofc.org.

Gino’s Soccer Academy Gino’s Soccer Academy is in its 14th season of running summer soccer camps. We are offering eight oneweek programs this summer and have

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programs to challenge and enrich the game of every soccer player. Whether you are just beginning, or have been playing for ten years, you will leave the Soccer Academy on Friday a more knowledgeable, better player than when you came to us on Monday. Half- and full-day sessions available. Ages 4-17. Info: www. ginossocceracademy.com.

Heritage Soccer Club In 2012, HSC will not only offer a members-only summer soccer camp, but will offer two separate soccer camps — one for boys, June 25-28, and one for girls, July 9-12 – that will be open to the community. In addition to the summer camps, HSC will conduct their annual 6v6 Blow-Out tournament in June and their second annual Harvest Cup Tournament in October. HSC is based in the Pleasant Hill/Martinez area and serves the surrounding community. Info: www.heritagesc. com.

Walnut Creek Soccer Club The Walnut Creek Soccer Club uses all the resources available to provide the proper coaching and playing environment for all members. Our goal is for every member of our club to learn and grow as a soccer player and person. We will promote a positive learning environment for our players and families as we work to provide the highest level of coaching and coach’s education. Info: wcsc_info@wcsc. org; www.wcsc.org.

West Contra Costa Youth Soccer League Our program caters to competitive youth players ages 8-9 regardless of race, creed, gender

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or religion. The main focus of our program is not on winning, but on the development of the total soccer player within the framework of a team. We also offer specialized training for strikers and goalkeepers.

We desire to promote personal responsibility, fitness, sportsmanship and teamwork. 510-758-5288, http://wccysl.com.

SWIMMING-DIVING

Sherman Swim School Our year-round schedule allows children and adults to learn, retain and improve their swim skills with little interruption. Lessons are usually offered in sessions of 3-4 weeks. (During the slower months of Fall, Winter and Spring, schedules can be more flexible, such as M-W, W-F, or only one day/week.) We teach from age 9-months to adults, from non-swimmers to competitive levels.

Since our lessons are private, they are tailored to each student’s age, ability and readiness.

We also offer beginning and competitive diving classes. Beginning sessions typically have three students and are 30 minutes long. Classes are taught in three-week sessions. Info: 925-2832100, www.ShermanSwim.com.

Walnut Creek Aquanuts Week in the Creek! Synchronized Swimming Camp, July 27-31, ages 7-18. Email: weekinthecreek@aquanuts.org. Summer Trainee Program 2012 held June 18-Nov. 12 in 5- and 6-week sessions @ Clarke Memorial Swim Center, Heather Farm Park, Walnut Creek.

Info: 925-934-4792, WCA.Trainees@aquanuts. org; www.aquanuts.org.

Walnut Creek Swim Club 2012 Spring practice will be held Mon., Wed. and Thur. evenings through June 7 @ Larkey Pool for 6-unders through 13-up.

Summer practice sessions will be offered 7:30-10 a.m. daily beginning June 11 @ Las Lomas High School.

Info: www.walnutcreekswimclub.org.

TENNIS

ClubSport Valley Vista ClubSport Valley Vista has successfully been hosting summer tennis camps in the Walnut Creek area for 33 years, with expert instruction. Tennis pro Dale Miller and his team of seasoned professionals will teach your children the fundamentals of tennis or help them improve their skills for recreation or competition. Camps are designed to touch on every major aspect of the game — stroke production, conditioning, strategy, footwork, psychology and most importantly, FUN! Players will be grouped according to level of play and age. ClubSport is located at 3737 Valley Vista Road in Walnut Creek. ClubSport Valley Vista members receive discounted rates. Info: 925-934-4050.

VOLLEYBALL

Diablo Valley Volleyball Club Seven one-week skills clinic sessions are offered from June-August. Camps differ in age groups served. Each camp has a maximum limit of players allowed. Two sessions take place

in Brentwood and the other five are in Walnut Creek. Info: 925-451-6581; www.DiabloVBC.org.

Pacific Rim Volleyball Through private lessons, and the opportunity for year-round skills classes, athletes of any age or level can learn and improve the skills needed to gain a competitive edge. Our advanced training, for junior levels (12th grade & below), will provide athletes the opportunity to excel at becoming elite players in preparation for high school and/or collegiate volleyball. Info: www. pacificrimvolleyball.com.

U.S. Youth Volleyball League The USYVL is the leader in developing and maintaining youth volleyball leagues for boys and girls ages 7-15. USYVL summer camps are typically three days, with each day meeting for three hours. Camps are for beginner, intermediate and advanced players, and players will be grouped accordingly, based on age and playing experience. Info: 888-988-7985, www.USYVL. org.

WRESTLING

Community Youth Center The CYC wrestling program offers young athletes the opportunity to participate and excel in one of the world’s oldest sports.

The program trains and challenges wrestlers at all age

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groups from kindergarten through high school, and all experience levels from beginner to champion. The program is nationally recognized under the guidance of Head Coach Mark Halvorson. Info: 925-671-7070, Ext. 229, www. communityyouthcenter.com.

The Creighton School of Wrestling CSW was established to provide a successful youth wrestling program in the Palo Alto/Mid-Peninsula area that serves youth of all ages. Info: 650-219-6383; creightonschoolofwrestling@ yahoo.com.

MULTI-SPORT

De La Salle Camps De La Salle High School will host athletic summer camps to provide a fun, skill-building week for kids. They offer the following sessions: Football, Track & Field, Lacrosse, Wrestling, Quarterback & Wide Receiver, Lineman, Volleyball, Baseball, Soccer, Water Polo and Strength & Conditioning. Weeklong sessions will run June 9-June 28. Online registration. For more info: summercamps@ dlshs.org; 925-288-8100, Ext. 7090.

Velocity Sports Camps Our Spring Break Sports Specific Summer Camps provide campers with a fun-packed, enjoyable environment where they can increase their athleticism and develop a wider range of skills. Velocity Sports Performance is looking for boys and girls ages 8-14 who are dedicated to making themselves better as athletes. Our Team Training programs are designed to deliver a challenging workout that is organized, educational, progressive and customized for entire sport teams. Info: 925-833-0100, velocitydublin.com.

Cal Camps Camps are offered in a variety of sports for girls and boys ages 5-19, with week-long, half-day, fullday and overnight options.

Most camps will take place on campus in Berkeley from June through August.

Camps include the following sports: Baseball, Boys and Girls Basketball, Boys and Girls Rowing/Crew, Field Hockey, Football, Boys and Girls Golf, Girls Gymnastics, Rugby, Boys and Girls Soccer, Softball, Boys and Girls Swimming, Boys and Girls Tennis, Boys and Girls Volleyball and Girls Water Polo.

Information: CalBears.com/camps. Or email calcamps@berkeley.edu.

City of Concord Skyhawks Sports Skyhawks Sports and the City of Concord have teamed up to provide safe, fun and skill-focused sports camps this summer for youth. Camps include Skateboard and Swim Combo, Soccer and Swim Combo, Soccer Camp, Basketball, Flag Football, Lacrosse and more. For ages 4-teen. Info: www.concordreg.org, 925-6713404.

Saint Mary’s College Camps We offer boys and girls overnight, day, team and specialty athletic camps. We have camps

available for ages 4-18. Dates are posted and registration is open. Our various camp offerings include: Multi-sport, baseball, boys basketball, girls basketball, golf, rugby, girls lacrosse, strength and conditioning, boys soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball. Info: Click “summer camps” at www. smcgaels.com for detailed information and to register online. More info: smccamps@stmarysca.edu, 925-631-4FUN (4386).

SportForm Based in Concord, SportForm provides Individual and team instruction in the sports of baseball, softball and lacrosse.

Prepare to Perform! Info: 925459-2880.

City of Walnut Creek We offer 9-13 year-olds a fully-staffed and supervised recreational athletic camp. The program consists of eight weeks of sessions with your choice of two different sports for each of the sessions, with a ninth week session offering bowling. Our camp is specifically designed to teach and develop training skills, basic individual skills, sportsmanship, team strategies and concepts as well as building confidence and self discipline. Sports to choose from include: Tennis, Baseball, Multi-sport, Flag Football, Soccer, Lacrosse, Basketball, Golf, Volleyball and Bowling. Camp offerings start the week of June 18th and run through August 17th. Info: www. walnutcreekrec.org or call 925-943-5858. ✪

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A A A Northern California, Nevada & Utah..........................................................12 Alameda County Fair............................................................................................7 All World Sports.................................................................................................17 Army National Guard Recruiter.............................................................................4 Bald Eagle Sports Camps....................................................................................42 Big 5 Sporting Goods.........................................................................................15 Big O Tires............................................................................................................2 Blankenship Baseball.........................................................................................41 Cabernet Indoor Sports......................................................................................19 Cal Athletic Camps.............................................................................................44 Championship Athletic Fundraising...................................................................33 Cheergyms.Com.................................................................................................26 Children’s Hospital And Research Center.............................................................18 Community Youth Center...................................................................................44 Concord Police Association.................................................................................45 Concord Youth Football & Cheerleading.............................................................39 Crowne Plaza.....................................................................................................44 Delta Patriots Youth Football & Cheer.................................................................40 Delta Patriots Youth Football & Cheer.................................................................38 Diablo Car Wash & Detail Center.........................................................................44 Diablo Rock Gym................................................................................................43 Diablo Trophies & Awards...................................................................................43 Dianne Adair Enrichment Programs...................................................................23 Dream Courts U S A............................................................................................29 E J Sports Elite Baseball Services........................................................................38 Earthquake Arabians..........................................................................................45 East Bay Sports Academy...................................................................................28 East Bay Summer Camps 2012...........................................................................37 Epic Indoor Skatepark........................................................................................39 Excellence In Sport Performance........................................................................40 Fast Break Basketball Camps..............................................................................27 Fit 2 The Core......................................................................................................27 Golden State Warriors........................................................................................34 Halo Headband..................................................................................................45 Heavenly Greens................................................................................................47 Home Team Sports Photography........................................................................33 Hyatt Place Sacramento / Roseville....................................................................33 Image Imprint....................................................................................................38 Intelligent Choice Fundraising Solutions............................................................41 Kinders B B Q........................................................................................................3 Mountain Mike’s Pizza........................................................................................17 Oakley Raiders...................................................................................................38 Oakley Raiders...................................................................................................36 Pacific Rim Volleyball Academy..........................................................................39 Passthaball.........................................................................................................44 Pleasant Hill Youth Football Rebels....................................................................39 Red Zone Training...............................................................................................44 Renegades Volleyball Club.................................................................................38 Renegades Volleyball Club.................................................................................41 Renegades Volleyball Club.................................................................................42 Rio Americano Jr. Raiders...................................................................................42 Rocco’s Pizza.......................................................................................................43 Rocco’s Pizza.......................................................................................................16 Rockin Jump.........................................................................................................5 Rockin Jump.......................................................................................................42 Saint Mary’s Athletic Summer Camps.................................................................44 Scandia Family Center........................................................................................44 Sheldon Jr. Huskies Youth Football & Cheer........................................................40 Sherman Swim School.......................................................................................41 Simply Selling Shirts .........................................................................................43 Sky High Sports..................................................................................................43 Skywest Golf Course...........................................................................................22 Stevens Creek Toyota............................................................................................9 Sutter Urgent Care..............................................................................................48 The First Tee Of Contra Costa...............................................................................21 The First Tee Of Contra Costa...............................................................................40 The First Tee Of The Tri Valley..............................................................................42 The Golf Club At Roddy Ranch............................................................................23 Tilden Park Golf Course.......................................................................................22 Tpc / The Pitching Center....................................................................................43 Tri Valley Tri Club................................................................................................32 Trucks Training...................................................................................................16 U S K S Martial Arts............................................................................................45 United States Youth Volleyball League...............................................................45 Valley Christian Vikings......................................................................................44 Velocity Sports Performance..............................................................................43 Velocity Sports Performance................................................................................8 Vitality Lacrosse.................................................................................................41 Walnut Creek Soccer Club...................................................................................40 Walnut Creek Swim Club....................................................................................45 Xtreme Tumble And Cheer Gym..........................................................................39

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