CA Issue 23, 05.12.2011

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california

endure | excel | achieve

wild walk Tim Ritter is tackling

the Pacific Crest Trail.

All 2,650 miles of it. Pg. 26

UNFAZED Elk Grove stays

rubber side down

on title track. Pg. 30

thumbs down We weigh in on decision

State mountain bike finals on horizon. Pg. 17

for more CIF football. Pg. 6

e s o o l g n i k a e r b e s s o r c a l a e r a 0 2 o . t g P n e m a r c Sa Colton Sviba, Granite Bay

all access

Tim Binning/TheSwimPictures.com

meet palo alto’s jasmine tosky & the next generation of swim talent.

Pages 14, 16 ON THE COVER Colton Sviba, Granite Bay defenseman Photo by Chris Austria.

thundering herd ready for another playoff run. Page 30 Ali Thanawalla

First Pitch......................................... 6 Locker Room.................................. 8 Behind the Clipboard.................... 7 SportStar of the Week................ 11 Wally’s World................................ 12 Club Scene..................................... 17 Tee2Green..................................... 18 Health Watch................................ 24 TriStars........................................... 26 Extra Bases.................................... 30 Training Time................................. 32 Camps + Clinics........................... 34 Impulse........................................... 36 Photo Finish................................... 38

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granite bay, jesuit put sacramento-area lacrosse on the map. Page 20

Chris Austria

Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsMag.com

It kills us to say it, but more football may not be good thing

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ask the question, what did it really solve? ometimes you just have to scratch your A reporter for the Sacramento Bee wrote, head.

“In short, CIF State Bowl teams will be The California Interscholastic Federadecided on the field and not in a meeting tion gave several of us a reason to do just that room with stacks of papers, schedules, on April 29. And we honestly don’t think results and opinions.” we’re alone.

Not exactly true. The meetings with The CIF — the state’s governing body for stacks of papers, schedules, results and all things high school sports — had a meeting opinions just come one week earlier. There’s of its Federated Council on April 29. And still a closed-door meeting to determine the during said meeting, it approved a proposal regional playoff pairings, and undoubtedly by the CIF’s Football Advisory Committee “snubs” will surface. to add a regional playoff game to the current Furthermore, in many cases, it could postseason format beginning with the 2012weaken the quality of opponents each 13 school year. region sends to the state bowl games.

The current state football postseason has The creation of the Open Division in been in effect for five years now — after the 2008 really gave the selection committee CIF finally got its act together and became flexibility in awarding bowl berths. And the last state to host any kind of championthus a lot of times, they were still able to ship football games at the state level. It was award who they thought were the two best built as a bowl game system in which the 10 teams in a region by putting one in the section commissioners would convene in a Open game and one in the bowl game that closed-door meeting to select North vs. South corresponded to its division. Now, as it’s set matchups from a pool of section champions up, the Open Division regional championacross various enrollment-based divisions. It ship will effectively eliminate one of the began with three games, and expanded to five North’s best two teams. after two years.

CalHiSports.com created what it proIt wasn’t perfect. There tended to be a handjected would’ve been the regional bowl ful of presumed “snubs” each season when the game matchups from the 2010 season. The committee announced the bowl matchups.

Northern Regional Open Division final Furthermore, the system has seen criticism would likely have featured De La Sallewhen it comes to the enrollment classification Concord vs. Folsom. Both of those teams breakdowns and how the criteria for selection won State Bowl games this past December. is weighed from one decision to another.

De La Salle won another State Team There were good things that were added, of the Year honor after a 48-8 demolition though. For instance, the Open Division of Servite-Anaheim. But in the precedgame began in 2008, allowing the section ing game, Folsom won the Division II commissioners to choose who they thought championship as the crowd and television was the best team from each end of the state audience got to see one of the most excit— regardless of enrollment — and pit them ing spread offense attacks in high school against each other in what would presumably football — all run by a 5-foot-7 quarterback be the most elite of all five bowl games. While Chace@ (Dano Graves) who ended being named the it led to more subjective decisions behind SportStarsMag.com MaxPreps.com National Player of the Year. closed doors, it did help determine the CalIn the new format, one of those teams may HiSports.com’s State Team of the Year in each (925) 566-8503 have eliminated the other. of the past two seasons.

We haven’t even come to the 16 games But now another tier of games is being argument yet. That’s right, some teams reaching the State added to the schedule. Five regional playoff games in both the Bowl games would be playing their 16th game. That’s a pro North and South where winners from each division would advance to play in the State Championship Bowl games. It passed schedule, people.

College teams top out at 14. Something’s wrong with that with a section vote of 7-3, with the North Coast Section and equation, right? (And we wonder why concussions are on the Southern Section among the three who were opposed. rise in high school football?)

From purely a fan’s perspective, this is probably going to SportStars headquarters harbors more than a few die hard be appealing. Many of these games are likely to be extremely high school football fans. But something about this just competitive contests. Many writers and columnists who cover football across the state applauded the decision. But we doesn’t feel right. ✪

FIRST PITCH Chace Bryson Editor

SportStars wants to get your feedback on this issue. Are you in favor of the regional football playoff being added to the 2012 postseason? Tell us why or why not. And if not, what should be the solution? Email your thoughts to editor@sportstarsmag.com, and we’ll publish some of the responses in our May 26 issue.

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PHONE 925.566.8500 FAX 925.566.8507 Editorial Editor@SportStarsMag.com Editor Chace Bryson. Ext. 104 • Chace@SportStarsMag.com Contributors Bill Kolb, Erik Stordahl, Mike Wolcott, Jim Mannion, Mitch Stephens, Dave DeLong, Gary Xavier, Doug Gardner, Matt Smith, Clay Kallam, Jim McCue, Eric Gilmore, Ray Wolfe Photography Butch Noble, Bob Larson, Jonathan Hawthorne, Chris Austria, Darryl Henick Creative Department Art@SportStarsMag.com Production Manager Mike DeCicco. Ext. 103 • MikeD@SportStarsMag.com Publisher/President Mike Calamusa. Ext. 106 • Mike@SportStarsMag.com Advertising & Calendar/Classified Sales Sales@SportStarsMag.com Account Executives Mike Wolcott Ext. 109 • MikeW@SportStarsMag.com; Patrick McCormick Ext. 102 • Patrick@SportStarsMag.com; Erik Stordahl • ErikS@Sport StarsMag.com (Special Sections, Calendar, Marketplace sales) Reader Resources/Administration Ad Traffic, Subscription, Calendar & Classified Listings info@SportStarsMag.com • Deb Hollinger. Ext. 101 • Distribution/Delivery Mags@SportStarsMag.com Distribution Manager Butch Noble. Ext. 107 • Butch@SportStarsMag.com Information technology John Bonilla CFO Sharon Calamusa • Sharon@SportStarsMag.com Office Manager/Credit Services Deb Hollinger. Ext. 101 • Deb@SportStarsMag.com Board of Directors 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@SportStarsMag.com www.SportStarsMag.com

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your ticket to bay area sports admit one; rain or shine This Vol. #2, May 2011 Whole No. 22 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).

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Team leaders don’t always need to be vocal, just accountable My coach keeps saying I need to be more of a leader. She knows I don’t like to say a lot, so I’m confused. What does she mean?

— H.B., Newark

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irst, she doesn’t mean screaming at your teammates when things are going poorly. That’s not leadership; that’s immaturity. (There might be a time and a place for some high-volume input, but we’ll talk about that later on.)

Leadership begins with one word: accountability. And first and foremost, the leader must hold herself accountable for doing what needs to be done to help the team be the best it can be, on and off the field.

Here’s one obvious thing: Every high school team has rules about drinking and drugs, and the rules are simple — don’t indulge in them.

Usually, team leaders are the older players and we all know that older high school students have plenty of access to alcohol (the most dangerous drug) and hosts of others. So the first job of a team leader is not to do any drugs (including alcohol).

That’s accountability, and it would also be considered a sacrifice by some — but if a team leader doesn’t follow one of the most basic rules of the school and the sport, she’s not being accountable to herself.

A leader also has a responsibility to keep her grades up, and stay out of trouble at school. Younger players model their behavior on what the leaders do, and though getting bad grades and being on a first-name basis with the dean in charge of discipline might make some people happy, it’s definitely not what most kids want.

When it comes to the team, leaders are always on time — and “on time” means being 15 minutes early to everything.

Again, younger players will follow the leader, and if they see the team captains and best players 15 minutes early every

day, that’s what they’ll do, too.

During practice, leaders work hardest at the most unpopular drills, which usually means conditioning. In these situations, consistency is crucial — a leader who runs all-out during sprints only some of the time isn’t a leader; she’s a loafer. The captains and seniors set the tone, and if they don’t push themselves in conditioning, no one else will.

(Here’s one situation when a leader can raise her voice. If she goes hard all the time, she can call out the rest of the team (not an individual) for not working hard. She can’t say “Melissa, you need to touch the line, and run as hard as you can,” but she can say “If we want to be a good team, all of us have to touch the lines and run as hard as we can.” The message will be delivered, but no one can really take it personally.)

During games, leaders cannot let their emotions get the better of them. A lot of good players put their heads down when they make mistakes — or even worse, when their teammates do — and that brings the whole team down with them. A leader rises above her own feelings and shows her teammates her most confident, most positive side. This is especially important if the coach has just yelled at the team for sloppy play, or whatever. And at that point, it’s up to the leaders on the team to emphasize the positive.

Finally, leaders have to produce. That doesn’t mean a leader has to be the best hitter, or leading scorer, but she has to make plays — whether they are skill plays, hustle plays or smart plays, a leader has to help her team win.

There are times when a leader has to be vocal, but what’s really important is what people do, not what they say. If you want to be a leader, then act like a leader, and be accountable like a leader. Or, to use the cliché, walk the walk before you talk the talk. ✪

Behind the Clipboard Clay Kallam

Submit a question for Behind the Clipboard, email Coach Kallam at clayk@fullcourt.com

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he said what?!?

“This is definitely big for us. We’ve been really streaky this year, so it’s been tough. Hopefully this will be big for our confidence and we can win out over the last two weeks and get into the North Coast Section playoffs.”

Amador Valley-Pleasanton outfielder Aaron Hafford after he picked up the game-winning sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh during a 4-3 win over Elk Grove — a team which entered the game ranked No. 4 in the state by CalHiSports.com.

Ali Thanawalla

Guys we’re rooting for after the 2011 NFL Draft Well, we still don’t know when (or, really, if) the NFL season is going to start. There was a lockout. Then an injunction. And a stay.

Staaaay. Now, sit. Rollover. Beg. Good dog. Anyway, in spite of all the labor nonsense, the league still hosted its annual auction, er, draft, and we here in the Bay Area had some horses in that race. So here are the Top 5 guys we’re rooting for from the 2011 NFL draft.

1. Ryan Whalen (Monte Vista-Danville, Stanford). Taken in the sixth round by the Bengals. Not bad for a walk-on at an egghead school, huh?

2. Taiwan Jones (Deer Valley-Antioch, Eastern Washington). From Eastern WA back to the East Bay. We remember when the Wolverines’ Jones was torching defenses in his epic two-way senior season in 2006. Here’s guessing the Raiders wouldn’t mind a piece of that 9.3 yards-per-carry average he sported at DV. 3. Roy Helu Jr. (San Ramon Valley-Danville, Nebraska). Anybody else remember when Helu was a kinda skinny RB/WR combo with great hands with the Wolves? How we got from there to ground-chewing running back we’re still not sure. Maybe something to do with the genetically-engineered corn?

4. Cheta Ozougwu (Rice). This year’s Mr. Irrelevant. Taken LAST overall by Houston with the 254th pick. Given our status as individuals who have been the last pick at one point or another (the 1989 chess team draft still haunts our dreams), how could we NOT be rooting for this guy?

5. Owen Marecic (Stanford). Somehow Jim Harbaugh and the Niners allowed Harbaugh’s ‘favorite player of all time’ to slip to the Browns in the fourth round. Regardless, you gotta love a guy who grows his hair out his senior season, not for vain, shampoo-shilling purposes (we’re talking to you, Troy Polamalu, and you, Clay Matthews), but in order to shear his tresses for Locks of Love. Plus, we can’t wait to see how many positions the two-way starter (LB, RB) can play in Cleveland. Let’s face it, the Browns could use help everywhere.

Mark this down in the almanac, people. That’s right, it’s SportStars’ first ever Top 5 Honorable Mention. We’re getting a jump on the 2012 draft (unless the Mayas were right, in which case, well, nice knowing you). But another dude we’re rooting for — who was part of the same 2006 high school class as Best, Jones, Whalen and Helu — is Brandon Rutley (Alhambra-Martinez, San Jose State). He might end up as the best tailback in Bulldogs AND Spartans history. He’s definitely one of the nicest kids we ever covered. We can’t wait to see him break some ankles on Sundays.

—Bill Kolb

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random acts of factness Of the 24 combined boys and girls events at the North Coast Section Swimming/Diving Championships, 14 have had new records set in the past three years. Four new records were set last year, all in the girls competitions. Chelsea Chenault of Carondelet-Concord (pictured) was responsible for three of them. For more coverage of the upcoming swimming postseason, flip to page 14.

rapid fire Special Triathlon Edition dflower Competitors at the Wil y1 Ma 30ril Triathlon Ap

Best triathlon venue?

Favorite energy bar/ drink?

Frederika Weitze

Wildflower

Jonathan Hawthorne

Hannah Rae Finchamp

World Championship, Kaanapali, Maui

Clif Bar and Gatorade

Homemade energy bar, Cytomax Chris Scott/CalSportsPhoto.com

How many miles do you run/ bike/swim in a week?

Celebrity you’d like to hang out with for a day?

What animal describes you?

Why? Best finish in a race?

Marissa Escalante, Rodriguez-Fairfield.

Run: 1-3 miles Bike: 0 Swim: 0 (tough to find places to swim)

Taylor Lautner

Dog, lots of personality and active Secon place in first year in Wildflower upper division

Run: 30 Bike: 40 Swim: 10

Triathlete Shonny Vanlandingham

Gazelle, run with the grace of one

Won world championship for age group

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NorCal Softball Top 15 Records are through May 7. Teams from the Central Section are not considered.

1. Archbishop Mitty-San Jose............................................23-2 2. San Benito-Hollister.......................................................22-1 3. Sheldon-Sacramento.....................................................21-4 4. Elk Grove........................................................................15-4 5. Johansen-Modesto........................................................23-1 6. James Logan-Union City...............................................16-3 7. Rodriguez-Fairfield......................................................22-3 8. Sierra-Manteca............................................................21-1-1 9. Gilroy...............................................................................20-4 10. Aptos.............................................................................18-4 11. Amador Valley-Pleasanton...........................................14-5 12. Merrill West-Tracy........................................................22-4 13. Soquel...........................................................................19-4 14. Pinole Valley-Pinole.....................................................17-1 15. Newark Memorial-Newark...........................................18-2

For the NorCal Baseball 15, flip to Extra Bases on P. 30 MAY 12, 2011

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who’s got next?

nominations: Editor@SportStarsmag.com

marsela young franklin-elk grove . soccer

James K. Leash/Sharp-EyeImages.com

of the week If you want a clear cut example of an upset, look no further than the Franklin-Elk Grove girls soccer team knocking off nationally-ranked No. 1 Davis on May 3. It was Davis’ first loss after a behemoth 21-0 start and it was the first goal they allowed in a match since April 7, also against Franklin. What’s even more impressive is the upset happened on Davis’ home field. On senior night. Yeah, we think this qualifies as an upset.

Marsela Young’s goalkeeping was the impetus to the victory as she pulled out all the stops by shutting out the Blue Devils with 11 saves. The win marked the third straight shutout for the Wildcats, which won’t be considered underdogs again anytime soon.

SportStars: How huge is this upset?

Marsela Young: It was the most amazing feeling. It was pretty intense throughout the whole game. All of our hard work paid off.

SportStars: What was the game plan?

MY: We just focus on playing our best.

We played with five defenders and it helped a lot on defense. We just played our hardest.

SportStars: How do you ride this momentum into the playoffs?

MY: We just have to not get too cocky and keep focused on what we need to do.

SportStars: You also play other positions.

What makes you so versatile?

MY: My main position is keeper. My club team helps me out. You also have to know how to play your positions.

MARSELA’S QUICK HITS Favorite athlete: Tim Lincecum Favorite ice cream flavor: Pistachio What’s in your iPod right now: Everything

honorable mention

Raeann garza James Logan’s sophomore threw a no-hitter for the Colts on May 3 in a 10-0 win over Irvington. The win was No. 500 for James Logan coach Teri Johnson.

michael kicenski The FreedomOakley junior is undefeated in the high jump in Bay Valley Athletic League competition. He has won every 2011 meet he’s participated in. He is bound for Chico State.

sydney shipley The sophomore pitcher was dialed in as she combined for 17 scoreless innings over four games for Pinole Valley-Pinole. Over that stretch she allowed just two hits. She posted a one-hit shutout of Berkeley on April 29.

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May 12, 2011

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Bob Hammer having a ball as cancer survivor who’s giving back

T

his is a story about life, second chances, and giving something back.

In the case of Bob Hammer, you might want to go ahead and multiply”life” and “second chances” by two, and “giving something back” by the nth degree.

But first — write down this web address: www.haveaballgolf.com. It’s my goal that you visit this site just as soon as you finish this column.

Bob Hammer, 42, lives in Danville with his wife, Kim, and children Shayna, 11, and Josh, 8. He’s been active in sports, or coaching youth sports, for just about as long as he’s been alive. In years past, this meant 12 years as coach at Carlmont High in Belmont, where he coached three different girls to the state finals in the long jump in a five-year span. Currently, that means coaching San Ramon Valley softball, Danville Little League, Mustang Soccer and Danville basketball.

As you will soon find out, all of this is miracle enough in itself. It’s what he has chosen to do with his miracle of life that should be enough to remind all of us that, in the end, all that really matters is the love (and hope) we’ve given others.

It’s a tough story to tell in 800 words, but here goes.

For starters, Hammer’s mother died of cancer on Christmas Day when he was 9.

Two decades later, he felt a lump on one of his testicles. It was cancerous. He had to have it removed.

Flash ahead to Christmas. While wrapping presents, Hammer collapsed. The cancer had returned. Twenty six rounds of chemotherapy knocked out the cancer.

Still, he faced additional surgery or, he was told, he wouldn’t survive.

Enter Lance Armstrong.

While Hammer was battling cancer, he read Lance Armstrong’s book. At the time, anyone who raised more than $10,000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation got the chance to meet Armstrong. Hammer, a marketing specialist for Peninsula Building Materials in Livermore, went to work. He raised $15,000.

He met Armstrong and Armstrong’s oncologist, Dr. Craig Nichols, in Texas. He told Nichols that he was having surgery in another week at Stanford and would be unable to have any more children.

Nichols suggested he not have the surgery.

It worked. So well, in fact, that just a year later, Josh was conceived. (By natural means.)

(Click on the above-mentioned Web site and the first words you’ll see are “Early treatment for Bob’s testicular cancer not only

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7th annual Have A Ball Golf Tournament Friday, July 22

Sunnyvale Municipal Golf Course

Foundation Director: Bob Hammer bobhammer@sbcglobal.net

www.haveaballgolf.com

WALLY’S WORLD Mike Wolcott MikeW@ SportStarsMag.com (925) 566-8500 Ext. 109

Contributed photo

Bob Hammer with Lance Armstrong in 2001.

saved his life, it created a new one.” That’s Josh in the photo. But first, keep reading.)

With yet another miracle in place, Hammer was ready to start giving back.

He contacted another cancer survivor, Steven Seaweed (disc jockey for 107.7 The Bone), and together they got to work on organizing the “Have a Ball Golf Tournament.”

“The first year I hoped to raise $25,000,” Hammer recalled. “I raised $50,000.”

He sent $35,000 to the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the rest to seven different organizations.

A lot has changed since the first Have a Ball Golf Tournament. The economy has floundered, and floundered again.

If you think a little thing like that would slow down Hammer’s determination or fundraising ability, well, you don’t know Bob. In six years, the tournament has raised more than $750,000, and will benefit 20 cancer organizations this year.

Along the way, Hammer has appeared on numerous local television broadcasts and been featured in more print interviews than could fit within the pages of this magazine.

He remains the same determined, caring and personable person he’s been throughout this entire ordeal we call life.

Don’t think he doesn’t appreciate every second of it.

“You’ll be pushing your kid on a swing and something will hit you, You’ll think, ‘You’re not supposed to be here,’ “ Hammer told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2009.

He’s still here. Very much so. As it says elsewhere on his Web site, he’s still “chipping away at cancer – one ball at a time.”

Go ahead and click on that link now.

There’s more to Bob’s story. Best of all, it’s entirely within your power to be in the next chapter, which is the 7th annual Have A Ball Golf Tournament on July 22 at Sunnyvale Municipal Golf Course.

So check it out. Celebrate life. And maybe help someone else have a second chance.

They just might turn out to be another Bob Hammer. ✪

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Antioch Little League fields get an extreme makeover by OC Jones By erik stordahl | SportStars

Kevin Kunishi Photography

TOP: A coach and a few players try out the newly-renovated diamond on Kelly Martin Field. BELOW: U.S. Olympic softball gold medalist Vicki Galindo greets and signs autographs for young admirers.

Athletes of Antioch Little League received the royal treatment on April 2 when O.C. Jones & Sons revamped their playing fields.

By sponsoring the TLC for Kids Ballparks Program, O.C. Jones & Sons gets involved in the community by renovating little league fields in the Bay Area.

With special guests such as three-time Super Bowl winner and former San Francisco 49er Brent Jones, softball player and 2008 silver medalist Vicky Galindo — who starred on the high school diamond at James LoganUnion City — and KNBR’s Brian Murphy from the Murph & Mac Show, the event was a site to see. Hundreds of players dressed in uniform, family, and friends were on hand for this historic event.

The aforementioned along with O.C. Jones & Sons president Kelly Kolander and Antioch Little League’s very own Dennis Felix were amongst those who gave speeches for a memorable ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“Sponsoring the TLC for Kids Sports program has been a way for all of us at O.C. Jones to give back and our employees recognize there is always a way to give back,” said Kelly Kolander, President and CEO of O.C. Jones & Sons, Inc. “The children of Antioch Little

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League will have a renewed sense of pride playing on their renovated field, knowing that someone took the time to lend a helping hand and give them a tool to succeed.

“We are excited about opening day and to see the visitors and players excitement surrounding the renovation and access now afforded to the Challenger participants.”

Every year the TLC for Kids Ballparks Program holds a contest where they receive hundreds of entries from little leagues all over the Bay Area. This year they chose Antioch Little League and after months of planning, digging

and reshaping, the final product is nothing short of spectacular.

The fields of Antioch Little League look palatial. With a smooth playing field, fresh-cut grass and redone dugouts, little leaguers of all ages will be fortunate to grace these fields and play like the pros for years to come. For more information on the TLC for Kids Ballparks Program or to find out how to enter your little league in the next contest, log on to www.tlcforkidssports.org or check out www. ocjones.com. ✪

May 12, 2011

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Tal

Classes of 2012, 2

K

By Chace Bryson | Edito

asey Carlson was wrapping up one of the most reers in the history of the North Coast Section the 200-yard medley relay, 100-yard breaststro The Las Lomas High standout would close her care medals and her name on three section records and one n Perhaps on any other year, that would’ve been the st ming Championships. But not 2010.

Carlson’s sterling final high school swims were some wake of a mass of talented young swimmers making a s Ten of the 22 events saw freshman or sophomores either as individuals or part of a relay team. Five more ishing second to a senior champion. And in one race, a to another freshman.

It was a changing of the guard. The new wave of B had arrived.

The school grabbing the most headlines was Carond Chelsea Chenault set NCS records in both the 200 an teamed up with fellow freshman Maddie White, sophom nior Allison Gargalikis to set a national high school reco It’s not just East Bay swimmers, either. A list of the t times throughout the state last year is dotted with you Northern California. Sacred Heart Preps-Atherton’s To Jasmine Tosky, both sophomores a year ago, were the f mers in the state. Chenault’s time in the NCS 500 fr state’s fastest time in that event.

Kim Carlson, Kasey’s mom and a former coach at Lomas, pointed out that these waves of talent tend to b “(In regards to NCS) there were actually a lot of fast s year,” she said. “They were part of their own (takeover ber (former Liberty-Brentwood and Stanford senior) Kasey as a ‘whippersnapper’ when Kasey was a freshm The breakout performances of Chenault and others of 2010 — has led to a bit of a buzz as the 2011 season NCS championships on May 20-21 at Concord Comm “Last year it was all about the excitement and the h may have been at her first NCS meet in 2010, but was n ming world. She was already a nationally-recognized s Terrapins Swim Club. “It wasn’t too stressful. It was j

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lent pool

2013 have taken over the North Coast Section and all of NorCal FAR LEFT: CarondeletConcord swimmer Chelsea Chenault will face the pressures of repeating her epic NCS finals performance from a year ago when she set three meet records as a freshman. (Jonathan Hawthorne). LEFT: Marissa Neel, defending 100 butterfly champion, is hoping her San Ramon Valley-Danville teammates can steal the team title from Carondelet.

(Bob Larson)

or

t decorated swimming can with ho-hum victories in oke and 50 freestyle. eer with 13 NCS first-place national high school record. toryline to the NCS Swim-

ewhat swallowed up in the splash in their NCS debuts. s grab first-place finishes, e events saw freshmen fina freshman finished second

Bay Area swimming talent

delet-Concord as freshman nd 500 freestyles, and then more Christina Ray and juord in the 200 medley relay. top high school swimming ung swimmers throughout om Kremer and Palo Alto’s fastest 200 freestyle swimreestyle final was also the

both Carondelet and Las be cyclical. seniors who graduated last r) four years ago. I rememKate Dwelley referring to man back in 2007.”

— the “whippersnappers” n churns toward this years munity Pool. hype,” said Chenault, who no novice to the elite swimswimmer for the Concord just about having fun and

getting the high school swimming experience.”

But Chenault and the rest of her teammates will have a few more concerns this time around.

“There’s definitely some pressure with how everyone expects you to do as well or better than a year ago,” Chenault said. “We’re just hoping for good results and hopeful our training shows in our racing.”

They’re also hoping to hold off fellow East Bay Athletic League foe San Ramon Valley-Danville, which along with its own youth movement looks as though it might challenge Carondelet in its attempt to defend the girls team crown.

The Wolves are led by Marissa Neel, another Concord Terrapin who also took part in the 2010 NCS youth takeover by winning the 100 butterfly crown as a sophomore. Her time of 53.60 seconds in that event ranked as the third fastest in the state, bested only by Tosky (52.77) and Kendyl Stewart of La Costa CanyonCarlsbad (52.43).

Neel, now a junior, is joined by senior Taylor Nafria and a freshman looking to make her own NCS-debut splash in the breaststroke, Heidi Poppe.

“She reminds me a lot of Kasey,” Kim Carlson said of Poppe. “She looks like her and swims like her. And she’s already got Olympic cuts.”

San Ramon Valley may actually have the psychological edge over Carondelet after beating the Cougars 96-89 in the teams’ EBAL dual meet on March 25. It is worth noting, however, that both Chenault and White did not compete for

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Carondelet in the meet. The two swimmers were training with the national team in Chula Vista. Did we mention they’re on the current National Women’s Team roster?

Nonetheless, San Ramon Valley will be going into NCS confidently.

“All season we thought we had no chance of winning at the EBAL championships or NCS, because (Carondelet) has so many national swimmers,” Neel said in early May. “But this past week we had a team meeting and we scored up what we thought people would swim and what we thought we could do points-wise.

We’re kind of nervous about that, but I’m really excited.”

Chenault is more than aware that her Terrapins teammate and the rest of the San Ramon Valley team has an upset on its mind.

“Overall as a team, they’re very strong and know what they’re doing. So they’re definitely considered one of our top competitors.”

Carondelet and San Ramon Valley are just two NCS teams which will feature members of the 2010 youth boom. Other sophomores who will be defending NCS titles won as freshmen a year ago include Sven Campbell (CampolindoMoraga, 200 medley relay), Steven Stumpf (Campolindo, 200 IM) and Charlie Wiser (Miramonte-Orinda, 100 backstroke).

“You can’t let your guard down at all,” Chenault said of the amount of talent in Northern California and the Bay Area. “It keeps you ready and and it keeps you prepared for everything that’s coming up in the future.” ✪ May 12, 2011

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NorCal swimming glance: A look at some of the top swimmers Three sections will be holding their championship meets in the second and third weeks of May. The Sac-Joaquin Section goes first with its meet taking place May 12-13 at Tokay High in Lodi.

The North Coast Section and Central Coast Section follow suit the following week, holding their championships on May 20-21. Here’s just a few swimmers to keep an eye on at each meet.

Central Coast Section BOYS Tom Kremer, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Jr. Owned state’s fastest high school time in the 200 freestyle in 2010 at 1:37.45. He also ranked third for the 100 backstroke (50.05).

Adam Hinshaw, Saratoga, Sr. Second to Kremer among state times in the 200 freestyle (1:37.70). He also missed having the state’s best high school 500 freestyle time by three one-hundredths of a second (4:22.27) GIRLS Linnea Mack, Pioneer-San Jose, So. Had the CCS’ fastest time in 100 backstroke a year ago (55.05). The time also ranked her seventh in the state for that event.

Maddy Schaefer, St. Francis-Palo Alto, Sr. Swam the state’s fastest high school freestyle sprinter in 2010. She had the fastest time in the 50 (22.44) and the 100 (48.61) Jasmine Tosky, Palo Alto, Jr. Part of the Women’s National Team roster for

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Tim Binning/TheSwimPhotos.com

Jonathan Hawthorne

Jonathan Hawthorne

Jasmine Tosky, Palo Alto

Jackson Miller, Las Lomas

Steven Stumpf, Campolindo

2010-11, Tosky posted a national high school record last year in the 200 breaststroke (1:44.11), topping the old record by a full second.

North Coast Section BOYS Steven Stumpf, Campolindo-Moraga, So. Took first in last year’s 200 IM as a freshman.

He also finished second in the 100 backstroke.

Jackson Miller, Las LomasWalnut Creek, So. Possibly the best freshman swimmer to not win an event at the 2010 NCS championships.

He was second in both the 200, 500 freestyles.

GIRLS Chelsea Chenault, Carondelet-Concord, So. The U.S. Women’s team member set the high school national record in the 500 freestyle

at 4:43.43 during the 2010 finals. Already owns three NCS records.

Catherine Breed, Amador ValleyPleasanton, Sr. Depsite not winning a section title a year ago, still posted Top 10 state times in two events.

Ranked third in 200 freestyle, eighth in the 500.

Marissa Neel, San Ramon Valley-Danville, Jr. The section’s fastest swimmer in the 100 butterfly had the state’s third-best high school time a year ago at 53.60. She also has a chance at winning the 100 backstroke this year.

Sac-Joaquin Section BOYS Wade Allen, Davis, Sr. Posted the section’s fastest 50 freestyle a year ago in 20.99.

Adam Jorgensen, Roseville, Sr. His 100 butterfly time of 49.32 ranked him tops in his section and fourth in the state a year ago. He also had the state’s fifth-fastest 200 freestyle at 1:38.56.

GIRLS Mary Griffith, Tokay-Lodi, Sr. She was a double-winner at last year’s meet, taking top medals in the 100 buttefly (54.27) and the 200 freestyle (1:48.77).

Kate Davey, Lincoln-Stockton, Sr. Owned the section’s fastest 200 IM time a year ago with a mark of 2:02.74 Andrew Murch, Granite Bay, Jr. Narrowly missed owning the section’s top 100 backstroke time, but still ranked sixth in the state with a time of 50.58.

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club scene

Mountain bikers gear up for the high school state championship By erik stordahl | SportStars While traditional spring sports are getting close to wrapping up their seasons, the NorCal High School Mountain Biking League is hitting the home stretch, too. Racers from all over the nine-county Bay Area and up north competed in five league races this season.

The fifth race took place at Boggs Mountain in Cobb on May 1.

Sofia Hamilton, a senior at Sir Francis Drake-San Anselmo, finished third out 22 girls varsity racers with a time of 1:34:40.

Victoria Yoham of Marin Catholic-Kentfield finished sixth with a time of 1:42:12 while Erica Bilodeau led a fleet of San Ramon Valley-Danville racers with an 11th place finish at 1:53:33.

Hamilton sits second overall in the point standings. Shayna Powless is first overall.

On the boys side, Bryan Duke of Salinas took home first place honors with a time of 1:42:12. Contra Costa Composite’s Andrew Taylor finished 15th out of 35 competitors and Travis Lyons shook off a crazy start to finish 28th.

But the biggest race is yet to come: The State Championship on May 14 at Los Olivos in Solvang.

Travis Lyons

Bob Larson

This race will bring together both leagues from Northern and Southern California. It will also serve as the qualifier for the National Mountain Bike Championships held in Sun Valley, Idaho, July 14-17.

For Taylor, a senior at Pleasant Hill Adventist Academy, he plans on competing in nation-

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als then continuing his racing at Pacific Union College in the fall. He hopes to help start a mountain biking team on campus, which is ideal for the area as two races are held there every year.

Lyons, a senior at Northgate-Walnut Creek and former SportStars cover boy (Issue No. 16), will continue to ride locally as he’ll be attending Diablo Valley College in the fall.

He’ll also be checking in to Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo and UC Davis as both have strong cycling programs.

When it comes to which cycling discipline is more preferred — mountain or road — Taylor and Lyons disagree.

“There’s lots of different trails,” Taylor said.

“You get on a mountain bike trail and from one trail to the next they’ll be completely different.

There’s more excitement and more variety.”

Travis favored road racing.

“Road racing is more tactical,” Travis said.

“You have more involvement with your teammates. Road racing and mountain biking are very different. (With) mountain biking you need technical skills. (With) road racing, you need to be very sharp with your tactics and work as a team.”

Baseball team built for national stage SportStars will be represented abroad this summer as we’ll be sponsoring Cabernet Indoor Sports’ baseball teams through Nor Cal Travel Ball (NCTB). Baseball players ages 13-17 will get the opportunity to try out for the East Bay Stars 13U, 15U, and 17U teams.

Cabernet will soon be announcing dates of open workouts for interested players. Locations for those workouts include Cabernet, The Pitching Center, Granada High in Livermore and Modesto Junior College. Cabernet will eventually select 18 players for each East Bay Stars squad, and those chosen will get to represent Northern California in the National Team Identification Series at the USA Baseball Complex in North Carolina in September.

Players can be selected from all over the Bay Area, but Cabernet is keeping the majority of its focus in the East Bay. For open workout information, contact The Pitching Center’s Jason Sekany at Jason@ ThePitchingCenter.com. ✪ Want to see your club team in Club Scene?

Email Erik Stordahl at Erik@SportStarsMag.com.

May 12, 2011

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tee2green

Sborov lines up a grueling summer golf schedule By erik stordahl | SportStars

Sborov Snippets Best golf course you’ve played Monterey Peninsula CC

Favorite energy food Pistachios

Best tournament finish 1-under at a 36-hole tourney at Poppy Ridge

How many holes do you play a week?

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Butch Noble

Celebrity you’d like to hang out with for a day Anne Hathaway

An animal you most associate with?

Tiger, because I’m so competitive

It’s going to be a busy summer for Alex Sborov. The sophomore golfer of Foothill-Pleasanton will be logging plenty of miles to participate in golf tournaments over the next few months.

She got a head start on her summer plans, though, when she attended the Under Armour Hunter Mahan Championship at Gleneagles Country Club in Plano, TX, on April 15-17. “(That tournament) is harder to get into,” Sborov said of the American Junior Golf Association event in Texas.

“Only 21 girls are in it. Some of my friends were playing in it from SoCal.” It didn’t prove to be her best weekend on the course, taking 19th after posting a 54-hole score of 249.

But it’s not stopping her from lining up more top-tier events to compete in over the next couple months.

Sborov will also play in the U.S. Open Qualifier in Lake Merced in late May and the California Junior Girls State Championship at Monterey Peninsula Country Club on June 2730 amongst others.

Sborov is most excited about the latter, since it’s match play.

“I love match play because I’m a really fierce competitor,” Sborov said.

“I’m really competitive, I love being face to face with my opponent.” ✪

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tee2green

First Tee of San Jose participant earns invite to elite golf academy One of the things that I love about The First Tee of San Jose is our effort to provide opportunities to all youth regardless of their background. By opportunities, I mean those to learn valuable life lessons, to play the game of golf, and to have some really incredible experiences. The young people who have remained in our program for several years have grown in character to a point that they then give back as volunteer coaches and may even be richly rewarded.

The First Tee of San Jose is very pleased to be sending Kunal Shalia, who is one of our finest, to The First Tee Training Program at Hank Haney’s International Golf Academy this summer. We are so proud of Kunal for being selected as one of only 39 participants nationwide.

The event, held June 12-18 in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, will include daily instruction with Hank Haney IJGA Instructors on all aspects of the golf game. Mental training, fitness training and college placement sessions will also be held. I’m sure Kunal will return eager to share about this wonderful experience with his golf teammates at Evergreen Valley High and friends at The First Tee of San Jose.

Life skill development is the main emphasis at The First Tee of San Jose. Kunal’s selection to attend the Hank Haney program was based in very large part on his ability to demonstrate his positive character development. Parents throughout The First Tee network of chapters report growth of their children because of our programs.

Summer is a great time to take a class or camp. Summer registration for The First Tee of San Jose begins online on Tuesday, May 10th for classes and camps beginning in as early as mid-June. Join us!

First Tee Files is a rotating column featuring the executive directors of four Bay Area chapters of The First Tee — Contra Costa, Oakland, San Jose and Tri-Valley. George Maxe is the Executive Director of the First Tee San Jose. Check out your local chapter by visiting one of the following websites: www.TheFirstTeeContraCosta.org, www.TheFirstTeeOakland.org, www.

TheFirstTeeSanJose.org and www.TheFirstTeeTriValley.org.

First Tee Files George Maxe

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“The lacrosse community tends to be pretty small, but most coaches work together and speak about what we need to grow the sport. We are putting a lot of our energy into growing the sport where we can at the youth levels to reach the high school level in the future.”

Steve McLaughlin

With East Coast natives guiding the way, high school lacrosse is blossoming in the Sacramento region

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By jim mccue | Contributor

n the crowded high school sports landscape, lacrosse is easily overshadowed by traditional mainstays such as football, basketball, baseball, and even soccer. But recent growth in northern California, and the Sacramento region in particular, has lacrosse on the verge of shedding its identity as a niche club sport.

In the past five years, the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section has added lacrosse as a sanctioned sport for both boys and girls and the Sacramento Valley Lacrosse Conference had seven boys and six girls teams competing in the recently-concluded 2011 season.

The small league size currently prevents teams from advancing to any postseason play. Local coaches and players hope to see playoffs in Sacramento’s near future to rival that of the Bay Area’s North Coast and Central Coast Sections. Local teams include Bella Vista, Granite Bay, Davis, Oak Ridge, Foothill, St. Mary’s-Stockton, Jesuit, St. Francis, and Christian Brothers.

Coaches like Jesuit’s Steve McLaughlin see a bright future for high school lacrosse based on the growth of youth lacrosse programs. “The youth leagues have blown up recently,” McLaughlin said. “The successful (high school) programs have local youth programs that are starting to feed into them. The areas that are seeing the most growth at the youth levels will be able to sustain their programs and the sport at all levels.”

The entry level for youth competition in Sacramento is Under-9 (U9) leagues, but camps and clinics are available for younger kids to learn the basics of the Chris Austria sport and to prepare for league compeLEFT: Granite Bay senior Alex Towne works his way up tition at age 9. Despite being one of the field and around Jesuit-Carmichael defender Kevin Dowling fastest growing sports in the West and during the SVLC championship on May 5.

Granite Bay won Midwest, lacrosse west of the Mississippi 6-5. ABOVE: Jesuit coach Steve McLaughlin, a New JerRiver will likely never attain the domisey native who played at Virginia Tech, has helped pioneer nant presence of East Coast lacrosse. the growth of lacrosse in the region.

The Northeast has dominated the sport at all levels, including the high school and college ranks. In 1971, Cornell won the first-ever men’s lacrosse national championship, and the national title has never been won by a school farther west than Duke (Durham, N.C.).

The Blue Devils defeated Notre Dame in the 2010 championship for the school’s first-ever title. The Northeast dominance of lacrosse is evident in Syracuse University’s 10 national championships and Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD) winning nine titles and appearing in every NCAA tournament except for the inaugural tourney in 1971. On the women’s side, Massachusetts won the first national championship in 1982 and Maryland has won 10 of the sport’s 29 national titles.

Many kids growing up on the East Coast, including McLaughlin and Granite Bay coach Scott Pink, were involved in lacrosse at an early age and competed in youth leagues, high school, and college. McLaughlin was a standout player at Windsor-Plainsboro High School near Princeton, N.J. before earning a scholarship to play at Virginia Tech. After a medical redshirt his freshman year, McLaughlin played three seasons as a Hokie, serving as team captain and earning all-conference and all-America honors before completing his college career. Pink grew up on Long Island and played college lacrosse at Harvard.

Both Pink and McLaughlin ended up in Sacramento where they coach the area’s top two high school programs at Jesuit and Granite Bay. The two teams battled for the conference championship on May 5 with Pink’s Granite Bay squad edging Jesuit 6-5 to capture its second consecutive title. Jesuit won the SVLC championship in 2009.

The strength of both programs can be attributed partly to the knowledge and experience of its coaches as well as the outstanding play of its senior leaders.

Jesuit’s Adam Parietti and Granite Bay’s Chris Campbell are the top midfielders in the area and led their teams both on and off the field. Campbell led the section with 38 goals and is also being recruited for football as one of the region’s top kicker/punters.

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Parietti was on the varsity lacrosse team for all four years Jesuit has been a CIF-sanctioned lacrosse program. He will attend California (Berkeley) in the fall where he expects to play lacrosse for the Golden Bears while pursuing his academic career.

According to McLaughlin, Parietti explored lots of college options, including schools with club lacrosse teams and the possibility of walking on at a high-end East Coast university. In the end, Parietti opted to balance his desire to play lacrosse with his need for a competitive academic experience.

While the occasional high school star from California may make the jump to a traditional East Coast power, the typical path for local lacrosse players to continue playing at the next level is to consider one of the more than 200 Division II and III programs or a college with a club program. With just 61 sanctioned NCAA lacrosse programs, the options can be limited for West Coast players. The majority choose to stay on the West Coast to study and play at schools such as Gonzaga, Loyola Marymount, UC San Diego, Chapman University, and Cal Poly.

The continued growth of lacrosse in Northern California may lead to more players following the path of St. Ignatius-San Francisco midfielder Rob Emery, who earned a scholarship to the University of Virginia and contributed this season as a freshman, but the process is still ongoing. The local lacrosse

Chris Austria

Granite Bay coach Scott Pink brought his love of lacrosse to the capital after growing up on Long Island and eventually playing collegiately for Harvard.

legend Pete Lee, provides an outlet for East Coast transplants and other avid lacrosse players to continue to get their fix. It also serves as an outlet for the local lacrosse community to work together to bring up the next generation of lacrosse players in Sacramento.

McLaughlin and his wife, Tasha, founded Ryquin Lacrosse (www.ryquin.com) whose mission is to support the growth of lacrosse in the community through elite, organized training and game opportunities. Ryquin organizes camps, clinics, and other resources for avid lacrosse players as well as local families interested in exploring the sport.

For families interested (both boys and girls programs are available in the Sacramento area) in one of the fastest growing sports in

the country, Ryquin and other local resources can guide parents to local programs, camps, and even stores, such as Lacrosse Fanatic, which has two stores in the Sacramento area.

According to McLaughlin, the initial equipment and training costs are comparable to other sports and activities, but getting in on the ground floor of the Sacramento lacrosse scene could be a memorable experience.

“I know it was the best thing I did athletically growing up,” McLauglin said of his early introduction to the sport.

Now, he and others in the local lacrosse community hope to emerge from the shadows of more traditional high school sports and place lacrosse on the West Coast sports map. ✪

community is working to open up more options for young players and to continue to grow the sport, especially at the high school level.

“The lacrosse community tends to be pretty small,” McLaughlin said, “but most coaches work together and speak about what we need to grow the sport. We are putting a lot of our energy into growing the sport where we can at the youth levels to reach the high school level in the future.”

When McLaughlin arrived in Sacramento in 2000, he joined the Sacramento Lacrosse Club, the area’s only adult lacrosse program.

The club, which was founded in 1976 by local

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Factors, symptoms to help determine severity of injury

I

f you’re like me, you’ve been listening to the sports news every day about the state of football.

Is there going to be an NFL season?

It is important to remember that injuries aren’t just part of the game. As a player, don’t play hurt. Don’t try to shake off an injury just to get back into practice or the game. Do a proper warm-up before engaging in your sport. Most important to remember is with proper coaching and equipment the risk is minimized. When all this happens and an injury still occurs, here are some things not to ignore with a sports-related injury:

Is there a lockout?

Has it been lifted?

Who drafted whom?

With all these stories there is one that may have slid past you last month. A study was published in which it was reported that youth football injuries are on the rise. It garnered extra attention with a Nationwide Children’s Hospital news release in mid-April.

I am not bringing this to the attention of the reading parents, coaches and kids because I am looking to start a movement against football.

Instead I am bringing this to the forefront to revisit key points about injuries. First let’s talk about some of the statistics from the study:

we do to help awareness and prevent minor injuries from becoming major ones?

■ Joint pain — Any joint pain particularly in the knee, ankle, elbow and wrist should never be ignored.

Health Watch Tom Clennell

■ Nearly 2,000 pediatric and adolescent football-related injuries treated every day in emergency departments during football season.

■ 31% of these injuries were sprains and strains, 28% were fractures and dislocations, 24% were soft tissue injuries.

■ A majority of the injuries, 78%, were in players ages 12-17.

There are the numbers, plain and simple. So what can

■ Tenderness at a specific point — Be aware of any injury eliciting pain at a specific point in bone, muscle or joint by pressing on it. Especially if the pain is different than what you feel when pressing on the opposite side.

■ Swelling — This is usually coupled with pain, redness and heat. If it is within a joint it may have pain, stiffness and a clicking or popping sound.

■ Limited range of motion — Seek attention if there is an observable loss of range in comparison to the other side.

■ Comparative weakness — This describes a difference in ability to support your weight on a certain side of your body.

■ Numbness and tingling — Never ignore numbness or tingling. This may indicate a serious injury and should always be seen by a physician.

If you suffer any of these indicators of a serious injury, you should be seen by a physician.

Tom Clennell is a 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@ SportStarsMag.com.

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endurance | outdoors | adventure

Pacific Crest Trail Association

GONE T

Tim Ritter is taking on the entire Pacific Crest Trail to benefit a charity he created

By Chace Bryson | Editor

im Ritter is gone.

If you know him, and need to reach him, well, you could be waiting for quite some time.

The Concord native and 2005 Clayton Valley High graduate is out for a hike. And he won’t be back until early October.

Ritter began a trek May 8 at the California-Mexico border and headed north on the immensely popular — but seldom hiked all the way through — Pacific Crest Trail. In addition to five months, he will be traversing more than 2,600 miles of trail before reaching the end, which goes comes nine miles into British Columbia at Manning Provincial Park.

Tim Ritter is not crazy. And he did not lose a bet.

He just really likes to hike.

“This is pretty much a bucket list item for me,” said Ritter, who prior to this walk had gone on a maximum-length hike of just six nights. “I’ve been around this stuff all my life. My parents are both very into the outdoors and the mountains. ...

When I was 15, I read about the Continental Divide Trail and it sort of set my mind in motion about trying to do something big like this.”

His mind was still spinning about these things just a few month ago as he interned for an accounting firm following his graduation from UC Santa Barbara last spring.

“As soon as I started the job I started thinking about what I was going to do when the job was over,” Ritter admitted.

When the internship ended, Ritter knew that regardless of whether he earned a full-time job or not, he would have a decent stretch of time before he’d need to go back to sitting behind a desk. And so the trip-planning began.

Bob Larson

Tim Ritter knew he wanted to take an epic thru-hike when he was a young teenager and learned about the famous Continental Divide Trail that spans from the Southern New Mexico border to the Canadian border of Montana, traversing the Rocky Mountains along the way.

Tim Ritter is dedicated Ritter knew it was going to be tough to get a lot of trail training in while working 55 hours a week in the accounting field. But that didn’t stop him from finding time to run the stairs of Hughes Stadium on the campus Sacramento City College. It also didn’t keep him from countless hours of logistical planning.

“You’re literally needing to plan five months ahead,” Ritter said. “The logistics take a long time to work out. That’s why you’ll sometimes hear hikers make the remark that It actually takes longer to plan for the hike, than complete the hike.”

Ritter’s backpack weighs approximately 21-22 pounds without food and water.

As of his departure date of May 8, he had set it up to receive 27 re-supply shipments during the course of the odyssey. And while the physical rigors of hiking more than 2,600 miles of trail are sure to be daunting, Ritter was more than knowledgable about the mental challenges of taking on such an endeavor, and doing it solo.

“That’s five months on your own, that can be a long time,” Ritter said. “The mental fatigue can be just as straining as the physical. I’m conscious of that, and I’ve spent long stretches at a time on my own before so I’m confident I’ll be able to handle it.”

However, it’s not like the terrain is going to be boring.

According to the website for the Pacific Crest Trail Association, the PCT climbs nearly 60 major mountain passes over its three-state span (California, Oregon and Washington). It descends into 19 major canyons and passes more than 1,000 lakes. The trail also includes three national monuments, seven national parks, 24 national forests and 33 federally mandated wildernesses.

The trail’s highest point also happens to be very near the highest point anywhere in the 48 states — California’s Mt. Whitney at 14,505 feet.

“The trail itself doesn’t go to the top of Mt. Whitney,” Ritter said. “But it goes Support Your Local Business • Say You Found Them In SportStars™

right by the top. Basically, close enough that you’d be crazy not to go to the top.”

Tim Ritter isn’t just out for himself This may be his bucket list hike, but Ritter wanted it to benefit more than just himself. Once he determined that he was really going to do it, he began researching through travel journals and hiking blogs. While doing so, he read of hikers and cyclists who have done similar journeys and earned money for charities by having their hike sponsored.

But Ritter took it even one step further. He began his own charity organization — one that would appeal to future hiker and outdoor enthusiasts much like himself.

“I decided I wanted to start an organization that would provide the platform for myself and others to do similar events,” he said. “It all happened pretty quickly.”

What happened was the founding of Walking For Their Water — a non-profit organization with a goal to sponsor individuals in the performance of outdoor adventure-based fundraising endeavors, with a primary focus on raising awareness and inspiring donations for the development of global clean water access.

On this particular trek, Tim expects to raise approximately $20,000 to help the production of wells in Haiti.

“I think that’s the most urgent need in the world,” Ritter said regarding the global water crisis. “The money put toward that cause, will directly help and save lives.”

Furthermore, Ritter liked the connection of his hikes being fueled by water and the search for the next water source. According to the PCTA website, there are multiple California stretches of the trail that span 20-30 miles between water sources.

Ritter projects to finish his hike in British Columbia on Oct. 7. He’ll turn 24 during his hike, so if for those who might have birthday wishes, save them.

Because Tim Ritter is gone. ✪

TIM’S TRAIL TALES Thanks to some impressive tech gadgets, Tim is hoping to keep TriSTARS abreast of his progress along the Pacific Crest Trail.

Each issue, we’ll unveil his most recent location along the PCT and hopefully be able to pass along his newest adventures.

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Weekend at Wildflower The SportStars team went down to take in its first AVIA Wildflowers Triathlon experience and came back with a few notes on some Bay Area particpants, as well as some striking pictures from the event.

Kid Cover Mark Kolding was still trying to adjust to the popularity of being the SportStars Magazine cover athlete when he toed the line for the collegiate race of the Olympic Course at the Wildflower Triathlon on May 1. And despite having not done any type of major swim length in a triathlon, the El Cerrito native and current UC Davis freshman held his own as he finished 47th among all college males. His time was 2:31.27

If Dad Can Do It ...

Sunnyvale’s Frederika Weitzel, 11, competed in the U12 division of the Mountain Bike Race in what was her third trip to Wildflower. After a second-place in the division a year ago, she grabbed first in 2011 with a time of 1:44.49. Afterward, Weitzel — who runs for Team in Training — listed her dad as her inspiration. Her dad, Jens, is a cancer survivor who remains a triathlete. He competed in the Long Course and finished in a time of 7:08.05.

Runnin’ Rollos The Rollo Family of Alamo made another strong showing at the Wildflower. Especially the youngest of the clan, 14-year-old, Jake . He not only finished first in the male 13-15 age group in the Mountain Bike race in a time of of 59:47, but then he finished tops in his class in the Olympic Distance race, finishing in 2:26.22. His older sister, Emily (16 years-old) finished fifth in the female 16-19 age group of the Olympic Distance race. Her time was 3:27.48. Their dad, Jason, completed the long course in 7:20.05.

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Butch Noble

UPPER LEFT: Members of the Cal-Berkeley triathlon club team stop for a quick group portrait.

BOTTOM LEFT: Several participants make their mad dash to the water as the Olympic distance race begins for the collegiate male division.

ABOVE: UC Davis freshman Mark Kolding sheds his wet suit and grabs the bike during the Olympic distance race.

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extra bases

Elk Grove baseball keeps eyes on the prize

By Chace Bryson | Editor

When the No. 4 team in the state loses, it will turn a few heads. When it loses twice in as many days, it can lead to some concern for the team and its fans.

There’s no need for concern around the Elk Grove baseball team these days.

Despite back-to-back losses on May 6 and 7 — the latter of which came against a struggling Amador Valley-Pleasanton team in a nonleague contest at the Dave Stewart/Oakland A’s High School Baseball Showcase at the Overstock.com Coliseum — the Thundering Herd is right where it wants to be.

“How can this really be a rough last two days?,” Elk Grove coach Jeff Carlson said as he quickly pointed to the bigger picture. “Basically this week we clinched the Delta Valley League championship and the automatic berth (to the SacJoaquin Section) championships.

“We came here and took a tough loss. ... But it was a competitive baseball game at a great facility. Great experience for our guys and they competed. It’s a loss, but it’s just going to make us better for the playoffs.”

The playoffs are where Elk Grove teams tend to excel. The Thundering Herd have won a section-best six SJS Division I titles, which includes a run of three straight between 2005-07.

Last year, they reached the finals but finished runners-up to St. Mary’s-Stockton.

And even with its recent two-game skid, there’s no reason that Elk Grove shouldn’t remain a heavy favorite to win a seventh section crown. The Thundering Herd left the Bay Area with an overall mark of 20-5 on the season. From April 1 to May 4 the team won 17 of 18, with its only loss coming to nationally-ranked Cathedral Catholic-San Diego in the final of the San Diego Lions Tournament hosted by Granite Hills High.

“I think we’re playing well,” Carlson said after the loss to Amador Valley. “We just didn’t get a couple of hits in some key situations, which we have been doing all year long. To tell you the truth, you learn a lot more from your losses than you do from your wins.”

Elk Grove’s problems against Amador Valley were evident from the first inning when they had the bases loaded with one out but failed to score. On the day, the Thundering Herd left 11 players on base.

“We didn’t really put much pressure on them the entire game,” said Elk Grove’s standout third baseman, J.D. Davis.

“We just didn’t play our game. It was just one of those days.

One of our off days. We lost last night (12-3 against Davis) and kind of brought it out here with us today.”

It was Davis who was on the hill and took the loss for Elk Grove after he came into relieve left-hander Ryan Tellez in the bottom of the seventh. The game-winning rally started when Joey Maroney beat out an infield hit to open the inning. Devin Finn followed and reached on a sacrifice bunt fielder’s choice in which everybody was safe. Davis then got Chris Keck to foul out and walked Greg Dillon to face Aaron Hafford.

Hafford swung right through Davis’ fastball the first time.

But two pitches later, he saw the same fastball and hoisted a line drive to left field. It was just deep enough for Maroney to tag and score from third.

“We just went after him,” said Davis, who with the loss

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Ali Thanawalla

ABOVE: Thundering Herd lefty Ryan Tellez delivers a pitch during Elk Grove’s game against Amador Valley at the Oakland Coliseum on May 7. Tellez allowed three runs and struck out five in a no-decison.

RIGHT: J.D. Davis (26) has followed up his stellar junior season with an equally impressive senior campaign. He has a 1.68 ERA and a batting average of .512 with 8 HR. dropped to 5-2 on the year while his earned run average rose to 1.54. “We came with the fastball inside and he whiffed it.

We just came back with it thinking that he wouldn’t make an adjustment. But he got it out there. We got a good relay, but we couldn’t get a tag on him.”

Davis was named the CalHiSports.com Junior Player of

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extra bases

NorCal Baseball Top 15

the Year in 2010 after a ridiculously impressive season in which he drove in 60 runs and posted a 1.99 ERA over 67 innings. He hasn’t missed a beat in 2011. After 23 games, his average was .514 with eight home runs and 40 RBI. He has no doubt that this team is ready to avenge the

season-ending loss in the NCS final.

“Mentally we’re good right now,” Davis said. “And physically we’re good. We have some things to work on. Just need to sharpen a few edges and make sure we’re ready for the playoffs.” ✪

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Records are through May 7. Teams from the Central Section are not considered.

1. Archbishop Mitty-San Jose......................... 22-4 2. St. Francis-Mountain View.......................... 22-5 3. Alameda....................................................... 19-1 4. Elk Grove..................................................... 20-5 5. De La Salle-Concord................................... 15-5 6. Monte Vista-Danville................................... 15-5 7. St. Mary’s-Stockton..................................... 17-8 8. Wilcox-Santa Clara..................................... 24-5 9. San Ramon Valley-Danville........................ 15-4 10. Turlock....................................................... 19-5 11. Jesuit-Carmichael ..................................... 19-7 12. Clayton Valley-Concord.........................16-3-2 13. James Logan-Union City.......................... 17-3 14. Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove........................ 19-6 15. Davis.......................................................20-4-1 For the NorCal Softball 15, flip to Lockerroom on page 9

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Focus on getting strong and agile, not just big

S

omeone asked me about hypertrophy training for young athletes the other day. It was a simple enough question and one that I think a lot of people tend to misunderstand.

Hypertrophy training, if you are unsure, is the action of lifting weights with the sole intension of ‘getting bigger’.

And the question was simply this — Should young athletes concentrate on hypertrophybased training. The answer, much like the question, couldn’t be simpler: No! Any type of over-concentration on one aspect of training will almost always mean that you are ignoring other, equallyimportant parts.

Proper and quality-driven athletic development means that trainers are providing an environment for young athletes in which ALL important factors related to sports performance and injury prevention are being developed.

Being ‘BIG’ doesn’t mean being ‘STRONG’.

Gaining muscle is a specific type of training that leads to a specific type of result. And virtually nowhere in sport does the relative

size of your bicep muscle mean a thing with respect to performance or injury prevention.

Focusing on ONE thing means you are missing everything else. What are the true important aspects to sports performance?

Strength. Speed. Mobility.

Movement Economy or Agility.

Flexibility. Coordination.

All of these elements must be present and optimally developed for a young athlete to excel.

If you are concentrating on making your young athletes ‘bigger’, than you are most certainly missing other elements of physical ability that are MUSTS in terms of the athlete’s athletic performance.

In 10 years of working with young athletes, I can say that no matter what strength training program a teenager is doing, they are going to get ‘bigger.’

They may not become ‘monsters’ or have to wear sleeveless t-shirts because of the excess girth in their arms, but they will get bigger.

The teenage years represent a time in life during which testosterone becomes more readily available in the body. That, combined with the natural growing process means that muscles will fill out and ‘inches’ will be added in terms of quality lean tissue gain.

Gaining size isn’t just about time in the weight room. In fact, it’s only a small percentage about that. True lean muscle mass is gained from a specific nutritional process that requires so many calories of food coming from the various macro-nutrients.

Muscle gain response will come from virtually any type of strength training, but traditionally when people hear the word ‘hypertrophy’, they think about the gorilla-sized body builder doing endless sets and reps of specific, single-joint exercises such as Bicep curls, Triceps extensions and leg extensions.

Not only is this kind of single-joint activity potentially dangerous and certainly not usable from a sporting perspective (because compound movements that involve multiple joints and muscles is where it’s at), but the reps associated with this kind of lifting are most typically performed slowly.

So in the end, you will have a ‘big’ linebacker who is slower than cold molasses running up a hill. Train slow, be slow. It’s that simple. Remember, don’t think in one dimension when it comes to developing young athletes. Especially a dimension that involves worrying about being ‘big’. ✪

Training Time Tim Rudd for IYCA

Tim Rudd is an International Youth Conditioning Association specialist in youth conditioning (level 3), speed and agility (level 2), and nutrition specialist (level 1). You can contact him at tim@fit2thecore.com.

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Halsted earns top honors at Sac MOC after breaking school record

By Mitch Stephens | Contributor

It was a Davis High record that stood for 16 years, but Trevor Halsted knocked it down on a breezy April 30th evening at Hughes Stadium on the campus of Sacramento City College.

The senior distance runner shattered the 1,600-meter mark of 4 minutes, 15.9 seconds by winning at the Sacramento Meet of Champions in a time of 4:14.00.

For it, along with a solid fourth-place finish in the 3,200 (9:21.93) less than two hours later, Halsted was named the Top Male Track Athlete of the meet, which annually features most of the top Northern California competitors just five weeks before the California Interscholastic Federation State Meet in Clovis.

“I couldn’t ask for much more,” Halsted said. “This meet has a lot of history and to do as well as I did gives me confidence heading down the stretch.”

It wasn’t until the stretch in the 1,600 that Halsted finally took control in a fantastic duel with Castro Valley senior and runner-up Ben Eversole (4:15.33).

Halsted took the lead with a lap remaining, but Eversole overtook him with 200 to go. With plenty in the tank, the UC Davis bound Halsted passed Eversole with 100 left and had the strength to win his first Sacramento MOC title.

“It worked out perfectly,” Halsted said. “When he took the lead I didn’t panic. I just didn’t want to lose.”

His winning time broke the school record of Greg Phister set in 1995 and as of May 10 is the 13th best time in the state, according to DyeStatCal.com. It’s the seventh best time in California not counting converted mile times.

Halsted missed the entire summer of training due to a left tibial stress fracture but has shown little effect. He won the Sac-Joaquin Section cross-country title in November.

“I’ve been shooting for the school record for a long time so to get it here is pretty special,” Halsted said. “I was hoping for just 4:15 flat, so to go a second under that is great.”

Halsted was definitely pushed as seven runner finished inside 4:18.

El Camino-Sacramento senior Chris Kigar was third at 4:15.68, followed by College Park-Pleasant Hill senior Anthony Ortolan (4:15.98), Vista del Lago-Folsom senior Riley Martin (4:16.21), Galena-Reno(NV.) senior Bryan Jordan (4:16.76) and Kennedy-Sacramento senior Chris Grimble (4:17.97).

The 3,200 was also a stellar dual that featured a Davis runner, however Del Campo-Fair Oaks senior Robert Pflasterer had just enough in the tank to edge Brian De La Mora 9:15.37 to 9:15.63. The race went back and forth throughout the eight laps but Pflasterer had an extra lean at the line to prevail.

Briefly: Jesuit-Carmichael senior and Duke-bound Stephen Boals won the shot put for the second straight year at 59-0¼, well off his personal best of 62-2 ½ set at the King/Gilbert Invitational on March 12. That mark is the third best in the state this season. Boals helped Jesuit bring home the state team title last year with a fourth-place finish. “We have some really good sophomores and they are a couple years away,” Boals said. “But you never know. We could do it again.” ... Vacaville senior Vivian French recorded a rare double, taking the girls shot put (41-7½) and the discus (143-3). ✪

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Joe Hartman

Jesuit-Carmichael shot putter Stephen Boals unleashes a throw during the 2010 CIF State Championships in Clovis.

May 12, 2011

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camps + clinics BASEBALL/SOFTBALL Golden Era Baseball Based in the East Bay, we offer several instructional-based programs as well as 9U thru 18U Club Teams. We are currently taking signups for our Spring Hitting Classes. Please see our website for full details: www.GoldenEraBaseball. com The Pitching Center We develop baseball players to their full potential. The Pitching Center has grown to become the Total Player Center (TPC), a full-service baseball and softball training academy. Age- and skill-specific programs are available for students ages 8 – High School. Info: 925416-1600, thepitchingcenter. com Cabernet Baseball Club The Livermore-based club hosts Lil’ Baseball Clinics, ongoing through May 14 for ages 3-7. For more information, please call 925-4161600, or go line to www. thepitchingcenter.com.

SportForm Based in Concord, SportForm provides individual & team instruction in baseball, softball, lacrosse. Highly trained pros provide accelerated and advanced skills clinics. Prepare to Perform! Info: 925-459-2880.

BASKETBALL Saint Mary’s College camps Spend your June and July learning fundamentals or honing your skills at McKeon Pavilion. Plenty of options are available.

Registration and info: 925-631-4386, smccamps@stmarysca.edu; www.smcgaels.com.

CHEER CheerGyms.com We offer the best clinics in California!

Customize your clinic to fit your needs from basic stunting techniques or working on twist cradles out of one leg stunts, we take your team to the next level! Info: 866-6857615, www. CheerGyms.com East Bay Sports Academy Recreational, competitive athletes benefit from training with the best coaches.

Our 10,000 sq. foot facility is clean and bright with the newest equipment. Info: (925) 680-9999, www.EastBaySportsAcademy.com.

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EQUESTRIAN Earthquake Arabians We are hosting camps throughout spring and summer at their facility in the Morgan Territory. Camps are June 13-17 and June 20-24. Size is limited so sign up now! Info/Registration: 925360-7454 or www.EarthquakeArabians. com for more info.

Kelly Maddox Riding Academy Develop new friendships with other horse-crazy kids. Weekly activities include learning horse colors, markings and breeds; arts and crafts; a farrier demonstration and human horse show; bareback riding and more! Info: 925-5754818, www.KellyMaddoxTraining.com Franklin Canyon Stables Based in Martinez, we provide two covered arenas and easy access to trails. Beginning riders or experienced equestrians, we have a place for you. Instruction in horsemanship on the ground and in the saddle while having fun. Info: 925- 228-1801; www. kimshorsetraining.com/franklin_canyon. html Castle Rock Arabians Activities for tweens and teenagers, where we build team spirit through various team activities on horseback.

Visit the ranch by appointment. Info: 925-933-3701, www. castlerockarabians.com FITNESS Children’s Hospital The “Sport Speed Camp” presented by the Children’s Hospital Oakland Sports Medicine is being held in three twoweek sessions: June 20-July 1, July 11-22, and Aug. 1-12.

All camp sessions are Monday-Friday from 2-4 p.m. The camp will be at the Derby Street Athletic Field, 1900 Derby Street, Berkeley. Cost is just $250 per athlete and space is limited to 25 athletes per camp session. Info/Registration: call 510-4283558 and hit option 3.

Fit 2 The Core As a Youth Conditioning, Speed/Agility and Nutrition Specialist with the IYCA, Fit2-The-Core Training Systems offers an innovative approach to getting young athletes back on the field post-rehabilitation, and continuing the process by progressing their bodies to handle what they must endure on the field or court. Info: 925639-0907.

Walnut Creek Sports & Fitness We offer over 70 group classes per week. Members also enjoy our heated

pool, sauna, spa, and steam-room.

Massage, skincare and chiropractic services are available. Call us today for your free week pass! Info: 925-932-6400, www.wcsf.net ENRICHMENT Dianne Adair Programs We offer a wide variety of enrichment programs for your child, during the school year and throughout summer.

Activities include: Home work help, 4th & Up Club, art and crafts, science, sports, and games.

Summer camps include weekly field trips.

Info: www. dianneadair.org.

E.Nopi and Palm Academy Palm Academy’s “Summer Camp Spectacular” offers day camps with one-week or one- day programs to provide the flexibility for your busy schedule. Abrakadoodle Art Camps inspire kids to reach beyond and create art that is unique to them. Info: Palm Academy, Fremont, (510) 979-9794 or E.Nopi, Newark, (510)79ENOPI (36674) FOOTBALL NorCal Football Camps Led by Marin Catholic High coach, Ken Peralta (San Francisco 49ers High School Coach of the Year,) Camps serve youth ages of 7- 14. We help each child reach his full potential as a football player and young person. Info: 650-245-3608 . www. norcalfootballcamps.com GOLF Coach Rick Golf Learn to play on the course, where it matters with Coach Rick! Golfers of all ages can sign up for clinics offered by Coach Rick starting now throughout summer. Info: (510) 917-6442 • www.

ThePersonalGolfCoach.com The First Tee-Contra Costa The First Tee Summer Camp is a youth development program for boys and girls 7-18.

Participants learn about golf and life skills and values inherent to the game, rules and etiquette. Summer camps at Diablo Creek Golf Course in Concord. Info: www.thefirstteecontracosta. org; angela@thefirstteecontracosta.org or 925-686-6262 x0.

The First Tee-Oakland The First Tee of Oakland has delivered The First Tee Life Skills Experience to over 262 participants.

Each receive a min.

12 hours of instruction over an 8-week period.

Instruction is at three Oakland courses: Metropolitan Golf Links, Lake Chabot GC

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camps + clinics and Montclair GC. Info: 510-352-2002; www. thefirstteeoakland.org.

The First Tee-San Jose The First Tee of San Jose develops youth through the game of golf throughout Silicon Valley. Participants learn to appreciate diversity, resolve conflicts, build confidence and set goals.

We welcome participants ranging from second to twelfth grade.

Scholarships available. Info: 408-2882973; www. thefirstteesanjose.org.

The First Tee-Tri-Valley The First Tee of the Tri-Valley offers seasonal The First Tee Life Skills Experience Classes and Summer Camps for ages 7-17, held at the Pleasanton Golf Center on the Alameda County Fairgrounds. Summer classes begin on June 14. Junior Golf Summer Camps are held weekly. Info: 925.462.7201, www.

TheFirstTeeTriValley.org LACROSSE Atherton Lacrosse Our lacrosse camps are designed for boys and girls ages 5-14, who are beginner or intermediate players.

Our group of coaches and staff are leaders in the lacrosse community. Info: 888- 526-3330, www.

AthertonLacrosse.com.

Vitality Lacrosse Vitality offers summer league programs in four Bay Area regions, all of which come together on July 30 for the Bay Area Summer League Championships on Treasure Island. Locations include: Marin

County, Peninsula, East Bay and Petaluma.

League runs six weeks starting June 20.

Info: 888-501-4999, www.VitalityLacrosse. com.

MARTIAL ARTS United States Karate Systems Adult and children’s programs, kick box fitness, mixed martial arts. Providing excellence in martial arts instruction and services for the entire family. 925-682- 9517; www. usksmartialarts.com OUTDOOR SPORTS Bear Valley Mountain Bear Valley has six camps with multiple sessions including: Soccer, Archery, Tennis, Climbing, Cycling and Day Camp. Summer Camps offer outdoor rec programs for the whole family; overnight resident skill camps and day camps, too.

Age groups and activities vary by camp.

Info: www.bearvalley.com TENNIS Summer Tennis at Valley Vista ClubSport Valley Vista has successfully hosted summer tennis camps in Walnut Creek for more than 30 years, with expert instruction. Info: 925-9344050, www.clubsports.com VOLLEYBALL Pacific Rim Volleyball We offer several skill-based camps and clinics, including setting camp, hitting camp and an all-skills camp.

Campers will be evaluated and placed in a group that

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challenges their level of play. Registration for beach volleyball is going on now as well. Info: www. pacificrimvolleyball.com WRESTLING Community Youth Center The CYC in Concord offers three types of week-long wrestling camps.

Elementary Camp for ages 5-10 runs July 5-8. All Corners Camp for ages 11-18 runs July 18-22, and Advanced Camp serves the same age group and runs Aug. 8-12. Camps are 9 a.m.-3 p.m. daily at the CYC. Info: 925-671-7070, Ext. 229, www. communityyouthcenter.com.

MULTI-SPORT Cal Athletic Camps Cal Camps are offered in a variety of sports for girls and boys 5-19, with weeklong, half-day, full-day and overnight options, and several choices for adults. Most camps take place on campus in Berkeley from June through August. Camp sports include: baseball, basketball, rowing/crew, field hockey, football, golf, rugby, soccer, strength & conditioning, swimming, tennis, volleyball and water polo. Info calcamps@ berkeley.edu.

Renaissance ClubSport Spring and summer Sports camps are led by seasoned directors. Sports Day Camp is for children 5-12 and focuses on a different sport each day including: football, soccer, swimming, basketball, bocce, kickball, racquetball and karate. Summer camps run June 13 thru Aug. 19. Info: 925-9426344. www.clubsports.com

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impulse A book of epic proportions

Eat right, get charged

Today when we see a pitcher hurl seven strong innings, we’ll tip our cap to him for an admirable performance. If he throws a complete game shutout, we know he means business and has all-star potential. But what if someone threw 16 shutout innings? Better yet, what if his opponent did the same? Does that mean the world is upside down? Are pigs flying? Do these pitchers enter some Herculean stratosphere that no man has ever experienced? Well, you’ll have to ask Juan Marichal and Warren Spahn all about it.

These legends went toe to toe on a cold, windy night on July 2, 1963 and pitched a game for the ages, needless to say. To find out what happened, grab a copy of The Greatest Game Ever Pitched: Juan Marichal, Warren Spahn and the Pitching Duel of the Century, by Jim Kaplan. You can get your copy signed by Juan Marichal at Borders in San Francisco on May 18 and Barnes & Noble in Emeryville on May 19.

Have you ever gotten to the starting line of a race with your legs feeling like sandbags, your arms like jello and your head like leftover mashed potatoes? Dude! You need to eat better! Prepping for a race is almost as important as the race itself.

Make sure you’re eating the good stuff.

We suggest chucking those candy bars and potato chips and saddling up with Arma Energy. Packed to the gills with carbs, energy and protein, Arma comes fully equipped for battle on the course with the F-Bomb (fruit mix), C4 (chocolate caramel cookie caffeine mix), T-Bomb (trail mix), and RPG (granola and chocolate chip mix). Down your favorite, get in game mode and tear up the course. Hit up www.armaenergysnx.com to get yours now.

Get juiced

Mr. Fancypants

Look, fueling up is crucial for any stud athlete. And with a semi-truck full of energy drinks to choose from, it’s almost impossible to pick the right one. For the hip surfers, skateboarders, wakeboarders, snowboaders and motocross pros out there, go with grombomb.

This drink is a healthy alternative that will keep you on the podium instead of those sugary, salty, uber-caffeinated drinks that will land you on the sidelines. Grombomb is made by peeps who are in the thick of all things action and extreme sports — they know what good, healthy energy drinks taste like and they know what to look for. Seriously, stop wasting your cheddar on stuff that’ll destroy your system and hinder you from hoisting that trophy.

Get with grombomb today. Go to www.drinkgrombomb.com for more information.

Hold everything With the Oakley Tool Pocket Backpack, you can store enough gadgets and gizmos to survive in the wild all on your own. Seriously, you could be a modern Robinson Crusoe with the plethora of materials carried in this trendy pack. It’s lightweight, feathery feature looks like it’s meant for just toting a couple books to homeroom but don’t be fooled! It’s got enough compartments to put the Library of Congress to shame. Store tools, water bottles, bug spray, knives, magazines, food, cell phone and maybe even a fax machine.

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Whoever said “Shoes make the man” must’ve never been a fashion icon. Or maybe they had never owned a pair of Levi’s before. When your friends feast their eyes on your new duds from Levi’s, you will be THE man. The great thing is that there are tons of styles to choose from. Let us help walk you through the fashion streets of today’s trends. The 501: the first. The one and only. The original. You get the picture. You can wear these jeans anywhere for any reason. We suggest snatching up a couple pairs. The 505: Got a hot date for Saturday night? No? No biggie. Cruise the town with your mad chill bros and become the life of the party with these jeans. The 514: A skinny fit, but not just for skinny dudes. These jeans are the hippest of the bunch and are perfect for those semi-casual to semi-formal gatherings.

Hit up www.levis.com to get your jeans now.

The best racing gloves To be the best, you want to wear the best. So wear the gloves field-tested by the best. Introducing the Oakley Hand Ratchet — simply put, the best. Comprised mainly of sheepskin leather, the Hand Ratchet comes equipped with stretch Kevlar for optimized knuckle protection, Clarino fiber to give the little finger added comfort and lightweight breathable Airmesh. Wear these gloves and your hands will forget about the rugged, robust terrain you’re shredding and feel like they’re wrapped around silk and velvet for an eternity. To get all these Oakley products now, go to www.oakley.com

Today’s diggs with yesterday’s style Hit up the dirt and tear up the trails with the Oakley Retro V LS jersey.

This retro fit jersey with a style from yesteryear is one of the freshest items on the market right now. The lab techs at Oakley really geeked out on this one as it comes packed with antibacterial action, moisture wicking and UV protection. Basically, you won’t sweat and smell like the rest of the field.

The Retro V LS jersey is ideal for the mountains and can be used in competition or just bummin’ around town.

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Pick your favorites and we’ll get you hooked up! ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒

Apparel Automotive Camps & Clinics Endurance/Outdoor/Adventure Events Fun/Entertainment Fundraising Golf/Tennis Gyms/Health Clubs Health & Nutrition Home Improvement Martial Arts Restaurants Sporting Goods Teams/Clubs/ Leagues Travel & Leisure

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A A A Northern California, Nevada & Utah.......................... 10 Aabco Printing......................... 25 Aviva Promotional Products...... 17 Back Forty BBQ.......................... 33 Baseball Batting Cages.Com...... 30 Bear Valley Mountain................ 40 Big 5............................................ 5 Big C Athletic Club....................... 5 Big- O Tires.................................. 2 Bob Larson Photography........... 34 Cabernet Indoor Sports.............. 30 Cal Athletic Camps..................... 35 California Adventure Camps...... 34 Championship Athletic Fundraising....23 Cheer Gyms............................... 12 Clayton/Countrywood Fitness Centers.......................... 32 Club Sport Renaissance............. 28

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Club Sport Valley Vista............... 16 Community Youth Center........... 33 Crowne Plaza............................. 25 Dave Delong School Of Golf....... 18 Diablo Car Wash & Detail Center... 25 Diablo Grande Golf, Winery & Resort........................................ 19 Diablo Rock Gym....................... 32 Diablo Trophies & Awards.......... 32 Dianne Adair Enrichment Programs................................... 17 E Teamsponsor........................... 39 E.Nopi........................................ 35 Earthquake Arabians................. 35 East Bay Sports Academy........... 24 Excellence In Sport Performance..... 7 Farmers Insurance..................... 32 Fast Break Basketball Camps..... 34 Fit 2 The Core............................. 13

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Franklin Canyon Golf Course...... 19 Franklin Canyon Stables............ 19 Golden Era Baseball................... 32 Greenhorn Creek Golf Club......... 18 Heavenly Greens........................ 29 Home Team Sports Photography... 25 Jory’s Flowers............................ 30 Kaiser Permanente.................... 33 Kelly Maddox Equestrian Training... 25 Kinders B B Q............................. 31 Lone Tree Golf Course................. 19 McCoveys................................... 31 Mt. Diablo Soccer....................... 24 Norcal Youth Football Camp....... 35 Northgate High School.............. 32 Oakland Athletics........................ 7 Pacific Rim Volleyball Academy. 25 Peninsula Building Materials..... 25 Rocco’s Pizza.............................. 32

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Saint Mary’s Athletic Summer Camps....................................... 35 Sherman Swim School............... 24 Sky High Sports......................... 32 Smokin Okies B B Q Joint........... 32 Sport Clips................................. 13 Sports Jam Cabernet: Father’s Day Free- For- All................................ 3 Sports Stars Magazine................. 4 Team Zero Video Productions..... 30 The First Tee Of Contra Costa...... 19 The First Tee Of San Jose............ 19 The Personal Golf Coach............. 18 Tpc / The Pitching Center........... 25 Usks Concord............................ 25 Velocity Sports Performance...... 32 Walnut Creek Sports & Fitness... 23 Wingstop Restaurants............... 22

May 12, 2011

SportStars™

37

Jesuit-Carmichael lacrosse players Frank Olsson (middle) and teammate John Flynn (right) do their best to fire up their teammates during a break in the action at the Sacramento Valley Lacrosse Conference final on May 4. The Marauders eventually lost the championship tilt 6-5 to Granite Bay. PHOTO BY Chris austria

Want to submit your pic for Photo Finish? Send it to us at editor@SportStarsMag.com. Photos must be 300 dpi and at least 10 inches wide in the jpeg format.

Please identify every person in the photo and include your contact information.

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SportStars™

May 12, 2011

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