Issue 14, 12.23.2010

The top 10 stories of 2010 Pg. 6

vol. 1. issue 14

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starrinG east bay athletes december 23, 2010

in the paint

Hit the hardwood & then hit up our new basketball section Pg. 18

Bonus Coverage • West Coast Jamboree. Pg. 20 • Cheerleaders win title. Pg. 22 • SportsJam!. Pgs. 16-17

plus: DLS Does it Again Pgs. 10, 14

CROWNED!

Ricky Lloyd and the Concord Minutemen finish the best season in school history Pg. 10

get into it

American’s camille harris will feature at the west coast jamboree. page 20 Bob Larson

no amount of mud could slow down quarterback bart houston and the de la salle football team on their way to another state title. pages 10, 14 Bob Sansoe/De La Salle

courtney chew & monte vista lacrosse are one of 2010’s top stories. page 6 Butch Noble

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ON THE COVER Concord QB Ricky Lloyd hugs assistant coach John Bell.

SportStar of the Week......................................7

Photo by Jonathan Hawthorne

Game Day: The Games You Have To See.... 28

Locker Room......................................................9 In the Paint: Hoops Notes............................ 18 Tee2Green: Golf Notes................................. 24 Twenty-Four7: Calendar................................ 26 Impulse: What’s Next..................................... 29 Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsMag.com

Ten for ’10: The year in high school athletics

H

ere are 10 stories that we’ll remember most from 2010.

USA women’s water polo team’s 12-11 penalty-shootout victory over Australia in the FINA World League Super Final.

■ 10 — Four instant classics: We ■ 5 — California’s fastest female: were just five days into 2010 when the Speaking of next Olympians, you can San Ramon Valley boys basketball team pretty much bank on 2010 St. Elizabeth stunned De La Salle 49-45 on its home grad, Ashton Purvis. She wrapped up floor in the East Bay Athletic Leagueher high school career by sweeping the opener. It was the first time in more than 100- and 200-meter sprints at the CIF 12 seasons that the Spartans had been state track and field championships. And defeated in a league game at home. In she didn’t just win. Her winning time of fact, prior to that game, De La Salle was 11.17 in the 100 meters was the fastest 90-0 in home league games under coach time in the nation by any high school Frank Allocco. The teams would play athlete. She missed setting the state three more times, which included DLS record by three one-hundredths of a winning two unforgettable playoff games second. Someone you might have heard by a combined five points. The two teams of, Marion Jones, ran 11.14 in 1992. meet for the first time of 2011 on Jan. 7.

■ 4 — Gunnar and Zac: On March ■ 9 — Domenic Mazza drives us to 11, a line drive off the bat of De La jealousy: Just 16-years old, the Clayton Salle’s Zac Byers began a three-month Valley golfer announced his presence local debate on the safety of aluminum with serious authority last August when bats when it struck Marin Catholic he hit a golf ball 436 yards. By doing so, pitcher Gunnar Sandberg in the head he accomplished two things: he become and landed him in the hospital. The the youngest qualifier for the RE/MAX scary story cast a pall on the seasons of World Long Drive Championships, and both teams and led a number of leagues he made the average hackers here in the to play out the year with wood bats. But SportStars office green with envy. Oh, the story ended happily, with Sandberg and it wasn’t an honor just to qualify. He recovering enough that both he and attended the championships and finished Byers threw out the first pitch together runner-up. Did we mention he’s 16? at an Oakland A’s game on May 6.

■ 8 — Lacrosse perfection: Unde■ 3 — Concord breaks through: If feated seasons don’t come around very you thought this would be about footoften, especially when a team is carrying ball, you’re wrong. Concord High’s first the label of defending North Coast section title in any sport came in softball Section champion. But despite taking in June when Brianna Elder pitched a everyone’s best shot, the Monte Vista two-hit shutout against Rancho Cotate to girls lacrosse team posted a 23-0 mark to lead the Minutemen to a 7-0 win in the Chace@ become the first NCS girls lacrosse team NCS Division II final. Coaching ConSportStarsMag.com to repeat as NCS champs. Its final win cord to the victory was first-year coach was the most impressive, coming from Megan Coddington, who will always (925) 566-8503 behind to beat Amador Valley 6-5. have bragging rights over her husband ■ 7 — Cougars can swim: It was a Randy (the CHS football team’s defensive Cougars sweep at the NCS swimming championships coordinator) that her title came first. last May, as Campolindo won its sixth consecutive boys ■ 2 — Campo’s can’t be stopped: First the girl’s cross team title and Carondelet showed us the new wave of East country team wins a state title in November, lead by CarBay girls swimming talent. Anchored by a foursome that rie Verdon winning an individual state title and setting a included one junior (Allison Gargalikis), one sophomore Division III course record in the process. Then the girls (Christina Ray) and two freshmen (Madison White and volleyball team claims a state championship in December, Chelsea Chenault), the Cougars not only won the section beating two-time defending state champs Cathedral Cathtitle but set a national record time of 1:40.8 in the 200 olic-San Diego in a see-saw battle for the ages. Seriously, medley relay. the male athletes on that campus have to be feeling some ■ 6 — Meet your next Olympians: It was a banner year serious pressure at this point, right? for East Bay high school athletes competing — and excel■ 1 — NorCal flexes some muscle: It’s hard not to take ling — on the world stage. Among the many athletes who some serious pride in the way 2010 ended for Northern went abroad included a few of the Carondelet swimmers California high schools. It started with Alameda golfer listed above (Spain), as well as De La Salle wrestler Luke Grace Na winning the individual state girls golf title in Sheridan (Beijing), San Ramon Valley baseball standout mid-November. Then Northern California won four of John Hochstatter (Canada — yes, it still counts). But perfive state volleyball titles for the first time ever, which was haps the most impressive display in international competi- followed by four wins at the CIF state bowl championship tion came in July on our home soil (La Jolla)when Monte football games (also a first!). If that doesn’t fire you all up Vista’s Maggie Steffens scored the winning goal in the for 2011, we don’t know what will.

FIRST PITCH Chace Bryson Editor

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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 Kallum Photography Butch Noble, Bob Larson, Jonathan Hawthorne 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 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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of the week

t

lucas dunne

powered by:

de la salle . football . senior

nominate your star at editor@sportstarsmag.com

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De La Salle is back on top of California high school football like they were a year ago. Maybe this time, they’ll stay there for good. They lost their No. 1 state ranking at the beginning of the 2010 season when pundits anticipated big years from teams like Grant-Sacramento and Crenshaw-L.A. Enter running back Lucas Dunne.

The senior elevated his role to offensive catalyst as he set a DLS record with 40 touchdowns. Four came in the CIF Open Division Championship on Dec. 18 when the Spartans blind-sided Servite of Anaheim 48-8. Dunne bulldozed and galloped into the record books with 240 rushing yards — an Open Division Bowl record.

SportStars: How do you feel about getting the TD record while surpassing greats like Atari Callen and Maurice Jones-Drew?

Lucas Dunne: I try not to pay attention to that and just try to play my best game. I have to give credit to my offensive line.

SportStars: When did you know the game was in the bag?

LD: The first play after we kicked off to them, I looked at Joe Te’o and I said ‘We got this.’ It was our first game of the season where we played a complete game.

SportStars: What makes this team so special or different from past DLS teams?

LD: Last year, we were more talented.

Our offensive and defensive lines were bigger, too. We had a lot of gaps and a lot of question marks with this roster, but we just threw everything we had out there.

SportStars: The Spartans have a business-like approach to the game, so much that you guys didn’t really celebrate when you won NCS on Dec. 11 against California 49-21. Why was that?

LD: Our goal wasn’t to win NCS. It was to win state.

LUCAS’ QUICK HITS Pregame ritual: Eating a green caramel apple lollipop.

Best Christmas gift ever: BMX bike Favorite hobby: Snowboarding

honorable mention

Dylan Wynn Paving the way for Lucas Dunne’s big state bowl game was the De La Salle senior twoway lineman. Wynn finished the Dec. 18 game with four tackles and a sack for a Spartans’ defense that held Servite to only eight points.

Sabrina Engelstad The junior scored in double figures in the semifinals and championship as the Heritage girls basketball team won the Walnut Creek Classic Tournament on Dec. 16-17. She earned All-Tournament honors as well.

Megan Reid The Miramonte girls soccer team relied on the freshman for almost everything in a 3-1 victory against Las Lomas on Dec. 16.

Reid finished with two goals and an assist.

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De La Salle delivers another chapter to the same remarkable story

E

school’s reputation. leven players, all sharing the same You read right. There’s no chestbrain.

That’s what I thought way back thumping or bragging on the webpage of on Aug. 27 when I watched the De La the nation’s most successful high school Salle Spartans participate in a four-team football program: Just a simple paragraph preseason scrimmage at Pittsburg High about integrity.

School.

Here is Ladouceur’s statement: Whether it was the offensive line firing “The public’s perception of what we off at the same instant every play, or quardo or what we stand for is drastically terback Bart Houston knowing exactly different than what actually takes place. I where receiver Lucas Shapiro was every can imagine that this is probably true for moment, or linebacker Blake Renaud and many organizations. This is especially true defensive end Dylan Wynn tearing up offor our football team. People are constantfenses as if they were a single four-armed, ly writing the local papers questioning the four-legged entity, it was obvious even integrity of our program. It’s upsetting in then that this Spartans team was going to so much that it questions the integrity of stand out — even among all of the other school officials and coaches sworn to upchampionship teams in their program’s hold the ideals of our founder St. La Salle. amazing history.

What’s worse, it completely nullifies the The clincher was Dec. 18, when De La hard work, sheer grit and determination Salle went up against unbeaten Southern of our student athletes at De La Salle.”

California powerhouse Servite-Anaheim And if anyone doubts that’s the way it — a bigger, supposedly stronger team is, Ladouceur has this offer: “Spend a year that had knocked off two other unbeaten with us.” (So far, no takers.) teams just to get that far — and demolIt struck me that, for all of the success ished them. the Spartans have enjoyed, how incredibly The final score was 48-8. It wasn’t even frustrating this must be for Ladouceur, and that close. With Lucas Dunne running everyone at the school, to contend with. for 240 yards (and four touchdowns) on For all of the thousands of hours of 28 carries, and the defense not giving up study and hard work and commitment a single first down until late in the third put in by his players every year, far too quarter, this was that most rare of chammany people throughout the state just pionship-level contests: a blowout. The wave it off. best team in the state was so much better “Aw, they probably recruit. Yeah, that’s than the second-best team, it would have it. They just steal all the best players and been laughable if it wasn’t so astounding. nobody can beat them.”

Remember, this took place in a torrenThe “recruit” label sticks despite tens tial downpour on a turf field with horrible of thousands of eyes being glued to the drainage. They say rain is a great equalizer program’s every move during Ladouceur’s MikeW@ in high school football; if that’s true, how 32-year reign, and not a single shred of SportStarsMag.com much more lopsided could this game have reputable evidence ever being produced (925) 566-8500 been? to back the claim.

Ext. 109 So, the Spartans’ accomplishments were Recruit? Why would they have to again beyond impressive. But it wasn’t recruit? Which Bay Area football parents until after the game, when I looked at wouldn’t want their kid to go to De La the respective websites of both De La Salle?

Salle and Servite, that it really came into Besides — and this is the part the critperspective for me. ics will never admit — at De La Salle, it’s Servite’s web site is a full page listing not even about having the best talent. It’s one mind-blowing football accomplishabout coaching, execution and, especially, ment after another. Beneath the words the hard work and dedication of the play“Anyone, anytime, anywhere” (a testament ers. to the Friars’ tough schedule), the school Years ago, a college scout said “The lists 2 state titles, 4 CIF titles and dozens difference in talent between De La Salle of section and league championships, all and the other top teams in the area really next to a picture of fist-pumping coach isn’t all that great. The real difference is, Troy Thomas. all 11 guys run every play perfectly more In short, it probably looks like many people imagine De than 90 percent of the time. Most high school teams, La Salle’s website looking like. they might get all 11 guys doing the right thing 60 or 65 And boy, would they be wrong. percent of the time.”

The morning after the game, De La Salle’s website Eleven players, all sharing the same brain. Easy to say, looked the same as it has all year, leading with a statement next-to-impossible to duplicate. And, sadly, not appreciatfrom Spartans coach Bob Ladouceur that sticks up for his ed for what it really is by far too many jealous people. ✪

WALLY’S WORLD

Mike Wolcott

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He said what?!?

“I’m finally going to exhale now and enjoy this season. I pushed these kids so hard, and they stayed so focused...

Now that it’s over, we’ll take our time to reflect back and be appreciative and proud of everything we did this year.”

California High football coach Eric Billeci after his team lost to De La Salle 49-21 in the NCS Division I championship.

The Grizzlies finished the year 12-2 with their only losses coming to the state-champion Spartans.

Bob Larson

Top 5 High School Sports Junkie New Year’s Resolutions We here at SportStars are, generally speaking, anti-resolution. Look. If you wanna do something to change your life or improve yourself, just do it. Why do you have to wait for the calendar to flip? Still, we recognize that tradition comes to bear. With that in mind, here are the Top 5 prep sports junkie New Year’s resolutions (you know, if we were the type to make resolutions): 1. Appreciate more. Do you, jaded East Bay sports dude and/or dudette, have the faintest glimmer of a clue just how much greatness is in your midst? Seriously. State golf champs.

State football champs. State volleyball champs. North Coast Section champs in sports too numerous to mention. Impressive high school athlete type people all over the place who will be plying their trade at the next level. Amazing stuff. Enjoy it!

2. Grump less. You are blessed with the nearness of, quite simply, one of the greatest football programs (notice we didn’t specify prep, college or pro there – think about that) in history.

De La Salle and coach Bob Ladouceur, right, are truly a glory to behold. Behold it a little (you know, as opposed to, say, hating on the Spartans for recruiting or taking all the ‘good’ kids from all the other teams, or whatever other soft argument is currently in vogue). So cool it on the Grinchiness, huh?

3. While we’re on the anti-negative trip (did you follow that double-negative re: negatives? Try to keep up…): Stop doubting Bob Sansoe/dls Salesian football. Seriously. The Pride have only been in the section title game four of the past six years, and won it twice. Might be time to start giving Chad Nightingale & Co. some props.

4. Quit complaining about the weather. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s raining. A lot. We get it. Believe us. You ever try to keep stats in a torrential downpour? Still. You know what all that precipitation means (besides some seriously sloppy soccer pitches)? Green, green grass in the spring. And won’t that be glorious?

5. Short memory. Your team didn’t fare so well in the fall? Fuggedaboudit. Bring on winter’s hoops, soccer and wrestling! Or wait until April (when hope springs, or something) and rock some baseball, softball, track, tennis, swimming, what have you. Take a cue from Cubs fans everywhere: Maybe next season.

— Bill Kolb

random act of factness

The West Coast Jamboree, which will begin its 11th year of taking over East Bay gymnasiums on Dec. 27, has featured some of the most elite girls basketball talent in the state and nation over its first 10 years of existence. The tournament’s lifetime honor roll includes 13 players who have gone on to play in the WNBA. They are (alphabetically): Jayne Appel (Carondelet), Nikki Blue (Bakersfield East), Shannon Bobbitt (Murray Bertram-New York), Alexis Gray-Lawson (Oakland Tech), Ebony Hoffman (Narbonne-Harbor City), Charde Houston (San Diego), Loree Moore (Narbonne), Jene Morris (Urban-S.F.), Epiphany Prince (Murray Betram), Noelle Quinn (Bishop Montgomery-Torrance), Ashley Walker (Grace Davis-Modesto), Candice Wiggins (La Jolla Country Day) and Lisa Willis (Narbonne). For more Jamboree, see page 20

Seventh heaven

Brian Hamilton wanted to return Concord High football to glory. Seven years later, he had a team and a quarterback that made it happen

By Chace Bryson | Editor Brian Hamilton was at a loss for words.

The rarity of such an occurrence falls somewhere between seeing Halley’s Comet and drawing a royal flush.

Standing near midfield at the Oakland Coliseum, his Concord High football team celebrating its first North Coast Section championship merely a few yards away, the gregarious young coach fought back the overwhelming emotions of the moment.

His emotions were running on two levels. On the surface was the fact that the Minutemen — behind the guidance of one of the most prolific quarterbacks Northern California has ever seen — had marched 79 yards to score the game-winning touchdown with 16 seconds remaining in the NCS Division II final against Rancho CotateRohnert Park.

But understanding what this particular Dec. 11 night in Oakland meant to Hamilton, requires an understanding of just how far the program has come under his seven-year guidance.

“What’s it mean,” asked one of the four reporters who surrounded the 34-year-old coach.

It would be impossible to guess with any accuracy what images flashed in Hamilton’s mind during the three- to four-second pause he took to compose his answer.

“It means that everyone believed,” he said. “Everyone that had faith ended up being right.”

“Where’s the drill?”

Hamilton was a physical education teacher on the Concord High campus when the football coaching position came open in early 2004. He was coming off of a very successful year as the Clayton Valley offensive coordinator, leading the Eagles to the NCS Class 3A East Bay final and 10

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finishing runner-up after three overtimes with Las Lomas. “(Brian) was definitely ready to make an impact at the high school level,” Clayton Valley coach Herc Pardi recalled of the young Hamilton who began working with his program right out of college in 1998. “He was very enthusiastic. That was the one thing that really would stand out.

He had a very strong passion for football.”

Meanwhile, the Minutemen had been at the opposite end of the spectrum.

Concord had gone just 2-28 over its three previous seasons and hadn’t won a league title since 1991. “(Winning any title) wasn’t even an option to think

about,” said Rick Reger, a senior running back the year Hamilton took over. “We loved to play, so we just showed up and played our best. But it always seemed like the cards were already laid out for us.”

Hamilton took the position and brought along two more Clayton Valley assistants, Randy Coddington (who has been his defensive coordinator for all seven seasons) and Sean Connors (who ran the offense before leaving for Diablo Valley College in 2006).

“We found out pretty quickly we weren’t as smart as we thought we were,” Coddington recalled. “That first year we encountered so many things we’d never had to deal with Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsMag.com

before. ... (In the minutes before our first game) we were all shouting to each other, ‘Where’s the drill?’ We couldn’t focus on the team we were about to play. We were more worried about where the drill was, so we could put the helmets together in order to actually play the game. It just shows us how far we’ve come.”

Hamilton anticipated an uphill climb, but didn’t know much of what to expect beyond that.

“I didn’t know who I was as a head coach,” he said. “I didn’t have a professional philosophy or a mission statement. I dIdn’t know where I was going or how I was going to get there. I just knew some football.

“One of the dumbest things I ever said came in my first coaches meeting,” Hamilton said. “I remember telling them ‘I’m not sure if we are going to win, but teams are going to remember playing Concord.’ What good is that, if I’m a coach who isn’t sure if he’s going to win?”

That 2004 team won just one game, but six of its losses came by eight points or less.

And while progress wasn’t necessarily reflected in the win column, it was still felt within the program.

“They started building a foundation,” Reger said. “(Hamilton) just had this presence about him. You could just tell that he was there to do great things.”

Ricky’s march Coddington could tell that Ricky Lloyd was going to do great things.

He first noted the promise of Lloyd’s right arm on the practice field as a freshman, but it was Lloyd’s first varsity start that provided the harbinger of things to come.

On Oct. 24, 2008, the coaching staff gave Lloyd his first varsity start. In the Minutemen’s league opener — against

@ SportStarsMag.com Go to the SportStars website at www.SportStarsMag.com to see a video featuring each play of Concord’s championship-winning drive. rival school Clayton Valley, which entered the game undefeated. Lloyd would throw for two touchdowns before exiting with an injury and Concord lost 29-22.

“In the biggest stage that we’d ever had, he can go in and throw for two TDs in the first half,” Coddington said.

“That’s when I knew for sure that he was the one who could get it done for us. Because you never know until the lights are brightest.”

More than two years later, as the bright halogen bulbs above the Oakland Coliseum shined down, Lloyd jogged onto the field as the Minutemen trailed 37-34 and with just 2:55 left and 79 yards between them and the game-winning score.

Up until that point, Lloyd’s fourth quarter had not gone to plan. Each of Concord’s previous two possessions had ended with Lloyd turning the ball over. Once on an interception (just his eighth of the season), and once on a fumble. “I ran out thinking that my team was going to pull this out in the end,” Lloyd said after the game. “I knew our team could do this.”

The drive consisted of nine plays. Lloyd was 4-for-4 passing on the drive, including the 24-yard touchdown strike to Sitani Malupo — a player who wasn’t even supposed to be an option on the play.

In Concord’s no-huddle spread offense, each player

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Butch Noble

LEFT: Brian Hamilton (center) is embraced by assistant coaches John Koven (left) and Dave Perry as the game clock expired on the NCS Division II championship game.

(Bob Larson) ABOVE: Ricky Lloyd is all smiles as he totes around the NCS championship plaque during the postgame celebration.

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wears a wristband. When the play is called, the player consults his wristband for his specific assignment on that play. For Malupo, the wristband said “block the cornerback.”

After a few seconds, the play broke down and Lloyd found himself scrambling toward the right sideline. He spotted Malupo, who had come off his block and was mirroring him toward the sideline about 10 yards downfield. He threw the ball.

“I was trying to lead him out of bounds to stop the clock,” Lloyd said. “But he wound up putting his foot in the ground, turning up field and scoring.”

Malupo wasn’t convinced he’d stayed in

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bounds. It was that close.

“I ran into the end zone and looked at the ref to see if I was in or not,” Malupo said. “When I saw him raise his hands, I can’t describe the feelings.”

Rancho Cotate was unable to produce a 16-second miracle and the complete transformation of the Concord football program was complete. They were champions.

Fulfilling a promise More questions from reporters.

“When you took this job, is this something you envisioned,” offers one reporter.

Hamilton, eyes welling, doesn’t miss a beat.

“It’s something I promised.”

Six days later, he was still answering questions.

“I haven’t gone back and watched the game yet,” he admits. “I watched a few spots, but I kind of had to snap right back into being a dad. I’ve got a 2-year old and a 5-year old and it’s a week before Christmas.”

And after six days of being a champion, how much more reflection had there been of years past?

“Sure, there’s a little of that,” he said. “But then you remember that you had Ricky Lloyd at quarterback and it was nothing that you did.”

Lloyd won’t be back for 2011. He’ll graduate and take his talents to Southern Mississippi. His record-setting numbers of 4,400 passing yards and 52 touchdown passes will not be replaced.

That likely means Concord won’t go into next year as the favorite to repeat as Division II champions. But they won’t go back to being a doormat. Not as long as Hamilton is on watch.

“He’s a humble man,” Reger said of Hamilton. “So he won’t say it’s about what he did.

But It started with him. He built that foundation that gave that school a since of pride — not only for the athletes, but the students and school and people around him.” ✪

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Preventing female ACL injuries begins with functional training

W

hen it comes to ACL injuries both genders can be injured, this isn’t just a female thing, but female ACL injuries do occur at a greater degree, especially at the high school level.

The fact is that there are more than 100,000 ACL injuries per year just in the United States alone and 30,000 of these are females at the high school age. That’s 30% of all ACL injuries in the United States. This is a scary stat that can’t be ignored, and as a parent or coach this should be of great concern to you.

So why are young female athletes so prone to ACL injuries? And what prevention strategies must be taken to ensure your young athlete doesn’t become another ACL statistic?

Let me quickly cover the gender factor, something that is God-given and can’t be changed. Female athletes have wider hips, putting a more valgus stress angle on their knees (knees inward) — a stress that is the major factor of most non-contact ACL injuries. Now without an appropriate training program, this genetic factor can be a major factor in the unusual high number of ACL injuries among this population.

Females, who are weak due to bad training programs, tend to be more quaddominant, something we don’t want when talking about protecting the knee. Basically, the front leg muscles (quad muscles) of the leg are much stronger than the back muscles of the legs and hips (hamstring and butt muscles). The latter are important for knee stability and also the ability to safely and efficiently change direction.

When we’re talking ACL Reduction Strategies, all of the components below must be integrated into your young athletes training program. You will find that

a great training program is a great ACL prevention and rehab program.

ACL prevention strategies: ■ Active Warm-up ■ Power and Stability- Eccentric as Foundation i.e.: Landing Skills ■ Strength ■ Change of Direction Concepts ■ Change of Direction Conditioning ■ Nutrition Basically, it comes down to functional training — a much misunderstood term.

Trainers must understand how the body works and apply that knowledge to your young female athletic training program.

Sports are played on a single leg, and a trainer must understand the functional anatomy on a single leg and the needed pelvic stability to properly prepare your young athlete for the demands of their sport, not only for increased speed, power and agility, but most importantly for injury prevention.

Power is not gender specific; trainers lower the bar for female athletes resulting in bad eccentric strength, making them bad decelerators and greatly increasing their potential for an ACL injury.

Trainers need to stop lowering the bar for female athletes. They would be surprised what female athletes are capable of by empowering them to get stronger and more powerful. By implementing these strategies, you can be confident your athlete won’t become another ACL statistic. ✪

Training Time Tim Rudd

Tim Rudd is an IYCA specialist in youth conditioning (level 3), speed and agility (level 2), and nutrition specialist (level 1). You can contact him with questions or feed- back at tim@ fit2thecore.com.

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Perfect Effort: The sequel

Was the CIF Open Division rout of Servite-Anaheim the best yet by the best ever?

By mitch stephens | Contributor

When you’ve won numerous mythical national championships and own the nation’s longest win streak at 151 games, it’s hard to impress.

When you’ve been featured in NFL films, ESPN documentaries and the subject of an acclaimed book, it’s difficult to wow your already Hall of Fame coach and his longtime staff.

So, the fact De La Salle’s football team won a game, a championship game even, 48-8 on Saturday, no big deal.

Around these parts, we’ve seen it one fall Friday night after another after another — for the past three decades.

So when the Spartans outgained their opponent 527-197, or had this one in the bag by the middle of the second quarter, or didn’t allow a first down until midway through the third — big whoop.

It looked just like most of coach Bob Ladouceur’s previous 370 wins. The offensive line rocket-shipped off the line, blowing back much bigger and supposedly stronger kids, allowing Lucas Dunne, another in the long line of diminutive De La Salle backs, to bust loose for 240 yards and four touchdowns.

Joe Te’o, a talented junior getting primed to be the go-to back next year, sprinted down the left sideline for a 68-yard score to start the second half on his way to a 9-carry, 165-yard effort to increase the lead to 42-0.

From there, the reserves largely played out this quite typical De La Stomp.

Of course, what made this all so different, surreal really, was it occurred against the fourth-ranked team in the country.

Servite High School from Anaheim had just outmuscled and out-skilled its way through arguably the nation’s toughest league and postseason tournament.

The Friars had won 25 straight games over two seasons and were the defending CIF State Bowl Division II champions.

But here in this highly-anticipated contest, for the 2010 CIF Open Division crown, on the floor of the world’s largest slip-and-slide, the Home Depot Center in rain-drenched Carson, about 20 miles north of their own campus in front of roughly 5,000 of their fans, the Friars were beat to every punch.

Historically speaking “Honestly, I couldn’t really believe what I was seeing,” De La Salle longtime defensive coordinator Terry Eidson said. “I kept looking on the field, looking at the scoreboard and really was amazed.”

Amazing Eidson is amazing in itself. Ladouceur used similar vernacular.

“That was pretty darned complete,” he said. “Of course we weren’t anticipating that score but I was very confident in our guys coming in. I have some great coaches who do a great job and I seem to get the credit for it. We’ve been doing this for a while. But this group won this title a long time ago with all the work they put in.

RIGHT: De La Salle senior lineman Dylan Wynn celebrates his first-half sack of Servite quarterback Cody Pittman. Pittman was held to just 5 of 16 passing for 90 yards. FAR RIGHT: Connor Peters, left,Antoine Pickett, top, and Michael Barton, right, all converge on Servite running back Malik Felton.

Bob Sansoe / De La Salle

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“Today’s game, yes, pretty incredible.”

So incredible, those close to the program were asking, was this De La Salle’s finest 48 minutes?

Eidson and Ladouceur didn’t find the notion far-fetched by any stretch.

“It has to be up there,” Ladouceur said.

Said Eidson: “I told the team afterward that (the first half) was probably the best we’ve ever played.”

When asked to list others that were comparable, Eidson came up with these.

■ De La Salle 60, Moreau Catholic 22 (1985): It was for the team’s first Catholic Athletic League championship.

There had been a death in the De La Salle family that week.

“We were very inspired and led like 49-0 at halftime. I always thought that was the best half we’d ever played.”

■ De La Salle 28, Mater Dei-Anaheim 21 (1998): The team’s first exposure to Southern California and played at then-Anaheim Stadium. “That kind of propelled us to a whole other level.”

■ De La Salle 42, Mater Dei 0 (1999): At UOP, it was Matt Gutierrez’ breakout game. He threw for five touchdowns as a sophomore. In terms of a shocking score and domination of a very good team, this one was similar to the victory over Servite.

■ De La Salle 29, Long Beach Poly 15 (2001): At Long Beach City College, the first-ever meeting between the nation’s top two ranked teams, Maurice Jones-Drew flipped into the national spotlight with four touchdowns and De La Salle survived one of the most talented teams ever assembled in high school and dehydration the second half.

■ De La Salle 31, St. Louis-Honolulu 21 (2002): In Hawaii, the Spartans skipped the snorkeling and sun block to beat the national power.

All of the current Spartans were just tykes for four of these games, but all understood the significance of their performance.

“I thought we had scored more than 48,” said junior quarterback Bart Houston, who rushed for two scores but had to throw just five passes, completing three for 52 yards.

“It seemed like we were doing whatever we wanted to do.”

Said senior linebacker and Boise State-bound Blake Renaud: “We were awfully dialed in”

La Salle record.

He called it a team record, praising the remarkable line play of tackles Scott Walsh and Luke Simeona, guards Wynn and Luc Hamilton, center Josh Cabral and tight ends Connor Peters and Renaud.

“If this was my last football game ever, it couldn’t be a better one,” he said. “It was magical out there. “ For seniors like Wynn, a three-year starter, it was surreal as the final seconds ticked down. He looked around the largely vacant stadium, sucked in the steady drizzle of rain and simply wept.

It was all overwhelming, all too perfect.

“My teammates were jumping around celebrating and here I am crying,” Wynn said. “I wasn’t expecting it. I wasn’t even sure why I was doing it. But it hit me — it was over. My time as a Spartan player was over.”

A memorable exit to be sure. Even by De La Salle standards.

“Magical out there.”

Fellow college-bound star Dylan Wynn didn’t go into particulars about the game plan.

“It was pretty simple game plan. … Stop them and score.

Stop them and score. Stop them and score. That’s pretty much what we did.”

Defensively, led by junior linebacker Michael Barton with 11 tackles and an interception by sophomore Michael Hutchings, the front seven gave up only 14 rushing yards in the first half.

Servite coach Troy Thomas, considered one of the state’s rising and most respected coaches, didn’t really offer an excuses or explanation for the beat down.

Some had offered the utterly flooded field and wet ball as possible excuses. But Servite, which relies primarily on ball-control and utilizes its big offensive front, has historically played well in the rain. Thomas never alluded to it. He simply praised De La Salle.

“They’re a special group,” he told reporters. “They obviously know how to win. We’re hoping we can get there some day.”

For Dunne, it was an especially sweet game.

The 5-foot-8, 173-pounder has yet to receive even a sniff of a college offer despite the fact his 40 TDs overall is a De Support Your Local Business • Say You Found Them In SportStars™

December 23, 2010

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Sometimes, everything seems to end up in its proper place — whether the weather cooperates or not.

Such was the case with our first “SportsJam” event Dec. 5 at Sports Basement in Walnut Creek.

On a day when many (if not most) of the hundreds of attendees went home with something — be it Cal basketball tickets, free ski passes or dozens of other prizes — it seemed only fitting that the biggest prize of all ended up going to the person who probably needed it the most.

To say that Dublin’s Mike Oldenburg — the winner of our Big Bike Giveaway — had been in need of a bike would be an understatement. He had not only been in the market for one, he’d been on a special training program just to get to the point where he could ride one again.

A long-standing back probMike Wolcott lem can do that to a person.

“I’ve been working up to this for quite a while,” said Oldenburg, above, upon being presented with his Cannondale Comfort 4 bike and prize package. “My doctor said I needed to do something so I’d been walking, and then I was doing 15 minutes on a stationary bike.

“I had never won a thing in my life. This could not have worked out any better — my doctor just told me I could start riding.”

While Oldenburg won the biggest prize on what turned out to be a rainy day at the Sports Basement, dozens of prizes — and good times — rained down on the hundreds of attendees throughout the day.

A good crowd was on hand before noon, when the downpour hit. By then, Kinders had already served up hundreds of barbecued ribs, Peets had poured dozens of cups of coffee and visitors both inside and outside of the store had enjoyed everything from outdoor laser tag to indoor karate and gymnastics demonstrations. One highlight was the High School Mascot Dance Off. Under the watchful eye of the A’s mascot, “Stomper,” the Clayton Valley Eagles won the competition and received a bouquet from Jory’s Flowers.

The event benefited the United Mt. Diablo Athletic Foundation, with proceeds going directly to high school athletic programs to benefit our kids playing sports.

Watch for more “SportsJam” events in your community soon! ✪ — Mike Wolcott 16

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Sup

om

JAM SESSION!

FAR LEFT: SportStars Big Bike Giveaway winner Mike Oldenburg poses with his new ride. LEFT: A group of SportJam attendees gather for a group shot. TOP: A’s mascot Stomper shows his dancing chops to some of the local high school mascot. ABOVE LEFT: A handful of SportStars rock out to at the Game2U exhibit. ABOVE RIGHT: Two members of the Tieni Duro cycling team take shelter from the rain.

NEAR LEFT: Douglas Lue shows off the bike he won while attending the event.

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December 23, 2010

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in the paint

We’re talking about practice, not a game

Each section can set its own start dates, potentially giving some teams an advantage

By CLAY kALLUM | Contributor The first tiebreaker is always head-tohead. Even when it comes to seeding for the California Interscholastic Federation Northern regional brackets of the state basketball playoffs.

So if a team from the Sac-Joaquin Section, say, knocked off a team from the North Coast Section in December, the seeding committee will use that information when it sits down in early March.

Seems fair, right?

Well, maybe. That Sac-Joaquin Section team will have had the opportunity to get in 32 more hours of practice than that NCS team. Early in the season, that can make a difference.

“It’s a huge advantage for those schools,” said Jim Lemon, the girls basketball coach at Castro Valley.

Livermore coach Matt Garza echoed such sentiments.

“They’re going to be a few weeks ahead of us,” said Garza, whose Cowboys will run into non-NCS schools in the enormous West Coast Jamboree tournament that begins Dec. 27 in schools throughout the East Bay. “They’re going to be more polished in what they’re doing.”

And if the visiting school can translate that polish into a win, it might just be the difference between driving to Livermore or staying home to play when March comes around.

But even though NCS schools might be a little behind the curve for the West Coast Jamboree, NCS coaches aren’t necessarily in favor of starting practice any sooner.

“By three weeks into the season, 18

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Mixed calendar Following are the 10 sections under the California Interscholastic Federation and the date that each allowed organized basketball practices to begin on their high school campuses.

■ Central Section: Aug. 16 ■ Central coast Section: Nov. 1 ■ Los Angeles City Section: Nov. 8 ■ North Coast Section: Nov. 8 ■ Northern Section: Aug. 16 ■ Oakland Section: Oct. 18 ■ Sac-Joaquin Section: Nov. 8 (plus 32 hours of practice between Sept.

20 and Oct. 17) ■ San Diego Section: Nov. 13 ■ San Francisco Section: Oct. 12 ■ Southern Section: Aug. 16

your team should be ready to compete,” Dougherty Valley coach Doug VanderHorst said. “Even if I could start in September, I probably wouldn’t.”

Garza agrees: “Now there’s no excitement for the first day of practice,” he says of getting going when football has just begun. “I don’t know if I want to do that — now it becomes a year-round sport.”

Beyond that, there are other issues.

“A lot of the kids play multiple sports,” said Garza. “We have three volleyball players (in season until early November). I don’t know if I would put in Xs and Os, depending on how many girls are involved in other sports.”

This is an issue that is recognized even at the section’s highest level.

“The schools really don’t like the crossover (between seasons of sport),” NCS associate commissioner Karen Smith said. “It’s really difficult, especially

Bob Larson

The Carondelet basketball team huddles during a practice on Dec. 2.When teams can begin organized practices continues to vary. Carondelet is likely to play some nonleague games against teams which, in some cases, have been practicing since early August. for the smaller schools.”

And then there’s gym space.

“You need to squeeze in because you’re not in your season of sport,” says VanderHorst. “We have 80 badminton players, and I’m not going to ask that coach to give up space for me.”

As a new school, Dougherty Valley has two gyms, but there are many schools that have just one — and cramming three volleyball teams, badminton (for those who have it) and six basketball teams into the available time would be a logistical nightmare.

“Facilities come into play,” understates VanderHorst.

All that said, though, there’s widespread agreement that the rules should be the same throughout the state.

“You either let everybody start when they want, or set a date for everyone,” says VanderHorst.

Said Garza: “Whatever date that’s going to be is fine.”

As Lemon put it, having all the teams have the same amount of practice time available “can’t be a bad thing.”

In the end, of course, the really important games aren’t played in December — even at tournaments as prestigious as the West Coast Jamboree — and it’s debatable how much difference an October practice might make come postseason.

“The whole goal,” says VanderHorst, “is to be playing your best ball on Feb. 1.” ✪

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in the paint

Attempting to untangle the CIF bylaws Even though the California Interscholastic Federation is supposed to run high school sports in the state, the key word is “federation” — which means the 10 sections have a lot of freedom.

“Each section sets their own calendars and dates,” says Karen Smith, associate commissioner for the North Coast Section.

“We can’t be less stringent than CIF, but we can be more stringent.”

In other words, even though CIF bylaws allowed sections to start basketball practice on Aug. 16 of this year, only three did so. Others added extra time in September and October, started in October, or started in November.

“We’re in the process of trying to establish consistent rules statewide,” says Marie Ishida, CIF executive director.

But no action on basketball is expected until sometime next year, and even if new guidelines are approved, they wouldn’t take effect until the 2012-13 season.

Furthermore, individual sections would still have the ability to mandate less practice time than the state allows.

Though NCS has the second-latest start date, no league has ever pushed to have it changed to be more in alignment with nearby sections.

“There’s never been a proposal,” says Smith. ✪ — Clay Kallum

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December 23, 2010

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inside thewestcoastjamboree By clay kallum | Contributor

It’s back. The massive girls basketball tournament returns to the East Bay, with play beginning Dec. 27 and wrapping up Dec. 30.

As usual, Jamboree tournament director Dave Jackson has put together a very competitive Platinum Division — headlined this year by MaxPreps’ No. 3 in the nation Long Beach Poly — but there’s a lot more to the WCJ than just the elite teams.

One of the things that makes the tournament so special is that small schools have an opportunity to play in a big event, and not get blown out by 40 every night. In addition, some of the most competitive games are played in the Garnet and Agate divisions. In fact, the sheer number of teams (100-plus) allows for all the divisions to be created with competitive equity in mind – and Jackson’s perfect bracket is one in which every game is decided by 10 or fewer points.

SportStars gets you ready for the girls hoops onslaught.

Platinum means, well, platinum Long Beach Poly is loaded with talent, but they’re not the only highlight in the Platinum field: Georgetown from Texas has Krystal Forthan, a 6-4 center who’s one of the best in the nation, and Carondelet, of course, has Stanford-bound Erica Payne.

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Then there are the usual suspects — Berkeley, St. Mary’s, Bishop O’Dowd, Sacramento, Modesto Christian and of, course, host Deer Valley — all with loaded rosters and college prospects on the court and waiting to check in. Also keep an eye on Eastside College Prep-Palo Alto, a Division V (enrollment of 201 students) team that could give Poly a pretty good run in the opener.

Science at work Lots of effort went into these predicted champions. It takes a long time to flip all those coins ...

Platinum: Long Beach Poly. Gold: Sonora-La Habra. Sapphire: Acalanes. Diamond: Mission Prep-San Luis Obispo. Ruby: Liberty. Agate: Encinal. Amber: Albany. Emerald: Miramonte. Garnet: Drew-S.F. Jade: Florin. Onyx: Drake-San Anselmo. Opal: Corning. Pearl: Fresno Christian.Quartz: Dublin. Tanzanite: San Ramon Valley. Topaz: Dougherty Valley

which looked as if it was lit by someone who skimped on the candles, but it’s just part of a huge renovation of the campus. Also, look for the girls basketball team to be reinvigorated under new coach Matt Lane (formerly of Castlemont).

On the road If you wanted to see all the sites, you’d put some serious miles on your car — and spend a lot of time in traffic.

This year, the Jamboree has boldly gone where it has never ventured before. Jesse Bethel-Vallejo, Alhambra and Las Positas in Livermore are three brand-new locales for the WCJ, and Miramonte in Orinda will be used for the second time. The goal is to make it more convenient for teams and fans, and also make it almost impossible to stop by a gym after Christmas without stumbling across a girls’ basketball game.

Pittsburg’s palace

Worth a body scan or two

Despite the fact the Gold Division has some very good teams — Clovis West, Narbonne-Harbor City, VandenTravis AFB, Terra Nova-Pacifica — the star of the show will be the brand-new Pittsburg High School gymnasium.

Well, calling it a gym is really doing the new, um, arena a disservice. It’s a welcome change from the old Pirate gym,

Crater High of Oregon has made the trip to the Jamboree before, but John Oliver of British Columbia is a first-timer. However, St. Mary’s Academy of New Orleans gets the ring for the longest trip to the Jamboree — though in the past teams have come from as far away as New York. ✪

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I

When managing concussions, it’s good to be bored

f you have been watching or playing sports over the past couple of years, concussions and brain injuries have received quite a bit of attention. Is all of this attention justified or much ado about nothing?

While concussions are an inevitable part of playing sports, I am most concerned about how that athlete is treated and managed after the concussion injury occurs. For those athletes who are properly managed, the overwhelming majority will experience a quick recovery with no long term consequences. If poorly managed, these injuries can cause a host of symptoms that not only can impact on-field performance but can also affect long term neurological health.

California Interscholastic Federation Bylaw 313 states that an athlete who is suspected to have a concussion must be removed from play and may not return to competition until cleared by a health professional trained in the

proper care of brain injuries. To understand this CIF bylaw, one must understand what happens to an athlete’s brain at the moment of impact.

You cannot see a concussion, as there is actually no physical change to the structure of the brain. This is why a brain scan (e.g. CT, MRI) provides little to confirm whether or not a concussion has occurred. Rather, the damage occurs on a molecular level and actually affects the way in which the brain’s cells function. The brain is placed in a state of metabolic crisis that actually slows down the communication between neurons.

It is in this state that an athlete’s brain is at an especially high risk toward further injury. In very rare circumstances, a second injury to a concussed brain can cause Second Impact Syndrome, an often fatal condition.

The key to recovery from a concussion can be summed up in three words: Rest, Rest, and Rest. When a brain is injured, it needs time to heal. That process occurs when the brain has as much opportunity to rest as possible. This not only means minimizing physical exertion, but

Health Watch Eric J. Freitag

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also minimizing cognitive exertion too. What does that entail? In many cases this can include modifying an athlete’s school schedule or temporarily withdrawing from school all together.

It also means limiting external stimulation such as computers, texting, video games, TV and movies, hanging out with friends, attending sport events, etc.

Your brain does not really know the difference between physical exertion (e.g. running) and mental exertion (e.g. sitting in a class). By continuing to push the brain both mentally and physically, an athlete can greatly delay recovery.

I tell athletes that if they are bored while they are recovering, then they are doing a good job. For the first few days, you want to expend about the same energy as when you have the flu. Once symptoms start to clear, your doctor will let you know when you can slowly start increasing both physical and mental activity.

Eric Freitag, Psy.D., is a clinical neuropsychologist and a Credentialed ImPACT Consultant. He specializes in the management and care of concussed athletes. For more information about his concussion treatment program, please visit www.sportconcussion. com or email at sportconcussion@gmail.com.

California Interscholastic Federation Bylaw 313 states that an athlete who is suspected to have a concussion must be removed from play and may not return to competition until cleared by a health professional trained in the proper care of brain injuries.

December 23, 2010

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Concord-based cheer gym wins its first championship By erik stordahl | SportStars East Bay Sports Academy is a well-respected cheer gym in the community. After Dec. 11 they became a force to be reckoned with in the cheer competition world.

Their Junior (ages 8-14) and Open International All-Girl Level 5 (ages 15+) squads took home third and first place in their respective divisions at the Golden State Spirit Association Championships in Sacramento.

Does that showing qualify as making a statement? The answer is a resounding “yes.”

Consider this: the EBSA Junior team is made up of athletes who have never participated in a competition before.

“They were the smallest team in their division,” explains Katie Chatterton, EBSA owner and general manager. “They practiced the least amount compared to other teams who practice two to three times more and are twice the size.”

A third place finish in the Junior Level 2 division would’ve been enough for EBSA to call it a successful trip. But the Open team’s top prize sweetened the deal, which resulted in the raising of its first championship banner in the EBSA gym.

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“They were the smallest team in their division. They practiced the least amount compared to other teams who practice two to three times more and are twice the size.”

Katie Chatterton, EBSA owner and general manager How were these squads so well prepared?

Simply enough, they held their own competition at the EBSA gym on Dec. 4.

In front of an audience of more than 300 people, 60 girls showed off their routines at this event open to the public. A simulated competition such as this one gave the girls a taste of what to expect in Sacramento.

Despite their recent success, Chatterton

and the rest of EBSA want to stress to their girls that trophies and banners are not the ultimate goal. “We put on daily reminders on what it means to be a good teammate,” says Chatterton. “We ask them ‘what kind of person do you want to be?’ and...how to lead by example.”

So what’s next for EBSA? The JAMZ competition at UC Davis on Jan. 15.

Want to get involved? EBSA is holding tryouts on Jan. 8-9 at their gym for two of their squads: Open Level 5 (ages 15+, Jan. 8, 1:00-4:00 pm) and Senior Level 4.2 (ages 12-18, Jan. 8 & 9, 1:00-4:00 pm). Tryouts are free for anybody and everybody. No experience necessary.

To learn more, call Stacy at (925) 6809999 or email her at stacy@eastbaysportsacademy.com.

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tee2green

Getting your young golfer the right equipment If there is one sport with an overload of equipment options and manufacturers, it is most certainly golf. You have brand names and hundreds of generics brands all fighting for your dollar.

The same competition has started to emerge in youth golf; however, this is more of a benefit than a drawback.

Long gone are the days of giving your child a random club once they show interest, telling them to go have fun, and ending up with a hacked up tree in the back yard because the child goes insane trying to use such an inadequate piece of equipment.

The most important thing to keep in mind when shopping for your young golfer, is to make sure they like the sport. The child will show interest in several ways, they will randomly pick up a club out of your bag and want to pay with it or they will enjoy watching it on television. If none of these options is your case, you can start them off with something like a Little Tike’s Totsports Easy Hit Golf Set. This is available at your local Target or Walmart for about $25 retail and will give them a toy they can experiment with.

If they are slightly older, I suggest taking them to a public driving range that has a kid-friendly merchandiser. That will allow your son or daughter to demo some of the U.S. Kids or Tiger Cub brands. U.S. Kids is the nation’s leader in youth golf manufacturing, so they are a brand to be trusted until your son or daughter

Gary Xavier

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notes from the pros desires a custom set of clubs. Tiger Cub is a brand out of Hong Kong that is creating high quality golf clubs for young golfers.

Kids are entering golf competition as young as 5-years old. This presents a problem for kids who desire high performance equipment at a young age. You can get an MK2 set for 11 & up players from Tiger Cub for just over $200. This all comes down to the desire of the player.

As your search for top notch equipment continues on, if your son or daughter continues to show interest in the sport, foster this new passion with something simple. As adults, we go wrong by aiming to give them everything they need to be successful. Instead we should aim to give them everything they need to have fun.

Start small and work your way up. If they truly like golf, you will find yourself in a world of vastly evolving equipment just waiting to advance your player. By then, you may wish they took up chess.

Develop a ‘grinder’s attitude’ In my past few columns I’ve covered various aspects of the short game, primarily putting, chipping and pitching.

For a few final thoughts on the short game, I want to pass along what may be the most

Dave De Long

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tee2green important pieces of advice I could give to you: Never try something you haven’t practiced in a while.

Play the shot you have confidence in even if it isn’t “textbook” to someone else’s way of thinking. Now the only way you are going to get the ball up and down consistently on the course is to develop a “grinder’s attitude”. That is simply putting the poor shot you just hit behind you and focusing your attention entirely on getting that next shot close.

Too many people are still fuming about the last shot and can’t do that. You have to be mentally tough and grind it out if you want to post lower scores. Some days we hit more greens while other days we miss

more.

In 1992, at the 108-hole final stage of the Q School, I missed exactly 50 percent of the greens in regulation. Fifty-four times I was put in the situation where I needed an up-and-down to save par. I converted 46 out of 54 times and earned my playing privilege for a year on the PGA Tour. That’s grinding it out!

Notes From The Pros is a regular feature compiled

by Gary Xavier (Northern California Junior Golf sports administrator) and Dave DeLong (PGA professional and director of instruction at Boundary Oak GC).

Contact them at the following addresses: ddelongolf@aol.com or gxavier@pgahq.com.

Let First Tee help you with your resolution With New Year’s Day fast approaching, I, like many of you, have been thinking about resolutions for 2011.

What keeps coming to mind for me is The First Tee Code of Conduct.

The Code of Conduct is how participants in The First Tee conduct themselves in relation to three things on the golf course: The people around them, the environment in which they are in, and themselves. I will be making my resolutions with this in mind.

Respect For Myself: I will make sure that I put myself first when needed and take better care of myself both physically and mentally.

Eddie Estrada

first tee, firsthand Respect For Others: I will treat others with the respect that everyone deserves. I will reach out more to those in need and make a difference not only in the community, but in people’s lives.

Respect For My Surroundings: I will be more environmentally aware to make sure the world we know now will be the world we know in the future. I will use a reusable water bottle instead of plastic, remember to recycle and to take shorter showers.

When looking at your new year’s resolutions this year, keep the First Tee Code of Conduct in mind and use it as an outline.

Eddie Estrada is a senior at De La Salle High. He has been a member of The First Tee Contra Costa for six years. Contact him at eddieestrad@gmail.com.

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December 23, 2010

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twenty-four7 BASEBALL Through Dec. 31: Antioch — Batting Cages. All ages at Golf N Games Family Fun Center. 925-754-5053, www. golfngames.com.

Through Jan. 12: Antioch — Antioch Little League’s Spring 2011 Season Registration. 6-8 p.m. Dec. 8 and Jan 12; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Dec. 11 and Jan. 8 and 15. All at Golf N Games.

925-431-8478, www. antiochlittleleague.com.

Through Jan 15: Concord — Junior Optimist Baseball/Softball League registration. At JOBL complex 10 a.m.-noon Dec. 11, Jan. 8; 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Jan. 15. Ages 4-18. 925827-1088, www.eteamz. com/jobl.

Jan. 8: Concord — Clayton Valley Little League In Person Registration Event. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. @ TBD. Visit www.cvll.org.

Jan. 16: Concord — Clayton Valley Little League Online Registration Closes. All day. Visit www.cvll.org.

Jan. 22: Concord — Clayton Valley Little League 8-9-Year-Old Tryouts. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. @ Clayton Valley High School.

Visit www.cvll.org.

Jan. 23: Concord — Clayton Valley Little League 10-Year-Old Tryouts. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. @ Clayton Valley High School.

Visit www.cvll.org.

Jan. 29: Concord — Clayton Valley Little League 11- and 12-YearOld Tryouts. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. @ Clayton Valley High School. Visit www.cvll.org.

Feb. 5: Concord — Clayton Valley Little League Make-up Tryouts.

9 a.m.-3 p.m. @ Clayton Valley High School. Visit www.cvll.org.

Feb. 7: Concord — Clayton Valley Little League Draft. 5-9 p.m. @

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TBD. Visit www.cvll.org.

Feb. 22: Concord — Clayton Valley Little League Parent Night Majors Baseball & Peanuts. 6-7 p.m. @ TBD. Visit www.cvll.org.

Feb. 23: Concord — Clayton Valley Little League Parent Night Farm & Minors. 6-7 p.m. @ TBD. Visit www.cvll.org.

BOWLING Through Dec. 31: Concord — Parties for kids at Clayton Valley Bowl. 925689-4631, BowlClayton@ Astound.net; www. claytonvalleybowl.com.

Jan. 1-March 29: Concord — Special Recreation Bowling. Ages 16+ at Clayton Valley Bowl. Info: 10 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m. weekdays, 925-6713404, www.cityofconcord. org. Registration: www. concordreg.org; by fax or at drop-off sites.

Jan. 21, Feb. 18, March 11: Concord — Special Recreation Disco Bowl.

Ages 16+ at Clayton Valley Bowl. Info: 10 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m. weekdays, 925-6713404, www.cityofconcord. org. Registration: www. concordreg.org; or at dropoff sites.

EQUESTRIAN Through Dec. 27: Walnut Creek — Learn to Ride!

Group lessons at discounted prices available. 925-9377661, htrails@astound.net; www.castlerockarabian.com.

Through Dec. 31: Martinez — Horse Vaulting Program.

Gymnastics on Horseback at Franklin Canyon Stables. Reservations: Kim, 925-876-8269; www. kimshorsetraining.com.

Through Dec. 27: Walnut Creek — Holiday Camps.

Riding lessons 9 a.m.-3 p.m. daily; no camp on Christmas Day. 925-937-7661, htrails@astound.net; www. castlerockarabian.com.

December 23, 2010

FITNESS Through Dec. 31: Concord — Sports Performance. At East Bay Sports Academy. For ages 10+. Schedules and fees: 925-680-9999, info@ eastbaysportsacademy. com; www. eastbaysportsacademy.com.

Through Dec. 31: Pleasant Hill — Tae Kwon Do, Fitness Kickboxing, Kickboxing, Yoga, Birthday Parties. Ongoing at Fitness Innovations & Tae Kwon Do in County Square Shopping Center. 925-6858338, chooseFIT@aol.com; www.choosefit.net.

Through Dec. 31: Walnut Creek — Youth training program. Ongoing at Forma. 925-262-1339, www. formagym.com.

Through Dec. 31: Concord — AIRobics. Classes at Sky High Sports. First come, first served. 925682-5867, http://CON. jumpskyhigh.com.

Through Dec. 31: Martinez — Sports, Fitness & Recreation. Ongoing for ages 6-18 @ Boys & Girls Clubs of the Diablo Valley.

925-370-6838, www.bgcdv. org.

Through Dec. 31: Brentwood — Treading Trends LVL 1-3. 9-10 a.m.

Tues., at In-Shape Health Club. Fees and registration: 925-602-5600, www. inshapeclubs.com.

Through Dec. 31: Antioch — Public Skating. For all ages at Paradise Skate.

925-779-0204, www. paradiseskate.com.

Through Dec. 31: Concord — Group Cycling LVL 1-3, Mix It Up LVL 2-3, both at In-Shape Health Club. Fees, registration: 925-602-5600, www.inshapeclubs.com.

Through Dec. 31: Antioch — Group Cycling LVL 1-3.

For all ages and fitness levels, at In-Shape Health Club. Fees and registration: 925-602-5600, www. inshapeclubs.com.

Through Dec. 31: Antioch — In-Shape Kids LVL 1.

For ages 6-12, at In-Shape Health Club. Designed for children to embark on an adventure in fitness and wellness. Fees and registration: 925-602-5600, www.inshapeclubs.com.

Through Dec. 31: Brentwood — Group Cycling LVL 1-3. All ages, fitness levels, at In-Shape Health Club. Fees and registration: 925-602-5600, www.inshapeclubs.com.

Through Dec. 31: Concord — Rocktopia. Open climb Saturdays at Encore Gym. Open to all climbers, ages 5-adult. 925-932-1033,

Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsMag.com

twenty-four7 office@encoregym.com; www.encoregym.com.

Through Dec. 31: Martinez — Ultimate Sport FitnessMMA and Personal Training. 925-822-7268; www.gorillafitclub.com.

Feb. 16, March 16 or April 13: Concord — CPR Skills for Adults, Children and Infants. 13+. Info: 10 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m. weekdays, 925-6713404, www.cityofconcord. org. Registration: www. concordreg.org; by fax or at drop-off sites.

FOOTBALL Through Dec. 31: Walnut Creek — WCYF Marauders.

Open for registration in the Midget division. Art Thoms, thoms3@ifn.net, 925-7860721; www.wcyfmarauders. com.

Jan. 28-30: Oakley — Runnin’ Deep Flag Football. At Freedom Basin. Ages 6-16; 5 on 5, 7

on 7. Contact Coach Mike Weisenberg, 925-625-2222, DiabloFootball@hotmail. com; www.DiabloFootball. com.

FUNDRAISERS Through Dec. 24: Pleasant Hill — 28th Annual Christmas Tree Sale to Support the Dolphin Swim Team. For details, call Pleasant Hill Park, 925-6820896.

April 29-May 1: Williams, AZ — Hike for Shelter, Inc.: Conquer The Canyon.

16-week training begins in January. Karen Leffler, 925-323-2996, hike@ shelterincofccc.org; www. shelterincofccc.org/hike.htm.

GOLF Through Dec. 31: Berkeley — Junior Academy. Ages 5U at Tilden Park Golf Course. 510-848-7373, doi@tildenparkgc.com; www.thegolflearningcenters. com/tildenpark.

Feb. 28: Concord — First Tee of Contra Costa Golf/ Life Skills begins. Boys & Girls 7-18. Continues for 12 weeks @ Diablo Creek Golf Course. Volunteers needed. 925-6866262, Ext. 0, angela@ thefirstteecontracosta.org; www.thefirstteecontracosta. org.

GYMNASTICS Through Dec. 31: Concord — Open Gym. 8-10 p.m. Mon., 7-9 p.m.

Thur., 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Sat. For ages 8+.

925-680-9999, info@ eastbaysportsacademy. com; www. eastbaysportsacademy.com.

SOCCER Dec. 27-31: Santa Clara — Santa Clara Soccer Camps & Clinics. Choices: Advanced, Classic, GK One, U6 Academy. 408-988-6900, www.offthewallsoccer.com.

Support Your Local Business • Say You Found Them In SportStars™

Jan. 23, 27, 30: Concord — Diablo FC’s 2011 Season Tryouts. U8-U11 in Concord. 925-779-2101, www.diablofc.org.

Feb. 20, 24, 27: Concord — Diablo FC’s 2011 Season Tryouts. U12-U14 in Concord. 925-779-2101, www.diablofc.org.

SOFTBALL Jan. 8: Concord — Clayton Valley Little League In Person Registration Event.

11 a.m.-2 p.m. @ TBD. Visit www.cvll.org.

Jan. 16: Concord — Clayton Valley Little League Online Registration Closes. All day event. Visit www.cvll. org.

Jan. 29: Concord — Clayton Valley Little League 11- and 12-YearOld Tryouts. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. @ Clayton Valley High School. Visit www.cvll.org.

Feb. 5: Concord —

Clayton Valley Little League Make-up Tryouts.

9 a.m.-3 p.m. @ Clayton Valley High School. Visit www.cvll.org.

Feb. 9: Concord — Clayton Valley Little League Draft. 5-9 p.m. @ TBD. Visit www.cvll.org.

Feb. 23: Concord — Clayton Valley Little League Parent Night Softball. 6-7 p.m. @ TBD. Visit www.cvll.org.

SWIM Through Dec. 31: Concord — Swim Classes in Heated Outdoor Pool for all ages at In-shape. Fees and registration: 925-602-5600, www.inshapeclubs.com.

Through Feb. 4: Pleasant Hill — High School PreSeason I.Open to all high school swimmers. At PH Education Center pool.

Registration: 925-682-0896, www.pleasanthillrec.com.

Jan. 3-Feb. 4: Pleasant

Hill — High School PreSeason II. Open to all high school swimmers. At PH Education Center pool.

Registration: 925-682-0896, www.pleasanthillrec.com.

May 7 or 28 or June 4: Concord — Lifeguard Review. 15+, at Concord Community Pool.

Prerequisite applies. Info: 10 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m. weekdays, 925-6713404, www.cityofconcord. org. Registration: www. concordreg.org; by fax or at drop-off sites.

May 25-28 or June 2-28: Concord — Lifeguard Clinic. 15+, at Concord Community Pool.

Prerequisites apply. Info: 10 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m. weekdays, 925-6713404, www.cityofconcord. org. Registration: www. concordreg.org; by fax or at drop-off sites.

December 23, 2010

SportStars™

27

game day

boys soccer girls hoops

Dec. 30 — Newark Memorial at San Ramon Valley, 1 p.m.

It won’t be easy going as the Wolves (7-11) and midfielder Brandon Melara attempt to shake off the Christmas rust against a Cougars team that had won eight in a row as of Dec. 19.

Butch Noble

Jan. 4 — Miramonte at Acalanes, 5:30 p.m.

The Diablo Foothill Athletic League will be a pressurecooker for its girls basketball teams this year.

Emani Harrison and Acalanes will have their mettle tested right away in this league opener against Bob Larson the Matadors.

Patrick McCormick

Get In-Shape this holiday season By erik stordahl | SportStars Working out and staying fit during the offseason is crucial for any athlete. But it’s easy to get complacent and stray from a daily regimen. That’s why it’s important to find a gym and make offseason workouts a habit.

One place to consider is the new In-Shape Health Club in Pittsburg. On Dec. 15, the tape was cut on the location at 4300 Delta Gateway Blvd. Hundreds of athletes took part in the grand opening by putting good use to previously unblemished weights and machines.

In-Shape can expect its facility to get only more jampacked with ambitious folk who are embarking on fulfilling New Years’ resolutions of losing weight and getting healthy.

They’ll have a number of ways to accomplish that.

Whether it’s battling their friends in racquetball, swimming lap after lap in the indoor pool, or surviving a grueling cycling class pounds are sure to fly off one way or the other.

Of course, members at In-Shape can enjoy other amenities as well. Like getting some color in the tanning booth or relaxing in the steam and sauna rooms.

In-Shape can also be a place for the whole family as parents can drop their kids off at the Kids Club while they hit the weights.

This only scratches the surface. Join now and pay only $29.99 per month for the first three months. Offer ends Dec. 31. Processing fees may apply. Be sure to ask about their January specials as well. For more information, check out www.inshapeclubs.com.

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SportStars™

December 23, 2010

Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsMag.com

impulse Let the offseason begin When working out, it’s important to always feel comfortable. That’s where Under Armour comes in. Hit ‘em up for the Kutta Hoody. One of the snazziest items of the season, the Kutta Hoody is ideal for just about anything from hiking up Mt. Diablo to the daily jog around the park. Now the abominable days of winter will be more manageable and you’ll be on your way to earning that starting spot on the team next season in no time. Choose from three colors: black, gold mine and rifle green. Feel comfortable while getting in shape. www.UnderArmour.com Price: $100

(Video) game on Keeping track of release dates for video games is like driving in traffic and texting your bros all while trying to obey the rules of the road. It’s not recommended. OK, the latter is also illegal, but that’s beside the point. Let the new GAME.minder iPhone app inform you of video game release dates. It’s simple: Just add a system and the games you want it to track and you’ll get updates all the time.

Voila. In fact it’s so simple, we’re a little upset that we didn’t think of it first. Then we realized we’re not technological gurus and should just stick to sports. The GAME.minder iPhone app is out now and it’s FREE. Hit up www.handelabra. com for more info.

It’s in the bag Calling all lady golfers: Lug around your clubs with what the pros use with ‘keri golf’ bags. These chic bags are at the height of golf fashion and you’ll be ready to make two statements on the course – one for your play, and the other for your style. Pick your own bag with a tapestry of colors like retro blue, white and green with an array of designs from polka dots to rosebloom.

Check out www.kerigolf.com to grab your own bag and become the talk of your foursome while making others green with envy. Price: $335

Putt-tacular Master the trickiest of greens with the Heavy Putter from Boccieri Golf. This revolutionary short-game tool will refine your swing and turn those bogeys into birdies. Swing better, shoot lower scores. It’s what every golfer wants and it can be achieved with Boccieri. Get one at www.boccierigolf.com and lower your handicap today. Price: $119.05

Work out in comfort & style Speaking of working out, it’s tough to imagine running all those miles and pumping all that iron without donning the Under Armour ColdGear Fitted Mock. This mock is a staple and musthave for any athlete’s workout wardrobe. Its snug feature traps heat while at the same time wicks away sweat. Did we mention it eliminates odor before odor can even break out? That’s right.

Now you can work out for hours on end and not smell. We still recommend putting on deodorant, though. www.UnderArmour. com Price: $50 — Erik Stordahl Support Your Local Business • Say You Found Them In SportStars™

December 23, 2010

SportStars™

29

photo finish

BUST A MOVE, SANTA: Old Saint Nick shows his jolliness by joining in on the team mascot dance-off at the SportStars SportsJam on Dec. 4 at Sports Basement in Walnut Creek. Merry Christmas from SportStars’ family to yours.

Photo by Alan Greth/www.alangrethphoto.com

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.

Winthesportstarsswagbag!

Text “SwagBag” to 87365 to win or check boxes of any advertisers from which you’d like more info, then mail or fax it to us! Or drop it off at the SportStars office! ❒❒ Absorber, The. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

❒❒ Community Youth Center. . . . . . . . . . 5

❒❒ Heavenly Greens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

❒❒ Simply Selling Shirts. . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 ❒❒ Smokin Okie’s BBQ Joint. . . . . . . . . 27

❒❒ Aviva Promotional Products. . . . . . . . . 11

❒❒ Concord Disposal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

❒❒ Heritage Soccer Club. . . . . . . . . . . . 15

❒❒ Big C Athletic Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

❒❒ Crow Canyon Country Club . . . . . . . 24

❒❒ Jory’s Flowers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

❒❒ Big O Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

❒❒ Dave DeLong School of Golf . . . . . . 25

❒❒ Jr. Optimist Baseball/Softball (JOBL). . . 26, 27

❒❒ Bob Larson Sports Photography. . . . 26

❒❒ Diablo Futbol Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

❒❒ Kelly Maddox Training . . . . . . . . . . . 25

❒❒ Brenden Theatres. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

❒❒ Diablo Youth Rugby . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

❒❒ Kinders BBQ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

❒❒ Championship Athletic Fundraising. . . . 13

❒❒ eTeamSponsor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

❒❒ Lone Tree Golf & Event Center. . . . . 24

❒❒ Cheer Gyms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

❒❒ East Bay Sports Academy . . . . . . . . 19

❒❒ Massage Envy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

❒❒ Clayton/Countrywood Fitness Centers. . 27

❒❒ Excellence in Sport Performance. . . . 28

❒❒ Odwalla. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

❒❒ Club Sport Renaissance. . . . . . . . . . 21

❒❒ Farmers Insurance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

❒❒ San Ramon Golf Club. . . . . . . . . . . . 24

❒❒ Walnut Creek Soccer Club. . . . . . . . 27

❒❒ Club Sport Valley Vista. . . . . . . . . . . 22

❒❒ Fit 2 The Core. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

❒❒ Scandia Family Center. . . . . . . . . . . 26

❒❒ Wooden It Be Nice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

❒❒ SportForm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 ❒❒ Tilden Park Golf Course. . . . . . . . . . 25 ❒❒ The Pitching Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 ❒❒ UFC gym. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 ❒❒ U.S. Youth Volleyball League. . . . . . 28 ❒❒ USKS Concord. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

e Name________________________________________________ Phone_______________________ E-mail________________________________________ Sp

makes a great gift!

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Address__________________________________________________________ City____________________________ State____________ Zip _______

cial rat

❒❒ Enter me to win! But no subscription at this time! ❒❒ Hey, while I’m at it, sign me up for a subscription! For 24 issues, U.S. 3rd class $24 (allow 3 weeks for delivery).

Prizes subject to change. Entries must be received by the 25th. ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ Expiration date_______________ Card #_______________________________ Total___________ Signature________________________________________ 30

SportStars™

December 23, 2010

Mail: SPORTSTARS Interactive, 5356 Clayton Road, Suite 222, Concord, CA 94521 • Fax: 925.566-8507

Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsMag.com