EB Issue 22, 04.28.2011

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vol. 2. issue 22

FREE

April 28, 2011

endure | excel | achieve

east bay

drive for 500 JAMES LOGAN COACH NEARS LANDMARK WIN. Pg. 24

and SportStars team up to raise $$$ for East Bay Schools. Pg. 12

Dee-fense!

Andrew Pises aims to go back-to-back. Pg. 16

showdown breakdown Extra Bases has it covered. Pg. 28

Former El Cerrito baseball star Mark Kolding joins wave of young triathletes. Pg. 30

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all access

here come the colts!

Raeann Garza and james logan eye an ncs repeat.

Page 24

Miramonte’s andrew pises is undefeated as he aims for another ncs singles title. Page 22

First Pitch......................................... 6 Locker Room.................................. 8 Wally’s World................................ 10 Behind the Clipboard.................. 11 SportStar of the Week................ 13 Club Scene..................................... 14 Get Mental..................................... 19 Health Watch................................ 23 Extra Bases.................................... 28 TriStars........................................... 30 Tee2Green..................................... 36 Training Time................................. 39 Impulse........................................... 40 Camps + Clinics........................... 42

former el cerrito pitcher mark kolding took a rare path to triathalons. Page 30

Photo Finish................................... 45 4

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Finally springing forward, but not before last look back

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ast issue, I used this space to announce all the big changes going on with the magazine. Which was definitely a good thing. However, it meant delaying a tradition of using this column to look back on the sporting season just completed. In this case, the winter.

So as it came time to crank out this week’s offering, I ran into a dilemma.

Do I write the season wrap-up column more than a month after the last winter contest was played — and in so doing risk verbal abuse and personal injury from the spring athletes who would rather poke their eyes out with a fork than read another word about basketball — or skip it and charge blindly ahead into spring, the season of seemingly 75 different interscholastic sports?

I cheated, and am going with the bipartisan approach.

Here are three stories that will stick with us from the winter 2010-11 season, followed by three we’ll be following in spring.

Miramonte’s Megan Reid running back and forth from gymnasium to soccer field all winter long. With the schedule each of them kept up, we’re amazed one of them didn’t accidentally show up to hoops practice in cleats. Maybe they did. And if so, that’s cool!

Springing forward

Last nod to winter ■ Is that really the score? There had to be a few folks who turned on their TV set an hour late on March 26, and upon flipping to the California Interscholastic Federation Division I boys basketball state final, had to rub their eyes and shake their head when they saw a halftime score of 18-12. And the team with 12 points was the state’s No. 1-ranked team, Mater Dei-Santa Ana. The Monarchs eventually defeated De La Salle-Concord 43-36 in the lowest-scoring state final ever.

■ Nahshon Garrett delivers for the Northern Section. State championships have come and few and far between for the Northern Section in recent years, so it was refreshing to see the 112-pound wrestler from Chico get his second straight state title by shutting out Josh Rodriguez of Righetti-Santa Mara 5-0 in the CIF state final on March 5 in Bakersfield. The multiple Northern Section graduates who work for SportStars were especially appreciative of Garrett’s efforts.

■ Multi-sport stars are back! Over the past five years, sport specialization has led to the near extinction of multi-sport stars — one of the more endearing elements of high school athletics. When you come across great athletes, you want to see how many things they can do with their gifts. That’s why a nation became fascinated with athletes like Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders. We used to get that all the time in high school athletics, but as more and more sports demand year-round participation from their elite performers, the fans have — and schools — have missed out.

So it was more than refreshing to see Dougherty Valley-San Ramon’s Briana Gaines and 6

SportStars™

April 28, 2011

FIRST PITCH Chace Bryson Editor

Chace@ SportStarsMag.com (925) 566-8503

■ Could Robert Stephenson be an MLB first-round pick? The Alhambra-Martinez senior pitcher has had his fastball clocked at 96 mph this season, and has an entourage of scouts following him to every start. Even ESPN’s Buster Olney has blogged about his potential as a first-round pick. Should his name get called among the first 30 picks, he’d be Northern California’s first firstround selection straight out of high school since Liberty-Brentwoood‘s Chris Gruler was taken No. 3 by the Cincinnati Reds in 2003. Gruler suffered through several minor league injuries and never toed the rubber in a Major League game.

■ Diamond dynasties in the SJS: Since softball playoffs began in the Sac-Joaquin Section in 1976, no school has won five consecutive crowns. This year, two different programs will have a shot at pulling it off. Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills has won four straight SJS Division II titles and Bear River-Grass Valley has done the same in Division IV. Oak Ridge has posted a 9-6-1 record through April 23, but four of those losses have come against some of the best Division I programs in the state. Bear River had a 13-2-1 mark through April 23 and had outscored opponents 125-32.

■ How many records might fall at the NCS swim championships? Last year four different North Coast Section records were broken during the two-day swim championships. Carondelet-Concord’s Chelsea Chenault set new records in the 200- and 500-yard freestyles — and she was just a freshman. And then together with two more freshman (Madison White and Alison Gargalikis) and a sophomore (Christina Ray), Chenault helped set the national high school record in the 200 medley relay. Maria Carillo-Santa Rosa’s Maya DiRado also closed out her high school career by setting an NCS record in the 200 IM. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg for the spring. Did we mention that like 100 different sports are played during these months? Even badminton. No offense to those of you who swat the shuttlecock around. Please, I don’t need anymore spring athletes threatening a SportStars takeover.

As it is, you should all be pleased with the following 40-something pages. Lots of spring everywhere.

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, April 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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she said what?!?

“The first thing I thought was, ‘Wow, that would be kind of crazy if they picked me with so many coaches out there who have been coaching for so long ... I must have done something amazing to have even been considered.’

Concord High softball coach Megan Coddington who was recently named as the state’s Softball Coach of the Year by the California Coaches Association. She earned the honor after winning her school’s first team section title in 44 years — in just her first year at the helm.To see the rest of the coaches being honored, go to www.CalCoachesAssociation.net

rapid fire

Would you sit out the title game if it meant you didn’t have to take your finals?

Biggest In-n-Out burger you’ve consumed?

Grant Diede Acalanes-Lafayette

Grace Na Alameda

No

No

6x6

You get one super power for a day -- what is it?

Best memory as a childhood athlete?

One celebrity/fad/ phrase that needs to go away?

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Jersey Shore

No Hamburger

Flying

Mindreader

Mindreader

My first grand slam as an 11year old all-star

Winning my first tourney as a 10-year old

Camaraderie with teammates

Running

Least favorite part of practice?

Double Double

Kelsey Cast Antioch

Emotional frustration if I don’t get something correct right away Backtalk of Tiger Woods

Running

Friday, by Rebecca Black

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random acts of factness

In his first year as the College Park-Pleasant Hill baseball team, Matt Lisle (bottom) has led the Falcons to an 11-4 record. But the mark that means the most at the family dinner table on Sunday evening is 1-0. On April 12, College Park picked up a 6-2 victory over Berean Christian-Walnut Creek — a team which featured three Lisles in uniform. The Eagles are coached by Matt’s father Greg Lisle (center). Matt’s younger brother Darren (right) is an assistant coach, and his youngest brother, Logan (left), is a catcher and infielder for Berean Christian. The win was Matt’s first in six coaching meetings against his dad. He was 0-5 over the last two seasons as the coach of Ygnacio Valley-Concord. Contributed photo.

Completely reasonable suggestions for new track & field events The same old Track and Field events are getting a little stagnant, and if there’s one thing we hate here at SportStars, it’s stuff that is stagnant.

And emo rock. But there are some things even we can’t fix. That being said, here are our Top 5 suggestions for new, spicier Track and Field events.

1. Marathon Tag. Watching people run 26.2 miles just does NOT make for good television, people. I mean, the viewing public can barely stand to watch 30-minute sitcoms. You really think they’re going to sit through over two HOURS of people running in mostly straight lines? We suggest incorporating the age-old tactics of Tag into the marathon. Sure sure, it might take a little longer, but instead of being known as the ‘loser,’ the last-place finisher would simply be ‘it.’

2. Spider-Monkey-Put.* You think launching a 16-pound metal ball as far as you can is tricky? Try doing it with a screaming primate who’s clutching your arm and see how far you get. Our guess is less than 75 feet.

3. Shark Tank Vault. Pole vault, schmole vault. Those dudes land in big puffy pads regardless of how good or bad their vault is. We’re going for distance instead of height here. Short your leap in our event and things get a little more interesting. Bonus: New excuse for using the expression, ‘Jumped the Shark.’

4. Contested Sprints. We’d like to see how fast that Usain Bolt guy would be with somebody throwing elbows (or maybe even spider monkeys — we could totally combine these events!) or swinging heavy bags at him while he was galloping down the track.

5. Caber toss. Seriously, if it’s good enough for the Scots, it should be good enough for everyone. Crivvens! *Editor’s Note: No New World Monkeys were harmed in the writing of this Top 5 List.

— Bill Kolb

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April 28, 2011

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Maxwell hurler a reminder that big talent CAN reside in small towns

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t’s been said – often – that the single Perry — who has won all of his starts this most difficult task in sports is hitting a year for unbeaten Maxwell and, in fact, has baseball. yet to allow a run – accomplished this on as In the minds of many, preventing somelevel of a playing field as anyone in the Bay body from hitting a baseball just might be Area, Sacramento or Los Angeles could have the second. hoped to do, competing against kids his age (Spoken as someone who once saw and theoretically his skill level. And he is legit Marco Scutaro hit a three-run home run — he’s being recruited by several Division I off Mariano Rivera, well, let’s just say colleges. anything is possible when you swing a bat And for that — well, we can probably at a moving object. I mean, c’mon … Marco thank the Internet. Small-town kids with talScutaro?) ents don’t really stay a secret anymore which, Anyway, I’m thinking there might be a again, is plenty different than it was when I third: Getting due recognition when you’re was a teenager a few decades ago. an incredibly gifted athlete from a small, (Warning: Old-guy story approaching out-of-the-way school. All of which makes about an athlete who succeeded in the days what a high school pitcher from a small before the Internet. And no, it’s not Marco Northern California town just accomplished Scutaro.) all the more remarkable.

I attended high school with a guy who not Steve Perry — insert your own “Don’t only was second in the nation in the shot put, Stop Believin’” joke here, Giants fans — of he was also the section’s 110 high hurdles Maxwell High (Colusa County) has just champion. come off a streak where he pitched not one, Think about that: The best hurdler AND not two, not three, but four consecutive noshot-putter? Yep. One and the same, and he hit for the Panthers. was also the biggest, fastest and best player The streak ended Thursday at the 10th on a league-champion football team. annual Shasta Lake Bass Easter Baseball He got no big-time football scholarship ofClassic in Redding. fers, because nobody had ever heard of him.

As a result, another kid, Mat Sanders of By some miracle, his coach got him into the Sutter High, became the answer to a Colusa Shriners High School All-Star football game County trivia question when he blooped in Los Angeles, where he got into the game, a single in the second inning of a 10-0 played linebacker and basically demolished Maxwell victory. It was Sutter’s only hit of everybody he squared off against. the game.

Bill Walsh noticed.

Four consecutive no-hitters. Since it tied Walsh was entering his first year as Stana California state record, that should be ford coach. He approached the player from story enough. the small town on the field after the game, But from where I sit, it was actually a introduced himself and invited him to play window into something I found just as football at Stanford that fall. interesting: the reaction.

The small-town player sheepishly said, Unlike my days as a teenager, when news well, he’d already signed his letter of intent MikeW@ traveled no faster than the bicycle speed to be on the track team at the University of SportStarsMag.com of your average Corning Daily Observer Oregon. paperboy, there really isn’t any such thing “You’re wasting your time,” Walsh said.

(925) 566-8500 as “anonymous feat” anymore. If you do “You should be playing football.”

Ext. 109 something amazing enough, even at the Six years later, and a couple years after high school level, it’s going to become a seeing his hopes of being an Olympian vannationwide story. quished by our boycott of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, the And, Perry’s was. His streak was picked up by wire player decided that he should have listened to Walsh, who services, reported on Bay Area TV stations, and (especially) had just finished coaching the 49ers to their first Super Bowl splashed all over the Internet. And to me, that’s where the win. And he reached out to him. story went from interesting to crazy.

Walsh remembered the man — just from seeing him play Many of the high school sports sites have a “comments” that one time — and invited him for a tryout. section. And judging from the comments I saw posted about Despite never having played a down of college football, Perry’s feat, he might as well have pitched all four games Jeff Stover made the team, and went on to an seven-year NFL against the South Idaho School for Blind Nuns. career in which he won two Super Bowl rings.

“The competition isn’t that good up there. He’s just goI can’t help but think that today, he would have had college ing against small-town kids so it’s no surprise he’s pitching scouts crawling all over his doorstep from the time he was no-hitters,” wrote one man with way too much time on his a 6-2, 215-pound sophomore. But he was just a small-town hands. kid. One of several thousand with big-town talent that, all “Where are Chester and Sutter? They actually have basetoo often, still don’t get their due. ball teams?” wrote another.

If you’re one of those kids from an out-of-the-way place, And so on and so forth. (Those were two of the nice ones.) three words of advice: Don’t stop believin’.

It was all enough to get my ‘ol North State blood boiling.

(Sorry, Steve.)

WALLY’S WORLD

Mike Wolcott

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Playing through pain doesn’t always have to be the answer I got hit pretty hard in my lacrosse game, and my leg is sore. My coach says to keep practicing and just play through it, but I don’t know. How can I tell if I’m too hurt to practice?

J.O., Oakland

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hat’s one of the deeper questions I’ve gotten so far, and I’m going to start with a question raised in introductory philosophy classes: How do we know what other people feel when they say they’re in pain?

The simple answer is “It hurts,” but what does that mean exactly? Can you describe how pain feels? And how can you know that what you feel when you say “That really hurts” is exactly the same as what someone else feels when they use the same words?

The short answer is you can’t, and before I veer too far off the track, let’s get back to sports and the idea of a “pain threshold.” You always read about athletes who have a high pain threshold, or a high tolerance for pain, and then there are those who are always hurt. Usually, the people who play through pain are considered tough, and are shown in a positive light; those who are often injured are often thought of as soft, or even wimps.

But the first rule of sports (and life, for that matter) is protect yourself, and if you’re hurt you have to figure out how serious that injury is. Here are the three categories I use: Incidental pain: You get hit by a pitch on the calf, and there’s some immediate and intense pain. But, in the world of baseball and softball, players are expected to trot to first base as though a mosquito just landed on their leg. Many times, by the time the batter reaches first, the pain has faded.

That’s true, of course, of many injuries in many sports. You may wind up with a big bruise the next day, but in truth, the pain is just incidental. Nothing has gone seriously wrong with your body, and you can keep on playing.

Beneficial pain: Right now, I have a very stiff muscle in my shoulder. What needs to happen is for someone to take their elbow and grind it into that muscle and work out

all the kinks. After that, they need to take their thumb and put a lot of pressure on the sore spots.

How much will that hurt? A lot, but it’s actually beneficial pain. In the long run, that pain will speed healing, just as the pain of stretching the morning after a tough workout allows the body to loosen up and function more or less normally.

So not all pain is bad.

Pain that indicates serious structural damage is occurring: Let’s go back to getting hit by a pitch, or getting whacked on the leg in a lacrosse game. When you try to trot down to first, or move down the field, and your leg hurts so much you fall over, well, that’s an indication that something is really wrong.

Generally, serious injuries announce themselves with a particular kind of pain, and after you’ve had some injuries (and you will, if you play long enough), you’ll have a pretty good idea right away of whether the pain signals coming to your brain indicate that you have a bruise as opposed to broken bone.

All that said, though, there are some sneaky injuries that announce themselves only slowly. The one you hear about the most is a stress fracture, which usually starts out as a minor nagging ache, but just gets worse and worse and finally becomes so painful that you can’t play any more.

Most young athletes try to push through stress fractures and other such injuries because they’ve been taught that being hurt is a sign of moral weakness, and that kids who complain too much just aren’t tough enough.

But remember, no one can feel your pain but you, and in the end, you are the one responsible for what happens to your body.

Over time, you will learn the difference between incidental pain, beneficial pain, and pain that indicates serious damage. When that occurs, you’ll be able to make good decisions about your body. But while you’re learning, don’t get caught up in trying to win the next game, or playing hurt — you’re just in high school, and a serious injury now could stick with you the rest of your life.

Behind the Clipboard Clay Kallam

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who’s got next?

nominations: Editor@SportStarsmag.com

of the week

gabby green freshman . st. mary’s . basketball

Most freshmen athletes would be happy enough just playing on varsity, even if it meant riding the bench all season. Then there are others, like Gabby Green, who are happy just to get named one of the 35 invitees to the 2011 USA Basketball Women’s U16 National Team Trials in Colorado Springs. See the difference?

The freshman point guard did her thing this season with averages of 10.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 3.3 steals per game to help guide her Panthers to a runner-up finish in the CIF Div. IV state championship.

She’ll have the opportunity next month to qualify for a team that will represent the Red, White and Blue in Mexico for the FIBA Americas U16 Championship on June 13-18.

SportStars: What does this honor mean?

Gabby Green: It’s a big honor to be one of the top 35. Watching the Olympics, you never think that it would be you one day.

SportStars: What do you hope to gain from this experience?

GG: I hope to gain confidence. I’m mostly excited but I just got to keep training.

SportStars: With six seniors leaving, do you feel like you have to take responsibility as a leader now?

GG: Being a point guard, you have to make sure you’re the leader on the team.

Telling people what to do, it’s a huge role. You just got to keep pushing.

GABBY’S QUICK HITS Favorite class: Math Favorite moment from the season: Sleepover with team the night before state final Summer plans: Just basketball

honorable mention

brandon ashley The Bishop O’Dowd forward was named state’s Div. III Player of the Year and the Junior of the Year

by CalHiSports.com. He averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Logan west The De La Salle senior pitched a no-hitter against Foothill on April 20.

He improved to 6-2 on the season for the Spartans. He narrowly missed a perfect game by allowing one walk.

emily klein The FoothillPleasanton senior had four goals and an assist in a 20-2 thumping of Granada-Livermore on April 15. She followed that with five goals and five assists in a 17-8 win over Amador Valley on April 19.

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April 28, 2011

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club scene

Another Giants ace? 12-year old delivers perfect game

By erik stordahl | SportStars

Austin Roberts etched his named into West Sacramento Little League immortality by throwing a perfect game on March 31. What’s even more impressive is that he called it.

“I kept saying it’s gonna be the year I’m gonna throw my first perfect game,” Roberts said. “I knew I was gonna get it.”

The 12-year old pitcher on the Majors Giants sent 18 Cardinals in a row back to the dugout.

Of the 18 outs recorded, 14 were strikeouts and four were groundouts — two of which were comebackers right to Roberts. Needless to say, the drama that typifies these rarities hardly made an appearance.

In fact, the only close calls one could surmise were two separate occasions where Roberts worked the count full. But he struck out both batters.

Roberts helped out his own cause by going 2-for-3 at the plate with an inside-the-park threerun homer and a two-run single.

The proud father, Robert Roberts, missed the first inning so all the knots in his stomach and tension in his shoulders were blissfully absent. When did he know what his son had accomplished?

“The last strikeout of the game, that’s when

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“It’s an amazing accomplishment for me,” Roberts said. “I can teach other smaller kids as I get older. Hopefully they can accomplish the same thing as me.”

He may have to wait a while for that.

Finally, a home gym advantage

James K. Leash/SharpeyImages.com

Austin Roberts found perfection.

I noticed,” the elder Roberts said. “I realized he threw a perfect game.”

The reward for the younger Roberts? A laminated scorecard, $40 and all the bragging rights one could possibly ask for on the playground.

East Bay Sports Academy held its very first meet on April 15 as they hosted the Black Diamond gymnastics squad from Brentwood at its own facility.

But the competition wasn’t about winning.

“We wanted the girls to have an opportunity to compete without all the pressure, discipline and structure (of a normal competition),” EBSA program director Katie Chatterton. “We think it’s really good for them to use good sportsmanship.”

That sportsmanship went beyond just being respectful of the other team. Each girl crafted a spirit bag and good luck card for a member of the opposing squad. Also, the two teams exchanged friendly high-fives, hugs and hand pounds before the meet.

Just because it was a friendly competition between two neighboring gymnastic schools, doesn’t mean great action wasn’t taking place.

Participants ranging from 5- to 15-years old

strutted their stuff on the uneven bars, vault, floor and balance beam.

“It’s something that hasn’t been done in the Bay Area, “Chatterton said. “There’s just not this type of gymnastics meet out there.”

EBSA plans on hosting more of these events in the future.

Capital’s Force Volleyball flexes muscles The 14-1 and 18-1 teams of the Force Volleyball Club of Sacramento have qualified for the 2011 USA Volleyball Junior National Championships in Atlanta.

The event takes place from June 25 through July 4 and will feature the best talent America has to offer.

The 14-1 squad is coached by Todd Tkachuk, who guided his team to a fourth place finish in the Open Division at the Far Western Junior National Qualifier in Reno.

Alynn Wright coaches the 18-1 team that took home fifth place in the Open Division in Reno.

The team features standouts from high schools throughout the region, including Nevada Union-Grass Valley, Del Oro-Loomis, St. Francis-Sacramento, Rocklin, Sheldon-Sacramento, Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills and Roseville. ✪

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Photos by Jonathan Hawthorne

ABOVE: Nick DeMay, left, and his El Cerrito LL Rockies teammate Jacob Rossi sit on the field as part of the “Chalk Talk” demonstration.

BOTTOM LEFT: A’s pitching coach Ron Romanick gets help from Rossi as he demonstrates how to properly grip a pitch. BELOW: A’s outfielder Ryan Sweeney greets Little Leaguers during the pregame on-field parade.

Little Leaguers enjoy the first of two days with the A’s The Detroit Tigers were the official April 17 opponent of the Oakland A’s. But prior to the game, players from the Rockies, Mets, Cardinals, Yankees, Giants and Royals could all be seen. Of course, none of these players stood taller than 5 feet. The first of two Oakland A’s Little League Days went off in grand fashion as approximately 4,000 Bay Area Little Leaguers converged on the Coliseum. As a supporting partner of the event, SportStars sent out a photographer to capture some images. For those who missed it, there’s still one more to go on May 15. Don’t miss out. Head to www.OaklandAthletics.com to find out more.

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Bob Larson

Andrew Pises fires a forehand during an April 21 match against Dublin’s Jack Lawson.

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NCS singles champ Andrew Pises may not fit the image of a tennis star, but his game does

A

By erik stordahl | SportStars

ndrew Pises laced a forehand winner which ricocheted off the chain link fence enclosing the Miramonte High tennis courts in Orinda. He then waited at mid-court with a magnanimous grin on his face to shake his opponent’s hand.

The Miramonte senior tennis standout had just won his 24th consecutive match dating back to 2010 by cruising to a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Dublin’s Jack Lawson on April 21.

In an affair that took a shade less than a half hour, Pises walked off the court not having broken a sweat.

Needless to say, Pises has bigger fish to fry.

The reigning NCS champion has his sights set on repeating as the North Coast Section singles champion when the two-day tournament starts May 6. But it certainly won’t be a cakewalk as he’s set on a collision course with Justin-Siena-Napa sophomore sensation Michael Guzman. The two met in the NCS final last year, which Pises won in a nail-biting three sets 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 6-2.

“I definitely knew he wasn’t out of it,” said Pises, who recalls when Guzman won the second set of that match on May 8, 2010. “I knew of course it wasn’t over … I had to keep going. I had to increase my focus, increase my energy that much more.

“I can’t say it was easy because of course I had the semifinals (earlier that morning), so I was already a little drained. But that time between the second and third set, I really had to regroup. I really had to say it’s the last set, winner take all. ... I knew that one slip-up and it might go and lead to a domino effect.”

A recharged Pises broke Guzman early in the third set to keep the hungry then-freshman at more than arm’s length in order to capture his first section championship.

The match proved to be one of the best of 2010 between two opponents who know each other all too well.

Pises and Guzman have squared off against each other many a time through United States Tennis Association (USTA) competition — going back to elementary school. By now they’ve memorized the strengths and weaknesses of each other along with idiosyncrasies and other tendencies displayed on the court.

To the outside spectator, the two players couldn’t be more different.

Starting with physique, Pises fails the eye test of a prototypical tennis stud. Built like a fullback, he’s the owner of a short, stocky frame with a low center of gravity. Not exactly Novak Djokovic or Andy Roddick.

“Andrew’s not the tallest, fastest player,” Miramonte head coach Mike McCollom said. “But he has spent the last 10 years in physical training.”

Indeed, Pises is turning lemons into lemonade. He’s bought in to the system of working hard not just on

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his game but on his body, too. The result is disciplined footwork that puts him in position to overwhelm his competition with a devastating serve and forehand.

“I definitely think I’m more aggressive than passive as a player,” Pises said. “What I like to describe (my game) most as is ‘patiently aggressive.’ Anyone can get a shot and just smash it. But what I like to do is set it up, and then once I get that final kill shot, that’s kind of where my aggressiveness and what I’ve been doing all these years really comes out.”

A key component to Pises’ game is one he never had to learn, but rather utilize and maximize to his advantage: being left-handed.

It may not seem like a big deal, but the majority of tennis players are right-handed. Shot angles and spins can vary dramatically with lefties and can really throw even the most experienced of players off their game.

“He’s learned over the years how to use his left-handedness,” McCollom said. “He’s spent the last few years to develop those spins. When he gets aces, the (opponents) look like they just saw a ghost.”

Pises’ serves may fool most people, but not Guzman, who looks like he belongs on the tennis court rather than the gridiron.

Whereas Pises uses his footwork and line-to-line shots to wear down his opponents, Guzman racks up victories with his speed and quickness. “(With Guzman), there’s a completely different player,” McCollom said. “He’s a counterpuncher. … He’s fast as lightning.”

It’s that speed and quickness that led Guzman to the No. 1 overall seed in the NCS tournament last year. He also didn’t lose a set all season until his matchup with Pises in the final.

Not too shabby for a freshman.

Still, that title eludes Guzman, and it doesn’t appear Pises is

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Court Contenders Aside from Andrew Pises and Michael Guzman, here are five more players who could challenge for the NCS singles title on May 6-7.

Shaun Chaudhuri, Monte Vista-Danville, Senior Took home the top honor as a sophomore in the 2009 tournament.

Mark Meyer, Monte Vista-Danville, Senior Defending EBAL singles champ lost to Pises 7-5, 6-1 in last year’s NCS semifinal.

Tyler Gadbois, Piedmont, Senior Reached the NCS quarterfinals before losing to Meyer in three sets.

Marky Cantu-Marston, Ukiah, Senior Won the North Bay League championship to become the tourney’s first qualifier.

Jonathan Kim, Clayton Valley-Concord, Junior Lost to Guzman in straight sets during an NCS quarterfinal a year ago.

ready to relinquish it.

And instead of allowing the spotlight to blind him, Pises maintains his humble, affable nature that emanates to everyone with whom he comes into contact.

He employs the same work ethic in tennis to the classroom.

The results are nearly identical as Pises will be attending Cal — a top 10 NCAA tennis program — in the fall.

“To make a D-1 roster is so hard right now,” McCollom said. “(Tennis is) an international sport. There’s also hundreds of great tennis players in America.”

Of the 13 players on Cal’s 2011 roster, seven are from overseas.

“It may be among the hardest sports to (obtain a scholarship),” McCollom said. “Andrew didn’t go the academy route.

He did it by going to one of the most academically-demanding schools in America.”

Pises hasn’t dropped a match this season and will be the odds-on favorite to win it all again. Nevertheless, he readily admits he has a giant bulls eye on his back this year.

“Everyone knows you that you won (NCS), so everyone is gunning after you,” Pises said.

“There’s that little extra pressure. It’s made me focus on the new objective that now I have to try and repeat and maintain that status. So I’d say it’s a little more difficult, a little more stressful.”

What might be more stressful is keeping his winning streak alive. One would have to turn the clock back almost two years to find Pises’ last loss: a 3-6, 2-6 defeat in the 2009 NCS quarterfinals to Chris Kipouas of Monte Vista-Danville, who is a friend of Pises.

He may have no problem keeping the winning streak intact until NCS, but one way or another, he’ll most likely have to go through Guzman for another crown. Pises is already gearing up for it.

“I definitely go through the past matches, and especially the one last year,” said Pises when explaining how he prepares for Guzman. “He’s a great player that will recognize a change in tempo and take advantage of it. I’d like to. ... keep him guessing.” ✪

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Back to the Future: BBCOR Bats are changing the mind-set in baseball

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porting federations and leagues dedicate enormous resources in regulating the impact of technology on the integrity of their respective sports. For the first time that I am aware, baseball has joined this ever expanding group, with more restrictive regulations for bats being used in high school and college baseball.

BBCOR bats are designed to act more like wood bats, as they are engineered to reduce the speed that a ball leaves the bat. This nationwide movement to BBCOR bats was spurred, in part, by the near death of Marin Catholic pitcher Gunnar Sandberg last year after he was struck in the head by a comebacker.

While there are many voices for and against these changes, there is no doubt that the advent and implementation of these bat changes have taken baseball back to its roots. No longer can a hitter get rewarded with an artificial hit just because his bat is made of some chemical compound.

A recent NCAA article lends some initial support to the effectiveness of BBCOR bats, as 2011 mid-season offensive statistics are below those of 2010. The trend is expected to continue as long as bat standards continue to be compared to wood bats, not last year’s model.

“Small ball” is making a comeback because it has to.

BBCOR bats seem to be leveling the playing field and separating better players from average ones. If this progres-

sion continues, position players in baseball will be forced to develop more all-around offensive abilities and develop a hitter’s “tool box” that includes different ways to get on base and score runs.

One of my core beliefs, is that inherent in sport is the need to adapt and adjust. In earlier years, talent can carry someone a long way.

Yet, as talent gaps shrink, adversity increases and athletes reveal their ability or inability to cope with different, stressful and ever-changing circumstances.

BBCOR bats are revealing weaknesses in hitters who benefited from the technological advantages provided in the pre-BBCOR era.

Hitters will now begin to experience difficulties earlier in their careers. Wood bats are simply the tool that separates good hitters from average hitters. With BBCOR bats being made to react more like wood bats, this separation will begin to occur sooner in one’s career, rather than later.

From the psychological perspective, BBCOR bats will also reveal how hitters cope with and respond to the adversity created, either real or imaginary. There are certain patterns I see with hitters, in both baseball and softball, no matter what bat they have in their hands.

Hitters will show their frustration through swinging more or swinging less. They will become indecisive and not be able to start their swings, or they will swing at any pitch thrown.

Physical tension will show itself in a hitter’s forearms and

Get Mental

Doug Gardner

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grip of the bat. Every hitter knows the feeling of what it is like to freeze on a pitch down the middle of the plate and not understand why they couldn’t swing the bat.

Hitters will think they are thinking too much. They will search for mechanical and technical quick-fixes, yet their performance may not improve. In sports, especially baseball, the first thing athletes do is to try and fix something mechanical, when what plagues them is something else.

This all occurred before BBCOR bats and it is my belief that more hitters are experiencing these roadblocks, frustrations and dips in their offensive production than ever before.

This is also occurring to a generation of hitters who were used to certain expectations when they hit the ball, fair or unrealistic, and now they will have to not only adjust to the physical limitations, but also the psychological ramifications of not having the same outcomes.

Individual players will now have to work harder and work smarter. No longer can the average baseball player just take 100-200 swings a day. BBCOR bats will challenge individual players to focus more on improvement, doing things correctly and becoming a complete and all around hitter.

Dr. Doug Gardner is a Sport Psychology Professional who spent six years (1998-2003) as the Sport Psychology Consultant for the Boston Red Sox. He is the owner of the ThinkSport Consulting Services, which has locations in Northern and Southern California. You can find more of his “Get Mental” columns at www.SportStarsMag.com. Contact Dr. Gardner by email at dg@thinksport.com

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James Logan High in Union City was the place to be for Bay Area track and field teams April 22-23. The Bay Area Top 8 Invitational hosted more than 25 teams from throughout the Bay Area. Many of the athletes used the meet as a tuneup for the elite Sacramento Meet of Champions event taking place at Hughes Stadium on April 30.

SportStars decided to send a photographer to capture some of the action from the Top 8 finals. Results of the meet can be found on the following page.

TOP LEFT: Maurico Cornejo of Terra Linda-San Rafael delivers a shot put attempt during the finals. He won the event with a throw of 55 feet, 10 inches. BOTTOM LEFT: Danielle Pacini, left, passes the baton to Hercules teammate Chalese Davis during the 400 meter relay. The Titans won the event with a time of 48.57, a half-second faster than second-place Kennedy-Richmond. BOTTOM MIDDLE: Willie Latin of Mt. EdenHayward kicks to the finish during his first-place effort in the 400 meters. BELOW: Blake Souza Jr. of Newark Memorial-Newark clears a hurdle during the 110 meter hurdles. Souza did not place in the race, but he did finish fourth in the 300 hurdles.

PHOTOS BY bob larson

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TopEight: TopFive Here are the top five finishers from each varsity finals event at the Bay Area Top 8 track and field meet held at James Logan High on April 22-23.

Boys 100 meters: Viv Shetty (James Logan-Union City) 11.11, Raysean Martin (Hayward) 11.19, Noel Garcia (Washington-Fremont) 11.23, Lazare Gubeladze (Lincoln-S.F.) 11.24, Myles Speegle (Castro Valley) 11.26/ 200: Rondre Skidmore (Tracy) 23.01, Raysean Martin (Hayward) 23.03, Shahin Marzband (Hayward) 23.05, Anthony Grant (Valley Christian-Dublin) 23.59, Eeron Grant (Valley Christian) 24.00.

400: Willie Latin (James Logan) 50.36, Rhomel Clarke (Mt. Eden-Hayward) 50.48, Alex Foster (Castro Valley) 50.78, Talat Aleem (James Logan) 50.83, Roman Skovronski (Newark Memorial-Newark) 50.96.

800: David Nguyen (Mt. Eden) 2:04.47, Matt Alexander (American-Fremont) 2:05.63, Rory Fearon (Miramonte-Orinda) 2:10.55, Adam Roeder (Miramonte) 2:12.59, Matt Jorgens (Newark Memorial) 2:14.73.

1600: Eugenio Geiken (Berkeley) 4:22.99, Arthur Ruvalcaba (Mt. Eden) 4:27.29, Jesse Chestnut (Washington) 4:29.63, Blair Hurlock (Tracy) 4:34.33, Emanuel Morales (Mt. Eden) 4:37.11.

3200: Jesse Chestnut (Washington) 9:52.00, Blair Hurlock (Tracy) 9:52.76, Arthur Ruvalcaba (Mt. Eden) 10:01.20, Arnie Hermes (Northgate-Walnut Creek) 10:02.99, Solomon Mulugeta (American-Fremont) 10:14.09.

110 hurdles: Kenneth Walker III (Kennedy-Richmond) 14.57, Ben Avilla (James Logan) 15.74, Halston Butler (Tennyson) 16.20, Josh Shen (James Logan) 16.21, Da’Rell Calvin (Washington) 16.36 300 hurdles: Ben Avilla (James Logan) 39.68, Roman Skovronski (Newark Memorial) 39.75, Kyle Petrucelli (Tracy) 42.90, Blake Souza (Newark Memorial) 43.21, Chris Webb (Hayward) 43.25.

400 relay: James Logan 42.92, Jesse Bethel-Vallejo 42.93, Kennedy-Richmond 43.34, Newark Memorial 50.59, American 51.81 1600 relay: Miramonte 3:22.97, Castro Valley 3:23.33, James Logan 3:27.84, Washington 3:30.51, Hayward 3:35.16.

High jump: Jonte Grant (Hayward) 6-4, Alex Foster (Castro

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Valley) 6-2, Dikoma Mundike (James Logan) 6-0, Damariay Drew (Livermore) 6-0, Sean Cook (Redwood Christian-San Leandro) 6-0, Jack Champion (Washington) 6-0.

Pole vault: Tomas Ortiz (Newark Memorial) 13-6, Justin Wood (Tracy) 13-6, Noah Julyk (Las Lomas) 13-6, Inderjit Takhar (James Logan) 13-0, Adam Thomas (Benicia) 13-0.

Long jump: Jonte Grant (Hayward) 23-3, Damariay Drew (Livermore) 22-2, Marvin Towles (Tennyson) 21-7, Ben Davis (Castro Valley) 21-2, Terrence Walker (Washington) 20-10.

Triple jump: Jonte Grant (Hayward) 45-9, Ben Davis (Castro Valley) 43-4, Stevonte Young (Hayward) 42-3, Sean Cook (Redwood Christian) 42-1, Jack Champion (Washington) 41-9.

Shot put: Mauricio Cornejo (Terra Linda-San Rafael) 55-10, Curtis Bleasdal (Vacaville) 50-1, Michaelvic Chukwu (American) 47-3, Jacob Hillar (American) 438, Laryan King (Vacaville) 43-6.

Discus throw: Curtis Bleasdal (Vacaville) 162-06, Collin Luu (Lincoln-S.F.) 158-0, Mauricio Cornejo (Terra Linda) 155-0, Michaelvic Chukwu (American) 142-06, Mickowlan McElvogue (Newark Memorial) 139-2.

Girls 100 meters: Atiya Harvey (James Logan) 12.10, Mariee Veale (Hercules) 12.19, Camille Deadwiler (American) 12.35, Jasiri Blake (Berkeley) 12.38, Shelby Smallwood (Valley Christian) 12.44.

200: Mariee Veale (Hercules) 25.23, Shelby Smallwood (Valley Christian) 25.78, Daniela Pacini (Hercules) 25.94, NyErin Buckley (Oakland Tech) 26.37, Taylor Hollis (Newark Memorial) 27.08.

400: Taylor Hollis (Newark Memorial) 58.26, Breonna Alexander (Newark Memorial) 1:00.18, Melissa Del Bene (Clayton ValleyConcord) 1:00.29, Kera Deakins (Miramonte) 1:00.94, Gabrielle Edwards (Unattached) 1:01.64 800: Najae Jones (San Leandro) 2:20.23, Rebekah Ent (Miramonte) 2:22.69, Gina Del Bene (Clayton Valley) 2:26.49, Laura Richardson (Lincoln-S.F.) 2:28.39, Erika Neave (American) 2:28.94.

1600: Kelsey Santisteban (Castro Valley) 5:02.96. Amihan Agustin (James Logan) 5:15.35, Caitlin Mundrane (Northgate) 5:26.37, Madison Hirsch (Mission

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San Jose-Fremont) 5:27.01, Tiffany Monsalud (James Logan) 5:35.97.

3200: Amihan Agustin (James Logan) 11:32.14, Caitlin Mundrane (Northgate) 11:51.94, Tiffany Monsalud (James Logan) 11:55.32, Savannah Ryder (Miramonte) 12:30.48, Gurubala Kotta (Mission San Jose) 12:31.95.

100H: Sasha Wallace (Holy Names-Oakland) 14.32, Taylor Craft (Newark Memorial) 14.68, Serena Felicity (Lincoln-S.F.) 16.58, Kirby Schulz (Miramonte) 16.64, Erin Delaria (Northgate) 17.28 300H: Sasha Wallace (Holy Names-Oakland) 46.08, Kirby Schulz (Miramonte) 46.54, Gabe Stange (James Logan) 48.62, Erin Delaria (Northgate) 50.63, Mianni Brown (James Logan) 51.62.

400 relay: Hercules 48.57, Kennedy-Richmond 49.27, James Logan 49.55, Newark Memorial 50.59, American 51.81.

1600 relay: Hercules 4:00.42, Miramonte 4:01.51, Newark Memorial 4:08.95, Washington 4:12.68, James Logan 4:13.62.

High jump: Celeste Rietveld (Livermore) 5-2, Kelli Van Der Moer (James Logan) 5-0, Jasmine Guinn (Berkeley) 4-8, Erin Kunz (American) 4-8, Jayln Pavone (Tracy) 4-6.

Pole Vault: Megan Gemar (Las Lomas) 12-0, Cimran Virdi (Las Lomas) 12-0, Ariel Cheng (Mission San Jose) 10-6, Stephanie Beaulieu (Livermore) 10-0, Leona Zhu (Mission San Jose) 9-6, Alyssa Wendt (Miramonte) 9-6.

Long jump: Tessa Runels (James Logan) 18-1, Jasmine Guinn (Berkeley) 17-3.5, Brianna Miller (Castro Valley) 16-7, DeJanne Hill (James Logan) 15-9, Julia Shockley (James Logan) 15-2.75.

Triple jump: Ciarra Brewer (James Logan) 42-9, Tessa Runels (James Logan) 39-5, Jenny Thompson (Piedmont) 39-3, Brianna Miller (Castro Valley) 35-7, DeJanne Hill (James Logan) 35-2.

Shot put: Danielle Ioramo (James Logan) 40-11, Briana French (Vacaville) 40-5, Cathy Cai (Lincoln-S.F.) 37-7, Jazzy Ecker (Hayward) 35-1, Alexis Baxter (Hercules) 33-11.

Discus throw: Briana French (Vacaville) 133-10, Cathy Cai (Lincoln-S.F.) 114-08, Janise Powell (James Logan) 109-9, Noelle Donnelly (Castro Valley) 108-8.5, Jazzy Ecker (Hayward) 108-4.

Bob Larson

Tomas Ortiz of Newark Memorial takes flight during the varsity pole vault finals.

The Cougars’ senior won the event with a vault of 13 feet, 6 inches. He edged out Justin Wood of Tracy and Noah Julyk of Las Lomas-Walnut Creek.

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Dry-land workouts help keep swimmers pain-free

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hen you are a swimmer, having a painful shoulder, irritating back pain, or pain in your knee can pull you out of practice, meets — or even worse, a season. Knowing how to train safely with dry-land programs is a key component to avoiding these common swimming injuries.

Dry-land workouts are conditioning programs done outside of the pool. The goal of a dry-land program is to improve swimming performance and to prevent injury. Most dry-land programs are performed two to three times per week.

Dry-land programs should have three components: a warm-up, and the main workout, followed by stretching. The warm-up should be a dynamic warm-up using dynamic stretching activities. The workout component should encompass a combination of strength, flexibility, power, and endurance. This may include upper and lower body exercises, core work, and even plyometrics.

A study published in 2011 on pubescent swimmers showed that a six-week plyometric program significantly improved start times, and turns. Stretching should include upper body, and lower body, including the hip flexors.

Swimmer’s shoulder is a condition affecting the upper arm, and primary has been described as an over-use injury. Pain can be present in the front of the arm, back of the arm, or where the arm connects to the shoulder. By incorporating a scapular strengthening program, studies have found a significant decrease in the onset and duration of symptoms.

Coaches must be careful with this injury since dry-land programs incorporating upper body exercises with bands can accentuate the injury if the participant has bad posture.

Coaches need to be aware of forward shoulder and head positions which place the shoulder into undue stress. Athletes should feel their shoulder blades working, not just the shoulders.

Back pain in young swimmers is commonly seen with athletes who have tight hip flexors and are increasing mileage too quickly or overtraining in events such as butterfly and breaststroke. Both of these strokes

powerfully extend the back, forcing the spine into an extended posture. When the hip is tight, and the muscles in the back aren’t ready for this position, the back can spasm and swimmers are left with pain.

By adding hip extension exercises into your dry-land training, and hip flexor stretching (dynamically with the warm-up and statically with the cool down) hips are less likely to pull on the deep hip flexor muscles attaching to the spine. This will decrease the amount of pressure on the spine and is a good way to avoid this condition.

Breastroker’s knee is a disorder characterized by pain in the medial knee region. This is primarily caused by tight adductors, or muscles that bring the legs together, and weakness in the hip stabilizers. When performing lower body dry-land exercises make sure participants know the proper mechanics for squats, lunges, and jumping activities.

The guidelines of a perfect squat are that participants should have their knees over their second toe, sit hips back, toes forward, and make sure that their knees don’t bend past their feet when standing. Next, be sure to incorporate hip abductor exercises, or side leg lifts into your dry-land programs.

Tight Iliotibial bands (ITB) can also increase the pressure on the medial knee.

Using foam rollers prior to workouts will stretch this area. If your dry-land program has a lower extremity plyometric or running component, good form, and good solid court or running shoes should be worn on a surface safe for jumping to prevent any exacerbation of knee pain.

Using proper form and mechanics will give you the best outcomes from dry-land workouts, and the best way to avoid injuries and swim fast!

Health Watch Robin Bousquet

Robin Bousquet is a physical therapist for the staff of 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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Butch Noble

Colts sophomore Raeann Garza sprints toward first base during a Mission Valley Athletic League game with Washington-Fremont on April 21.

In addition to being the team’s pitching ace, Garza also carried a .414 batting average through April 25.

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Mass of young talent has James Logan rolling while their coach zeroes in on a milestone By clay kallam | Contributor

“T

he program from day one has been about hustle, heart and commitment.”

Teri Johnson has been at James Logan for 26 years now, and her players, Colt fans and opposing teams all know what to expect.

“We are aggressive,” she said — oh, and one other thing: The Colts turn that hustle, heart, commitment and aggression into wins.

In fact, Johnson is closing in on win No. 500, which could come as soon as May 3.

Those wins include three in North Coast Section championship games and 13 league titles, and don’t be surprised if Johnson adds to those totals in 2011. The Colts are in the SportStars’ NorCal Top 15, and have all the pieces in place to win the Mission Valley Athletic League title and make a deep run in the NCS Division I playoffs.

But don’t think Johnson is one of those coaches who’s all about winning and nothing else. Her program isn’t based on the scoreboard as nearly as much as it is on playing the

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e

“There’s rec softball, AAU softball and then there’s Teri Johnson softball. I’m a very aggressive coach.

We will do whatever it takes to get a run — my No. 4 hitter squeezed in a run last week. If you bobble a ball, we’re going to run on you.”

Teri Johnson

Butch Noble

In her 26th year leading James Logan, coach Teri Johnson (right) can attain her 500th career victory with a win over Irvington on May 3.

game the right way.

“I pulled my No. 1 player out for not hustling down the line,” she said. “The girls know that it doesn’t matter if you’re No. 1 or No. 15, Johnson will treat you the same. I told the player I pulled out she couldn’t expect me to take another girl out of the game for not hustling and then not take her out.

“I’ll take a loss,” she said.

Of course, she hasn’t taken that many, and this year’s group, led by sophomore pitcher Raeann Garza and junior infielders Alexis Martinez and Jasmine Reed, is upholding the Logan tradition of team success and individual stars.

The brightest star to come from the Union City school is Vicky Galindo, a shortstop who went on to play for Cal and the U.S. Olympic team, but she’s far from the only success story. Other Colts who’ve made a national impression include Melanie Alkire (a pitcher at Notre Dame), Cheryl Barnes (a catcher for Boston College) and Linda Matsumoto (a pitcher at UC Santa Barbara).

Still, Johnson has had to make adjustments over the years, and this season has included one of the bigger ones, as the pitching rubber was moved back to 43 feet (from 40 feet).

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“A lot of girls are struggling with that extra three feet,” said Johnson. “There’s a lot more hitting. But that’s what they play in the summer in AAU, so it’s not that new.”

But summer ball isn’t perfect: Johnson has issues with the way the club programs are run, and the biggest is cost. “A lot of the good players aren’t able to afford the really good club teams,” said Johnson, especially those from less affluent areas.

It can cost more than $2,000 to play for one of the elite traveling teams, so many of her players are shut out of the exposure the top teams get. “Out here, a lot of my girls can’t afford it.”

Ironically, the payoff of a potential college scholarship simply may not be worth it. Because unlike Division I basketball, which has 15 full rides per program, D-1 softball teams usually divvy up eight to 12 scholarships among a group of players.

“One of my parents kept track of every expense on a spread sheet from when her daughter started playing at 10 years old,” said Johnson. “The girl got a partial scholarship, but it cost the family $48,000.

“And some girls don’t get scholarships, so when is enough enough?”

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Then again, Johnson acknowledged that playing competitive softball at a young age is crucial for a talented player’s development. Her recent teams have been bolstered by the fact that her assistant, Fernando Sanchez, coached Union City girls in the summer over the past few years.

“The fact my girls were playing competitive softball in 10-and-under and 12-and-under really helped,” she said.

But...

“There’s rec softball, AAU softball and then there’s Teri Johnson softball,” said Johnson about her style and expectations.

“I’m a very aggressive coach,” she said. “We will do whatever it takes to get a run — my No. 4 hitter squeezed in a run last week. If you bobble a ball, we’re going to run on you.”

Don’t be fooled into thinking it’s all about offense, though.

Softball has always been dominated by pitchers, and Garza is in the tradition of the long line of outstanding James Logan hurlers. But moving the mound back has changed the equation.

“With more hitting, defense becomes much more important,” said Johnson. That may seem counterintuitive, but in a game with a 40-foot mound, filled with strikeouts and popups, an error can be overcome with another strikeout or popup.

But, with the mound at 43 feet, base hits are more likely, and so that error has a bigger chance of turning into a run.

“I pride myself on my defense,” said Johnson, and through 16 games, the Colts have made just 20 errors.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have an ace on the mound.

Garza was 10-2 after beating Washington-Fremont in a crucial MVAL game April 21. The sophomore gave up a run in the third inning, but then settled down to retire the last 13 in a row — while her offense caught fire late in the 8-1 win.

That kept the Colts unbeaten in MVAL play, and as always,

that’s a league with a lot of solid teams. Johnson welcomes the competition, though. “The stronger your league, the stronger your team,” she said.

Irvington, Washington and American are all capable of pulling off an upset, but the big rival this season is Newark Memorial. James Logan beat the Cougars 3-2 at home but the rematch will be at Newark in the second-to-last game of the year.

And speaking of adjustments, that’s another one.

For the first time, the MVAL won’t have league playoffs this spring, so the automatic berth in the NCS playoffs — and a higher seed — will be on the line in that May 17 meeting.

But Johnson has always managed to move with the tides.

She played at Albany High School and San Francisco State, before coming back to Albany to coach in the early ‘80s. After two years, she moved to Logan, and she’s been there ever since — though the culture and kids have changed around her. The biggest difference?

“The cell phones,” she said. “They’ve really affected sports.

Little things get into their heads. Somebody texts that their boyfriend was with another girl — there’s so many more things.”

And the outside pressures, from academics on down, have increased. “They’re taking on so much more,” she said, which has also affected their approach to the game.

“I don’t see the kids being as hungry,” she said. “In the old days, a kid would break a finger and still want to play. It was just school and softball.”

But the changes, at least at Logan, are more superficial than substantial. The Colts still play the same way they did when Johnson started a quarter-century ago, and of course, they still win. “Through the years,” Johnson said, “the tradition has carried on.” ✪

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NorCal Softball Top 15 Records are through April 23. Teams from the Central Section are not considered.

Rank, team.................................................Record

1. Archbishop Mitty-San Jose.......................... 16-2 2. Johansen-Modesto...................................... 16-0 3. Sheldon-Sacramento................................... 14-3 4. Elk Grove...................................................... 15-4

5. San Benito-Hollister..................................... 19-1 6. James Logan-Union City............................. 14-3 7. Rodriguez-Fairfield....................................... 18-3

8. Gilroy............................................................. 17-3 9. Merrill West-Tracy........................................ 17-1 10. Aptos........................................................... 15-2 11. Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove......................... 12-6 12. California-San Ramon............................... 10-1

13. Sierra-Manteca........................................15-1-1 14. Pinole Valley-Pinole................................... 13-1

15. Newark Memorial-Newark......................... 16-2

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extra bases

Two NCS vs. SJS games highlight Dave Stewart/A’s Showdown De La Salle High and the Oakland A’s are teaming up once again for what will be the fifth

tradition, two Oakland high schools will face off in the first game of the day. The last two games

The event features three showcase games at the Oakland Coliseum, with proceeds from the

Joaquin Section programs. Here’s a glance at each matchup. All records are through April 23.

annual Dave Stewart/Oakland A’s High School Baseball Showdown.

event going to the A’s Community Fund and benefitting Oakland inner city youth baseball. As is Butch Noble

Mitch Walding, the St. Mary’sStockton ace hurler, also threw 20 touchdowns and for more than 2,700 yards as the school’s quarterback this past fall.

will feature a pair of standout North Coast Section teams squaring off against two of the top Sac— Chace Bryson

Amador Valley-Pleasanton vs. Elk Grove, 1 p.m.

AMADOR VALLEY (7-8) League standing: T-6th, East Bay Athletic League Key wins: Granada-Livermore (12-4), 2-1 on March 30; Heritage-Brentwood (10-5), 7-6 on March 22.

Key losses: San Ramon Valley (12-2), 1-0 on April 15; Trabuco Hills-Mission Viejo (20-2), 4-3 on April 21 Top players: Duke-bound pitcher Nick Piscotty has posted a 1.00 ERA and struck out 47 over his first 35 innings of work. Joe Maroney leads the team in hitting (.343), runs (7) and stolen bases (6).

Fun fact: The Dons return 11 seniors from the 2010 team which won the program’s first North Coast Section title and its first EBAL championship in 20 seasons.

ELK GROVE (15-3) League standing: 1st, Delta Valley League Key win: Franklin-Elk Grove (14-4-1), 8-7 on April 4 Key losses: Archbishop Mitty-San Jose (18-4-1), 6-3 on March 12; Cathedral Catholic-San Diego (17-2), 7-5 on April 21.

Top players: J.D. Davis, a pitcher and third baseman, batted .528 with 5 HR and 16 RBI over the team’s first 12 games.

Pitcher Ryan King won his first four starts with a 1.17 ERA. Fun fact: Legendary sports agent Scott Boras is a graduate of Elk Grove HS. BREAKDOWN: Amador Valley needs to kick-start the offense of senior shortstop Chris Keck in order to break out of its minor tailspin. The UCLA-bound talent hasn’t got much to his this season and opened the year going just 6-for-25. If he can heat up, the Dons could follow suit. For this game, it will boil down to who the Dons are able to pitch because the Elk Grove offense is a menacing one. The Thundering Herd held a team average of .353 through 18 games.

De La Salle-Concord vs.

St. Mary’s-Stockton, 4 p.m.

DE LA SALLE (12-3) League standing: T-2nd, East Bay Athletic League Key win: Monte Vista-Danville (11-4), 4-0 on March 30 Key losses: San Ramon Valley-Danville (12-2), 8-0 on April 1; Granada (12-4), 10-3 on April 13.

Top players: After tossing a no-hitter in a 3-0 shutout of Foothill-Pleasanton on April 20, senior pitcher Logan West carried a 6-2 record with two saves.

Fun fact: Spartans coach Matt Castello is in the first year of his second tenure coaching the team. The 1980 DLS grad is a member of the school’s Hall of Fame (Class of 2008) as well as a member of the Saint Mary’s College Athletic Hall of Fame (Class of 2000).

ST. MARY’S (12-6) League standing: 1st, Tri-City League Key win: Archbishop Mitty (18-4-1), 1-0 on April 23 Key losses: Bishop Gorman-Las Vegas (20-4), 16-4 on March 19; St. Francis-Mountain View (20-4), 4-1 on March 5.

Top players: Mitch Walding does it all for the Rams.

Through April 23, Walding lead the team in average (.436) and RBI (15). And on the mound he was 5-0 with 0.40 ERA in eight starts.

Fun fact: Walding was also the starting QB on the Rams football team which went 11-2 during the 2010 season. One of those two losses? De La Salle.

BREAKDOWN: This has the potential to be the best game of the day. Few Northern California have had a hotter April than the Rams, and De La Salle tends to thrive in big-stage games. The Spartans tend to run hot and cold on offense, but have shown a propensity to play well in one-run games. If Walding and West both have innings left to throw (from their allowable 10 innings per week), the crowd could be in for a good showdown.

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Bob Larson

UCLA-bound Chris Keck had a dominant junior year for Amador Valley in 2010, but has yet to break out offensively this season. For the Dons to have any chance at defending their NCS title, he’ll need to regain some of that offensive mojo.

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extra bases Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland vs. Oakland Tech, 10 a.m.

BISHOP O’DOWD (11-5-1) League standing: 1st, Hayward Area Athletic League Best win: Moreau Catholic-Hayward (11-3), 8-7 on April 6 Key losses: St. Francis-Mountain View (20-4), 3-0 on March 11; Two losses to Heritage-Brentwood (10-5), 6-0 on March 28 and 2-1 on April 18.

Top players: Pitcher, Joe Ross, has a 1.03 ERA and has struck out 54 in 40 innings of work. Outfielder Agyei Jackson leads the team with a .444 average.

Fun fact: Ross is the younger brother of Oakland A’s starter/reliever, Tyson Ross.

OAKLAND TECH (4-4) League standing: 1st, Oakland Athletic League Key win: Skyline-Oakland (8-5-1), 8-4 on April 6 Key loss: College Park-Pleasant Hill, 4-2 on March 1 Top players: Outfielders James Harris and Francis Griffen are each key elements to the Bulldogs‘ offensive attack. A speedster, Harris is drawing the attention of Major League

scouts.

Fun fact: Since 1996, Oakland Tech and Skyline have been the only two programs to win OAL titles.

BREAKDOWN: With a key league game against ArroyoSan Lorenzo coming the day before, it’s likely the Dragons will pitch Ross in that game — which would likely mean he won’t take the mound Saturday. That could open the door for Oakland Tech to be competitive if the Bulldogs are able to keep Bishop O’Dowd’s offense at bay.

The 411 ■ WHAT: Dave Stewart / Oakland A’s High School Baseball Showdown ■ WHEN: May 7, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

■ WHERE: Oakland Coliseum ■ TICKETS: $10 for adults; Kids 14-under are FREE. They are available for presale at all six participating schools, or can be purchased at the Coliseum box office the day of the event.

NorCal Baseball Top 15 Records are through April 23. Teams from the Central Section are not considered.

Rank, team..............................................Record 1. St. Francis-Mountain View........................ 20-4 2. Archbishop Mitty-San Jose....................... 18-4 3. Elk Grove................................................... 15-3 4. Alameda..................................................... 14-1 5. Wilcox-Santa Clara .................................. 20-3 6. San Ramon Valley-Danville...................... 12-2 7. De La Salle-Concord................................. 12-3 8. Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove........................ 15-3 9. Turlock....................................................... 17-4 10. Clayton Valley-Concord....................... 12-1-2 11. St. Mary’s-Stockton................................. 12-6 12. San Marin-Novato................................ 15-1-1 13. Granada-Livermore................................. 12-4 14. Monte Vista-Danville................................11-4 15. James Logan-Union City........................ 13-2

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April 28, 2011

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endurance | outdoors | adventure

NOCLEATS required

Mark Kolding takes unconventional leap from baseball to triathlons

B

By Chace Bryson | Editor

aseball players may be able to accomplish one of the hardest skills in professional sports — hitting a baseball. But when it comes to listing the most conditioned athletes by sport, baseball players aren’t the first that come to mind.

Which means Mark Kolding just might be breaking new ground — as the baseball triathlete.

“I don’t know if I’ve met another one yet,” said Kolding, who will be competing for the UC Davis triathlon team in the collegiate Olympic Course race of the AVIA Wildflower Triathlons at Lake San Antonio on May 1.

Baseball was Kolding’s primary sport growing up, and it took him to a three-year varsity career with El Cerrito High — which concluded in 2010 when the Gauchos finished as runners-up to Miramonte-Orinda in a 15-inning North Coast Section

tristars: endurance outdoors adventure “My impressions going in was that it wasn’t going to be that hard. I was a little wary of the swim because I wasn’t that strong of a swimmer. It was all really short, but it still ended up being a lot harder than I thought it would.”

Mark Kolding Division III championship tilt. Kolding pitched eight innings of that 3-0 defeat.

But Kolding was never one to be overly tied to baseball.

Constantly active in different outdoor activities — even earning his Eagle Scout status last summer — Kolding was always open to the next challenge.

As it turns out, he spotted it while watching the 2008 Summer Olympics.

“I first saw triathlons in the 2008 Olympics and it seemed like a pretty cool sport,” Kolding said. “I wanted to pursue something individually and I knew how to swim, bike and like to run a lot. So I thought i’d get into it.”

He started training and first competed in the event in the Entry Level Sprint Distance triathlon at the 2009 Triathlon at Pacific Grove. The event, built for beginners, features a quarter-mile swim, 12.4-mile bike and a two-mile run.

“My impressions going in was that it wasn’t going to be that hard,” Kolding said. “I was a little wary of the swim because I wasn’t that strong of a swimmer. It was all really short, but it still ended up being a lot harder than I thought it would.”

He would go on to finish in one hour, nine minutes and three seconds — exactly four minutes ahead of his dad. Not surprisingly, both of Kolding’s parents are athletes. His mom, Marybeth, played collegiate water polo for Cal and then went on to compete internationally. She met Mark’s father, Lance, when he became her water polo coach.

Kolding’s Pacific Grove time of 1:09.03 was good enough to rank him sixth out of nine entrants in his age group of 17-19 year-olds.

It was also good enough to spark a real competitive interest.

“All the triathletes say that once you do one (triathlon) you just get addicted and you have to keep doing it,” Kolding said.

“That’s pretty much how it was for me.”

So when he got to UC Davis, he looked up the Triathlon team. As well as the baseball club team.

“I didn’t want to completely give up baseball,” he added.

The club team is a low-commitment option for baseball players who aren’t playing for the school’s intercollegiate team to stay competitive. They still play 3-4 games every weekend and travel to tournaments up and down the West Coast.

The commitment level is just right for Kolding who said he doesn’t have any grand desires to try out for the official UC Davis team which features his former El Cerrito teammate Tino Lipson. Lipson is redshirting this season.

“Playing for that team would be a massive commitment and

Bob Larson photos

Mark Kolding delivers a pitch during the 2010 North Coast Section Division III championship game on June 5. He was the workhorse for the El Cerrito staff in his senior season, pitching 82 innings with a team-leading five complete games. He now pitches on weekends for the UC Davis club team.

I wouldn’t have time for triathlon, or anything else,” said Kolding, who’s worked himself into a regular pitching role with the club team. “I definitely want to keep playing baseball. But I’m trying to be more competitive with triathlon.”

All of it has let to grueling weekly schedule for Kolding. In addition to his studies — he’s elected a course of study in the field of exercise biology — he says he typically trains by riding twice during the week, running three times and swimming four times.

Baseball is forced to wait until the weekend.

“That’s sort of like my rest,” he laughed.

The fact that he’s turned a serious competitive eye to triathlon is of no surprise to his high school baseball coach.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that he’d do well at it,” El Cerrito coach Brian Nichols said. “He’s always been competitive, but very determined and quiet about it.”

How quickly has Kolding adapted to it since that first effort at Pacific Grove?

“I think swimming is always the hardest for me,” he admit-

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ted. “I think a lot of people feel like swimming is the hardest.

It can get really boring, and it’s kind of tough when you’re in the water and feel like you could just drown. Mentally, it’s the toughest.”

Plus, before you can even swim you have to get in the water.

Which was a slight issue for Kolding the first time.

“I was pretty intimidated by the water because it was in the low 40s and I was one of three people out of hundreds without a wetsuit,” he said. “But right when the horn went off, I just ran in because you don’t really think about it and adrenaline just takes over.”

The Wildflower race will be Kolding’s first Olympic-distance effort.

“I’m confident I can do it because I can do all of the individual distances well,” he said. “In fact, I’ve been training by doing more than those distances.”

But the real question surrounding his Olympic distance debut: Is he apt to find another baseball player? ✪ April 28, 2011

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tristars

Just a high school freshman, there’s no slowing Finchamp

Tri-California

Hannah Rae Finchamp powers through her mountain biking segment on the way to a second-place finish in the 2010 Scott Tinley’s Adventures Off-Road Extreme Triathlon at Lake Lopez in San Luis Obispo last October.

W

By timothy carlson | Contributor

hen Hannah Rae Finchamp was 9-years old, she had been participating in youth soccer and gymnastics for years. Because, as she explains, “I always want to do something — It is not OK to sit around and relax.”

She urged her mother to take her to a kids’ running race in Carlsbad. When she finished that mile in an impressive 6:53, her first thought was “It was too short.” So the very next day she entered the 3.1-mile Carlsbad 5,000 and finished in an equally impressive 23:18.

Soon thereafter, Finchamp was wandering through a 5k race expo when she spotted a sign that said simply “Triathlon” and headed toward it.

“They don’t have triathlons for kids,” said her mother Debbie.

“Oh yes they do,” said the man at the booth.

In December 2005, her parents agreed to take the young Altadena girl to the Hammerhead Triathlon Camp for kids in Gilroy and she loved it.

“It was really exciting,” Finchamp recalls of the camp which concluded with a short triathlon. “I was a little kid and it was

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such a fun game to be switching from event to event — especially when it’s so short. I remember running around and having a great time. I loved to be working hard, to get out front and trying to fly through the transitions.”

In the next few years she started cutting her competitive teeth in Tri-California events at popular races triathlons like Wildflower and Pacific Grove in Monterey County, Treasure Island and Alcatraz in San Francisco, thanks to her supportive father Chris, a financial adviser, and mother Debbie, a PhD in psychology, who understood her passion for this challenging sport. It was a passion fueled, in no small part, by her love of competition and how good she was.

“My mom and dad are both extremely supportive and they both love that I’m doing this and want to keep pushing to do this long term with high goals and aspirations,” said Finchamp.

Cut to 2010 and the little 9-year-old girl had become a 14-year-old triathlon phenom on several fronts. In Tri-California events in central California, she was winning her age group (often against competitors two years older and placing in the top five against women of all age groups) regularly at short-distance sprint triathlons. And once she started racing in the rugged, off-road triathlons featuring longer distances of Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsMag.com

tristars: endurance outdoors adventure tough mountain bike terrain and demanding trail runs, her record shined even brighter.

In April of last year, she finished 12th overall amateur female and 2nd in the 1519 age group (because she would turn 15 in December) as a 14-year-old at the XTERRA West Championship at Lake Las Vegas. She finished just 11 minutes behind 16-year-old Shayna Powless and 12:12 behind the much older overall women’s amateur winner.

Following that, Finchamp was the 25th amateur woman overall and won the 15-19 age group by 19 minutes, 53 seconds over a

17-year-old rival at the XTERRA Mountain Championship at Beaver Creek, Colorado.

With that win, she qualified for the XTERRA World Championship last October in Maui.

Although prepared by tough, rocky, hilly courses at Las Vegas and Beaver Creek, the 1.5k swim, 32 kilometer bike and 12 kilometer run in the tropical heat at Maui presented a higher level of challenge that is daunting even for long-time professionals.

“Maui was really exciting with really brutal terrain and really hot,” said Finchamp. “There were a lot of climbs and downhills in a three

and a half hour race, and it was all about con- hind the top American girl, and 10th overall.

With that race, she qualified to race in the quering with your mind as well as physically.

“When you are out there on tough trails for elite juniors in the PATCO Championship in that long, you have to keep pushing through Edmonton, Canada this summer. This race, and remember a lot of people are out there even more than her XTERRA championship, fuels her dreams. with you, trying to beat you.”

“I’ve been thinking along the lines of But Finchamp was up to the challenge and finished 219th overall of 509 finishers in Olympic aspirations,” she says.

Through all of this heady success, Fin3:43:10.

Most important, she was a world cham- champ and her parents continue to keep a pion — 10 minutes 43 seconds ahead of perspective to avoid the threat of obsession the second amateur female in the 15-19 age and its two byproducts — burnout and injury.

“As far as being competigroup — even though she tive, you have to be careful was still 14 years old. Putting how much, how fast and her effort in perspective, she how hard you train,” she would have finished 4th in says. “As a young athlete you the women’s 20-24 and 25do not want to go too far too 29 divisions. Her swim was quickly or you will break faster than the professional down muscles and bones women’s winner, and her that are still growing. You bike leg would have been 3rd need to find the right balfastest in the women’s 20-24 ance. division.

“I think that cross train“It’s a great feeling to be ing in three sports that stress a world champion at this different parts of the body point,” she said. “At races like helps keep me healthy. I Maui, you are around world believe I would have been champions and some Olymmuch more likely to get inpic athletes and it gives you jured if I was just training something to aim at, someand racing in one sport all thing to work towards.” the time.”

Her triathlon accomAs a freshman at Maraplishments last year caught natha High School in Pasathe attention of the USA Tridena, Finchamp likes to athlon youth development compete in cross country, officials who invited her to but her priorities remain the Junior North American with triathlon.

Championship on March 5 “For competitive racing in Clermont, Florida. Once I will stick to triathlon,” she again, regulations included said. “I will always do runFinchamp as the youngest ning races for training and girl in the 16-19-year old this spring I raced at the Sea field as her 16th birthday Otter bike racing festival. I would fall on December 18. am not a bike racer but they Unlike normal age group are great training for triathtriathlons, this race of interlon.” national stars would be com With different coaches peting in draft-legal, close Hannah Rae Finchamp for swimming, cycling and quarters cycling, just like the running, she gets plenty of elites at the Olympics. personal attention to de“It was quite the chalvelop her gifts. But with her lenge,” recalls Finchamp. “A sights set high in a sport that lot of the girls come from an elite swim background and were extremely is still a bit rare for a high school student, her fast, so I got out of the water with the fourth pursuit of her dreams is a bit lonely at times.

“In high school sports we have cyclists, pack of girls on the bike. I set my sights high and bridged my way to the third group and runners and swimmers but no one else comtried to organize those girls to catch the next petes in all three,” she says. “In that sense you pack. But no one took a pull, so I thought I are completely alone. So when I get to a big might as well make it to the first chase (sec- race like Clermont, it is nice to be able to talk ond) pack. On the run, everyone was ex- with people who are doing the same thing tremely close and pushing hard and came in and realize that we are all working just as hard, giving up time with friends and know within 30 seconds.”

Finchamp came in fifth in the US, 3:36 be- that we are not crazy to try to do this.” ✪

“It’s a great feeling to be a world champion at this point.

At races like Maui, you are around world champions and some Olympic athletes and it gives you something to aim at, something to work towards.”

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tristars: endurance outdoors adventure

A Day in the Bay: Tri-California sets up for its second Alcatraz Swim Challenge It’s not as hardcore as the Alcatraz Triathlon that will take place in August, but participants will get just as wet.

The second running of Tri-California’s Alcatraz Swim Challenge will take place on Sunday, May 22. The 1.5 mile swim course begins at Alcatraz and finishes at the East Beach of Crissy Field located in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area’s Presidio Park.

The race is held on a very strict timeline to help deal with the Bay’s strong currents, getting started at 8 a.m. sharp. Training sessions for the swim take place the day before.

Contributed photos Eileen Swanson, 35, of San Ramon was the fastest to the shore in last year’s event, turning in a time of 29 minutes, 3 seconds. The fastest male time was 30:03 and belonged to Brad Oglevee of Arlington, VA. The top youth times (16-19 year olds) from the race were turned in

by Menlo Park’s Nick Henze (32:07) and Sunnyvale’s Elizabeth Huang (36:13). ✪ — SportStars

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tee2green

East Bay Athletic League flexes its muscle at Transbay Tournament San Ramon Valley-Danville junior shoots 4-under par, but team takes second Cody Blick and Chris Parkinson did just about everything they could.

The pair of teammates from Danville’s San Ramon Valley High posted a 4-under par 68 and an even-par 72, respectively. But the when the five-golfer team scores were posted following 18 holes on the Dollar Ranch Course at Rossmoor Country Club, Blick and Parkinson’s Wolves were still stuck atop the Transbay Tournament leaderboard with fellow East Bay Athletic League foe Foothill-Pleasanton.

First place would be determined by a card-off with both teams adding up their scores on the back nine. And there would be no tie after that. Foothill posted a 184 over the last nine holes, against a 189 from San Ramon Valley.

Blick still got to take home medalist honors, though. The next best individual score belonged to Foothill’s Nico Galletti who posted a 2-under 70. Blick, Galletti and Parkinson were three out of 14 East Bay Athletic League golfers to land inside the Top 25. Among the team scores, the EBAL grabbed first, second, third, fifth and sixth. Acalanes, led by freshman William Brueckner — one of two freshman in the Top 5 with Parkinson being the other — broke up the EBAL love-fest by finishing fourth.

The EBAL will undoubtedly be a force to be reckoned with during the North Coast Section postseason. The first postsea-

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Gerry Machi/ Foothill Golf

FoothillPleasanton’s Nico Galletti shined at a 54-hole AJGA event in Arizona. son tournaments take place May 9 with the NCS Division I qualifier at Sunol Valley Golf Club in Sunol, and the Division II Tournament of Champions at Rooster Run Golf Club in Petaluma. The Division I Tournament of Champions will be held on May 16 at Contra Costa Country Club in Pleasant Hill.

Galletti shines in Arizona Just one day before helping Foothill pull off the team title at the Transbay, Nico Galletti was competing at American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Heather Farr Classic, played on the 7,000-yard Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, AZ. He finished second in the three-day, 54-hole tournament — but it still took Zachary Wright of Phoenix 55 holes to beat him. Wright won the tournament in the first playoff hole after the two finished tied at 209 strokes (4-under par) for the tournament. Galletti’s scores for the three rounds included two 69’s and one 71. Par for Longbow is 71. He posted 13 birdies over the three days.

— SportStars

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THE LEADERBOARD Rossmoor CC, Dollar Ranch Course, Par 72 TEAM SCORES (Five golfers only) Foothill-Pleasanton 380*, San Ramon Valley-Danville 380, Amador Valley-Pleasanton 385, Acalanes-Lafayette 390, Monte Vista-Danville 392, Miramonte-Orinda 407, College Park-Pleasant Hill 407, Palo Alto 418, Rocklin 423, Campolindo-Moraga 424, Northgate-Walnut Creek 432, California-San Ramon 442, Stuart Hall-S.F. 444, AlhambraMartinez 448, Athenian-Danville 456, Ukiah 469, Lowell-S.F. 470, Las Lomas-Walnut Creek 474, Benicia 485, Clayton Valley-Concord 505, Concord 518, Pittsburg 528 *— Awarded first-place in a card-off scoring the back nine (184-189) TOP 25 INDIVIDUALS 68 — Cody Blick, San Ramon Valley 70 — Nico Galletti, Foothill 71 — Sam Neithammer, Palo Alto 72 — Will Brueckner, Acalanes 72 — Chris Parkinson, San Ramon Valley 74 — Drew Bender, Monte Vista 74 — Justin Shotwell, Amador Valley 75 — Austin Collier, College Park 75 — Harrison Kim, Acalanes 75 — Matt Yount, Foothill

76 — A.J. Hebert, Amador Valley 76 — Max Kirske, Northgate 77 — Roshan Chekuri, Foothill 77 — Patrick Fabian, Miramonte 77 — Dominic Brutocao, Ukiah 77 — Patrick Duffy, Amador Valley 77 — R.J. Magat, Monte Vista 78 — Nick Mazzoni, San Ramon Valley 78 — Max Chang, Monte Vista 78 — Ramon Alejo, College Park 78 — Michael Mencaccy, Rocklin 79 — Alec Bommarito, Amador Valley 79 — Parker Ramsey, Acalanes 79 — Kyle Bower, Monte Vista

Butch Noble/Sportstars File

San Ramon Valley-Danville junior Cody Blick turned in a bristling 4-under-par 68 to take home medalist honors at the Transbay Tournament on April 25.

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tee2green

Spend your summer on the golf course with The First Tee Life Skills Experience By angela paradise | First Tee Files Summer is coming!!! Summer is coming!!! UH-OH! How are you going to keep the kids busy and out of trouble?

The First Tee Life Skills Experience may be just the answer. The First Tee Golf Camps are a unique blend of golf and life skills instruction. In addition to learning golf skills, rules and etiquette, young golfers are exposed to life skills that not only help in life but also help with the mental aspect of the game of golf.

Through The First Tee golfers are coached through various situations and given tools to address each one.

We all get frustrated at some point, right? The First Tee golfers are given tools to defuse the frustration and continue on with their golf game. Not only that — the techniques are so easy to remember the golfers can carry them over to school and to home life.

At The First Tee of Contra Costa camps are four hours a day for four days (check your local Chapter for camp schedules) and are a big hit with young golfers.

■ Looking for something more than just a camp? The First Tee offers a Summer Session as well.

Kids learn about golf and the life

skills and values inherent to the game. Golfers between ages 7-18 start at the PLAYer level and progress through Par, Birdie and Eagle Levels. Target classes are available to participants ages 5-6 years old. During these sessions participants learn to golf…but more importantly they are given tools for self-management, conflict resolution, goal setting and giving back to the community.

They are given opportunities to work on leadership skills and mentoring other golfers. Wouldn’t that be a productive way to spend a summer?

Learning by having fun golfing. At The First Tee of Contra Costa no child is turned away for the inability to pay.

Please check with your chapter for fee assistance details.

Sorry mom and dad, The First Tee is only open to kids!

The First Tee golfers are given tools to defuse the frustration and continue on with their golf game. Not only that — the techniques are so easy to remember the golfers can carry them over to school and to home life.

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First Tee Files is a rotating column featuring administrators from the four Bay Area chapters of The First Tee. Angela Paradise is the executive assitant for The First Tee Contra Costa.

Find out more on each chapter at: www.TheFirstTeeContraCosta.org, www.TheFirstTeeOakland.org, www.

TheFirstTeeSanJose.org and www.

TheFirstTeeTriValley.org.

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Is it possible for young athletes to peak at certain times in a season?

T

oday I want to cover a situation that I get asked about quite a bit when it comes to having your athletes peaking at certain times of the season.

How and how often do you squeeze in speed training and weight training for your young athlete (to help with power, speed and strength) when they are already either practicing or having games five days a week for more than two hours nearly year round? And what about needing to be in peak performance for specific tournaments at the end of the season?

This is certainly a situation that many young athletes face regardless of the sport.

First you must take into account how old your young athlete is. I realize you want your young athletes “peaking” for the important times within a season, but it can’t be at the expense of proper developmental progress, which is largely age determined.

You always have to remember that solid systemic strength training is a foundational component of being able to execute and exhibit quality speed. Especially with young athletes, there really is no such commodity as “speed training” or “strength training.”

Due in large part to the way the Central Nervous System uniformly develops during the pre-adolescent and adolescent years, ALL training stimulus affects the biomotors across the board (i.e. strength training directly influences speed, as does mobility, flexibility and vice versa).

In the above situation your young athlete shouldn’t partake in any sort of exclusive “speed training.” It is more important to focus on weight room activities that teach fundamental elements of force production and absorption (technical skill in compound lifts) as well as mobility/flexibility.

These stimuli will have a greater impact on your young athletes’ running form and ability than would exclusive speed work, and they would also help prevent against injury.

Furthermore, when talking about “peaking” for a certain time of year, it’s important to understand the actual physiology behind the science of periodization/peaking.

Actual periodization/peaking is MUCH more than just ascending through progressive training stimulus over a given period of time. Other important variables such as

nutrition, sleep and emotional sensitivity all need to be factored into the equation.

In fact, effective periodization/peaking is all but impossible in contemporary youth sports (especially considering that most youth sports are played 12 months a year and definitive transition times are completely negated — which is critical because optimal peaking is built around a transitional phase).

There are a great number of trainers and coaches who cling to the notion of scientific application with respect to training and conditioning. But in doing so, they are missing a tremendous part of the equation.

What’s missing from the equation entirely is recovery, compensation and the fact that one must consider if your young athlete is ready for the stimulus you want to apply and how best to fit the right conditioning program into the right situation.

In the situation above, young athletes are on their feet, running, cutting and jumping literally 12 months out of the year with little to no time for the other parts of training, such as weight room activities that teach them how to produce and absorb force, proper execution along with mobility and flexibility, which will truly serve to make your young athlete complete.

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 with questions or feed- back at tim@ fit2thecore.com.

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impulse Bringin’ home the hardware Your team just won the championship and you just treated them to a pizza party for the ages. Now you need to hook ‘em up with some serious hardware. Let us make the decision for you: Diablo Trophies. They’ve been around since Eisenhower was president, so go with one of the most tenured and well-respected trophy businesses in the area. They can make personalized trophies for each player, as well as plaques so you can honor athletes for specific achievements throughout that banner season. Give ‘em a call at (925) 680-0155 or reach ‘em at www.diablotrophy.com

Eat better. Play better Many golfers think all they need to be prepared for 18 holes are their clubs, scorecard and fully-gassed cart. But you’re not like most golfers.

You know the importance of fueling up before and during your round. And you also know a cheeseburger and candy bar won’t cut it. You need something that’s good for you but also something that doesn’t taste like cardboard. That’s why you always go with the 1st Tee and 10th Tee protein bars. The 1st Tee bar is loaded with protein and gooey richness that will keep you on top of your game. You’ll be so jazzed on the course, you won’t need a cart. The 10th Tee bar keeps your motor running just when you’re about to sleepwalk the back nine. With the perfect blend of proteins, carbs and flavor, the 10th Tee bar is a little less robust than the 1st Tee bar. Choose your favorite flavor from Oatmeal Raisin, Chocolate Peanut, Chocolate Peanut and Caramel, Chocolate Raisin or get ’em all. Hit up www.golfenergybar.com to get yours now.

Who’s that behind you?

Ridin’ in style What cyclist doesn’t want to look like the freshest dude on the course? Gone are the days of wearing spandex when you get fitted from Club Ride. Their hip style equals trendsetting status but you’ll also feel cool as a cucumber as you climb those hills in the baking sun and speed toward the finish line. Choose your jersey from the Bowler, Drifter, Roxbury, Biff or Nut Head. Rock a new look for every race. These jerseys are made with materials that make for easy moving whether you’re on or off your bike. Sweat can also take a backseat since these jerseys have back vent and full side vent systems; they’re also highly wicking and quick drying, so it’ll always feel like you’re cruising in the Arctic Tundra. Get your new duds now by hitting up www.clubrideapparel.com

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It’s tough always being in first place, but somehow you always handle it with grace and dignity like the champ you are. Make sure you stay in the top spot by wearing ViewPoint. Attach this little devil on your sunglasses and it acts like a rear-view mirror. The ViewPoint can pivot 40 degrees and mounts to any non-wraparound glasses. Constantly turning your head to locate second and third place is stressful enough and can easily throw you off your rhythm.

Seriously, don’t make winning your race any more difficult than it needs to be. And for only $15, we think this is a steal of the week. Get your ViewPoint now and stand at the top of the podium tomorrow.

Who’s that behind you? The sequel For road cyclists, you can also get the ViewPoint but we recommend snatching up the Roadie. There’s no hassle as this tiny mirror takes just seconds to install. It goes on the end of your handlebars and will keep you always on the ball as you can track oncoming competition. It has a wide field of view so you can see if even a wild bear is emerging from the woods. If you don’t see anyone behind you, don’t worry, the Roadie still works. It just means you left them in the dust. Think of it this way: for just $20, this is another step toward the yellow jersey. Grab your ViewPoint and Roadie online at www.cycleaware.com. But don’t stop there. Cycle Aware has other cool gear for all bike riders, whether you’re racing in the Alps or commuting to work. Check out the Slap & Wrap, the Heads Up! and the Urbie.

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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 sign-ups 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: 925-416-1600, 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 925-416-1600, or go line to www.thepitchingcenter. com.

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

City of Walnut Creek Baseball is Fun Beginner Camp. July 25-Aug. 4, 9 a.m.-noon, Mon.-Thur. at Tice Valley Park; Extended day/week available w/Deluxe Sport Option. Ages 5-9. $35/$75. Registration: www.walnut creeksportsleague.com, 925-952-4450.

All American Softball 2011 Softball Summer Day Camp at Alyce Norman Bryte Playfields. Girls of all ages welcome. Camp features a college softball Q&A with our All- American staff. $250/ athlete; $150/ athlete when registering 6 or more at one time. Info: 916-374-1907, www. softballschool.com.

BASKETBALL City of Walnut Creek Basketball is Fun Beginner Camp. July 1121 at Tice Valley Park; extended day/week available with Deluxe Sport Option. Ages 5-12. $35/$65 per week. Registration and info: www.walnut creeksportsleague.com, 925-952-4450.

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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@stmarys- ca.edu; www.smcgaels.com.

Bladium Triple Threat Academy Alameda’s Bladium Sports & Fitness Club hosts multiple hoops camps for ages 6-12.

Designed for players of ALL skill levels.

Registration: AlamedaSales@bladium. com, 510-814-4999; www.bladium.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.

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: 925-360-7454 or www.EarthquakeArabians.com for more info.

Kelly Maddox Riding Academy Develop new friendships with other horsecrazy 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; http://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 Looking for training secrets that will make you faster than you’ve ever been before? Then don’t miss the “Sport Speed Camp” presented by the Children’s Hospital Oakland Sports Medicine staff.

Benefits will include increased speed, quickness and agility; improved flexibility so you can run faster; core stability for more efficient movement; and fun teamwork drills and games. Three two-week sessions are available: June 20-July 1, July 11-22, and Aug. 1-12. All camp sessions are Monday through Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. The instructor is Jamie Faison, ATC and CSCS with the sports medicine staff.

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.

To RSVP, call 510-428-3558 and hit option 3.

Fit 2 The Core As a Youth Conditioning, Speed/Agility and Nutrition Specialist with the IYCA, Fit- 2-TheCore 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: 925- 639-0907.

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: 925932-6400, 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,

Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsMag.com

camps + clinics 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) FUZE Fit For A Kid FUZE is a privately-held, DOJ-certified youth-only health club and curricula modeled after the principles of the Positive Coaching Alliance. FUZE enhances athletic development, socialization and self-esteem. Info: 888-FIT 4 A KID; www. fuzefit.com 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 Diablo Football Camps Contact and non-contact camps are available for players ages 6-14 in June. The camps take place at Freedom Basin in Oakley.

Info and registration: www. diablofootball.com/camps.php; 925625- 2222, www.DiabloFootball.com GOLF Dave DeLong Junior Golf Camp This camp is for advanced and beginning junior golfers. Camps are designed for golfers 7-15. Camps include a 4 to 1 ratio of students to teachers where safety is the top priority as well as player development and enjoyment. Boundary Oak Course, Walnut Creek. Info: 925-997-3683; www. delonggolf. com 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 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: 408-288-2973; www. thefirsttee sanjose.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.

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

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 MOTORSPORTS Keigwins@theTrack We conduct motorcycle schools and practice events (“track days”) at famous racetracks in the West for experienced motorcyclists looking to improve skills and build confidence.

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April 28, 2011

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camps + clinics

Camptastic!

Riders provide their own motorcycles and protective gear. Keigwins@theTrack takes care of everything else. Info: www. keigwin.com or 650-949-5609.

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 University of Surfing Instructor Matt Cole offers lessons/ camps in Pacifica. 650-359-1425, mattcolesurfs@ hotmail.com; http:// universityofsurfing. com/index.html.

SOCCER Heritage Soccer Club A Pleasant Hill/Martinez based competitive soccer club welcomes players ages 8-18.

Learn new skills and hone existing ones from top flight coaching staff with years of experience spanning the high school and college ranks. June is the third annual 6v6 Blowout Tournament.

Info: www.heritagesc.com.

SoccerInsight.net 2011 Summer Camp Available to ages 5-12, the SoccerInsight. net camps are offered over two weeks in June and three weeks in August. The camps are held from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. @ Paul Goode Field, The Presidio in San Francisco. Info:415-595- 3760, www.soccerinsight.net.

SWIMMING-DIVING Walnut Creek Swim Club WCSC is a recreational team sponsored by the City of Walnut Creek celebrating its 50th anniversary. Led by the experience of coach Brad Hoy, the staff is the finest in the area. WCSC believes in finding the healthy balance between competition and family fun.

Info: 925-766-5664 Sherman Swim School We are a Lafayette swimming and diving school

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■ For more camps and clinics listings, visit the SportStars Virtual Campsite at http://www. sportstarsmag.com/camps_and_clinics.

■ Want to get your camp listed online or in the magazine. Or both! Call us at 925-566-8500.

celebrating our 50th year. Our year-round schedule allows children and adults to learn, retain, and improve their swim skills with little interruption. Info: 925-2832100, www.ShermanSwim.com California Sports Center Among the many camps offered by San Jose’s Cal Sports Center includes its Swim Summer Camps at Sunnyvale Swim Center on the campus of Fremont High. The camps are held from either 9 a.m.-noon, or 9 a.m.-4 p.m. for ages 6-14. Info: 408732-2257, www. CalSportsCenter.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: 925-934-4050, 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 challenges their level of play. Registration for beach volleyball is going on now as well.

Info: www. pacificrimvolleyball.com U.S. Youth Volleyball League USYVL hosts series of Summer camps in several Northern and Southern California locations.

We’re the leader in developing, maintaining youth volleyball leagues for boys and girls ages 7-15. With an emphasis on positive reinforcement, we seek to build confidence and self-esteem in each child.

Info: 1-888-988-7985 or www.USYVL.org.

WRESTLING Creighton Wrestling The Creighton School of Wrestling in Mountain View offers its 2011 youth and elite summer camps from June 20-July 9. Both camps take place at the JLS Middle School Wrestling Room in Palo Alto. Guest clinicians include NCAA-champion wrestlers Tony Davis, Gerry Abas and Jordan Leen. Info: creightonschoolofwrestling@yahoo.com; http://CreightonSchoolofWrestling.com

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 week-long, 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.

City of Concord Skyhawks Sports Skyhawks Sports and the City of Concord have teamed up to provide safe, fun and skill-focused sports camps this summer for ages 4-12. Camps range from soccer to lacrosse to our popular multi-sport camp where kids sample three different sports (Soccer, Basketball, and Baseball) in one camp. Info: www. concordreg.org or (925) 671-3404.

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 June 13 thru Aug. 19. Info: 925942-6344. www.clubsports.com Cabernet Indoor Sports The Chevy Experience Camp at Cabernet Indoor Sports, Livermore (U5 & U6) is a 1-day soccer academy administered by top professional athletes teaching in an environment that increases retention, promotes ability, and encourages laughter and enjoyment. Info: 925-455-8300, www.ziemer.com

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Diablo Rugby Club’s Cesar Zepeda (with ball) looks for help from his teammates as he’s swarmed by members of Bishop O’Dowd High. The rugby club season is drawing to its climax as the Pacific Coast Invitational Tournament (PCIT) takes place April 30-May 1 in Morgan Hill. That tournament welcomes all high school school divisions from throughout the country. On May 7, the Northern California Youth Rugby Association “Final 4” championships will be held at San Jose State.

PHOTO BY JONATHAN HAWTHORNE

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