Issue 33, October 13, 2011

GOLF: IF YOU DON’T LAUGH, YOU’LL CRY. Pg. 6

vol. 2. issue 33

FREE

October 13, 2011

endure | excel | achieve

east bay

big, bad barton

RED ZONE

• pittsburg itching to go • there’s no keeping granite bay down.

• Norcal top 20 • gridiron lessons PAGE 26

if DLS follows its linebacker’s lead, a title is inevitable. PAGE 30

good times focusing on positives pays off in long run. PAGE 45 lockerroom: we round up the unbeatens. PAGE 8

Amador Valley is

Crushing • Craig Stadler headlines the show. Pg. 20 • booth-by-booth roster. Pg. 21 • first tee wants to go to school. Pg. 22 • coordination is where it’s at. Pg. 26 • ... and so is consistency. Pg. 28 Oct. 28-30 • Alameda county fairgrounds

The Dons’ girls golf team is favored to repeat as NCS champs.

There's a reason for that

it Pg. 16

all access

aiming

PHONE 925.566.8500 FAX 925.566.8507 Editorial Editor@SportStarsOnline.com Editor Chace Bryson. Ext. 104 • Chace@SportStarsOnline.com Contributors Bill Kolb, Erik Stordahl, Mike Wolcott, Mitch Stephens, Doug Gardner, Matt Smith, Clay Kallam, Jim McCue, Eric Gilmore, Dave Kiefer, Liz Elliott, Tim Rudd Photography Butch Noble, Bob Larson, Jonathan Hawthorne, Darryl Henick, Norbert von der Groeben

high

Creative Department Art@SportStarsOnline.com Production Manager Mike DeCicco. Ext. 103 • MikeD@SportStarsOnline.com Publisher/President Mike Calamusa. Ext. 106 • Mike@SportStarsOnline.com Advertising & Calendar/Classified Sales Sales@SportStarsOnline.com Account Executives Erik Stordahl • ErikS@SportStars Online.com (Special Sections, Calendar, Marketplace sales)

The Amador Valley girls golf team is kinda picky. They want the title and nothing else will do. Pg. 16

Reader Resources/Administration Ad Traffic, Subscription, Calendar & Classified Listings info@SportStarsOnline.com • Deb Hollinger. Ext. 101 • Distribution/Delivery Mags@SportStarsOnline.com Distribution Manager Butch Noble. Ext. 107 • Butch@SportStarsOnline.com Information technology John Bonilla CFO Sharon Calamusa • Sharon@SportStarsOnline.com Office Manager/Credit Services Deb Hollinger. Ext. 101 • Deb@SportStarsOnline.com Board of 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@SportStarsOnline.com www.SportStarsOnline.com

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First Pitch........................................................... 6 Locker Room.................................................... 8 AAA SportStars of the Week...................... 11 Health Watch.................................................. 12

determined: Michael Barton has DLS pointed to another state title. Pg. 30 Red Zone: All things football. Pg. 28

Tee2Green....................................................... 22 Impulse............................................................. 24 Training Time................................................... 26 TriStars............................................................. 35 Behind the Clipboard.................................... 45

focus on the positive: Remember what you do right will help you do it again. Pg. 45 ON THE COVER: Monique Riley, Amador Valley golf. Photo by Butch Noble

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your ticket to bay area sports admit one; rain or shine This Vol. #2, October 2011 Whole No. 33 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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Celebrating golf’s gift of unintentional comedy

T

here are few sports I like to play more than golf.

And it’s not necessarily because I’m particularly good at golf. I can admit that I’m an average recreational golfer at best. But I find golf fascinating for many reasons. Here are two: 1 — In a four-plus-hour round you can experience just about every emotion, from elation to confusion, to anger, hatred and even jealousy (depending on how well the rest of the players in your foursome are hitting).

2 — Until you reach a certain level of success, the better you get, the more frustration you’re apt to experience during your round. (How messed up is that?)

Because once you really strike a ball well — and you watch it carry 200 yards down the fairway and trickle softly on the green — you expect to hit every shot like that.

And you don’t.

Personally, I’m surprised The Golf Channel or another network hasn’t spawned a golf-related reality show that just follows random recreational golfers and counts down until they reach their boiling points. That would be TV gold, people.

It’s these two reasons above that often make for good stories to tell once you get off the course.

In honor of the fact that this issue carries our most golf coverage to date — due in large part to our partnership with the Bay Area Golf Show, of which this issue will serve as its official program — I thought I’d share one of my favorite “boiling point” golf stories.

I have a regular golfing buddy, one of my closest friends, who I’ve played more golf with than anybody else during my 10 years in the Bay Area. He and I are right around the same skill level, which makes it nice. However, he’d be the perfect candidate for my golf-related reality TV pitch. He does not hide his emotions on the course. And when his frustration boils over, it can lead to some unintentional comedy.

The golfers out there are all nodding their heads right now. Everybody who plays regularly tends to have a friend like this.

Anyway, as the story goes, we were about 11 or 12 holes into our round. My friend had played well over his first eight or nine holes. But, as I mentioned above, that can often lead to a trap: An expectation that one will play well the rest of the day.

So as we start the back nine, the equalizing game of golf rears its ugly head and

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FIRST PITCH Chace Bryson Editor

Chace@ SportStarsOnline.com (925) 566-8503

my friend’s shots start to go awry. Finally, after a particularly gruesome score on a hole, he decided to send his putter airborne — this is actually quite rare for him. The fact that he tossed his club wasn’t funny. That it landed in a tree and stayed lodged there about 15 feet off the ground, was quite funny indeed.

Now, one would think that standing on the wheel well of a golf cart and fishing his putter out of a tree — dodging some angry bees in the process — might have served as a moment of clarity. Because I can’t imagine much else could run through your mind at that point other than, “I’m trying to knock one of my golf clubs out of a tree. This is ridiculous.”

So as I and the rest of the foursome watched our buddy hit a nice tee shot to begin the next hole, we thought the club-in-the-tree moment may have actually succeeded in calming him down. But his second shot, from the middle of the fairway, sliced way left and into a horse pasture.

That was the last shot his 7-iron would ever take — snapped over his knee in a moment of aggression that would’ve made Bo Jackson proud. I didn’t know club shafts could snap so easily. After a few minutes of stunned silence, the rest of us mocked him, he laughed at himself, and everybody had an enjoyable round the rest of the way.

And that’s the beauty of golf. For 15 holes, a level-headed and good-natured person can enjoy the game and his company. But two really bad holes can lead to climbing trees and a broken club.

If you’ve got a good golf story you’d like to share, email it to me. We’ll pick a few of the best ones and run them in our Tee 2 Green section later in the year.

A FEW QUICK THINGS Over the next two weeks we’ll start to have our first points tallied in the race for the SportStars Cup. League and section titles will be secured in girls golf as October wraps up. Water polo and tennis will shortly follow. We will feature our first point standings in Issue #34 on October 27. ... We have a slight correction from our Issue #32 coverage of the Ed Sias Invitational cross-country meet. We listed Granada as having the best girls team score of the day, which was incorrect. The best girls team score that day belonged to Acalanes with 30 points. Also, the best boys team score belonged to De La Salle (54), not Miramonte. Thanks to a reader for keeping us on our toes there. ✪

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96

count’EM Number of undefeated varsity football teams left in the state (excluding 8-man teams) as of Oct. 9.

Of those teams, 36 are from Northern California.

Broken down by section, there are 16 remaining in the North Coast Section, nine in the Sac-Joaquin Section, six in the Northern Section and five in the Central Coast Section.

some of the unbeatens TOP: Armani Washington, CaliforniaSan Ramon (Butch Noble). MIDDLE: Miles Long, James Logan-Union City (Butch Noble).

Bottom: Sutter teammates Ryan Staas (19), Elijah Smith (6) and Philip Robledo (33) (James K. Leash)

Worst places for a motivational speech

You might have seen a recent news story about the high school junior varsity football coach in New York who was suspended for taking his team to a cemetery after a loss. He had them lie down among the grave markers while he rambled on about hard work and team concept. He was, apparently, trying to motivate them to play better. By taking them to visit a bunch of headstones. Because nothing could possibly make high school sophomores play harder than a couple of acres of formerly alive people. That and pizza. Anyway. That got us to thinking. Here are our Top Five worst places to motivate a high school athletic team: 1. The bottom of a swimming pool. We find it’s very, very hard to communicate with the intensity and consistency necessary to motivate anyone when we keep getting water up our nose.

2. The Moon. You think your teammates’ minds tend to drift off when the coach is talking? Imagine the distraction when their bodies do likewise. Not to mention the whole sound-doesn’t-travel-in-avacuum thing.

3. The library. Don’t get us wrong. The library is a great place for lots of other things. Reading.

Studying. No, not napping. Stop that. And put your shoes back on. But we’re pretty sure library staff would shush the living bejeebers out of Al Pacino if he tried to rip off his Any Given Sunday spiel in the reference collection.

4. Kindergarten. You know the whole bit about everything I needed to know I learned in kindergarten? Doesn’t apply to sports. Because you definitely didn’t learn how to try to shove a volley/ water polo/soccer/basket/base/tennis/golf/football down your opponent’s throat in between snack and storytime.

5. Delaware. Look. We’re in Delaware. See? It just doesn’t work.

— Bill Kolb

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rapidFIRE Funniest student section chant you’ve heard?

USA! Nick Bermudez, Granite Bay football

At St. Ignatius-Serra, S.I. students changed

‘Who’s your Padre?’

(Serra’s nickname)

Chris Forbes, Terra Nova-Pacifica FB

‘He’s a freshman’ Kyra Holt, Albany volleyball

New Facebook: Yay or nay?

Best prank played on a rival?

✖ ✔ ✔

Fans dressed as cows, mocking Del OroLoomis

Taking out the garbage

Terra Nova fans streaked Half Moon Bay’s halftime show

Cleaning my room

None against a fival, but we made freshmen shave their heads

Cleaning up after the dog

sayWHAT? “Freedom likes to heat it up.

Sometimes I think Buddy Ryan is over there calling the defense.”

— Pittsburg High football coach Victor Galli talking about his Oct. 14 opponent, Freedom-Oakley.The game will be a pivotal Bay Valley Athletic League opener as Freedom comes in with an unbeaten record. Pittsburg hasn’t lost to Freedom since 2007.

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Worst chore at home?

Best food item available on campus?

Most you’ve paid for a sporting event or concert?

Chinese food

About $100 for a Giants game

$1 pack $175 for of gummi ‘Country bears Mega’ at Shoreline Freshbaked cookies

$10 for a high school football game

Throughout the week we poll our Facebook fans on random things that come to our mind here at SportStars HQ. Come ‘Like’ us at www.facebook. com/sportstars to join the conversation. You just might find your comments in this spot next issue.

Now that that the rainy season is officially here, we wanna know: What’s the one sport you would play regardless if it was raining?

■ “Football!,” Dawn S. ■ “Love running in the rain,” Susan N. ■ “Soccer in the rain — always makes for fun slide tackles,” Jim M.

October 13, 2011

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Powered by

bo banks football . encinal . senior

Bo Banks burned a lot of

calories on Sept. 30 against Pied-

mont. That’s because he returned two interceptions for touchdowns and also caught five passes for

84 yards and another touchdown to help the Jets to a 40-6 victory.

Because of his superb play, En-

cinal is 4-1 through the first week of October.

SportStars Magazine: Does it

get tiring out there?

Bo Banks: Sometimes it does,

but not really, ‘cause our coaches make us run. I feel like we do the most running in the Bay Area.

Our coaches make sure we’re conditioned.

SSM: Do you prefer defense

or offense?

BB: I like both, but I really don’t

know. I think I like both equally. I like scoring but I like making big plays on defense, too.

SSM: Your only loss is to

Serra-San Mateo. Why are you guys playing so well?

BB: I really think we have a

Like us on Facebook

BO’S QUICK HITS Favorite athlete: DeSean Jackson Favorite NFL team: Eagles (locally: Niners) Favorite ice cream flavor: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

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good senior class. We’re showing the young dudes how it’s done.

When we were younger, our older dudes taught us how to win.

honorable mention

nadean hurtado The Freedom tennis standout enjoyed a busy week as she set a school record by winning seven matches.

andrew schnugg The AcalanesLafayette water polo star contributed four goals to help the Dons overcome De La Salle-Concord in an 11-10 quadruple OT match on Oct. 4.

erin sherwood The San Ramon Valley-Danville girls volleyball standout racked up 21 kills in a four-set East Bay Athletic League win over Amador Valley-Pleasanton on Oct. 4.

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Keeping one step ahead of ankle sprains Current research places the incidence of ankle injuries at about 1 million per year, with 85 percent of that being ankle sprains.

The most commonly heard phrase in regard to an ankle injury has been, “walk it off.” But for young athletes that may not always be the best idea.

P

robably among the most overlooked and nagging injuries in sports is the dreaded sprained ankle. It happens in almost all sports, from football to basketball to soccer to baseball. It does not discriminate by age, gender or sport.

Current research places the incidence of ankle injuries at about 1 million per year, with 85 percent of that being ankle sprains. The most commonly heard phrase in regard to an ankle injury has been, “walk it off.” But for young athletes that may not always be the best idea.

For young athletes, it is always important to remember that they are still developing and the skeletal system has not fully matured. Typically, growth plates close by the age of 16 in girls and 18 in boys. This makes it difficult to diagnose an ankle sprain vs. a growth plate fracture in younger athletes.

Sometimes these injuries are treated the same in younger athletes, with the athlete being casted to protect the growth plate. This makes it a good idea to go see a physician with any ankle injury in a young athlete.

Once you know for sure it is an ankle sprain, there are some other important things to know.

Current medical journals show that once you sprain your ankle you could have as high as 80 percent chance of re-injuring your ankle. This has been shown to be greatly reduced by rehabilitating your ankle sprain with a physical therapist. The treatment seeks to restore range of motion and strength, as well as restore proprioception at the ankle. Proprioception is the body’s sense of position and the changes necessary to maintain that position.

So what are some good things to work on to help your therapist in your recovery?

■ R.I.C.E.: Stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.

Giving your ankle a break after the injury will help with pain levels.

Icing will help reduce swelling and will decrease pain. Compression also helps reduce swelling by limiting the available space. Just be sure not to make it so tight that you lose good circulation. Elevating your foot above the level of your heart will also help reduce swelling. All of these help to reduce swelling and improve range of motion.

■ Range of Motion: Point your foot as far down as you can, then bring it back up with your “toes to your nose” and moving the foot side to side. Both should be done in a pain-free range as often as possible.

■ Proprioception training: As soon as you’re able, try balancing on one foot. When that becomes too easy, try balancing on one foot while brushing your teeth. This helps reinforce the brains ability to perceive ankle position and make necessary corrections.

Working on these will help you in your recovery from an ankle sprain and keep you a step ahead of everybody else. ✪

Health Watch Tom Clennell

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

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Drivers, putters & Walruses. Oh my!

Pg. 20

Getting the First Tee into schools Pg. 22

Be fit, physically and mentally Pgs. 26, 28

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With a talented and experienced roster, the Amador Valley girls golf team is favored to repeat as NCS champs — and maybe much more

N

atalie Bodnar got all of her drive. Too much, really.

Her tee shot on the uphill third hole of The Bridges Golf Club in San Ramon sailed beyond the 45 degree right turn of the fairway and skipped over the cart path and into the hillside rough.

Only the ball didn’t stay there.

It rolled back down to the cart path and settled, briefly, before beginning a slow creep and eventual full-on descent down the cart path. It finally came to a halt on a dirt landing, leaning against the edge of the cart path, about 75 yards further away from the green than where it initially landed.

The senior captain for the Amador Valley golf team took a freerelief drop, and sent her next shot across the fairway where it skipped in and out of a green-side bunker and into some thick vegetation.

Cue another drop, this time in the bunker, and an up-and-down later she finished the hole with a double bogey 6.

It was all part of a five-over par day for Bodnar, a bit atypical for the four-year Dons standout.

But Bodnar wasn’t fretting. At this point, she’s conditioned to assume that the rest of the Amador Valley top six will have scores low enough to pick her up.

And of course, she was right.

Not a single Don’s player shot par this early October afternoon, but the team still posted a five-golfer score of 207 and defeated host California by several strokes. That’s life for the Amador Valley girls golf team right now.

Even when they’re “bad,” they’re good.

“These girls are really jelling right now and playing their best golf,” Dons coach Clark Fuller said. “We’re really the only ones who can keep us from where we want to go.”

Where they want to go is pretty simple. It starts with winning the always-competitive East Bay Athletic League — as of Oct. 9 they were 11-0 in dual matches — and defending the North Coast Section Tournament of Champions title they claimed a year ago with a five-stroke (386391) edge over Alameda.

From there they hope to improve upon their third-place finish a year ago at the California Interscholastic Federation NorCal championships, and fifth-place finish at the CIF State Championships.

Fuller has no reason not to be confident, because he returns nearly the entire roster from last year’s state tournament qualifying team.

And an undefeated run through the EBAL is nothing to sneeze at to this point. Nor are the 16

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October 13, 2011

story by Chace Bryson • photos by Bu Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com

These girls are really jelling right now and playing their best golf.

We’re really the only ones who can keep us from where we want to go.”

Dons coach Clark Fuller

FAR LEFT: Co-captain Natalie Bodnar shoots from the fairway during an EBAL dual match at The Bridges Golf Club in San Ramon.

CENTER: Sophomore Kimberly Liu posted Amador Valley’s lowest round at the state championship a year ago.

ABOVE: Co-captain Monique Riley fires away at the No. 4 green at The Bridges.

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17

scores they are posting in the process.

Wrapped up around the 207 at The Bridges, were three season-low efforts of 189. They posted the score in back-toback rounds prior to their landslide win over California, and then immediately afterward in a win over San Ramon at Crow Canyon Country Club.

All of this adds up to expectations that continue to climb with each dominating victory.

“Last year we kind of went in knowing we were good, but didn’t have super-high expectations,” Bodnar said. “Obviously we surpassed all of them by making it to state. Coming back a year stronger, there’s some attention and spotlight on us which is a little nerve-racking. But it’s good to be noticed, and it fuels our confidence.”

Confidence goes a long way in golf. Not just individual, shot-making confidence, but the confidence that your teammates will post consistently low scores. That was the confidence Bodnar could rely on during her round at The Bridges.

There’s a trust in a each other that, for some, has been in development for more than 10 years.

Bodnar has known and been playing golf with teammate Kelly Shotwell since the two were just 5-years old. And she met and began playing against fellow co-captain Monique Riley only a few years after that.

“I think our biggest strength is that we’re actually a team,” Bodnar said. “We emphasize that a lot.”

Bodnar and Riley, each co-captains since their sophomore years, consistently lead the way. Both have already committed to play golf at the next level, Santa Clara for Riley and Sacramento State for Bodnar.

“They know how to play golf,” Fuller said of his captains.

“Actually, the whole team knows how to play golf. They aren’t just out here to play.”

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Coming back a year stronger, there’s some attention and spotlight on us which is a little nerve-racking. But it’s good to be noticed, and it fuels our confidence.”

Natalie Bodnar Beyond the consistency of the co-captains is a pair of upand-coming underclassmen, sophomore Kimberly Liu and freshman Sabrina Bodnar.

Even though the older Bodnar referred to Liu as the team’s “secret weapon,” the sophomore blew her cover awhile ago.

Perhaps as far as back as last November when, as a freshman, she shot a 5-over 77 to card a Top 10 finish (tied for 8th) at the state championships. She’s followed that up by carrying the lowest nine-hole scoring average in the EBAL through the first 10 matches.

As for Sabrina Bodnar, she might still qualify as a secret weapon, but even she’s taken medalist honors in league play already.

“She played in middle school, but didn’t really know if golf was for her,” her older sister said. “But she came to AV, and really wanted to play with me for at least a year. She became competitive again and has surprised all of us.”

Filling out the normal playing roster is Shotwell (a junior), and seniors Sahar Ali and Sierra Saucier.

“We all tend to have our different strengths,” Saucier said.

“It all just comes together and makes us a really good team.”

With the team’s final EBAL dual match coming against

Foothill on Oct. 13, the time to find out if it can repeat or build upon last year’s success is practically upon them. The first postseason tournament will be the EBAL Championships on Oct. 17 at Deer Ridge Golf Course in Antioch.

It’s the first in a string of courses that Fuller believes set up nicely for the Dons.

“Deer Ridge is an amateur friendly course that should play well for us,” he said. “Then NCS is at Las Positias (in Livermore) which is practically in our own backyard. And we have three girls who have played at Stanford Golf Course this year, which will be a tough course for NorCals. But even that could set up well for us because it’s a long course and a lot of our girls are long hitters.”

And yet, Fuller has been at this for awhile now. He knows there’s another element to repeating the success they had a year ago.

“You’ve got to be awful lucky,” the coach said. “You’ve all got to score your best at the same time.”

Natalie Bodnar echoed the sentiment.

“From here, it’s a little about whatever happens happens,” she said. “But with four seniors, we definitely want to go out with a bang.” ✪

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thousands of deals

Appearance by 1982 Masters champion Craig Stadler will highlight 2011 Bay Area Golf Show

H hundreds of vendors One walrus

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October 13, 2011

e won the 1982 Masters. He has recorded 29 professional golf wins.

He’s the only golfer ever to go by “The Walrus.”

And this October, he’s coming to the Bay Area Fall Golf Show.

Producers of the 2011 Bay Area Fall Golf Show announced recently that Craig Stadler will be among the featured celebrities at the popular fall golf expo, which returns to the Alameda County Fairgrounds for its annual three-day run, Oct. 28-30, 2011.

The PGA Tour’s leading money winner in 1982, with over $10 million in career earnings, Stadler is one of the most recognizable golfers of the last three decades.

Nicknamed “The Walrus” for his build and signature mustache, Stadler finished in the top-10 at major championships 13 times, including a win at The Masters in 1982. He also won two majors on the PGA Champions Tour, the last in 2004.

Stadler will appear at the Bay Area Fall Golf Show on Sun., Oct. 30. In addition to serving as a spokesperson for exhibitor Shankmeister.com, Stadler will be featured on the Golf Show Main Stage to share stories from his 30 years in the professional golf world, and answer questions from attendees in the audience “It’s exciting to have former Masters champion Craig Stadler appear at our show to share stories from his Hall of Fame career,” Bay Area Golf Show owner Kirk Tourtillotte said.

Stadler’s personal appearance adds star power to what has become one of the nation’s largest fall golf expos, featuring blowout, end-of-season pricing on up to $1 million of name-brand clubs, equipment and apparel in the Golf Mart Superstore, plus the chance to test out the fall’s newest sticks on a free, indoor driving range lined with representatives of the top manufacturers in the world of golf.

In addition, attendees will have the chance to win a dream Maui golf getaway and other great prizes, and connect with dozens of exhibitors from throughout the golf, travel and recreation industries, each offering show-only savings on their products and services.

“The 2011 Show will be our biggest ever for front door giveaways, prizes that can be won at our games and the blowout prices on golf equipment,” Tourtillotte said.

Save big on your next golf vacation or join a local country club at discounted rates, all while earning free goodies and other end-of-year benefits.

Over 5,000 attendees pack the show floor each year to take advantage of the lowest prices of the year on clubs and equipment, test their driving, pitching and putting skills to win great prizes, and to pocket the free rounds of golf, golf balls, magazine subscriptions and other at-the-door giveaways. All of which guarantee a return on the value of a $10 ticket, just for walking in the door. And with free admission for kids 12-and-under, and free clubs for all kids at the First Tee booth, it’s a fun day for the whole family.

Download discount coupons and stay up-to-date on the latest additions to this year’s lineup of exhibitors and activities at BayAreaGolfShow.com, which will be updated frequently leading up to the show’s opening on Oct. 28.

Go Friday for first pick of the top equipment, Saturday to try out the fun interactive games, or Sunday to meet The Walrus and pocket those terrific last-day savings.

Like that six-inch birdie putt to win on 18, it’s a true can’t-miss! ✪ — Varsity Communications Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com

Exhibitors A to Z

Here’s A List Of All The Vendors You Can Expect To See At This Year’s Bay Area Golf Show: Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs Ambrose Financial & Insurance Services, Llc Ameriprise Financial Bath Fitter Black Oak Casino Bluegreen Vacations Unlimited Bridges Golf Club, The Butler Golf Callippe Preserve G.C. Carson Valley Inn Coyote Springs Diablo Grande Winery & Resort Divine Nine/Carson City Cvb El Cid Resorts Fisher Touch Putters Forever Putting Greens Four Points By Sheraton Pleasanton Global Travel Golf Balls Only

Golf Channel Solutions/Golfnow.Com Greenhorn Creek Gc Half Moon Bay Gl Hammerhead Golf Haque Chiropractic, Inc Heavenly Greens Hiddenbrooke Golf Club Hotshotz Igolping Innovative Kaanapali Golf Resort/Tee It Up Hawaii Kerry A. Adamo Golf Laser Eye Center Of Silicon Valley Los Cabos Convention & Visitors Bureau Massaging Insoles By Soles For Comfort Mercedes Benz Of Pleasanton Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Nick’s Net Works Nk Products Inc Non-Surgical Spine Care Center

Polara Golf Prato Eyewear Psp Golf R-Mac Properties Reaction Sports Ridgemark Golf & Country Club San Ramon Golf Club Sdf Golf Inc Shankmeister Sohl Chiropractic Sportstars Spring Valley Gc Storus Corporation Stx Golf Summer Winds Resorts Total Effects Technologies Tpc San Francisco Bay At Stonebrae Trinitas Golf Club Visit Mendocino County Westin Maui World Wide Golf Zengryo

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tee2green

The First Tee works toward getting its curriculum in the schools EVERY KID GETS A CLUB ■ What: A First Tee-provided promotion in which every kid is given a free golf club.

■ Where: The “Every Kid Gets A Club” booth at the Bay Area Golf Show at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton.

■ When: Oct. 28-30, 2011 ■ Admission: Tickets to the Bay Area Golf Show are $10 for adults, while kids 12-and-under are free.

Beyond health and fitness, all sports have invaluable lessons to teach. Leaders of The First Tee chapters believe the game of golf is the perfect vehicle for young people to build character.

Do you remember how you learned to kick a soccer ball or throw a spiral for the first time? Who put the first baseball bat or golf club in your hand as a kid?

Most of us fell in love with a particular sport or multiple sports as starry-eyed youngsters.

The aptly named The First Tee organization puts the first golf club in kids hands, helps direct their first swings and promotes character enrichment. This most important last aspect is accomplished through The First Tee curriculum, where coaches teach personal etiquette by first teaching golf’s etiquette.

Beyond health and fitness, all sports have invaluable lessons to teach. Leaders of The First Tee chapters believe the game of golf is the perfect vehicle for young people to build character. In addition to its youth development curriculum The First Tee is also dedicated to increasing access opportunities to the game of golf for young people from all backgrounds.

How do we spread the lessons of the game?

How can we get golf clubs in more children’s hands? How do you make golf a traditional sport?

The answer: Install our program in elementary schools.

The First Tee has established National Schools Program sites in over 500 school districts and 4,200 distinct elementary schools across the country.

At these schools, young people are exposed to golf and our curriculum during physical education class. The First Tee of the Tri-Valley (the local chapter for Pleasanton, Livermore, Dublin, San Ramon and surrounding areas) is beginning the extension of our program to local elementary schools this fall and upcoming spring.

Our goal is to offer all young people the opportunity to learn from the game’s etiquette through the school program and have the ability to transition to our core programs, offered year-round.

To raise awareness about our new in-school golf units, and promote all our programs, The First Tee of the Tri-Valley will be sponsoring an “Every Kid Gets a Club” booth at the upcoming Bay Area Golf Show. Any child attending the golf show will receive a complementary golf club to hopefully spark an interest in this great game.

This opportunity is made possible through our chapter staff, coaches, participants and other friends of the chapter all dedicated to developing more young golfers in our hometown!

Come to the Bay Area Golf Show, pick up your free club and find out more about The First Tee National Schools Program. The Fall Bay Area Golf Show will be held at the Alameda County Fairgrounds October 28-30, 2011. Kids 12-and-under have been offered free admission! For complete event details visit bayareagolfshow.com. ✪

First Tee Files

Daniel McKegney

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

TheFirstTeeSanJose.org or www.TheFirstTeeTriValley.org.

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impulse courses

Welcome to Impulse, your one-stop shop for all the latest and greatest in gadgets, gizmos and gear. Compiled by staff writer Erik Stordahl, Impulse provides you with what’s currently hot on the market. This week, we give you an all-access tour of the Bay Area Golf Show being held at the Pleasanton Fairgrounds on Oct. 28-30.

Packed to the gills with enough golf to fill a water hazard, the Bay Area Golf Show serves as a haven for gear and deals, whether you’re hitting the links for the first time or you’re gearing up first your first weekend at Augusta. For more info on this golf extravaganza, hit up www.bayareagolfshow.com.

There are so many courses that are gonna be at the show.

Dozens from all over the Bay Area and four states total. Some of these courses are probably in your backyard. The others could make ideal weekend getaway hotspots or amount to one killer vacay. Be sure to hit up all their booths to discover killer deals and promos.

CINDERELLA STORY

This is your golden opportunity to meet Craig Stadler, Masters champ from 1982. Gather ‘round and listen to the Walrus talk of his triumphs from yesteryear like outlasting Dan Pohl in a playoff at the ‘82 Masters or becoming the first player over 50 to win a PGA Tour event in 28 years. There will also be an auction where the highest bidder will get to shave the Walrus’s iconic mustache.

We’re not 100% on that last one so stay tuned for updates.

Greenhorn Creek — They just opened their brand-spankin’ new Caddy Shack on Sept. 3. Ideal for golf groups of up to 12 people, The Caddy Shack comes complete with BBQ area, horseshoe pits, 52” HDTV, five bedrooms and a state-of-the-art kitchen. Oh yeah, it’s located by Hole #9 so you’ll always be super close to golf action. Talk about the perfect bachelor pad. Or, best family vacay destination. Or, ideal work retreat where little to no work will be accomplished.

walrus hunting

freebies!

The only times we get in line early are when we KNOW we’re getting the goods: Playoff tickets, front row concert tix w/ backstage passes, and live shows of Justin Bieber (don’t ask). You can expect us to be at the Bay Area Golf Show early to get these golfin’ goodies: ■ Spring Valley Golf Course & The Pleasanton Golf Center — Round of golf for the first 500 people each day.

■ Trinitas Golf — 2-for-1 golf for the first 1,000 people each day.

■ San Ramon Golf Club — Even if you’re the last one to show up, you’re still getting something. How awesome is that? A reward for the tardiest of the tardy, San Ramon GC is giving away $20 off to their Par 4 Package.

the goods

Nike, Titleist, and Callaway, oh my! Golf Mart will set up their mobile clearance shop all three days where you can get sweet deals on name-brand equipment all at a steal of a price. Walk in with nothing and leave with a cart full of the latest drivers, putters, bags, apparel and other gear.

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Athletic development in golf starts with coordination

A

lot of parents believe that in order for their young athletes to excel in golf that they must play, practice, think and breathe golf 24 hours a day, 12 months a year from the moment these kids can swing a club.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

What you have to understand about sports in general is that although we may see them as specific activities requiring specific skills, they are nothing more than general skills that are being applied in a specific way.

The fact is that sport does not develop athleticism it really only develops a specific skill. Athletic development should precede sport as it is the crux to sporting success for your young athlete.

The key for excelling in golf, or any sport for that matter, is to develop generalized athletic skills that can and should be developed in all young athletes. Variety is the spice of life when it comes to developing a complete athlete.

These skills should be developed through a process of basic athletic development and then eventually as these skills are mastered they can be applied to golf.

Guaranteeing athletic success isn’t anything more than just making sure that your young athletes start learning, playing and enjoying basic elements of sporting skills at a young age.

And when they experience a wide variety of athletic stimulus (sports, games, training, etc.) at a young age, they automatically enhance their level of coordination.

The best athletes are highly coordinated, and the main reason why many athletes struggle in sport is because they lack coordination. Developing coordination through generalized skill development allows your young athletes to become super efficient at expressing the skills (power, mobility, speed, strength) required for golf and all sports.

The athletic skills required to excel in any sport require coordination of speed, strength, mobility and endurance which all can be enhanced through a non-sport specific strength and conditioning program that appropriately focuses on the above elements with a multi-lateral and progressive approach in mind.

Let’s look at each element and how it develops overall coordination and the athleticism that will transfer over to sporting success for your young athlete: ■ Speed and Agility: Coordination that expresses the highest amount of force in the least amount of time, resulting in optimal displacement. This teaches athletes skills that allow them to apply great amounts of force in smaller amounts of time while moving their bodies in whichever direction in the optimal distance.

■ Strength: Coordination under resistance which teaches the athlete to maintain technique under varying loads of resistance.

■ Mobility: Coordination training that dynamically expresses forces through desired or required ranges of motion.

■ Endurance: Coordination training under prolonged event or sport-specific time constraints, which are specific to the demands of any given sport.

Each of these elements of coordination can and must be trained in order to develop a complete athlete. None of which are sport-specific as all sports require speed, agility, strength, mobility and endurance.

So remember, just because an exercise or skill isn’t ‘specific’ to a certain sport, doesn’t mean that it won’t make a young athlete better in golf, soccer or baseball.

Never forget: The best PLAYERS are always the best ATHLETES. ✪

Training Time

The key for excelling in golf, or any sport for that matter, is to develop generalized athletic skills that can and should be developed in all young athletes.

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

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Is it really your mechanics? A quest for consistency in your golf game

Y

ou just shanked another ball.

“How many more times am I gonna hit this way before I finally hit a good one? Why can’t I fix this? Why is this happening?”

You’re at the driving range, with your designer driver in your hand. This is the club you or your parents dropped $500 on that was custom fitted for you and was supposed to fix your slice. Yet, the ball keeps drifting to the right and you gotta fix it by tomorrow.

You tinker with your grip, your set-up, your takeaway. You shift your weight, think about your downward plane and squaring the club face to the ball.

You tell yourself to “just relax” and that “you can do it,” yet deep down your confidence is as small as a blade of grass. You are hoping to make a shot instead of believing in your execution — and the chasm between these two thoughts is as wide as the lake to your right.

And you’re still only on the driving range.

I know you have been there and that you have seen others act in a similar fashion; irrational and angry standing next to a bucket

of balls. You take a swing, produce a bad shot, reach down and place another ball on the tee and fire away, only to continue your ugly display.

At some point, whether two or 20 swings later, your anger subsides and you begin to, at least, hit every other ball well.

The next day, when it counts, your round reflects your previous day’s preparation and you seek out everyone’s advice as to what is wrong with your swing.

The responses you get sound like what you were thinking at the driving range. You are given many technical and mechanical suggestions and are told to “just relax” and “not to worry.” My personal favorite is “just trust your swing.” Just trust my swing?

What does that mean, especially when you have no idea what to trust?

Tiger Woods is dealing with this dilemma right now. Obviously, I have no idea what he is thinking about, but I can tell that he is thinking about the wrong things at the wrong times. Look closely and you can see tension in his face and in his forearms when he stands over shots. His entire approach to

Get Mental

Doug Gardner

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a shot does not seem to have a rhythm and tempo, which is reflected in the tightness and lack of repeatability of his golf swing. Most importantly, look at his reactions to missed shots, as his frustration is palpable.

Tension, whether it is physical or mental, creates mechanical breakdowns in athletes.

Instead of understanding how tension affects athleticism, technique, and fine motor skill execution, athletes and those around them tend to exclusively seek mechanical and technical fixes.

This is a circular approach that never resolves one of the major reasons for mechanical breakdown and poor performance in sport. Tension originates in the athlete’s brain and then manifests itself in the form of physical tension. Physical tension creates mechanical breakdown and further mental tension in the form of frustration, doubt, fear and other emotional responses.

Tinkering too much with physical and mechanical adjustments just adds more information to think about. Instead of trying to think “nothing,” a golfer’s mind becomes cluttered with too much information and they often find themselves standing over a shot having made no decisions at all.

Is it really possible to stand over a shot and think nothing? We often think this is the goal

for every shot, but I argue that the best golfers do think, process information and make decisions. The difference between them and the rest of us is that they often engage in this process well before they address their shots.

What we call no thought, consistent golfers call decision-making. Consistent golfers develop consistent ways to think, process information and decide on their golf shots.

I often see golfers attempt to think and execute at the same time. In every sport, there is time to think and time to execute. Those who work through the decision-making process prior to executing tend to be less tense because they know what they want to do rather than being mentally indecisive.

Many golfers do not practice integrating these mental skills into their physical practice, yet they expect, unfairly, that their swing and shot making abilities to be there when it counts the most. ✪ Dr. Doug Gardner is a Sport Psychology Professional and is the owner of the ThinkSport Consulting Services, with locations in Lafayette and Los Angeles. For more information, please e-mail him at dg@thinksport.com or visit www.thinksport.com to learn more about the services he provides for athletes, coaches and parents.

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The

Barton basics

files

Name: Michael Anthony Barton Jr. School: De La Salle

Size: 6-foot-1, 211 pounds.

Position: Inside linebacker Year: Senior

College choice: Cal Nickname: “Mike B”

Birthdate: Aug., 27, 1994 Birthplace: Berkeley

Siblings: Sisters Kristyn (8), Keila (6) and Olivia (3).

dreams either/or favorites

Parents: Michael Sr. and Chakay Teams: Oakland Raiders Idols: Muhammed Ali

Players: Ray Lewis, Ronnie Lott

Sports movie: “Little Giants,” “Friday Night Lights” TV show: “Family Guy” Actor: Wesley Snipes

YouTube or Itunes: YouTube

Rap, country or rock: Rap

Car: Porsche 911

Career: NFL and business/ accounting Vacation spot: Cancun

Butch Noble

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fiercepursuit

De La Salle linebacker Michael Barton is determined to help keep the Spartans on the path to another state championship

By mitch stephens | Contributor

T

he first thing one notices about De La Salle High School football star Michael Barton is his maturity.

The 17-year-old – he won’t turn 18 until August - looks you straight in the eye. He calls adults by their first name.

His nature is friendly, outgoing and bright. His language clear, concise and direct.

When asked a question, the Cal-bound linebacker dissects and thoughtfully answers without pause, hesitation or hyperbole.

“He definitely has his head on straight,” De La Salle defensive coordinator Terry Eidson said. “He works hard. He’s conscientious.

He’s dependable. He’s well beyond his years.”

On the field, he’s equally decisive and even faster to the punch.

Utilizing his track speed — he’s a state-meet competitor in both hurdles event and has run a 4.6 40-yard dash — and tremendous instinct, the 6-foot-1, 211-pound senior crushes opposing backs and receivers.

It’s why he’s a third-year starter for arguably the nation’s best high school football program and the No. 35 recruit in the state according to Rivals.com.

“He’s a student of the game, he’s aggressive and he flies to the ball,” Eidson said. “He doesn’t hesitate. He runs and goes and gets the ball. He has that boom-boom quick twitch pursuit you can’t coach.”

CBS/MaxPreps.com recruiting expert Tom Lemming ranks him the 12th best inside linebacker in the country.

“His instincts and diagnostic skills are second to none,” Lemming said.

“He flows to the ball extremely well and does a good job of avoiding traffic. Once he gets there he knows how to hammer home his message.

“He’s as versatile as they come.”

So did Brady Amack (2008, Air Force), Greg Brown-Davis, (1997, Oregon State), the late Terrence Kelly (2004, Oregon) and last year’s All-State performer Blake Renaud (Boise State). “(Barton is) definitely someone who has carried on that tradition,” Eidson said. “He’s modeled all the ones who were here before him and sets the tone for the young guys now.”

He had good models before he even got to De La Salle.

His football idols growing up were Ronnie Lott and Ray Lewis.

“I loved those guys,” he said. “They’re such great leaders, they’re so strong and they hit so hard.”

The one poster he still has tacked in his room is of Muhammad Ali. “He’s the greatest,” Barton said.

Former Salesian High and Cal running back and current Detroit Lions starter Jahvid Best was his youth basketball coach while growing up in Hercules.

The two are still very close.

“He used to tease me when he coached and get me so mad,” Barton said. “He would just push my buttons and be on my case. He just tried to make me great.”

And for his age on the athletic field, Barton was, but you’d never hear it from him.

That’s because his greatest mentor — his mother Chakay — taught him to be humble and gracious and independent.

“BEST LEADER I’VE EVER BEEN AROUND”

RICH HISTORY Linebackers have come skilled and fast and talented at De La Salle. It is perhaps the storied program’s deepest and most richly fortified position.

Denver Broncos Pro Bowl performer D.J. Williams (2000 graduate), former University of Tennessee All-American Kevin Simon (2001) and former Cal standout Nate Gelderman (1996) manned the position for the Spartans.

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Bob Larson

She helped him think outside of the box, which probably helped him come up with answers to questions such as this: If you could have a dinner date with four people, dead or alive, who would they be.

Barton delayed more than normal and came up with this quartet: “Halle Barry. Ray Charles, Mother Teresa.

And Deion Sanders. That would be an interesting evening. Different. Very entertaining.”

That’s not a foursome most teens would put together.

But then it’s a trio of girls that truly hold the key to Barton’s thoughtfulness, affection and old soul. They are younger sisters Kristyn, 8, Keila, 6, and Olivia, 3.

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On this Sunday evening, Barton was home alone babysitting Olivia.

“You grow up a lot when you have younger siblings,” Barton said. “At a certain point I just wanted to make sure they had a role model to look up to.”

It’s not just toddlers who are taking notes.

Barton’s teammates admire his work ethic and devotion to the Spartans and the sport on top of his vast talent.

“He’s the best leader I’ve ever been around,” De La Salle quarterback Bart Houston said.

“He’s a great guy and a great Spartan in every sense. He always does the right thing to do in the right situation.”

The Spartans have needed Barton’s leadership in the worst way to start the season, especially following a humbling 30-6 defeat at St. Thomas Aquinas-Fort Lauderdale (FL) before a national television audience on Sept.

23.

Barton was one of the few De La Salle players to perform well with eight tackles.

He led a defense that held its own but was hurt by De La Salle’s four turnovers that led to short fields. De La Salle’s first-teamers allowed less than four-yards per carry and 300 total yards.

Afterward, the Spartans sprinted off the field, embarrassed by the poor performance in a showdown of two national powers. It broke a 27-game win streak that started after a 31-30 overtime loss to another Florida team, Lakeland.

“It was a real disappointment for the team and personally devastating to me,” Barton said. “What killed me is we could have really won that game if not for the mistakes and turnovers.”

NO QUIT Afterward, Barton wasn’t pointing fingers, certainly not at Houston who had three of the turnovers and was just 6-for-16 for 80 yards. He took the loss in and let it sting and watched film reluctantly the following week.

“That probably hurt the worst, watching that film,” Barton said.

“It was really tough to face. But we had to live and learn. It wasn’t one guy, it wasn’t 10 guys, it was all of us. It wasn’t just the turnovers, it was a missed block, a missed tackle.

It all contributed.”

Despite his team’s defeat, Barton still drew praise and notice from the opposition.

Aquinas quarterback Max Lescano, who sports a nifty 4.8 grade point average, and runs a 4.61 40-yard dash called Barton a warrior.

“He wouldn’t let them quit,” Lescano said.

“He’s really, really good.”

But that mattered little to Barton, who said the defeat changed his team’s whole perspective.

“It opened our eyes,” Barton said. “It made us realize we had a lot of work to do to be a 32

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Bob Sansoe/De La Salle

Michael Barton (11) posted a teamleading eight tackles in the Spartans’ 30-6 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) on Sept. 23.

good Spartan football team.”

It took exactly a week to get much resolved.

The next Friday, the Spartans, egos bruised and beaten, took it out on an undefeated Livermore team 62-0 as Houston had one of his best games as a varsity starter, throwing for 225 yards and accounting for five touchdowns.

“It was so much fun seeing Bart having fun again,” Barton said. “It’s the first time this season he was out there actually having fun and that put a smile on everyone’s face.”

There figures to be more smiles around the De La Salle camp as some proven legs return to run the ball.

Starting senior running back Joe Te’o could be back by the end of the month following a knee injury in the spring. His replacement Dasmond Tautalatasi, a very promising sophomore, injured his fibula, ankle and knee against Aquinas and hopes to be back for the playoffs.

By then, Barton should have the fast and hard-hitting defense swarming to every ball.

There’s a chance too that Barton will get to play some offense as a running back.

At Cal, he’ll likely need to put on 20 pounds to keep him at his high school position of Will linebacker.

“I can’t wait,” Barton said. “For all of it. I can’t wait to keep getting better so we can return to the state championship game. Can’t wait to get to Cal to contribute there. I’m just looking forward to everything.” ✪ Mitch Stephens is a senior writer and columnist for MaxPreps.com.

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SNAP trainer tries hand at coaching on sideline with dad If you were to become a member of SNAP Fitness gym in Clayton, you’d be assured to meet a lot of nice folks on your way to getting (er, keeping) your body in shape.

One of those folks might be Zach Hatcher.

Hatcher, 20, spends a good part of his week at SNAP, performing his duties as a personal trainer.

However, he’s also in his first year as a high school football coach — a job he’s seen performed every fall by his dad, Alan, since he was 5 or 6 years old.

Though Zach never consciously set out to follow in his dad’s footsteps, there was no doubt in Alan’s mind that it would happen.

“I always saw him as a coach,” said Alan Hatcher, a member at SNAP Fitness and also the defensive coordinator for the Berean Christian-Walnut Creek varsity. Zach performs the same role for the school’s junior varsity program. “When he was 8 or 9 years old he was able to tell the other guys in the huddle where they need to be on each play. He was able to suggest plays knowing they would work.”

So it’s a no-brainer how thrilled both Hatchers were when they ended up coaching in the same program. But for Zach, only a few years removed from playing linebacker for Berean Christian, there’s still a learning curve.

“It’s been a great experience,” the younger Hatcher said.

“Usually I’m the one out there playing. Now I have to adjust and learn how to properly convey everything I know to others. It’s been a lot of fun. It’s definitely brought a new aspect to the game from what I’ve known before.”

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Alan has been a part of the Berean Christian coaching staff for five years, but his coaching experience goes to back to 1995. He is certainly no stranger to the amount of time required to be a successful coach. Watching his son get comfortable with the role has been quite enjoyable.

“I think he now has a completely new understanding of how much time it takes to coach,” Alan said.

“He definitely has shown a dedication to it, though. I’m totally amazed at his ability to communicate to the players in a

positive way. When things go wrong, he’s cool. He keeps his head about him and tells them things they need to know.”

It appears that everybody involved is benefitting from Zach’s first year on the sideline. Except for perhaps one person.

“His poor mom,” Alan said of his wife. “ Zach and I constantly have game film up or scout film. I’m not for sure she’s as happy about it as we are.”

— Staff

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Run-Bike-Swim-Eat right: Nutrition, the fourth discipline

S

o, you’ve started training, but you’re not losing weight, or you don’t look like an athlete. Well, most likely, it’s the fuel you are putting into your workouts. Food really does show in your performance, and on your body.

Nutrition, daily and training nutrition, is the fourth discipline of triathlon. Nutrition is a BIG topic, and there is a lot of information you can read. For that reason, this is the first of a two-part article on nutrition for triathletes. For right now, there are some basics you should know.

Nutrition First off, I am not a nutritionist. The information here is what I have learned through my education in exercise physiology, and through experimenting and experience as an endurance athlete and coach over the past 20 years. If you have specific questions or needs based on your health or goals, I recommend seeking a nutritionist you trust and works for you.

Below is some general information. The goal is to give you the tools to help you decipher what you read, and to help you make the best food decisions for you. As an athlete (which you are all now), you have to think of food as fuel. It’s not just calories in/ calories out, it’s what those calories are, how they are used to refuel and regenerate your body and when you eat them. The calories each individual needs varies based on many factors including sex, height, weight, body makeup, fitness level, physical activity, and goal. Some of you want to maintain your weight, some want to gain weight, and some want to lose weight. Every one’s goal should be to take in the best fuel for your body for the optimal energy level and performance, during practice, and life.

Calories We all need calories to live. If you are trying to lose weight, calorie number is important, but what kind of calories and when you eat your calories is way more important. You should lean towards a mix of lean protein, good carbohydrates like whole grains, and some essential fats. Even if you are trying to lose weight, your body needs essential fats.

Liz Elliott

TriSteps is a sevenpart series focusing on topics that athletes should know about as they set sights on training for their first triathlon. This is the third installment. The first two offerings can be found in Issues #28 and #31 at www.Sport StarsOnline.com.

better, will feel generally happier, and can be more productive not only at practices, but in your everyday life.

This by no means a full description of nutrition, just some information to get you thinking about what you need. And, again, I am not a nutritionist. These are the recommendations I give to my own athletes based on my own research, education in exercise physiology, work with nutritionists, and experience as an endurance athlete and coach. ✪

Liz Elliott is the head coach of the Tri-Valley Triathlon Club based in Dublin. Liz specializes in preparing beginner triathletes for their first triathlon or set of triathlons. Liz just completed her second Ironman in August, bettering her performance in every aspect of the race. She felt great during and after the race, and credits her performance to her nutrition plan during training, as well as during and after the race. Contact her at liz@ trivalleytriclub.com

Essential fats aid in neurological functions (help you think), and you burn fat when you exercise. When eaten in combination, protein and carbohydrates help the other ones work while aiding in metabolism speed.

In general, try eat the least amount of processed foods as possible. The general rule, if it can sit on the counter or in the cupboard for more than a week without going bad, it’s processed in some ways. People know to avoid donuts and chips, but crackers are a sneaky processed food.

A short list of food examples that should be included in your everyday eating: Lean proteins include chicken, turkey, whey. Good carbohydrates include whole grain breads or cereals, fruits, vegetables. Essential fats include olive oil, avocados, and nuts.

Everyday Eating Everyday you should be hydrating and eating (fueling) your body. Make it a part of your life. Start keeping a food log, a basic list of what you are eating. At the end of each day, look at what you’ve eaten. You will probably find you eat about 85% of the same foods on a daily basis. When you write down and review what you eat, it also gives you a base from which to make changes to your diet to help you feel better during practices. You will find that by eating the right foods, you will have more energy, sleep

Recommended Reading

Here are some nutrition web resources to check out.

■ The Big Three — www.nextstepracing.com/blog/?p=14 ■ Fiber and Fat Burnin: 8 Foods to Boost Your Metabolism —teambeachbody.com/about/newsletters/-/nli/176#60773809 ■ Online Food Logs we recommend: www.Fitday.com

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Red Zone Butch Noble

Pittsburg senior quarterback Malik Watson looks downfield for a receiver during the Pirates’ loss to Granite Bay on Sept. 30. The game was one to forget for Watson, as he completed less than half of his 31 pass attempts and was intercepted three times. Pittsburg coach Victor Galli says that consistent play from Watson will be a huge factor if the Pirates are going to contend for a league title in 2011.

Pittsburg

Tired of waiting, Pittsburg prepares to go after another BVAL crown

By Chace Bryson | Editor No team likes to lose in the game preceding its bye week.

It leaves coaches and players with a bad taste in their mouth and two full weeks before they can get back on the field and redeem themselves.

So it was no surprise that more than a week after his team’s 27-7 loss to Granite Bay on Sept. 30, Pittsburg coach Victor Galli was still stewing.

“It’s just tough to lose like that and wait for two weeks,” Galli said. “Our defense played well. Well enough to win, but we blew it.”

The Pirates committed four turnovers, three of which were interceptions on what was a very tough night for senior quarterback Malik Watson. Watson, who was coming off one of his best games as a Pirate, completed just 15 of 31 passes for 159 yards. He had several open receivers that he overthrew, and another handful of passes which were dropped.

Granite Bay wasn’t overly explosive, but it didn’t have to be as the Pirates were never able to gain much traction in the loss. It was actually the second consecutive loss for Pittsburg, after falling 41-40 to Berkeley in double overtime on Sept. 23.

It all added up to a 3-2 finish to the team’s difficult nonleague schedule, which isn’t exactly where Galli would’ve liked to be. But he was able to put it into perspective, nonetheless.

“It’s definitely better than 0-5, which is where we were last year,” Galli said. The 2010 Pirates still managed to run the table in league play and make the playoffs. “To come out of where we put ourselves last season was great, but it’s definitely something I didn’t want to go through again.”

However, Galli is more than aware that he will be opening Bay Valley Athletic League play with a team which hasn’t won in nearly a month. To make matters more severe, the team’s BVAL-opener was set for Oct. 14 at an unbeaten FreedomOakley.

Galli’s first point of business during the dreaded bye week: Restore the confidence in his young, talented quarterback.

“He knows he had a stinker and that he didn’t play well,”

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Red Zone Galli said of Watson. “It’d be one thing if the kid wasn’t coachable. He’s a good kid who works extremely hard and he wants to be the best. He was trying his hardest. He just had a terrible game. We’re all allowed one stinker, I guess. He’s just anxious to get back out there.”

When Watson is clicking, there is a lot to like about the Pirates offense. Galli has a pair of talented running backs in Fea’o Vunipola and Mister Cotton.

Through the team’s first four games, Vunipola had over 400 yards rushing and Cotton was just over 350.

In a three-game stretch from Sept. 9-Sept. 23, Pittsburg scored 120 points. And the defense, led by a very active linebacking corps, has also been effective — the Berkeley game being an exception.

“I think we’re still sitting on a good football team,” Galli said. “If we’re able to run the table in league, that puts us at 8-2 with a decent chance at a Top 5 seed.”

Running the table in the BVAL isn’t likely to be easy in 2011.

Two teams, Freedom and Antioch, closed out nonleague play with 5-0 marks. Deer Valley finished 2-3, but nearly knocked off defending California Interscholastic Federation Division II state bowl champion Folsom in a 49-46 loss on Sept. 16.

“There’s definitely some good teams out there,” Galli said. “We’ll have to see how it plays out. We just need to put together a good game all the way around.

I think we can be pretty dangerous if we do.” ✪

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Butch Noble

Pittsburg’s defense has been fairly stingy for a good portion of the season. The linebacking corps, led by three-year starter D’hari Curtis-Webster (40), has been especially strong.

Curtis-Webster led that Pirates in tackles after the first three games of the season.

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Red Zone

Granite Bay regroups after first loss and picks up inspired wins

When the Granite Bay football team suffered a 38-27 loss at Vacaville on Sept. 16, it lost more than just the game. It lost a little bit of its identity and sense of direction.

Fortunately, it had a bye week to get things set straight.

“We really fell apart at Vacaville,” Grizzlies senior defensive back and kicker Nick Bermudez said after his team’s Sept. 30 win at Pittsburg. “We weren’t together. We were fighting each other. We wanted to come in as a team and play as a team.”

The win at Pittsburg was certainly a positive first step.

Granite Bay forced four turnovers in the game. They never

trailed as they built an early 10-0 lead and maintained the pace of the game from start to finish.

Running back Arik Bird had over 120 total yards from scrimmage and a pair of touchdowns. His second touchdown was a short swing pass from quarterback Brendan Keeney that he eventually took 58 yards for the game-icing touchdown.

“We kind of struggled with our camaraderie at Vacaville,” Keeney said afterward. “We had some bad things happen, but we had the bye week and we worked on picking each other up. We just wanted to focus on getting our team back

because if we know we play as a team, we’re tough to beat.”

The Grizzlies continued that mantra and built on the momentum gained in Pittsburg by returning home and picking up a thrilling last-minute victory over Nevada Union-Grass Valley in the Sierra Foothill League opener for both teams.

Bird scored on a 13-yard touchdown run with 47 seconds left on the clock as Granite Bay pulled out a 28-21 win.

The comeback win was a testament to the fact that the team has indeed rededicated itself to staying together. The Grizzlies trailed at the half 14-7 and had just 122 yards of total offense. Bird was particularly impressive in the second half, rushing for 97 of his 122 yards. “Don’t beat ourselves,” Keeney said when he was asked after the Pittsburg game what it would take for the Grizzlies to reach their goals of an SFL and Sac-Joaquin Section title. “I don’t think a lot of teams can beat us if we play together. We’re getting there.”

VIOLENT VILLA Jake Villa runs like a force of nature. Or a road grader. He

Continued, page 40

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Red Zone

All records through Oct. 8 Rank (Last Wk.) ..................................Record 1. (1) De La Salle-Concord.................... 4-1 2. (2) Bellarmine-San Jose..................... 4-1 3. (3) Buhach Colony-Atwater................ 6-0 4. (4) Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove............ 5-1 5. (5) California-San Ramon.................. 5-0 6. (6) Lincoln-Stockton............................ 5-1 7. (8) Folsom........................................... 3-1 8. (9) Del Oro-Loomis............................. 3-1 9. (19) Elk Grove....................................... 6-0 10. (10) Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa.... 4-0-1 11. (11) Palma-Salinas............................... 4-0-1 12. (15) Serra-San Mateo........................... 5-0 13. (13) Granite Bay................................... 5-1 14. (14) Palo Alto........................................ 4-1 15. (16) Escalon.......................................... 6-0 16. (17) Marin Catholic-Kentfield................ 6-0 17. (18) Vacaville......................................... 5-1 18. (20) James Logan-Union City.............. 6-0 19. (7) Grant-Sacramento........................ 3-3 20. (NR) Oakdale......................................... 6-0 Top 20 Facts-Figures-Fallout DROPPED OUT: No. 12 Foothill-Palo Cedro (Lost to Enterprise-Redding 7-6 on Oct. 7) BIGGEST MOVER: Elk Grove jumps 10 spots after another impressive win over a Top 20 team.

The Thundering Herd defeated then-No. 18 Nevada Union-Grass Valley 23-7 on Sept. 23, and No. 7 Grant-Sacramento 21-14 on Oct. 7.

TOTAL TEAMS STILL RANKED FROM PRESEASON TOP 20: 13 KNOCKING AT THE DOOR: Leland-San Jose (5-0), San Ramon Valley-Danville (4-1), Windsor (6-0) SMALL SCHOOL TOP 5 (500 enrollment cutoff): 1. Le Grand (6-0), Central CatholicModesto (5-2), 3. Salesian-Richmond (5-0), 4. Bradshaw Christian-Sacramento (5-1), 5.

Ferndale (4-1) Rankings updated every Wednesday at www.SportStarsOnline.com

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Red Zone Continued from page 38 runs like he has a personal grudge against the defense. Or his own helmet.

‘Violent’ might be the best description for the Las Lomas High School junior running back’s running style. And it is one that suits him just fine.

“I’ve been playing football since I was 8 years old,” Villa said. “When I was young, we didn’t really have a great offensive line. I had to do a lot myself. I guess I got used to having to put my head down and drive.”

So far, the drive to drive is working well for Villa and the Knights. Through his first five games this season, Villa had racked up 759 yards and 11 touchdowns on 98 carries. Las Lomas, not coincidentally, had racked up five wins. “He’s so aggressive,” Knights defensive coordinator Dan Elbanna said. “Each and every play, he gives 100 percent. He’s an absolute pleasure to coach.”

Long-time fans of Knight football will remember Elbanna as the school’s all-time rushing leader, and one of its most punishing runners. He and Villa have that in common.

“He’s a lot faster than I ever was,” Elbanna said. “As a runner, you see most people trying to tackle him up by the neck. They see how hard he runs and they don’t want to

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get run over. He delivers the blow each and every time, and that wears down defenses.

His motor doesn’t stop. Most defenders stop wanting to tackle him.”

Villa is listed generously at 5-foot-11, 175 pounds, though he admits to being closer to 5-9, 180. But his small stature doesn’t cause him to shy away from contact with much bigger players.

“I love it,” he said after pounding Alhambra for 176 yards and three scores on 26 carries in Week 5. As a strong safety, he also helped anchor a defense that held the Bulldogs to just 65 yards of total offense.

“He’s probably the most enjoyable kid I’ve ever coached,” Elbanna said. “He’s so enthusiastic and smart. He knows what I want him to do before I even say it.”

If he has one fault, according to his coaches, it is that he might be too aggressive.

“He’s going to give himself a concussion,” head coach Doug Longero said. “He gets in the open field and it’s like he’s looking for someone to hit.”

“The coaches keep trying to get me to go away from contact if I can,” Villa said with a grin. “I’m working on it. I don’t do it on purpose. It just happens.”

Kind of like a force of nature. ✪ — Chace Bryson and Bill Kolb

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Red Zone

Develop players, winning will follow

W

hen we look at the role of a football coach, we see the X’s and O’s and the schemes that help put players in the best position to be most successful. We are valued by our win and loss record, without ever being the ones to step on the field to throw the curls, run the fades, block the blitzing linebacker or make the tackles. The players are the ones who make the plays to determine the outcomes of games. However, one of the most overlooked aspects of the sport is the development of a football player’s skills.

The lack of fundamentals is the difference between a quarterback connecting with a wide-open receiver and overthrowing him, or a 3-yard gain and a 30-yard touchdown. Football is a unique sport where one missed pass or a poor angle on the ball in the first quarter can determine the outcome of the game. However, most of time and discussion is spent on whether or not the offense should run a spread gun attack or the defense should be blitzing more.

In the end, It doesn’t matter if a coach calls the perfect play if his players cannot fundamentally execute it.

We put emphasis on the fundamentals in many other sports. In basketball, coaches spend countless hours teaching a player shooting, footwork and offensive skills. In baseball and softball practices, the hitting, fielding and pitching mechanics are drilled over and over. These fundamentals are generally practiced throughout the year in the off-season and during the season. But in football, skill development traditionally only takes place during the season and is often limited, because of the time needed to work as an offensive, defensive and special teams unit.

As I’ve transitioned from being a head coach to a skills coach, I believe that my teams would have been more successful if I had devoted more time to developing my player’s individual skills so our overall game plan would be executed at a higher level. A more accurate passer, better pass rushers or better route runners, increases the success of any play called.

These fundamentals or lack of fundamentals are especially crucial, because they are what players revert to under the highpressure situations of a game. Players are getting bigger, faster and stronger, but unless they are able to translate their athleticism to football skills, they are not maximizing their abilities.

As coaches, there are many elements that go into running a team. But at the foundation, it is the players who will determine a team’s success. Stronger people make stronger teams. ✪

Gridiron Lessons Roger Theder

Roger Theder was the head football coach at Cal from 1978 to 1981 and is widely recognized as one of the leading quarterback coaches on the West Coast. A former assistant at both Cal and Stanford, he has tutored dozens of top collegiate quarterbacks including Drew Olson (UCLA), Ken Dorsey (Miami) and Trent Edwards (Stanford). He also served as quarterbacks coach for the San Diego Chargers and as an assistant with the Baltimore Colts.

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Remember your good plays and you’re apt to make more of them I set for my volleyball team, and I just don’t feel I’m that good. I do some things just fine, but I make a lot of mistakes.

My coach keeps telling me to have more confidence in myself, but how can I do that when I keep playing badly?

D.R., Palo Alto

T

here’s a simple truth in sports and life: If you say can’t, you won’t. (Now that doesn’t mean if you say you can, you will — I can say I’m going to dunk from now until the sun turns cold, but the only way I’m going to thrown one down is if they put a trampoline under the basket.)

So if you start telling yourself that you can’t be a good setter, sooner or later you’ll start to believe yourself. Then again, you can’t ignore the mistakes you make, but you have to put things in perspective — and here’s the story I tell my players: A friend of mine was a guitarist, and a pretty good one, but that wasn’t his job, and he just played for fun. Every once in a while, someone would criticize his playing, and he’d just shrug and say “I’m an amateur — I remember the good notes.”

First, you’re not getting paid to play volleyball, so you’re an amateur. That means, literally, you do it for the love of the game, and not because someone is writing you a check at the end of the month. Now if they were, it would make sense to really worry about the mistakes you make, because it would be a job.

But you’re not getting paid (there’s some serious recruiting going on all the time at the high school level, but not that serious), so you shouldn’t worry so much about the things you do wrong, but rather focus on what you’ve done right. Sure, you blew a set to the outside hitter in the first game, but what about the nice dig after that? And that perfect back set?

What it comes down to, really, is what you choose to focus on. If you only think about what you did wrong, you’ll think you’re worse than you really are. If you only think about what you did right, you’ll think you’re better than you really are.

Since confidence is an issue for you, it’s easy to guess that you focus more on the negative than the positive, and so you need to balance that equation a bit.

One way to do that is to make yourself remember three good plays you made in each practice and game.

To make this work, though, you have to be aware of how your mind is working, and you have to counter negativity with positivity.

What that means is this: When you start to think about your mistakes, and start beating yourself up, you have to be aware enough to tell yourself to start thinking about the good plays you made as well.

Human beings love to tell stories, and we tell stories about ourselves, to ourselves, all the time.

We tell ourselves we’re smart, or we’re stupid, or we’re cute, or we’re ugly, and after a while those stories, those narratives, start to become who we are, so it’s really important to take control of the stories you tell yourself.

And if you tell yourself you can’t be a good setter, well, you won’t be. Since your coach believes in you, you most likely have some talent, and you should start telling yourself a different story.

Think about the good plays you make, not the bad ones,

and what you’ll find is that you’ll start making more good plays as time goes on.

As the old song says, accentuate the positive, and when you do, not only will you have more fun, you’ll become a better player. ✪ Clay Kallam is an assistant athletic director and girls varsity basketball coach at Bentley High in Lafayette. To submit a question for Behind the Clipboard, email Coach Kallam at clayk@fullcourt.com.

Behind the Clipboard Clay Kallam

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