EB Issue 31 09.08.2011

MAKING A WORLD-WIDE RACQUET

vol. 2. issue 31

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September 8, 2011

east bay

RED ZONE

Pg. 12

endure | excel | achieve

expectations

campolindo ready to tackle title defense. PAGE 24

• BELLARMINE prep bouncing back •de la salle isn’t resting •TOP 20 teams PAGE 28

tee it up!

Players set to dominate

Betty chen is force to be reckoned with. PAGE 34

hit the books coaches usually work around homework. PAGE 15

Teams to fear

VOLLEYBALL 2011-12 Foothill at top of the East Bay pecking order • PAGE 20 •

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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 Interns Jenna Calamusa, Julius Rea, Gerardo Recinos, Jonathan Hawthorne, Emily Van Buskirk Creative Department Art@SportStarsOnline.com Production Manager Mike DeCicco. Ext. 103 • MikeD@SportStarsOnline.com Publisher/President Mike Calamusa. Ext. 106 • Mike@SportStarsOnline.com

We get it. your school is the best. but that’s all talk unless you can back it up. well, now you can. help your school win the inaugural sportstars cup, awarded to the east bay’s top school. you know you want it. page 18

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

First Pitch.............................................6

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

Locker Room......................................8 AAA SportStar of the Week......... 11

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Training Time.................................... 17

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Gridiron Lessons............................. 31

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Tee2Green........................................ 34 Health Watch................................... 37 Impulse.............................................. 40

Bob Larson

Camps + Clinics.............................. 42

alex manigo & bellarmine prep know all they can do is move forward. PAge 28

Photo Finish...................................... 46

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10 years later: Remembering when high school football helped a nation

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s a reporter, there are always games that stick with you long after you’ve written about them.

We can remember a number of things about these games. Of course the action — many times down to minute details: Like how many consecutive times the team handed off to the same kid during a 300yard rushing night. Or the exact sequence of plays on a game-winning drive inside the final two minutes. Or how many times the basketball was dribbled before the halfcourt heave that found nothing but net and created a human flood onto the court.

We can also be reminded of the smells, or the sounds.

Even what we ate on our way to game — sometimes for good reasons, sometimes for bad.

All of these games that stick with us tend to have one thing in common: Great performances or classic finishes. Something we’re excited to write about and look forward to describing to readers.

However, I have one that doesn’t fit that category. In fact, it’s a game where I can recall nothing of what happened on the field.

Without the help of Google, I couldn’t tell you the final score.

That’s because this memory has very little to do with sports, and everything to do with being part of something bigger.

It was just the second high school football game I had covered for the Contra Costa Times. The game was played at Ohmstede Field, home of the Liberty Lions of Brentwood.

The date was Friday, Sept. 14, 2001.

More than a few high schools throughout the state understandably chose not to play their high school football games a mere three days after the horrific terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. But many still did choose to play. As a staff, we were assigned to arrive at our games at least an hour early to report on various tributes and announcements.

My lasting memory from that night came at the end of pregame warmups when both teams lined up at midfield and Liberty coach Mark Stantz — an imposing man in height and stature, who not surprising is a former U.S. Marine — stood at the 50-yard line and addressed the crowd with only his booming voice.

“It was obviously a horrible, horrible thing that had just taken place,” Stantz said in a phone interview nearly 10 years later.

“And it made many of us ask ourselves that week, what do we with our lives. We learned about all these brave Americans who gave

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FIRST PITCH Chace Bryson Editor

Chace@ SportStarsOnline.com (925) 566-8503

their lives to rescue people, and we asked ourselves, ‘Are we going to play this silly game?’ But I think the decision to play the game was the right one.”

Stantz’s pregame address, which I have written in barely legible shorthand on a steno pad somewhere in a box within the depths of my garage, was one of hope and defiance. It was part of a healing process that would take a long, long time in coming, but he hoped might at least start with that game.

“Those people who risked their lives, they did it for a reason,” Stantz said. “It was so people like us could continue to have lives. And live them. Playing the game was the biggest tribute we could pay to them while still giving thanks and continuing to honor them.

“It’s part of what we would tell the kids during that week ... That you could let it disturb you — it should disturb you. But you didn’t have to let it disrupt your life and the path that you want to follow. That’s what I tried to convey to the crowd that night. Or at least, that’s what I remember going through my head.”

Liberty won the game that night, 21-7 over Livermore. Or at least, that’s what Google told me. Because I didn’t remember anything following Stantz’s speech.

Las Lomas-Walnut Creek coach Doug Longero also remembers a lot of that week and talk of whether the Knights would be hosting their Diablo Foothill Athletic League opener against College Park-Pleasant Hill.

“The principals got together and decided we should play it,” Longero said. “Each team had American flag decals put on the back of their helmets and there was a moment of silence. I think the game truly ended up being a great distraction for our young people.”

In several documentaries, the 2001 New York Yankees have been lauded as the sports team that helped heal a city with their run to the World Series. Certainly, that can’t be argued.

But in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, while professional sports — including Major League Baseball — postponed games for as long as a week, sports began to help heal its communities and instill patriotic fortitude across a nation through high school football.

If you were there, it felt right.

That’s why I’ll always remember Mark Stantz, and where I was three days after 9/11. ✪

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rapid fire Betty Chen, Castro Valley golf

Jack Dawson, ‘Titanic’

Where would you spend $500?

Urban Outfitters

Oakley.com

Most annoying part of the first week of school?

Getting up early

w/ Long classes Dealing freshmen

Golf

Football Volleyball

You can only watch one channel.

Which is it?

Best athlete of the past decade?

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Brooke Stranding, Campolindo-Moraga volleyball

Favorite movie character?

Favorite pro sport to watch in person?

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Spencer Henderson, Acalanes-Lafayette football

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Rudy, ‘Rudy’

College Football Network

Herb Brooks, ‘Miracle’

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CW

for ‘Pretty Little Liars’

Brian Tiger Woods LeBron James Wilson Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com

Number of seconds state-ranked cross country runner Luis Luna of PinerSanta Rosa finished ahead of second-place Jaime Silva (his own teammate) to win the 23-team Large School boys division race at Lagoon Valley Classic in Vacaville on Sept. 3. It was the second straight year Luna has won on the three-mile circuit at Lagoon Valley Park. As a junior in 2010, Luna finished sixth in the CIF Division III boys state championship race.

13 he said what?!?

“We learned that we can stick with any team. We played our (butts) off out there.”

Bellarmine Prep-San Jose linebacker and tight end, Joe Gigantino, after the Bells lost to the state’s No. 1-ranked team De La Salle-Concord 26-23 in double overtime.The loss was extra-bitter for Bellarmine, which could’ve won the game at the end of the first overtime were it not for a point-after kick that strayed wide left. Read more about the Bells’ nearmiss in the Red Zone on page 28.

Bob Larson

Things worse than missing a big PAT The point-after touchdown. Gimme play. They should eliminate it from the rules. Right? Not so fast, my friends. Seems a missed PAT was all that stood between Bellarmine Prep and the Bells snapping De La Salle’s redonkulously long Northern California unbeaten streak — which has to leave a certain place-kicker feeling not-so-swell. Cheer up, lad. Here are our top five things worse than missing a potentially historic PAT. 1. Math homework. Nuff said.

2. Ties. All kinds. Tie scores? Bleh. We’d rather lose with dignity. Neckties? Likewise.

3. Drubbings. Wouldn’t you rather come really, really close and fall just short than have your doors blown off in the first quarter? (De La Salle has done that to A LOT of teams and place-kickers just like you.)

4. Hangnails. Seriously. Ouch.

5. You could’ve made it!! ... Then had it called back due to a false start, and THEN missed it. Same result, we know. But you have to admit, that would’ve been worse.

— Bill Kolb

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who’s got next?

nominations: Editor@SportStarsonline.com

of the week

jorel avila

football . heritage-brentwood . senior

Butch Noble

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Winning the first game of the season is critical. It sets the tone for the next 12 weeks as a team embarks on making a big run into the postseason. Good thing the Heritage Patriots have Jorel Avila on their side. He carved up the Granada defense for 118 yards on 17 carries and four touchdowns, including the game-winner.

SportStars: Take us through the gamewinning touchdown.

Jorel Avila: We scored with less than two minutes left. I just remember thinking we need to score. When they called that play, I didn’t think I was gonna score.

SportStars: How huge is this win to start off the season?

JA: It feels good; we came out and made a statement. There are people who doubted us and I feel like we came out as a team and we got it done. ... We played all four quarters. My (offensive) line did exceptional. Our coaches kept us calm throughout the game.

I think they do a fine job with us. Plus we’re a young team and they’re very patient.

SportStars: What’s the key to going far in the postseason this year?

JA: We’re a young team. We have a lot of unproven talent. We have to come together throughout the season and work hard in practice. I’d like to win league. Heritage has never won it before.

JOREL’S QUICK HITS Favorite running back: LaDainian Thomlinson Favorite NFL team: 49ers Favorite ice cream flavor: Chocolate chip cookie dough

honorable able ment mention ion honor

sonja croce The Newark Memorial senior led all scorers with six goals in a water polo match against nonleague opponent Foothill-Pleasanton on Sept. 1.

rachael harris The Antioch sophomore won her non-league tennis match against Huddleston in an epic 4-6, 6-3, 11-9 battle on Sept. 3. Her effort helped Antioch topple Alhambra 6-2.

ryan anderson The Foothill sophomore hit .588 as the TriValley Babe Ruth 15-year-old All Stars won the Babe Ruth WS championship in Jamestown, NY, on Aug. 23.

July 28, 2011

September 8, 2011

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ALL THAT

racquet Three East Bay youngsters make some noise on the national (and world) racquetball scene 12

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“We are only nervous until we start playing. After that everyone and everything else just fades away.”

— Julian Singh

T

he dog days of summer have come and gone. And while some kids spent them swimming, BBQ’ing, catching baseball games, cooling off in dark movie theaters or just relaxing and enjoying the few months off from school, three East Bay boys chose a very different path.

One chose a path that took him all the way to the Domincan Republic.

Jared Lee,13, and brothers Nikhil Singh, 12, and Julian Singh,10, concocted an unusual recipe for challenging summer fun. Mix in equal parts of the boys, add in several racquets, sprinkle in a few rubber balls, and then place the entire mixture into a 40 by 20 ft. glass court. Add competitiveness and sportsmanship, and be prepared to be amazed by the footwork, precision and explosiveness resulting in championshipcaliber racquetball.

Julian Singh and Jared Lee, right, comprise two-thirds of a youth racquetball trio that has risen to national success after modest beginnings at ClupSports Pleasanton.

The fact is that the sound of a racquetball smacking into a glass wall is like music to the ears of these talented young boys. Whether it’s on the foreign courts at the World Junior Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, at the National Junior Olympics in Portland, Ore., or even just on their home court at the ClubSport gym in Pleasanton, the boys wouldn’t trade that familiar melody of “rubber on glass” for anything.

Not drum beats or guitar riffs, or even the notes of “Fur Elise” — Nikhil’s favorite song to play on the piano — can match the sharp sound of a ball careening off the wall. Sometimes the noise in a match can be almost deafening.

These kids wouldn’t know it, though.

“We are only nervous until we start playing,” Julian said. “After that everyone and everything else just fades away.”

There certainly were few nerves among all three boys at the National Junior Olympics in late June.

Lee placed eighth in the Boys 12-Under Blue division, and then with Nikhil as a partner placed third in the 12-Under Consolation doubles bracket.

But it was Julian — with his grandparents amongst the spectators after traveling all the way from India — who stole the show. He took third overall in the 10-Under Gold division, and then partnered with Sebastian Fernandez of San Diego to win the 10-Under doubles division.

And it was that last feat which punched his ticket to the World Junior Championships in the Dominican Republic.

Well, it wasn’t quite that simple. The local racquetball community had to give him an assist first.

“The Racquetball community is unbelievable,” said Nikhil and Julian’s mom, Jennifer. “When Julian qualified for worlds, we organized a round robin type tournament to raise money to send him to the Dominican Republic. They called it ‘Send Julian to Worlds’. We ended up having over 60 people play and raised a surprising amount of money. It was really something.”

The mission was accomplished and Julian and his partner set flight for Santo Domingo to repre-

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sent the United States against the rest of the world over the last week of July.

Julian’s impression of the trip seemed to go as follows.

Taking in the culture? Cool.

Meeting new friends? Cool.

Playing racquetball? A bit tricky.

“I could barely keep score because everything was in Spanish,” he said. “I just had to learn how to count to fifteen in Spanish and I was set.”

His brother Nikhil was not able to go, but was able to watch — along with several other relatives — a live broadcast on YouTube. They got to see Julian and Fernandez win their opening match over the Ireland duo of Sean Ryan and Dean Carroll. They would eventually lose in the semifinals as the Croatian team of Julian Homberger and Pablo Freer ended up taking first place. Fernandez would go on to win the title in the singles division.

The U.S. brought home 10 medals across all age groups.

All the accomplishments aside, it is fascinating how the boys found their way into a relatively obscure, adult-ruled sport.

All three boys and their parents have nothing but praise for their coaches, Elaine Dexter, Ken Stone and Carlos Contreras.

“We really have to credit all the coaches, especially Elaine, for Julian and Nikhil’s success,” Jennifer Singh said.

“Without them and the excellent youth program Elaine has built at ClubSport, the kids would never have found their way into racquetball. Their dedication and patience with the kids has made all the difference in the world.”

Jared has been playing the game for about 3-4 years, following in the footsteps of his parents, who actually met at Cal-Berkeley playing in a club racquetball program.

“I love the fact that in this sport, I can play alongside and against Jared in tournaments and league play,” said Roger Lee, Jared’s dad.

“It is really special and unique. I dread the day when he will beat me, though.”

Story by Emily Van Buskirk | Photos by Butch Noble September 8, 2011

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Nikhil Singh, above, partnered with Jared Lee to finish third in the 12-Under consolation doubles bracket at the USA Racquetball National Junior Olympics in Portland.

The entire Singh family plays as well. Since the boys’ success with the game, Jennifer has begun competing in the adult leagues at the gym along with her husband, who also plays in the Tri-Valley cricket league.

The boys spend upwards of two hours a day, three to four days a week, playing and practicing the game. But they still have a life off the court.

All three love to read and play video games.

Jared plays the drums, and has been an active Boy Scout for several years. He also runs cross country and plays soccer for the competitive Mustang Soccer Club in Danville.

Nikhil plays the piano and hopes to be part of a school band. Julian is currently reading his way through the Percy Jackson series and his favorite subject in school is math.

And there’s a good chance that the classmates who sit next to them have no idea 14

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they’re among the highest ranked racquetball players in the nation for their age.

“Nobody at our school actually knows that we play racquetball at the level that we do. But when we come into the club, everyone knows us and makes us feel welcome.”

Looking forward, the boys will compete in several leagues that run year-round, both junior and adult. They will play in a few local tournaments, ranging from Stockton, to Tracy to Petaluma. But most importantly they will be gearing up for the State Junior Championships in January, hosted by none other then ClubSport Pleasanton.

Each boy says his favorite part of the game is meeting different kids from different parts of the U.S. and around the world.

But kids being kids, another favorite aspect is that inside those glass walls, they can make all the racquet they want. ✪

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Asking out of a practice for study reasons is OK in most cases At the freshman level, a properly phrased request should be granted.

After all, one of the things that freshmen need to learn is how to balance priorities, and it’s understandable that sometimes they don’t have all their ducks in a row

I’m a freshman and I’m worried about getting good grades while still playing a sport. If I have a big test, or a big report due, is it OK to ask to skip practice?

H.H., Lafayette great question because academics, despite what many coaches seem to communicate, are definitely more important than sports. At the same time, though, commitment is important as well, and though some coaches are really only concerned about winning games, many also want young people to learn about commitment and responsibility.

All that said, if you are on a freshman team in any sport, I don’t think there’s any problem in asking for a day off — if the request is made in a respectful manner.

In other words, saying something like “Coach, I’m not coming to practice tomorrow because I have a test the next day but my mom says I should still play in the game,” isn’t going to work nearly as well as saying “Coach, I have a big test the day after tomorrow and I was wondering if it would be OK if I skipped practice to get ready for it?”

At the freshman level, a properly phrased

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request should be granted. After all, one of the things that freshmen need to learn is how to balance priorities, and it’s understandable that sometimes they don’t have all their ducks in a row.

Now at the JV level, it’s a little more complicated, because the junior varsity is more competitive, and the commitment to the team is a little greater. Still, I would say a polite request from a freshman will probably be OK, though if the freshman is a key starter, then it’s important to remember that missing practice can impact the whole team, especially if the coach has a hard-and-fast rule about practice attendance and playing in a game.

If a freshman is on varsity, though, it’s much more serious, because it’s an honor to be on varsity as a freshman, and there’s an implicit understanding that the freshman who makes it to varsity will live up to the expectations of all the other varsity athletes. So in that case, if I were the freshman, I would approach the coach with the attitude that I’m asking for a big-time favor and I will understand completely if it’s not granted.

Behind the Clipboard Clay Kallam

Of course, much depends on the coach. As is often the case, I have a different attitude towards these kinds of requests than many coaches, and I will generally allow any player, regardless of grade, to beg out of a practice if a big paper or big test is upcoming. Now if that practice happens to be the day before a big game against an arch rival, I might not be as receptive. But missing a Wednesday practice before a Friday game against a mediocre opponent is usually going to be OK by me — though usually I will ask if the player can make it to an hour’s worth of practice rather than missing it entirely.

One thing that the coach might ask is that you get up before the entire team and explain why you have to miss practice, so if you’re really going to go shopping with your friends, that’s not going to work out as word will get around. And, by the way, don’t expect to do this more than once, even at the freshman level, without some serious repercussions.

Yes, things can pile up at school, but you have to be organized, and you have to plan — and if you do, you can balance the demands of academics and athletics, and do just fine at both. ✪ 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

September 8, 2011

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club scene

High Performance lives up to its name in Arizona Several members of the Northern California Volleyball Association High Performance team turned in an outstanding performance at the USA High Performances Championships in Tucson, Ariz. on July 28-30, bringing the silver medal back to the East Bay. It was the best-ever showing for the team in one of the most prestigious tournaments in the nation, said Prima Elam, the head coach of the team and the director of Velocity Sports Performance in Dublin, where many of the players are trained.

“The best kids from all over the country come to play. It’s basically a pipeline to USA Volleyball,” Elam said. “It was really excited for us and all the kids involved and the Northern California Volleyball Association. It was the best finish they’d had for the season.”

The NCVA puts together a regional team to compete against the USA team, Elam said, and the NorCal team beat two USA teams at the tournament.

Leading the way was former Cal High standout Aquiles Montoya, who hit .750 for the tournament. Also representing the team was Ben Nilsen (Granda), Dynamite Faagata (Encinal), Tony Zhang (Mission San Jose), Trevor Bryant (Nevada Union), Mason Humes (Del Oro), David Parker (WhitneyRocklin) and Jake Getz (Mt. Madonna-Santa Cruz).

Montoya, Nilsen, Faagata and Zhang each train at Velocity.

Another East Bay player, Ryan Genn of Amador Valley, was originally going to play but was instead selected for the USA A2 national team, Elam said. While there, he was moved up to the A1 team.

Soccer The fifth annual Mustang Stampede Boys Soccer Tournament played out from Aug. 19-21. The list of champions include the Mustang Red Bulls (U12 Premier division), Heritage SC Cosmos (U12 Gold), Los Gatos United Pumas (U13 Premier), Mill Valley Fusion U-13 (13 Gold), PAC INDIOS (U14 Premier), SF Chivas SC (U14 Gold), Mustang Inter (U15 Premier), ACC Mavericks Beast (U15 Gold), Lamorinda FC 95 (U16 Gold), Sacramento United Reds (U16 Premier) and Sacramento United America (U17 Premier).

More notes from the soccer world: The Diablo FC 95’s pulled off an impressive double when it won a title at the prestigious San Diego Surf Cup Championship at the end of July, and then came back to the Bay Area to deliver a championship performance in the Santa Clara Sporting Invitational.

“The key was the commitment and desire from the players to achieve,” Diablo FC 95 coach John Badger said. “They have battled for three years to win some big events and get recognition as one of the top teams in the country. During that month they kept their belief and it all came into place.”

Also, The Lamorinda United 94 girls’ team came out on top in the U16 vElite Flight Schwan’s Soccer Cup concluding on July 17 in Minneapolis. The team played against teams as close by as Southern California, and as far away as Sweden.

United was able to take the final despite giving up an early 2-0 lead over the SoCal Blues squad. The deciding goal coming on breakaway by Acalanes-Lafayette standout, Kaitlin McGee, a mere two minutes into extra time. ✪

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TOP PHOTO: The NCVA High Performance volleyball squad had time to pose for a team picture before claiming a silver medal at the USA High Performance Championships in Arizona. (Contributed). BOTTOM PHOTO: A member of the Mustang Revolution plays a ball off his chest in a pool play match against Diablo FC 94 of the U17 Premier division at the Mustang Soccer Boys Stampede on Aug. 20. Diablo FC won the match 3-0 and went to take second in the division. (Butch Noble photo) Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com

When it comes to training, it’s best if you don’t JUMP right in J ump training, or plyometrics, has been a buzz word in young athletic performance training for quite some time now. Jumping, like all the other aspects of athleticism, is very important, but shouldn’t be the primary focus in the initial stages of developing skills.

That’s right, the first progression in developing jumping skills in your young athletes should be landing skills. This is similar in how I teach cutting or any other quick ground-contact movement with my young athletes.

In the initial stages of teaching jumping skills, I always place athletes in the landing position first so they can understand what the correct position feels like.

■ Hips back ■ Shoulders over knees ■ Knees forward so ankles are dorsiflexed (flexion in ankle) ■ Knees vertically aligned with feet ■ Spine neutral (good posture from lower to upper back, no flexion) This posture efficiently loads the system by supporting joints (ankles, knees, hips, back) and putting key tissue on stretch (calves, hamstrings, and butt muscles), thus creating body control.

The problem with sports that require jumping is that the landings aren’t so scripted and controlled. So young athletes must learn to land in all kinds of positions, both on single or double legs.

But for the purpose of skill development, landing must be taught in a controlled and accurate manner first — and over time progressed to more dynamic unscripted positions. This way, when your athletes do play in a game, they have trained their bodies to handle unbalanced landings during competition in their respective sport.

Here is how I progress my young athletes. This has helped to develop solid landing skills with all my young athletes: The following is the same regardless of whether it is jumping (two legs), leaping (one leg to the other), or hopping (same leg).

1 — Landing should first be taught with a deeper landing pattern at a 45- to 60-degree knee bend, which helps to build control, strength, and posture. This should be low intensity and volume.

2 — Then gradually increase the degree of landing to 25- to 40-degrees. The volume and intensity should still be low. The smaller angle helps to prepare the body to land and react quickly in all directions.

3 — Finally, increase to 10- to 20-degrees. This becomes very reactive in nature. The body must be stabilized quickly, due to the lack of greater pre-stretch on tissue (like in a 45-plus degree knee bend).

The goal is to gradually increase the quickness and response time out of the landing. The shallower knee bend during landing allows for a quicker response in all directions. Whether it be going up for a rebound in basketball, a header in soccer, block shot in volleyball, or an interception in football.

A great way to build quickness out of the higher position jump landing is through drills like jump rope, dot drills, line drills, hurdles, or quick-response low box jumps.

Unfortunately many trainers make the mistake of skipping the above progressions by having young athletes jumping right out of the gate, with too much intensity, too quickly. This is a big mistake as it doesn’t allow for the building of good technique, joint integrity and proper pattering of the landing skills required for optimal performance and injury reduction on the field or court of play. ✪

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).

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

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Have an athlete or coach named SportStar of the year (fall, winter, spring)

Win individual or team league championship

Have an athlete be named All-State An athlete or team brings home a Section Championship

Have a team named Section’s scholastic champion for highest team GPA Any individual wins a CIF Northern regional championship Any team wins a CIF Norcal final

Win an individual STATE title

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As defending NCS champions, the Foothill girls volleyball team is riding high. Can it stay there?

B

By matt smith | Contributor

enjamin Franklin, in one of his most famous quotations, said in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. If he had been around long enough to experience some North Coast Section high school sports, he would have added Foothill High volleyball to that statement.

One thing opposing coaches, players and fans know, if nothing else, is that every single year, the Falcons will be one of the North Coast Section’s toughest teams.

And this year should be no different.

In fact, despite graduating six starters from an NCS Division I championship team, the Falcons’ expectations are as high as usual. Such is the territory when one is the team anointed the No. 1 preseason ranking in the area.

“We don’t really talk about the rankings and stuff,” Foothill head coach Dusty Collins said.

“I throw it out there in the beginning that we’re going to see everyone’s best match because everyone sees you as the team to knock off, but that’s part of being the team that won it all the previous year.”

As if having to replace six starters wasn’t enough, it seems like a bigger deal when one of those starters was one of the best players the school has seen in recent memory.

Caitlin DeWitt was Foothill’s go-to player last year, and despite teams knowing that she was going to get most of the swings, she still helped lead the team to the Div. I crown — topping fellow East Bay Athletic League foe San Ramon Valley in an NCS final that lasted four sets.

“We relied on Cait and she rose to another level,” Collins said.

“But we needed everyone to do a job around her, and everyone bought into that. She could Bob Larson photos

LEFT: Foothill outside hitter Jen Corbin receives the ball during a scrimmage at the Deer Valley Jamboree on Sept.

3. Corbin will be a key junior for the Falcons in 2011.

ABOVE right: Fiona Lamont, center, will be counted on as one of two middle hitters for Foothill this season.

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“We’re not going to be a onedimensional team this year. We gotta be more well-rounded and we have the potential to be that.

It’s a whole new group that’s going to need to step up, but I like who we have.”

Foothill coach Dusty Collins

bail you out so often. She was that player.”

Collins added that it took last year’s team, a team that had been together for a few seasons, a while to come together and to completely buy-in. And once they did, great things happened.

“It took us a couple of years with that team to jell as a unit,” Collins said. “So they finally saw how important it was to come together.”

But this year, it will be a different dynamic, as the Falcons will go from a team that relied heavily on one player, to a team that will have to be well-rounded to a point where most players are relied on equally. “We’re not going to be a onedimensional team this year,” Collins said.

“We gotta be more well-rounded and we have the potential to be that. It’s a whole new group that’s going to need to step up, but I like who we have.”

So with Foothill losing six starters, how is it conceivable that it can be considered the top team in the East Bay? The answer is simple. Because this brand new group is not comprised of players who are unaccustomed to playing for a successful program. Foothill returns six seniors, four of which should be very key contributors in 2011. It also returns three key juniors. ◆◆◆ Two middle hitters, Fiona Lamont and Sara Markle, along with outside hitter Aria Crawford and setter Phoebe Brown lead the senior group. The junior group is led by outside hitter Jen Corbin, setter Amanda Tuazon and libero Jasmine Ballesteros. All seven contributed to the Falcons’ success a season ago.

“They were a part of last year’s team,” Collins said. “They have that desire and know what it’s like to play at that level, and they want to maintain that level of success.”

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Senior setter Phoebe Brown should have no problem finding hitters to deliver passes to this fall.

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But let us not forget the pedigree of Collins, a guy who has gleaned the most out of his teams, year after year. In fact, Collins has commanded so much respect that even opposing coaches know that his being on the Foothill sideline gives the Falcons an advantage.

Among the other teams considered top tier this season is that same EBAL foe Foothill vanquished in the NCS final, San Ramon Valley High.

The Wolves had a strong case to be billed as the early season’s team to beat after reaching the championship match and returning several key players.

But Wolves head coach Tom Bauhs cited Collins as a key reason to consider Foothill the favorite, even despite his own team returning four key starters — including first team All-EBAL performer Erin Sherwood and second team All-EBAL performer Emily Reder.

“I don’t know who he is putting on the court this season, but he always has his girls ready to compete,” Bauhs said. “Foothill is probably the toughest gym in the EBAL to go to. We haven’t had a good match there in years, and I credit that to Dusty and the tradition in that gym.”

Among other teams to consider for that top spot were Bishop O’Dowd and Campolindo. Both have an incredible amount of talent, but also have a couple of questions to answer.

The Cougars won the California Interscholastic Federation Division III state title in 2010 ( after rolling to the NCS Div. III title, of course), but are replacing five starters — including East Bay Player of the Year Mary Vaccaro and the likes of Abbie

Noland, Chandler Moore and Sophie Smith.

The Dragons have a new head coach after Mike Gee took the program to an incredibly high level, with four straight NCS titles and an appearance in the NorCal state final. Gee took an assistant coaching position at Cal State Fullerton, and he has been replaced by Chad Salcido.

Salcido will have the task of replacing terrific seniors such as Lindsay Parrott, Alex Lynch and Jordan Pehanick.

And even though Foothill opens 2011 as the East Bay’s top team, don’t expect the Falcons to cruise through the season holding that top ranking the whole way. There will almost assuredly be losses, especially when considering the league Foothill plays in. The EBAL has consistently proven itself to be the best volleyball league in the East Bay, and this year is no exception with five teams ranked in the top ten. “We’re excited to play in this league,” Collins said.

“It’s gonna be hard, but we like it to be competitive. It will be a typical EBAL year. It will be fun.”

The Falcons know they will be up against it, but the competition will clearly make them better. Besides, being the top team at the end of the year, not the beginning, is the goal.

“It’s something that takes time, and it’s not something that’s gonna happen right away,” Collins said.

“At some point there has to be enough talking about it and we have to do things that make this a good team. If the focus is there, we’ll be successful.” ✪

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New-look Campolindo team will fight to forge an identity against the expectations from last year’s state title run

I

t’s there. The pressure.

Pressure that comes from expectations. Expectations that follow winning a state championship.

On the bright side, Scott Bishop has been here before.

The coach of the Campolindo High girls volleyball team knows what it’s like to navigate in the wake of winning a state title. He did so in 2008 at Campolindo after the Cougars claimed the California Interscholastic Federation Division III championship. The nucleus of that 2008 team was comprised of freshmen. Those freshmen graduated this past fall, after raising their own Div. III state championship banner as seniors.

Which puts Bishop back into the role of guiding a team through the pressure of living up to its immediate predecessor.

“It can be tough,” Bishop admitted. “You know the team is thinking, ‘How do we measure up to last year’s success,’ and you ask yourself how do you motivate that group. My message continues to be that our goal is to not really measure ourselves by what last year’s team did, but what this group is capable of.”

Frankly, it’s capable of quite a bit.

The Cougars did graduate seven from the squad which posted an overall record of 34-3 and won the Diablo Foothill Athletic League, North Coast Section and CIF titles. And one of those graduates was perhaps Northern California’s most decorated player a year ago in Mary Vaccaro.

However, Campolindo does return two starters and a host of players itching to make their mark on the program.

Leading the way is junior setter Sophie Seiberth. And she also has no problem admitting that the expectations are present.

“Definitely we’re feeling some pressure,” said Seiberth, who posted 49 assists against Cathedral Catholic-San Diego in the state final. “Everyone is thinking and wondering about what this team will do. How can we be as good as last year? It’s hard to live up to those expectations, but we’re comfortable with where we’re sitting.”

Unlike 2008, when the nucleus of the state follow-up team was very young, the majority of this year’s Cougars roster is comprised of upperclassmen. Among the 15 players, four are seniors and seven are juniors.

Which could be part of the reason for the comfort that Seiberth referred to.

“A lot of that returning group were there during that postseason run and soaked in ton of that experience,” Bishop said.

Plus, they’ve come back as better players. Which is creating a bit of a problem — a good problem — for Bishop when it comes to determining his primary rotation.

“Last year at this time, I basically knew who we were working with and what they were capable of,” Bishop said. “But this year we have new faces, plus a lot of the old faces who are coming back playing better than they did a year ago. ... I think we might be deeper skill-wise than we were a year ago.”

The offense will likely be lead by Annie Shurtz, the team’s other returning starter.

“She is looking ridiculously talented this year,” Bishop said of his junior hitter.

“She was starting last year, but wasn’t able to be used a lot because of all the other talent around her. She was definitely being overshadowed by the other fantastic

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ABOVE: From left to right, Annie Shurtz, Sophie Seiberth and Lena Olufson provide the core of returning players for Camoplindo. Shurtz and Seiberth both started on the 2010 state championship team as sophomores. Olufson, now a senior, was a key contributor off the bench.

RIGHT: Shurtz goes to her knees to return a ball during a scrimmage at the Deer Valley Jamboree on Sept. 3.

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hitters in that (senior) group.”

Shurtz still played in all five sets of the state final and managed to deliver seven kills and one block.

She was also one of the players that Bishop stressed had improved greatly over the summer.

“She picked up two inches on her vertical leap, and she always hit the ball hard,” the coach said. “This is going ot be a big breakout year for her, I think. We can use her in a lot of places. She’s really turning into a good all-around player for us.”

Lena Olufson, a senior, is another big hitter who returned with a better vertical leap and an increased ability to be a key offensive weapon for the Cougars. The rest of the group and positions appear to be fluid. Which, in turn, made the team’s first few scrimmages somewhat interesting.

While playing at the Deer Valley Jamboree on Sept. 3, one of the first things Bishop noticed was the team’s lack of enthusiasm and cohesion as a group.

“We were trying different lineups and doing pretty well, but were a bit dead on the court chemistry-wise,” he said, while also admitting that the team is still searching for its identity in the absence of some very strong, vocal leaders a year ago. “Obviously, it’s a new team and players are feeling each other out, but it seemed everyone was really worried about individual play.”

After a brief chat between the team’s second and third opponent, things smoothed out. And Seiberth maintains that the chemistry is there, it just needs to developed further.

“I think the chemistry this year is really great,” the setter said. “We all get along so well off the court. ... We don’t have a set rotation, but we know that we can be a strong team by all the support that we give each other. We really improved on that (at the Jamboree).”

In the meantime, Bishop will be doing everything short of taking

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the state banner off the gymnasium wall.

“It’s all about how you definite success,” he said. “We don’t have to win league, section, regionals and state to be successful. Our success is going to be purely based on are we putting out the effort to perform the way we’re capable of playing.

“If we do make it state again, or have a deep playoff run, I think we’re going to do it differently than last year’s group. And different is OK.” ✪

September 8, 2011

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Chanelle Washington, of 11th-ranked Deer Valley.

1. Foothill

COACH: Dusty Collins 2010 RECORDS: 35-5, 12-2 EBAL (first) KEY RETURNERS: OH, Aria Crawford, Sr; M, Sara Markle, Sr. KEY LOSSES: OH, Caitlin DeWitt; M, Alexa Borg.

NAME YOU’LL LEARN QUICKLY: OH, Hannah Williams, So. SEASON OUTLOOK: The Falcons will have to replace six starters from a team that won the NCS Division I crown, but with seven returning contributors from last year’s team, they have a good chance of repeating.

Bob Larson/ photo

2. Bishop O’Dowd

COACH: Chad Salcido 2010 RECORDS: 28-14, 12-0 HAAL (first) KEY RETURNERS: M/RS Lacey Maas, Sr; S, Sophia Mar, Jr. KEY LOSSES: S/OH, Lindsay Parrott; M, Jordan Pehanick.

NAME YOU’LL LEARN QUICKLY: OH, Brianna Karseboom, Fr. SEASON OUTLOOK: The Dragons lost a lot of talent, but of course have plenty of it returning. The goal at O’Dowd under former coach Mike Gee was to challenge for a state title, and that goal remains under new coach Chad Salcido.

4. Campolindo

COACH: Scott Bishop 2010 RECORDS: 34-3, 12-0 DFAL (first) KEY RETURNERS: S, Sophie Seiberth, Jr; OH/M, Annie Shurtz, Jr. KEY LOSSES: OH, Mary Vaccaro; M, Chandler Moore.

NAME YOU’LL LEARN QUICKLY: OH, Lena Olufson, Sr. SEASON OUTLOOK: The Cougars certainly graduated a lot of talent from last year’s state title team, but not many programs in the East Bay could lose that much talent and still be a force. The Cougars can.

5. California

COACH: Todd Baham 2010 RECORDS: 24-7, 9-5 EBAL (t-second) KEY RETURNERS: OH, Sabrina Clayton, Jr; S, Alison Good, Sr. KEY LOSSES: M Lauren Beyerle; M, Michelle Watt.

NAME YOU’LL LEARN QUICKLY: M, Lindsay Wood, Sr. SEASON OUTLOOK: The Grizzlies lost the best middle tandem the East Bay had to offer a season ago, but are in the rare category of returning not only perhaps the top hitter in the area (Clayton), but also one of the top setters (Good).

6. Carondelet

COACH: Jerry Mix 2010 RECORDS: 23-14, 6-8 EBAL (sixth) KEY RETURNERS: OH, Shannon Boling, Sr; OH, Liz Morely, Sr. KEY LOSSES: S, Alicia Flatt; M, Emily Caples.

NAME YOU’LL LEARN QUICKLY: S, Michelle Seals, So. SEASON OUTLOOK: Despite being the only Div. II team in the East Bay’s toughest league, the Cougars are always competitive — which makes them dangerous. This year will be no exception with talented hitters on the outside and an up-and-coming setter.

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11. Deer Valley

COACH: Lou Panzella 2010 RECORDS: 17-21, 8-2 BVAL (second) KEY RETURNERS: OH, Marisa Malone, Sr. KEY LOSSES: S, Keesh Tolentino; OH, Kara Stark; M Tyler Harper NAME YOU’LL LEARN QUICKLY: S, Megan Santos, Jr. SEASON OUTLOOK: The Wolverines are replacing six of seven starters, and are losing a lot of size. However, Panzella’s teams are always scrappy, and with several position battles going on, competition could breed success.

12. Heritage

3. San Ramon Valley

COACH: Tom Bauhs 2010 RECORDS: 28-9, 9-5 EBAL (second tied) KEY RETURNERS: OH, Erin Sherwood, Sr; OH, Emily Reder, Jr. KEY LOSSES: OH, Victoria Acosta; OH, Jessica Ross.

NAME YOU’LL LEARN QUICKLY: L/DS Rachel Braunschweig, Fr. SEASON OUTLOOK: The Wolves return four core starters to a team that reached the NCS Div. I title game last year, and boast perhaps the top hitting tandem with Sherwood and Reder.

KEY LOSSES: OPP/S, Kelli McCurdy.

NAME YOU’LL LEARN QUICKLY: M, Lauren Shaffer, So. SEASON OUTLOOK: It was a down year last season by Northgate’s standards, but with one of the top hitters in the area returning in Michelle Lawrence, along with a team that is junior- and seniorheavy, getting back to the top of the DVAL is a feasible goal.

7. Albany

COACH: Roger Worsley 2010 RECORDS: 28-6, 12-2 EBAL (first) KEY RETURNERS: OH, Kyra Holt, Jr; S, McKenzie Giblin, Sr. KEY LOSSES: S, Sita Wong NAME YOU’LL LEARN QUICKLY: M, Amber Erhahon, So. SEASON OUTLOOK: The Cougars return just about every key player as this looks to be the year that they move from dominating the BSAL to making a serious run for the NCS Div. III crown.

8. Amador Valley

COACH: Rich Cortez 2010 RECORDS: 20-12, 9-5 EBAL (t-second) KEY RETURNERS: OH/L, Nicole Huggins, Sr; L/DS Meghan Burnett, Sr. KEY LOSSES: S Kelsey Williams; OH Rachel Kinnard NAME YOU’LL LEARN QUICKLY: OH, Marisol Tracy, So. SEASON OUTLOOK: The Dons begin a new era following the graduation of super setter Kelsey Williams. Kristina Dunworth looks to fill her shoes, and there is still plenty of talent for Amador Valley to be a factor.

9. Miramonte

COACH: Shannon Ross 2010 RECORDS: 24-13, 10-2 DFAL (first) KEY RETURNERS: S, Sarah Vaccaro, Sr. OH, Audrey Breitweiser, Sr. KEY LOSSES: OPP/M, Kirsten Rutledge NAME YOU’LL LEARN QUICKLY: OPP/M, Beryl Slezak, Jr. SEASON OUTLOOK: The Matadors were young last year, and this year that should pay off. They return nine varsity lettermen, including seven seniors, led by do-everything setter Sarah Vaccaro.

10. Northgate

COACH: Dave Weiland 2010 RECORDS: 18-18, 10-2 DVAL (first) KEY RETURNERS: OH, Michelle Lawrence, Jr; OPP, Maddie Watson, Sr.

COACH: Janet Hannigan 2010 RECORDS: 25-12, 9-1 BVAL (first) KEY RETURNERS: M, Melissa Shatswell, Jr; OPP, Savannah Shelton, Sr. KEY LOSSES: OH, Courtney Quinn NAME YOU’LL LEARN QUICKLY: OH Colleen Hannigan, So. SEASON OUTLOOK: The Patriots will try to maintain while starting setter Chelsea Hancock recovers from a foot injury. Still, with four key returners, they have a chance to defend their BVAL title.

13. Berean Christian

COACH: Jim Simonson 2010 RECORDS: 24-4, 12-0 DVAL (first) KEY RETURNERS: M, Jessica Vestal, Sr; OH, Cheyenne Boelk, Sr; M, Savanna Stevens, Sr. KEY LOSSES: S, Brooke Fraser.

NAME YOU’LL LEARN QUICKLY: S, Kenzie Nortune, Jr. SEASON OUTLOOK: The Eagles have what it takes to stay on top of the DVAL again in 2011, even with the loss of Brooke Fraser. With the league MVP returning in Vestal — and with several other options around her — Berean Christian should be considered the league’s top team and a force in Div. IV.

14. Mission San Jose

COACH: Donny Hui 2010 RECORDS: 16-12, 7-5 MVAL (third) KEY RETURNERS: S Gigi Hsu, Sr; M, Maya Ramchandran, Sr. KEY LOSSES: OH, Elisa Ting; OH, Tiffany Huynh.

NAME YOU’LL LEARN QUICKLY: L, Shannon Hua, Jr. SEASON OUTLOOK: Donny Hui returns as the coach of the Warriors who are looking to climb back atop of the MVAL, a place they have grown accustomed to. With several key returners, they could do just that.

15. Liberty

COACH: Linda Ghilarducci 2010 RECORDS: 13-28, 7-3 BVAL (third) KEY RETURNERS: M, Alexis Dumitrescu, Jr; OH, Taylor Scrien, Jr. KEY LOSSES: OH, Chantal Lasher.

NAME YOU’LL LEARN QUICKLY: M, Emily Belt, So. SEASON OUTLOOK: With many key players returning from a team that went 7-3 in league last year, Liberty is a team that many have their eyes on. The Lions could certainly be a dark horse in the BVAL, and Div. I for that matter. ✪

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Sabrina Clayton

Kyra Holt

SCHOOL: California YEAR: Junior POSITION: OH WHY SHE’S HERE: Clayton returns as a junior and should be considered the top player in the East Bay. Last year as a sophomore she made first team All-EBAL and finished the year with 421 kills.

SCHOOL: Albany YEAR: Junior POSITION: OH WHY SHE’S HERE: Holt was the MVP of the BSAL last year, and was only a sophomore.

With an immense amount of raw talent, Holt, who had 366 kills last year, could be an East Bay Player of the Year candidate in 2011.

Sophie Seiberth

best 1,222 assists.

SCHOOL: Campolindo YEAR: Junior POSITION: S WHY SHE’S HERE: Seiberth was incredible as a sophomore as she helped lead the Cougars to a state championship. She was second team All-DFAL and had an East Bay-

Jessica Vestal

SCHOOL: Berean Christian YEAR: Senior POSITION: MH WHY SHE’S HERE: Vestal is the best returning middle in the East Bay, and will play a big role in the Eagles success this year. She had 272 kills a year ago in helping them earn a No. 2 seed in the Div. IV playoffs.

Erin Sherwood SCHOOL: San Ramon Valley YEAR: Senior POSITION: OH WHY SHE’S HERE: A first team All-EBAL performer a year ago, Sherwood led the Wolves to the NCS Div. I title game after a season that saw her club 459 kills and post 123 digs.

Sophia Mar

SCHOOL: Bishop O’Dowd YEAR: Junior POSITION: S WHY SHE’S HERE: Mar may be small in stature, but she can do it all on the court. She will primarily be the team’s setter, taking over for Lindsay Parrott, but she can swing from the outside as well.

Katie Hirsch SCHOOL: Monte Vista YEAR: Senior POSITION: L WHY SHE’S HERE: The transfer from Minnesota dropped jaws last year with her ability to keep the ball in play. She touched the ball 1,860 times and put 94 percent of those balls in play.

Sarah Vaccaro

SCHOOL: Miramonte YEAR: Senior POSITION: S WHY SHE’S HERE: Vaccaro has been one of the better setters in the East Bay since she was a freshman, and after three years of varsity experience — all of them better than the previous — she could be the best.

Melissa Summers

Div. I quarterfinals.

SCHOOL: Granada YEAR: Senior POSITION: L WHY SHE’S HERE: Summers was the EBAL’s first-team libero, and for good reason. As a junior she had 568 digs and was a big factor in another successful year for the Matadors, who won 23 matches and reached the NCS

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Michelle Lawrence

Main photo: Bob Larson / Others: Jonathan Hawthorne, athlete contributions

SCHOOL: Northgate YEAR: Junior POSITION: OH WHY SHE’S HERE: First team All-DVAL as a sophomore in 2010, Lawrence was just scratching the surface last season when she finished with 152 kills and led the Broncos to 18 wins and an NCS Div. II playoff appearance. ✪

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Red Zone

Bells determined to draw the positive out of historic hiccup

By Chace Bryson | Editor Travis McHugh called the play himself.

From the 7-yard line on 3rd-and-goal — in overtime — he called his own number. A naked bootleg to the right corner of the end zone.

“I called that play myself,” the Bellarmine Prep-San Jose quarterback said. “Because I knew it was going to work.”

And he was right.

By the time he got to the 2-yard line, the closing defensive back for De La Salle-Concord could only get his arms wrapped around McHugh’s legs as he fell forward into the end zone. The score tied the game at 20, and a pending extra point would’ve handed the host Spartans their first loss to Northern California team in nearly 20 years — an unbeaten streak that had reached 211 games.

inside look: bellarmine prepsan jose But McHugh couldn’t totally buy into the euphoria sweeping his own sideline.

“You can’t really celebrate a win until the fat lady sings,” he said. “We got in (the end zone) and I ran back to the sideline, and the situation was really similar to game we had two years ago against Archbishop Mitty-San Jose. We had to go into double OT and lost by just a smidge.

“It happened the same way. We both scored and both missed the extra point. I don’t want to say it was deja vu, and I don’t want to say I was expecting (our kicker) to miss, but I was like ‘Uh oh, it’s not a guaranteed make here.’”

And again, he was right.

Aaron Gamboa’s PAT kick sailed wide left. Pushed just a touch too far by the junior.

The Bells then had to take the field on offense again to start the second overtime, and managed just a 27-yard field goal by McHugh for a 23-20 lead. But De La Salle wasn’t about to miss it’s chance to put an end to things, reaching the end zone on three plays and walking off winners are Bart Houston, McHugh’s counterpart, plunged across the goal line from one yard out.

An elated — and much relieved Spartans team spared excess celebration as it shook hands and quickly exited the field. However, legendary De La Salle coach Bob Ladouceur lingered just long enough to grab a moment with McHugh to complement his effort.

Nobody likes moral victories. Not on the football field. And not at the cost of having historic significance slip through the fingertips.

The football players of Bellarmine-San Jose will refer to their Sept. 2 effort at Owen Owens Field as a loss. Because that’s what it was, albeit an inspiring one.

The Bells became just the third Northern California since the opening of the 1992 season to be tied with De La Salle after four quarters of play. The other two times, both during 2004, overtimes were not played.

Bellarmine never appeared to shy away from the nation-

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Bob Larson

Bellarmine tight end and linebacker Joe Gigantino (85) sprawls forward as De La Salle defensive back Josh Jenkins ducks down to make an open-field tackle. Gigantino scored the first touchdown of the Sept. 2 game on a 40-yard fumble return in the first half. ally-ranked Spartans at any point of the contest. In fact, they held a 7-0 lead at halftime after forcing the Wisconsin-bound Houston into three turnovers — the last of which was a fumble that linebacker Joe Gigantino returned 40 yards for a touchdown.

“That’s Bellarmine football,” Gigantino said. “We’ve been training all summer for this game. We wanted to smack these guys in the mouth and show ‘em what we’re made of. We did the best we could, but they came out on top” And while it’s moral victories the Bells could do without, losses to learn from and build upon are just fine with them.

Bellarmine (0-1) will now take a bye week to regroup and prepare for a Sept. 16 game at San Leandro. The Bells, who still carry significant hopes of reaching a California Interscho-

lastic Federation State Championship bowl game in 2011, realize that a double-overtime defeat to the state’s No. 1 team probably won’t hurt their resume too much as long as they can take care of business moving forward.

In fact, the extra-close loss to the Spartans could eventually end up separating Bellarmine from other one-loss teams when the CIF section commissioners sit down to make the bowl game selections in mid-December.

“We’re going to use this game to fuel us into the rest of the season,” McHugh said. “We’re going to practice really hard, but we know after this game that just about anything is possible. We still have high hopes for us, and we’re going to push our season as far it will go.” ✪

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Red Zone

Spartans are preparing to regroup after rocky opener De La Salle heads into its bye week following a 26-23 double overtime win over Bellarmine Prep-San Jose, which could only be described as escaping a near-disaster.

The Spartans offense, which was held to just 107 yards rushing and 225 yards of total offense — their lowest outputs in each statistic since a 30-6 loss to Don Bosco Prep-Ramsey (N.J.) on Sept. 12, 2009 — goes back to the drawing board as it prepares for a Sept. 16 game at St. Mary’s-Stockton.

“We made a lot of mistakes,” De La Salle coach Bob Ladouceur said following the Bellarmine game.

“Watching film on this game is going to be really hard.”

The mistakes seemed to be in all areas for the offense, including the three first-half turnovers and some costly second-half penalties that severely hindered the Spartans chances of expanding their 14-7 lead and possibly putting the Bells out of reach. Were it not for a prolonged stretch of strong play by the Spartans defense, especially in the first half, the game might have played out even more so in the Bells’ favor.

Cal-bound linebacker Michael Barton led De La Salle in tackles with 15 (nine solo), but perhaps the Spartans’ player with the biggest defensive impact

De La Salle coach Bob Ladouceur praised his team’s perseverance in its seasonopening win, but said film of the doubleovertime victory would be “hard to watch.”

was David Moffitt. The junior linebacker was all over the field throughout the night, making 10 tackes (eight solo), but also breaking up four passes — two of which likely would’ve gone for scores if had they been caught.

Anthony Williams was certainly a bright spot for the Spartans as well, scoring both of the team’s touchdowns in regulation. His 90-yard punt return gave De La Salle it’s first points of the game and brought the team and it’s sideline some much-needed energy.

“It woke up our team,” Ladouceur said of the return.

“Six minutes into the third quarter and I think we only had 40 yards of offense, so we needed it.”

Williams said the talk at halftime was pretty simple.

“Offensively, we needed to pick it up,” he said. “We needed to focus on our game and not let them dictate what we do.”

In the week following their game against St. Mary’s, the team flies to Florida for a national spotlight game at St. Thomas Aquinas-Fort Lauderdale. The game will play out on ESPN2, giving everyone a chance to watch the film — Ladouceur undoubtedly hopes it will be easier to watch by then. ✪ — Chace Bryson

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Red Zone

Trosin, new-look Bulldogs keep to 2010 script By erik stordahl | SportStars If the blueprint for winning a state championship bowl game means getting blown out by Grant-Sacramento in the first game then dominating the second, then perhaps it’s time to give Folsom back-to-back crowns right now.

Indeed, the rising football powerhouse looked like a team on a mission when they dismantled San Ramon Valley-Danville 41-29 on Sept. 3 in the second billed match of the Battle in the Bay at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill. And if the opening statement seems like an outlandish one, it’s wise not to discount the hungry squad from the greaterSacramento area.

But Bulldogs coach Kris Richardson knows it’s a long road to Carson’s Home Depot Center, site of the CIF State Championship bowl games; there are plenty of early-season kinks his team needs to work out.

“There are some weaknesses we have to fix,” Richardson said. “But we’re definitely going in the right path.”

New behind center this season is Tanner

inside look: folsom Trosin, a near carbon copy of Dano Graves, one of the most decorated quarterbacks in Sac-Joaquin history.

Like Graves, Trosin is the catalyst of the offense, throwing bombs to receivers and bulldozing through defensive lines as part of a potent running attack.

“He’s a great leader,” said Trosin on what he learned from Graves. “He taught me a lot about the game …. He’s way faster than I am, but I feel like I can still run and make plays for the team.”

There’s no doubting that. In addition to throwing for 303 yards and four touchdowns on 14-for-25 passing, Trosin also rushed for two touchdowns on 109 yards on 25 carries.

For those doing the quick math, that’s 412 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns — a performance worthy of Graves comparisons.

And it hasn’t taken long for Trosin to get on the same page with his receivers. His four TD throws against the Wolves went to four different receivers, including senior Doug Vernon

KEEPING PACE A quick comparison of Tanner Trosin’s stats over his first two games of 2011 with the numbers Dano Graves posted in the first two games of 2010.

Comp-Att. Pass Yds. TD INT. Rush Att. Yards TDs Graves 46-71 590 6 2 29 183 2 Trosin 38-67 638 5 5 30 139 3

Butch Noble

After taking a loss in his first varsity start at quarterback on Aug. 27, Folsom’s Tanner Trosin delivered a superb performance in a Sept. 3 win over San Ramon Valley-Danville. who caught six passes for 119 yards.

The secret to such early chemistry?

“It always comes from the offseason,” Trosin said. “I just kept working on my routes that I’ve been working on.”

Vernon added that the success comes from staying after practice working on those same routes with Trosin.

Following his first career win as the Bulldogs’ starter, where was Trosin 10 minutes after the final buzzer? Resting with a few

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ice packs attached to his frame. All part of a game’s work when it comes to replacing the National Player of the Year.

“I’m not banged up,” Trosin said. “It’s just my ankles that have been sore since last week.”

That’s a good thing for the Bulldogs as they go full-throttle for another state title.

“We need to keep working hard in practice,” Trosin said. “We need to be in a humble state of mind.” ✪

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Red Zone

You can look good on the sideline, but it doesn’t win ball games

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the SportStars Magazine debut of Roger Theder. If you proclaim to be a long-time follower of East Bay football, then you’re familiar with Coach Theder. If you’re new, we’ll cut you some slack. Here are the basics: 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. Theder will be a regular contributor to the magazine throughout the football season, passing along his wisdom on football and coaching. esson #1: Be authentically you At Cal, I thought I had to become that stereotypical drill sergeant in order to build a winning program. But being a good coach is not about having a tough guy persona. Instead, it’s about being true to yourself and remaining a constant student of the game. One of my first moves as head coach was to buy all of my assistant coaches beautiful cobalt blue sweaters. We looked like the best coaching staff in America: myself, Dom Capers, Gunther Cunningham, Al Saunders, Max McCartney, and Francis Peay. And it was a good crew.

All of us went on to become contributors on NFL staffs. At the time, however, we were ready for the NFL in image only. The sweaters were a strategic move: our professional appearance was supposed to lead to touchdowns and Ws on the football field. It didn’t. Sweaters don’t make winners. Lesson learned.

Lesson #2: Take Time to Be Creative For a coach, learning is paramount. I’m a strong believer that learning often comes through creativity. I was fortunate to coach one of our sport’s all time greats, Chuck Muncie.

With Muncie at running back our offense pretty much sorted itself out, but after he was drafted by the New Orleans Saints we had to make some tweaks. I came up with the idea of running our same plays but from different formations. We would line up in a “Run and Shoot” formation, but switch into “West Coast” before snapping the ball, and we had success with that. The post-Muncie era taught me that good things happen when you are willing to experiment. I set aside more time to be creative and spend less time on administrative duties.

Lesson #3: Utilize strengths, circumvent weakness Speaking of administration, it is a weakness I try to circumvent. My own strengths are x’s and o’s; I know football plays, but running a team was not my strong suit. It took several challenging seasons for me to realize that, after which I relegated more time to creativity and put myself in coaching situations where I knew I would be successful — like working specifically with quarterbacks. ✪

Gridiron Lessons

L

Roger Theder

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Red Zone

Kline opens senior campaign with flare There’s no telling whether San Ramon Valley-Danville senior quarterback Zach Kline felt he had something to prove in the Wolves’ season-opener against Folsom on Sept. 3 at John Miller sustained a season-ending torn ACL and menisDiablo Valley College.

But if so, he proved it. cus in a non-contact drill in mid-August. Miller also had his Despite being Rivals.com’s highest-rated quarterback junior season cut short by injury. recruit in the state, Kline has had some doubters say he only Leo Costa stepped in for Miller on short notice and was unperforms well at camps and combines der siege from the Falcons’ defense all — and has failed to tout his talent in a night. He finished 7-for-17 for 115 yards game situation. with one pick and a fluttery 25-yard His performance in San Ramon Valtouchdown pass to Ethan Little for the ley’s 41-29 loss to Folsom should go a Bulldogs’ first score of the season. long way in silencing those doubters.

“It was just a freaky thing,” secondAfter starting the game a little shaky, year Alhambra coach Alan Hern said of the Cal-bound Kline finished strong as he Miller’s injury. “He was very depressed. torched the Bulldogs’ secondary to com… He might be back in time for baseball plete 10 of his last 11 passes. He finished season, but not until after Easter.” the game competing 19 of 27 passes Costa will need some seasoning, but for 305 yards — a career-high, and his Jonathan Hawthorne Hern, a former Bulldogs quarterback first 300-yard performance — with three Doug Longero, Vintage-Napa himself, is optimistic about the future. touchdowns and no interceptions. He “He can make all the throws,” Hern also rushed 12 times for 48 yards and a said. “He’s going to be very good.” score.

It at least made a believer out of Folsom coach Kris Richardson. “We knew he was good, I’d seen some tape,” Richardson said. “I knew he had a cannon and this year I saw It was only a few minutes after its 26-6 season-opening win how accurate he was. I thought he played his butt off …. He’s over Vintage-Napa on Sept. 2, when the Las Lomas-Walnut a great player.”

Creek players surprised their coach Doug Longero with a banner commemorating what was his 100th victory.

While the moment was satisfying, it was also a bit conflicting. Primarily because, despite the win, he thought his team Friday’s College Park-Pleasant Hill/Alhambra-Martinez could’ve played a little better. season-opening rivalry game featured a rare occurrence: And it’s that grind toward perfection that leads most Both teams featured a sophomore starting at quarterback. coaches to the 100-win club. A few days later, the coach was The Falcons’ Dimitri Salido, looking diminutive (the roster able to take it in stride — though he claimed reaching the lists him at 5-foot-10, 160 pounds, but one should be dubiplateau was not that big of deal. ous) but composed, got the better end of things in the 28-20 “You coach to coach,” said Longero, whose career record College Park win. Salido tossed two 22-yard TD passes to is now 100-47-1, all with the Knights. “If anything, I’m happy Jaelen Collins, and scored on a 7-yard keeper. Salido got the that I’ve been able to carry some longevity at the school, and nod partly because senior Jordan Louis — also the team’s beyond that it’s always been about seeing what the kids can starting safety — was a little dinged up.

Alhambra’s story is a little less happy. Senior signal-caller do and continuing to have fun with it.” ✪

run ‘n’ shoot

Triple Digits

Sophomoric

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NorCal Top 20 Records are through Sept. 3.

Rank (Prev.)...School...............................Record 1. (1)................De La Salle-Concord................ 1-0 2. (3)................Grant-Sacramento.................... 1-1 3. (4)................Bellarmine-San Jose................. 0-1 4. (5)................Buhach Colony-Atwater............ 2-0 5. (2)................Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove........ 1-1 6. (6)................Valley Christian-San Jose......... 0-0 7. (7)................Palo Alto..................................... 1-0 8. (8)................Granite Bay................................ 2-0 9. (16)..............Lincoln-Stockton........................ 1-0 10. (9)..............Folsom....................................... 1-1 11. (10)............California-San Ramon.............. 1-0 12. (13)............Pittsburg..................................... 1-0 13. (14)............Oak Grove-San Jose................ 1-0 14. (11)............Del Oro-Loomis......................... 1-1 15. (12)............St. Mary’s-Stockton................... 0-1 16. (15)............Monte Vista-Danville................. 1-0 17. (17)............Palma-Salinas........................... 0-0 18. (18)............Monterey Trail-Elk Grove.......... 0-1 19. (19)............Foothill-Palo Cedro................... 2-0 20. (20)............Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa.1-0 Top 20 Facts, Figures & Fallout ■ DROPPED OUT: None ■ BIGGEST MOVER: Lincoln-Stockton jumped seven spots after it’s double-overtime upset of No. 2 Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove on Sept. 2 ■ TEAMS STILL RANKED FROM preseason TOP 20: 20 ■ KNOCKING AT THE DOOR: Serra-San Mateo (1-0), Escalon (1-0), Whitney-Rocklin (1-0) ■ SMALL SCHOOL TOP 5 (500 enrollment cutoff): 1. Central Catholic-Modesto (2-0), 2. Le Grand (1-0), 3. Salesian-Richmond (1-0), 4. Modesto Christian (1-1), 5. Ferndale (1-0).

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tee2green Castro Valley golfer looks to close her stellar prep career with the regional title that eluded her By erik stordahl | SportStars

Three individual league championships. One North Coast Section title. One Top-3 finish at the NCGA/CIF High School Girls Championship. Any golfer would be thrilled with a career such as this one.

For Betty Chen, it’s simply not enough.

Through three years, the Castro Valley High senior has dominated the Hayward Area Athletic League and, last season, took home the NCS Tournament of Champions title. But it’s the third-place finish at the California Interscholastic Federation Northern Regional Championships that still lingers.

“I felt like that day I had some good holes and bad holes,” Chen said. “I probably left a couple shots out there.”

It’s mind-boggling to think that a third-place finish on, perhaps, the second-biggest stage of the season is considered underachieving when most girls would kill for a result like that. It’s scary to think how much she would’ve won by if she put together a complete 18 holes.

“In the 12 years I’ve been coaching golf, she’s probably the most talented girl who’s come through Castro Valley High School,” Castro Valley coach Ed Blom said.

“She’s the No. 1 player on our team. She leads by example. She works hard — working on drills, working to improve her game. She is never satisfied.”

That insatiable quality no doubt serves as the impetus for capturing back-to-back-to-back HAAL individual titles and the reason why she possesses the most desired resume amongst her peers.

In the NorCals finish that still grinds at her memory, Chen finished one stroke behind Alameda’s Grace Na, now at Pepperdine, who in turn finished one stroke back of champion Hannah Suh of Evergreen ValleySan Jose.

Suh unquestionably is a special talent and formidable foe to Chen. The 2009 Northern California Golf Association Girls Junior Player of the Year, Suh is perhaps seen as Chen’s toughest competition, but the latter says there is no heated rivalry brewing.

“I was actually paired with her (at NorCals),” Chen said. “She deserved to win …. I think we’ll be paired together (at NorCals this year).”

Most likely, the championship will come down to Chen and Suh, but there are those who beg to differ.

“She’s got to be in the Top 6 (at NCS) to move on (to NorCals),” Blom said. “I think her biggest competition will come from the EBAL (East Bay Athletic League).”

Like who?

Perhaps a player from a stacked team like Amador Valley-Pleasanton. The defending NCS Div. I champions boast talents like seniors Monique Riley and Natalie Bodnar and sophomore Kimberly Liu — who finished eighth at the CIF State Championships at Red 34

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tee2green IRON GIRLS In addition to Betty Chen and Hannah Suh, here are few more golfers to look out for this season.

■ Natalie Bodnar and Monique Riley, Amador Valley-Pleasanton, Srs. — Captain duo led Dons to state championship last year.

■ Kimberly Liu, Amador Valley, So. — Finished eighth in state championship as a freshman last season.

■ Samantha Moyal, Alameda, Sr. — NCGA Junior Champion posted a 78 at NorCals in 2010.

■ Carli Childs, Alameda, Sr. — Along with Na and Moyal, ACCAL MVP helped propel Hornets to Nor Cal crown.

■ Katie Sborov and Alex Sborov, FoothillPleasanton, Jrs. — Sisters should help keep Foothill in contention for EBAL and NCS titles.

■ Elizabeth Schultz, Acalanes, So. — Big things expected of Dons prodigy who recently posted a 69 in a practice round at Lone Tree Golf Course in Antioch.

■ Ashley Noda, St. Franics-Sacramento, Sr. — Troubadours No. 1 lead her team to an SJS title, and was named All-City Golfer of the Year by the Sacramento River Cats.

■ Shawnee Martinez, Enochs-Modesto, Sr. — Shot a 2-under par 70 to win the 2010 Sac Joaquin Section Masters Tournament, and then had a top-5 finish at NorCals.

■ Kelsey Ulep, Whitney-Rocklin, Sr. — Finished one stroke back of Martinez at SJS Masters; Also competed in the U.S. Girls Junior Amateur over the summer.

■ Paige Lee, Granite Bay, Jr. — Shot a 74 to finish third at SJS Masters and then followed up with a 76 that tied for fourth at NorCals.

Butch Noble/photos

Kelsey Ulep of Whitney-Rocklin returns for her senior year after she missed winning the SJS Masters title by one stroke.

Hill Country Club in Rancho Cucamonga last November, as a freshman.

“I think it could be anybody’s game this year,” Alameda senior Samantha Moyal said. “It could be Hannah or Carly (Childs) or me.”

Indeed, the Alameda Hornets return Moyal and Childs, the Alameda Contra Costa Athletic League MVP last year. Alameda captured the title at NorCals, which was played in Stockton. Their coach, Stephen Burnett, is expecting great things from a squad that lost Na to graduation.

“A lot of people will be surprised with who’s coming back,” Burnett said. “I’m very excited about this year.”

For Chen, it doesn’t really matter whom she’s going up against; she never gets rattled.

“I don’t think Betty is intimidated by anybody,” Blom said. “She’s been playing out of state all summer …. She just has this knack of not worrying about what others do.”

Chen’s summer tour is nothing short of impressive, playing in tournaments all over the country and, most notably, in Rhode Island for the US Women’s Amateur Championship.

Going up against the country’s best could make matches in the East Bay seem like child’s play.

But Chen remains humble through it all.

“Betty is the kind of girl who never underestimates her opponents,”

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tee2green Blom said. “She knows she has to play her best golf.”

A quality like that is special and can pay huge dividends in big tournaments.

Golf is different when it comes to virtually any other sport. Athletes in most team sports have to game plan for opponents, studying every little nuance and idiosyncrasy. Golfers need only worry about the course, where sometimes the weather can easily sway the outcome.

Even other players have noticed Chen’s work habits.

“We actually practice at the same course so I know her pretty well,” Moyal said. “I see her at the golf course every day. I mean every single day.”

One of the aspects of her game she works on every day is her swing. Of course it helps when her swing coach is her father. She’ll be taking her talents to UC Davis next year, which she likes because it means dad will be close enough to keep tabs on her throughout her college career. In addition to having a full coaching squad at her disposal, Chen is content knowing her father is nearby.

“I’ll be working with him on my swing and everything,” Chen said. ✪

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Ten years of building character at Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course For many years as a mentor, I have emphasized the importance of an enduring quality of character. It is an aspect of each of our lives over which we have 100 percent control.

While life may throw a lot of challenging experiences our way, we still have an opportunity — the choice — to use those experiences to shape who we are and who we want to become as individuals. Those of us who enjoy the game of golf know that playing golf has a way of shaping our character. That is why I feel so much passion for The First Tee, which provides programs that build character. We start with life lessons and core values and golf helps us reinforce them.

The First Tee of San Jose is now 6 years-old, but 10 years-old if you go back to its origin as the Eagles at Rancho program, having impacted the lives of more than 10,000 young people. Clearly, the most character building takes place when a child continues with our program over several years.

The First Tee’s curriculum is developmentally appropriate, so it is best experienced for up to 10 years, ideally from 2nd-12th grade.

Girls and boys who began our program in 2005-2006 when they were in elementary school are now in high school. They have grown to become wonderful young women and men, who are exceptional in character.

Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course in East San Jose has been the home of The First Tee of San Jose since the Eagles program began in 2001.

It is an ideal location for our program because of the layout of the facility

First Tee Files George Maxe

and the neighborhood that surrounds it.

Readers may have heard that the City of San Jose is contemplating the sale of Rancho. While this is creating considerable uncertainty for the operation, not the future of our program, I am reminded again of what is certain – that character endures, that character matters.

The First Tee of San Jose and Rancho del Pueblo are thrilled to host the second annual PGA TOUR Community Day as part of the Frys.com Open week on Wednesday, Oct. 5 from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Last year, Rocco Mediate, who ended up winning the tournament, was one of three professional golfers who visited with and conducted a clinic for over 250 local youth.

This is a unique chance to hear first-hand about the life lessons and core values that have shaped the character of PGA professionals. And it looks like Rocco will be returning to Rancho. Join us for this special afternoon at Rancho del Pueblo, home of The First Tee of San Jose. ✪

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

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Education of sport-specific technique can prevent many ACL tears

I

n the epidemiology of youth sports we observe with consternation that the injuries are on the rise and getting more severe. This is happening even when the science and technology sectors are dedicating huge amounts of effort and money in trying to prevent it.

Among all the injuries, the torn ACL is one of the most concerning today. When this injury happens, the result is a devastated athlete that frequently has to give up his/her athletic aspirations. It generates great complaints from the media, coaches and parents about the equipment used, the playing surface, the sport characteristics and more.

One fundamental cause of the ACL injury is the athlete’s sport-specific technique. In my practice, I had the opportunity to rehabilitate and help return to competition several ACL-injured athletes from different sports.

After the analysis of many variables to discover possible causes of the injury, I consistently found the same fundamental issues: the athlete does not understand how to properly use his/her sport tools (shoes among others things) and also performs inefficiently his/her sport’s technique.

One of the main causes of ACL tear is the rotation of the femur in the opposite direction respect of the tibia.

To allow a quick and safe body rotation to kick the ball or throw the shot, the athlete has to pivot on his/ her toes.

But when the cleat is completely in contact with the ground, it prevents movement of the foot and the point of rotation is translated from the toes to the knee.

Numerous wrong repetitions — thanks to the absence of proper instruction, and the biological limitations related to the growing process of the young athlete — creates the perfect mechanical, biochemical and structural environment for the damage to happen.

We can’t know yet, with the available information, if the injury is a one and unique time event or a situation that happens after the knee is stressed for a prolonged time (the latter is my strongest hypothesis in most of the cases). What we can be sure of is that the more the athletes repeat a wrong movement, the more they increase the risk of damage.

This is why it is so important that we teach and educate our young athletes in how to properly perform the sport technique.

My conclusion is that most of the ACL, and many others injuries, are an “educational problem.” In order to prevent those injuries, our attention should be in improving the coaching quality before getting concerned about the sport, it’s technology or equipment. ✪

Daniel Kamenetzky is a sport methodologist and kinesiologist 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 a health-related question for the “Health Watch” column, write the Sports Medicine For Young Athletes staff at Health@SportStarsMag.com

Health Watch Daniel Kamenetzky

Among all the injuries, the torn ACL is one of the most concerning today.

When this injury happens, the result is a devastated athlete that frequently has to give up his/her athletic aspirations.

It generates great complaints from the media, coaches and parents about the equipment used, the playing surface, the sport characteristics and more.

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Make comfort a top priority when gearing up for your first triathlon

T

riathlon has A LOT of fancy gear! Gear is everything from your bike to the clothing you wear for each sport.

Triathlon requires a lot of gear, and requires some thought because you change three times. All this can be expensive, if you let it.

Even if you have the money, there is no need to spend it until you know what you need and what you like. Your main concern when beginning is comfort, non-cotton, and the right fit to avoid chafing and injuries. After you have done some training, and completed a few races, you know better what you want and what you need. That is the best time to start buying gear that is not only comfortable and functional, but looks cool.

For your first season and your first race, there are “essentials” and there are “nice to haves”.

These are the three essentials: ■ RUNNING SHOES You need to go to a running store, like Fleet Feet, Runner’s High, Forward Motion, or other running places that will analyze your gait, have you try on many pairs of shoes, and help you find the right shoe for you. Most injuries originate from your feet. If your knees or hips are hurting, it probably has to do with your shoes and your foot strike. Coaches will help you with run form including foot strike and body position, but it all starts with a good pair of shoes.

■ BIKE / GOOD BIKE FIT Again, coaches will help with bike form, but you need a bike and you need to fit that bike correctly. A good fit will make your riding more comfortable, will help you avoid injuries, and will help you recruit the correct muscle group on each part of each pedal stroke. You can use whatever bike you want, even a mountain bike with slick tires works for your first triathlon, just make sure to have it tuned up. But get fit. Mostly it helps stave off injury and pain during and after riding.

You can choose any fitter at a bike shop where you feel comfortable, and is close

Liz Elliott TriSteps is a seven-part, monthly series focusing on a variety of topics that athletes should know about as they set sights on training for their first triathlon. This is the second installment.

The first column, “Getting started,” can be found at www.SportStarsOnline.com.

to your house. Be aware, a good place may take about 1-2 hours for a fit, and will offer a guarantee to have you ride on the fit for about a month, and make adjustments for free after you’ve tested it out. Ask lots of questions, and make sure you can come back for no cost to be refit within a month.

■ WETSUIT A good wetsuit will last you for years. It is recommended to do open water swimming triathlon races in a wetsuit, and you will need to practice in your wetsuit before the race. You do not need the most expensive wetsuit, or the coolest looking — rather you need one that will keep you warm and buoyant, and one that will last.

You can order a sleeved or a sleeveless wetsuit. For beginners purchasing their first suit, I recommend a sleeved, as you can wear it in any temperature water and throughout the year. It is just more versatile. A sleeveless wetsuit allows for more range of motion in the shoulders, but your arms are exposed to the elements. Sleeveless may be more comfortable for competitive swimmers, people with wider shoulders, or those that do not become cold easily.

There are many brands of wetsuits, and some fit differently from others. I recom-

mend renting a suit. It is reasonably priced, you can try different brands and sizes, and your rental cost goes towards the price of a new suit when you are ready to buy. When sizing, if on the cusp of two sizes, go with the larger size. It will be more comfortable, and you will want to wear it more.

Any sporting store can provide the essential gear. Or, consider department stores like TJ Maxx, Kohls, or even thrift stores. You can find some great deals.

Other things to begin trying in practice: Chamois butter for your bike and triathlon shorts, sport food for before during and after practices and races, and Body Glide for use with your wetsuit or on your feet during running. These will help you stay comfortable and fueled during training and racing. Just remember: comfort, non-cotton, and functional, and you will have a fun, successful season.

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. She has coached and taught swimming 19 years, and coached hundreds of triathletes at all distances. Contact her at liz@trivalleytriclub. com

BASICS: What you need for a good first race or first season 1 4 8 5 9 2 6 10 3 7 11 A pair of running shoes right for you.

A bike with slick tires.

Sunscreen. Wear every practice, and reapply.

Non-cotton, wicking socks, shirt, and shorts. (Functional, comfortable, non-cotton sports bra for women.)

A working helmet.

Sun glasses, for in sun and to protect eyes from debris.

A water bottle, full of water each practice.

A good pair of triathlon shorts. (Like bike shorts, but with less padding.

You will wear these for the entire triathlon race.)

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Swim cap and goggles.

A backpack, or transition bag, to carry all your gear to practices and races. Keep everything in one place.

A watch. Any digital watch with start and stop will do. Although time is not everything, it is a one good method of keeping a pace and of measuring progress.

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Just a couple of SportStars being kids again EDITOR’S NOTE: At the generous invitation of the Army National Guard, our Publisher and Distribution Manager were treated to the ride of their lives Saturday, Aug. 27 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma County. Apparently, spoiling media is part of the build-up for the IZOD Indy Car Series’ Grand Prix of Sonoma. Little did our fearless leaders know it would be their Disney E-Ticket. Here’s a first-hand account written by our publisher, Mike Calamusa.

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hen we arrived we were greeted by National Guardsmen, Sgts. Hovey and Monteforte, given our credentials and escorted to the semi that housed our gear. There we met an imposing figure who said to us, “Gentlemen, here’s where you’ll sign your life away”.

A 5-page disclaimer packet was handed out and we did our best to peruse and sign it all.

Once inside, we were sized up and instructed to choose a locker by the shoe-size printed on it. She handed us our gear for the day, a triple-layered racing suit, gloves, head socks and helmet. We suited up! It was so cool. I found myself saying, “So this is what Mario Andretti felt like!”

Fully outfitted, helmet in hand, we stepped out of the trailer and to my amazement I walked right into my childhood hero himself! I was star struck. The most I could muster as I shook his hand was, “Mr. Andretti, it’s a pleasure” Our parade of 11 National Guard-invitees, and about two dozen others made its way to the paddock and down to the tarmac where three specially-outfitted 2-seater Indy cars were waiting. These are the real deal — the same as the big

boys drive only with about 8 inches more stretch to the chassis to accommodate the extra passenger. My heart rate was already in high gear.

My only letdown was so brief, I almost forgot to write it down. When Scott, one of the pit crew signaled me to step over the railing and ready myself for the ride, it wasn’t Mario’s car. No worries though, my driver was going to be Davey Hamilton. Hamilton’s resume includes 11 Indianapolis 500 starts and over 50 starts in the IZOD Indy Car Series. Twice he has finished second in the season-long points standings.

To state the obvious, the guy is FAST! Next thing I know, the crew fires up the car: Eat your heart out Mazda with your Zoom-Zoom. This was a Va-room.

Pit crew guys waved me over. I took care not to step on the carbon-fiber body panel, stepping over and into the hole that would be my safety cocoon for the next few minutes of pure thrill-riding joy. Inside, the crew went to work, strapping and pulling and tightening and giving instruction.

Then it happened. My driver FLOORED IT! I never knew anything could go so fast, so quickly. I know the track at Infineon. I’ve been to plenty of races there before. But heading into the uphill at Turn 2, my mind was racing nearly as fast as Hamilton — and he was already past 100 mph.

I thought, “He’ll have to slow to make the tight turn ahead, then he’ll likely pick up. ... What? We’re already past both turns and he didn’t slow a bit! How the heck? Oh man, we’re doing 150 and heading into the hairpin at Turn 7?!”

From there, I snuck a peek at the smoke still wafting in the air from speeding through Turn 5. “Whoohooo,” I screamed.

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Butch Noble, left, and Mike Calamusa This is so cool. That’s when I said this thought out loud, “And you get to do this for a living!”

Several thoughts flood your subconscious mind while you’re busy absorbing the visceral stimuli of such speed and power and awe. “How did they ever figure out exactly how fast they could take these turns without flipping?,” was the predominant one for me.

Around the final turn and into the all-too-short straightaway, all I could think was, “Faster, dude. Faster!” We rocketed through the final seconds, up the shoot and back to pit row. The engine shut off and we coasted to a stop, right where this thrill ride had begun just 1 minute, 57 seconds ago. No lap record for Hamilton I’m sure, but dang.

I was unbridled, helped out of the cockpit, the helmet came off and I was jumping like a kid in a candy store.

I thanked my driver with a pat on his helmet and under my breath found myself saying, “... and you get to do this for a living!” ✪

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impulse Brand names Mikasa: A staple for volleyball and water polo, Mikasa comes through with quality time and time again. Go with the VSL215 All Court in red, white and blue for playing on any surface — and for repping the U.S. of A. The VSO200 is ideal for all levels and playing anywhere.

It’s vibrant colors make it to stand out so it’s easy to track when you’re throwing down spike after spike at the beach.

Their Squish series is perfect for horsing around in the pool or the back yard with friends and family. It comes in red or blue and is guaranteed to last for a year. Also, the ball won’t stay pumped forever; you’re gonna need a pump to keep those matches going. Go with the Double Barrel Pump. It comes with a needle and twice the inflating potential.

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elcome to Impulse, your one-stop shop for the latest and greatest in gadgets, gizmos and gear. Compiled by Erik Stordahl, Impulse gathers a hodgepodge of what’s currently hot on the market. This week we bump, set and spike all the primo volleyball gear players and teams will need for a special season.

For volleyball, there’s two main things you need: a net and a ball. Getting the net is easy, chances are your school already has one. But balls are a whole other animal to wrestle with. So many brands, so many purposes, so many colors. Let’s make the right choice.

City Beach Got the itch to play more volleyball than you can possibly squeeze into one lifetime? Of course you do. City Beach has your back. Hit up their Santa Clara facility and sign up for a monthly membership ($25/month, a steal). Go up against players of all ages, form a team and rule the courts. Need a break or something to do for an entire weekend? Then head over to City Beach in Fremont. In addition to state of the art volleyball courts, they’ve got enough attractions to rival Disneyland and Great America combined. OK, we’re pushin’ it a little but you catch our drift. Kids: have the birthday party to end all birthday parties at City Beach. Seriously, every kid in school will crave an invite to a City Beach birthday blowout. There are also camps, classes, Jr. Volleyball Club and Family Fun Night.

Family Fun Night is every Saturday and has something for everyone. Kids can enter the KidZone, an all-out, high-octane blitz of fun filled with bounce houses, basketball, badminton, ping pong and hula-hooping (yes, that’s a word). Parents! City Beach boasts a plethora of things to do. They’ve got billiards, shuffleboard, air hockey, foosball, ping pong and a partridge in a pear tree in their Entertainment Hub. Watch UFC events, NFL Sunday Ticket, A’s/Giants/Niners/Raiders/Warriors games on their big TVs in their restaurant/bar with a full menu.

Annnnnd, we’ve only scratched the surface on what City Beach offers. Yeesh. Another time we’ll get around to covering their massive rock gym, high ropes thrill course, courtyard patio, options for hosting team & corporate events and other upcoming events. Check ‘em out online at www.citybeach.com for more info to plan a fun-filled weekend.

Wilson: For the volleyballers with pro aspirations, go with Wilson since it’s … what the pros use. Duh. Get the AVP Official Game Ball and you’re well on your way to becoming the next Kerry Washington or Misty May-Treanor. Of course, you’re also gonna need the athletic chops, icy veins and super tan to pull that off. But the ball is a promising start. The Reaction is another good get for indoor ballers. Official game size and weight wrapped with a composite leather cover, the Reaction is ideal for indoor teams looking to make some noise this season.

The gear Kneepads: Asics has you covered. Their VB Kneepad is a staple for players of all levels.

Comes in black or white and will guarantee to last for seasons on end. Look. We know you’re tough enough to handle the occasional rug/carpet burns, but it gets to a point where enough’s enough? Right? No? OK, fine. But you’re still gonna need knee pads or else the governing powers that be won’t let you on to the court.

Shorts: Again, Asics will be your go-to for this. Whether it’s Plain Jane (Low-Cut Shorts), different (Raptorness), or straight up funky (Wave Shorts), Asics give you a wealth of options.

Get a pair for league play, one for the beach and one for scrimmages or pickup games.

Shoes: The big daddies here are Mizuno and Nike. For indoor play you can’t go wrong with Mizuno Women’s Wave Rally 2, Mizuno Wave Lightning 7, the Nike Women’s Multicourt 10, or the Asics Women’s GEL-Rocket 5.

Bags: Equipment managers! Make life easier for yourselves by getting a ball bag. Whether it’s the Wilson Coach’s Ball Bag or the MacGregor Volleyball Carry Bag, either is ideal and serves as your assistant for home and away games.

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camps + clinics BASEBALL/SOFTBALL Golden Era Baseball Based in the East Bay, we offer several instructionalbased programs as well as 9U thru 18U Club Teams. We are currently taking signups for our Spring Hitting Classes. Please see our website for full details: www.

GoldenEraBaseball.com The Pitching Center We develop baseball players to their full potential.

The Pitching Center has grown to become the Total Player Center (TPC), a full-service baseball and softball training academy. Age- and skill-specific programs are available for students ages 8 – High School. Info: 925416-1600, thepitchingcenter. com SportForm Based in Concord, SportForm provides individual and team instruction in baseball, softball, lacrosse. Highly trained professionals provide accelerated and advanced skills clinics.

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Prepare to Perform! Info: 925-459-2880.

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 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: 866-685-7615, 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 Kelly Maddox Riding Academy Develop new friendships with other horse-crazy kids. Weekly activities include learning horse colors, markings and breeds; arts and crafts; a farrier demonstration and human horse show; bareback riding and more!

Info: 925-575- 4818, 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 Aspire Pilates Dramatically increase core strength, power, flexibility, balance, focus and joint stability, while preventing injury.

Aspire prides itself on helping propel athletes to the next level by addressing muscular imbalances, helping athletes increase body awareness, correct faulty body mechanics, and access untapped strength.

Info: 925.680.4400, www.

AspirePilatesCenter.com.

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

Info: 925- 639-0907.

Transform FX At Transform FX Fitness, we believe that parents can take better care of their kids when they take care of their own health and fitness. This is the reason we have designed our adult fitness bootcamp workouts to fit your busy lifestyle.

Each bootcamp workout is carefully designed to help you burn fat and increase your cardiovascular endurance in less time.

Call us at 925-289-8042 or visit us online at www. transformfxfitness.com.

Walnut Creek Sports & Fitness We offer over 70 group classes per week.

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

Activities include: Home work help, 4th & Up Club, art and crafts, science, sports, and games. Summer camps include weekly field trips. Info: www. dianneadair.org.

E.Nopi and Palm Academy Palm Academy’s “Summer

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camps + clinics 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 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 925-6866262 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: 510-3522002; 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. thefirstteesanjose.org.

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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.

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: 925459-2880.

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”)

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camps + clinics at famous racetracks in the West for experienced motorcyclists looking to improve skills and build confidence. Riders provide their own motorcycles and protective gear. Keigwins@theTrack takes care of everything else. Info: www. keigwin.com or 650-949-5609.

UmiGo With camps going on throughout the summer, you’ll learn passing techniques, cornering techniques, throttle & breaking techniques, advance seat position, kart operation, kart control, real racing and improving your lap times.

Racers need to be at least 10 years old and at least four feet, 10 inches tall. Two- and four-day camps are available. Info: www. umigoracing.com.

OUTDOOR SPORTS Bear Valley Mountain Bear Valley has six camps with multiple sessions including: Soccer, Archery, Tennis, Climbing, Cycling and Day Camp. Summer Camps offer outdoor rec programs for the whole family; overnight resident skill camps and day camps, too. Age groups and activities vary by camp. Info: www.bearvalley.com 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.Info: www.heritagesc.com.

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 celebrating our 50th year. Our yearround schedule allows children and adults to learn, retain, and improve their swim skills with little interruption. Info: 925-283-2100, www.ShermanSwim.com California Sports Center

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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: 408-732-2257, 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: 1-888988-7985 or www.USYVL.org.

MULTI-SPORT 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.

Choose your favorite categories or advertisers for special offers and killer deals, then mail or fax it to us! Or drop it off at SportStars HQ! ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒

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

❒❒ A A A Northern California, ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒ ❒❒

❒❒ Fit 2 The Core............................................ 40

Nevada & Utah......................................... 10 ❒❒ Aabco Printing........................................ 42 ❒❒ Absorber, The........................................... 48 ❒❒ Accurate Impressions............................... 45 Army National Guard Recruiter................. 31 ❒❒

Heavenly Greens...................................... 47 Home Team Sports Photography.............. 43 Kaiser Permanente................................... 33 Kinders B B Q............................................ 37

❒❒ Aspire Pilates Center................................ 24 ❒❒ Lone Tree Golf Course............................... 35 ❒❒ Back Forty B B Q....................................... 14 ❒❒ Massage Envy.......................................... 41 ❒❒ Ball Park Gallery....................................... 25 ❒❒ ❒❒ Bay Area Golf Show.................................. 36 ❒❒ ❒❒ Big 5 Sporting Goods................................. 3 ❒❒ ❒❒ Big O Tires.................................................. 2 ❒❒ Bob Larson Sports Action Photography.... 43 ❒❒

Mc Coveys................................................ 30 Pacific Rim Volleyball Academy................ 42 Rocco’s Pizza............................................. 38 Rockin Jump............................................. 15

❒❒ Cal Bears.................................................. 29 ❒❒ Scandia Family Center.............................. 25 ❒❒ Cheer Gyms................................................ 6 ❒❒ Simply Selling Shirts................................ 38 ❒❒ Children’s Hospital And Research Center... 22 ❒❒ Snap Fitness............................................. 21 ❒❒ City Beach Sports Club............................. 25 ❒❒ Sports Stars Magazine.............................. 16 ❒❒ Club Sport Renaisssance .......................... 39 ❒❒ The First Tee Of Contra Costa..................... 35 ❒❒ Community Youth Center......................... 14 ❒❒ Crowne Plaza........................................... 43 ❒❒ The Mt. Diablo Memory Center - Sport ❒❒ Dave Delong School Of Golf...................... 35

Concussion Program................................. 31

❒❒ Diablo Car Wash & Detail Center............... 42 ❒❒ Tpc / The Pitching Center.......................... 43 ❒❒ Diablo Rock Gym...................................... 38 ❒❒ United States Youth Volleyball League..... 23 ❒❒ Diablo Trophies & Awards......................... 44 ❒❒ Usks Concord............................................ 43 ❒❒ Diablo Youth Rugby.................................... 7 ❒❒ Velocity Sports Performance.................... 25 ❒❒ E Teamsponsor........................................... 5 ❒❒ East Bay Sports Academy......................... 17 ❒❒ Velocity Sports Performance.................... 38 ❒❒ Excellence In Sport Performance.............. 32 ❒❒ Walnut Creek Sports & Fitness.................. 41

Name____________________________________ Phone___________________________________ E-mail___________________________________ Address__________________________________ City_____________________________________ State__________________________ Zip _______

Prizes subject to change. Entries must be received by the 25th.

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Acalanes-Lafayette tight end Drew Gaylord (17) goes up to receive a pass over the middle as Ygnacio Valley-Concord defender Garland Parker (15) attempts to deny it.

Acalanes won the Sept. 3 game 49-0.

PHOTO BY Butch Noble

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

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

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