SJ Issue 65, May 1, 2013 by Sport Stars Magazine

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fast lane: granite bay swimming is living in it

top norcal baseball draft prospects

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r e ll a b fire pg18 wants to be faster. But 27 Everybody there’s a right way and a wrong way to go about shaving a few seconds off your best time.

team: In the individual 14 go world of swimming, Granite Bay has found success within a team concept bases: NorCal baseball and 22 xtra softball are headed to the playoffs. If people still said ‘giving you the 411’ that’s what we would’ve said. 4

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pitch: Playoffs. Money 6 first time. Time to put on your big boy britches. Or big girl britches. We like all britches here at SportStars. What are some of the names to keep an eye on? Well, one is pictured to your left. The rest you have to flip the page to see.

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room: The NFL Draft is 8 locker over. We’ll decipher what you just heard. Because we care. of the Week: 10 SportStars Rowdy Tellez, Elk Grove Flip flop over to 26 impulse: Impulse and read about — whoa! — flip flops! And more. Sweet.

Statisics. It’s that 11 Clipboard: new math that can make some people’s head hurts (not ours). on the cover: Woodcreek-Roseville pitcher, Stephen Nogosek. Photo by James K. Leash

Fence: Tryouts, sign-ups, 34 The fundraisers and more!

34 Camps + Clinics

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Spring Loaded In the last postseason stretch of this school year, we offer five names you need to see

t’s here. Already. The final postseason of the 2012-13 school year. Rather than spend our time wondering how we got here already, we’re gonna give you five names you should know — across five different sports — as you prepare to soak in the final championship drama of the spring. And, not surprisingly, SportStars has written about each of these athletes over the course of their careers — in two cases, you can find something about them in this very issue. Let’s start with our Bay Area cover athlete this issue. Celina Li — The North Coast Section has had no shortage of swimming talent over the years, and the present is no different. But as contributing writer Mitch Stephens points out in his cover story beginning on page 14, Li has dominated in relative anonymity for the past two years. And she’s not just dominating here in the Bay Area, she’s winning on the national stage against Olympic-level athletes. So yeah, we strongly suggest you take the chance to watch her in her last North Coast Section Championships on May 17-18 in Concord. Marcus Lee — What happens when you take a 6-foot-10 McDonald’s AllAmerican basketball player and stick him in the middle of a boys volleyball rotation featuring one of the best setters in the section? Go watch Deer Valley-Antioch and find out. And while Lee may cut an imposing presence for a Wolverines team which was 35-1 as of April 29, the team’s biggest rising star is Jordan Ewert. The sophomore already has more than 420 kills. Rowdy Tellez — We’ve been covering Tellez’s baseball career at Elk Grove ever since he was the youngest player invited to participate in the 2011 Area Code Games (the summer after his sophomore year). Now he’s a senior and, predictably, mashing everything in sight. Read more about him on page 10 of our Sac-Joaquin Edition this issue. But more importantly, go watch one of NorCal’s best hitters rake. We suggest the season-ending showdowns against Davis. The teams play at Elk Grove on May 3 and Davis on May 7. Johanna Grauer — We’d be hard-pressed to think of a better year to follow the NCS Division I softball tournament. Grauer’s Amador Valley-Pleasanton team and James Logan-Union City both remain in the national rankings, and California-San Ramon has proven to be equally dangerous after recently defeating Amador Valley 1-0. We have a hunch that Grauer and her teammates will rise to the occasion in the postseason, however, and the junior flamethrower is always a no-hitter waiting to happen. Sasha Wallace — Just when the SportStars braintrust was certain it would name Grauer as it’s 2012 Bay Area Athlete of the Spring, Wallace figuratively sprinted to the forefront. She won double-gold at the CIF State Championships, winning the triple jump and 100 high hurdles. She since transferred from Holy Names-Oakland to Castro Valley, and she could bring the Trojans some serious hardware. Her time of 13.55 in the 100 hurdles at the Arcadia Invitational gave her this year’s top high school mark in the nation for the event. Can’t go see her at the CIF state meet in Clovis, catch her at the NCS Meet of Champions at Edwards Stadium in Berkeley on May 24-25. There you go. Enjoy these last five weeks, and then get ready for us to start talking football again. It’s inevitable. You can’t stop it. ✪

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join our team PHONE 925.566.8500 FAX 925.566.8507 Editorial Editor@SportStarsOnline.com Editor Chace Bryson • Chace@SportStarsOnline. com Staff Writers Erik Stordahl, Jim McCue Contributors Bill Kolb, Mitch Stephens, Matt Smith, Clay Kallam, Bryant West, Dave Kiefer, Liz Elliott, Tim Rudd, Jonathan Okanes, Hunter Hewitt, Joe Stiglich Photography Butch Noble, Bob Larson, Jonathan Hawthorne, James K. Leash, Norbert von der Groeben, Phillip Walton, Doug Guler Intern Ryan Arter Creative Department Art@SportStarsOnline.com Production Manager Mike DeCicco • MikeD@ SportStarsOnline.com Publisher/President Mike Calamusa • Mike@SportStarsOnline.com Advertising & Calendar/ Classified Sales Sales@SportStarsOnline.com, 925.566.8500 Account Executives Erik Stordahl • Erik@SportStarsOnline.com, Phillip Walton • PWalton@SportStarsOnline.com Sac Joaqin edition: Dave Rosales • DaveRosales64@gmail.com Reader Resources/Administration Ad Traffic, Subscription, Calendar & Classified Listings info@SportStarsOnline.com Distribution/Delivery Mags@SportStarsOnline.com Information technology John Bonilla CFO Sharon Calamusa • Sharon@SportStarsOnline.com community SportStars™ Magazine A division of Caliente! Communications, LLC 5356 Clayton Rd., Ste. 222 • Concord, CA 94521 •info@SportStarsOnline.com www.SportStarsOnline.com

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your ticket to california sports admit one; rain or shine This Vol. #4, May 2013 Whole No. 65 is published by Caliente! Communications, LLC, 5356 Clayton Rd, Ste. 222, Concord, CA 94521. SportStars™© 2010 by Caliente! Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. Subscription rates: 24 issues, U.S. 3rd class $42 (allow 3 weeks for delivery). 1st class $55. To receive sample issues, please send $3 to cover postage. Back issues are $4 each. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission of Publisher is strictly prohibited. The staff and management, including Board of Directors, of SportStars™© does not advocate or encourage the use of any product or service advertised herein for illegal purposes. Editorial contributions, photos and letters to the editor are welcome and should be addressed to the Editor. All material should be typed, double-spaced on disk or email and will be handled with reasonable care. For materials return, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope. SportStars™© and STARS!™© Clinics are registered trademarks of Caliente! Communications, LLC.

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rapidFIRE Least favorite music genre

Last app you downloaded

Heavy Metal

Celeb you’d want to take a selfie with

Reality show you’d want to be on

Luke Bryan

Wipeout

I don’t bowl

Bahamas

Kate Upton

Survivor

Ecuador

Courtney Kelleher, Las Lomas track

Classical Ryan Kirby, Granada baseball

Top 5 NFL Draft expressions (loosely translated)

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May2, 2013

Farthest you’ve been from home

Draft day has come and gone in the National Football League. The 49ers somehow managed to use their 39 picks to make roughly 400 selections. And one trade. The Raiders were able to parlay their two picks into negative-three selections. But none of that really matters. What matters is the spectacle. The pure unadulterated drama of the thing. Oh. And the lingo. The interwebs is the only entity for which more words in the English language have been invented than the NFL draft. Here are our rough translations of the top five draft-day expressions. 1. Can’t Miss — Golden boy. All-American kid. Kind of guy ably a Florida State product. you loathed in high school because he was too good to be true. 4. Heady — Not very athletic. Doesn’t pass the eye test. Will NEVER live up to the hype. Probably a USC product. Sucked at the combine, but had a 4.5 GPA. Good chance he 2. Tremendous Upside Potential — Slacker. Disapwill end up being a position coach after a few lackluster years in pointment. A guy who has the physical tools to dominate at his the league, and will invariably kick your behind at chess. Probposition, but who is too busy playing Madden or trading autoably a Stanford grad. graphs for tattoos to show up for practice on a regular basis. 5. Risk-Reward Scenario — A head case. As likely to be Probably an Ohio State product. an All-Pro as he is to be the subject of an All Points Bulletin. Pick 3. Physicality — The potential and propensity to do vicious an SEC team. bodily harm to anyone around him. Violent. Dangerous. Prob— Bill Kolb

BOYS VOLLEYBALL: CIF NorCal Championships, May 25, Dublin HS — The first-ever CIF Northern Regional Boys Volleyball tournament will culminate in a doubleheader of championship matches for Division I and Division II. There should be no shortage of drama.

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SOFTBALL: SJS Div. I-III Tournament, first round, May 14, various sites — The SJS playoffs never fail to disappoint. Div. II field should be extra competitive. SWIMMING: NCS Swimming Championships, May 18, Concord Community Pool — Can Steven Stumph, Sven Campbell and the Campolindo boys make it nine in a row?

RUGBY: N (NCIT), Ma Complex — 50 of the N BOYS TEN Doubles fi Moraga, M pick-up ma kids can ha

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Accolades

1. St. Francis

5,100

SStar/Season: 1. League titles: 4. All-State Athletes: 1. Section titles: 3. NorCal: 1.

2. Granite Bay 3. Davis

4,600

League titles: 6. Section titles: 4. NorCal: 1. State: 1

3,150

League titles: 7. All-State Athletes: 1. Section titles: 5.

4. Vacaville 5. Central Catholic

2,500

League titles: 3. Section titles: 4. State: 1

2,200

League titles: 2. Section titles: 1. NorCal: 1. State: 1

6. Bella Vista 7. Placer

1,800

League titles: 3. Section titles: 4.

1,750

League titles: 6. All-State Athletes: 1. Section titles: 1. Scholastic: 5.

8. Rio Americano 9. Christian Brothers

1,700

League titles: 4. Section titles: 3

1,500

League titles: 1. Section titles: 2. State: 1

10. Vista del Lago

1,400

League titles: 4. Section titles: 2.

Runners-up

Points

11. Folsom..........................1,350

St. Mary’s-Stockton.........900

Del Oro.............................700

Merced.............................500

12. Oakmont.......................1,000

18. (tie) Bear River.............700

24. Lincoln-Stockton........... 600

Natomas..........................500

13. Jesuit.............................1,000

Oakdale...........................700

25. (tie) El Camino..............500

Sheldon............................500

14. (tie) Brookside Christ.... 950

Del Campo.......................700

LeGrand...........................500

Summerville.....................500

Sacramento.....................950

Antelope...........................700

Elk Grove.........................500

Bradshaw Christian.........500

16. (tie) Capital Christian.... 900

Modesto Christian...........700

Modesto...........................500

Faith Christian.................500

Northern California Invit. Tourn. ay 3-5, Cherry Island Soccer — 9th NCIT features as many as North State’s top programs. NNIS: NCS DIv. I Singles/ final four, Saint Mary’s College, May 4, 10 a.m. — These aren’t atches at the country club, these andle a racquet.

CIF NorCal Tournament, May 20, Diablo Grande Golf Course, Patterson, all day — If you’re one of the lucky people who have Mondays off, do yourself a favor and walk the course with some of the best boys golfing talent in the state.

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BASEBALL: NCS Div. I-V playoffs, first round, May 21-22, various sites— Nothing beats playoff baseball on a sunny day. LACROSSE: NCS Finals, May 24-25, site/time TBA — NCS often pairs one or two finals together; look for the doubleheader and catch the lax fever!

Since we began producing our own SacJoaquin edition in early 2011, SportStars has kept a watchful eye on the many athletic accomplishments across the Sac Joaquin Section. But this year, we are aiming to recognize the best of the best behind our own formula to determine the best high school athletics program in the section. The SportStars Cup awards points for league titles, section championships, and regional and state performance to recognize the most successful program. The points are awarded as follows: 100 — Have an athlete named SportStars of the Year (Fall, Winter or Spring) 200 — Win a team league championship 250 — Have an athlete be named All-State (First-team overall only) 300 — Win a section title (team or individual) 350 — Win a scholastic section championship for highest team GPA 400 — Win an individual NorCal title 500 — Win a team NorCal title 700 — Win an individual state title 1,000 — Win a team state championship The top three schools heading into the winter season remained intact while a number of schools rose on the strength of stellar basketball and wrestling programs. St. Francis remained on top despite remaining at 5,100 points while Granite Bay and Davis both added single basketball league titles to close the gap slightly. Vacaville made the biggest jump of any school with the bulk of the points coming from the Bulldogs’ storied wrestling program. Vacaville’s boys’ basketball team captured the Monticello Empire League title for 200 points, but the grapplers tacked on 2,100 points to vault to the fourth spot. The Bulldogs dominated their league and won a team section title at the Section Masters Championships while Gionn Peralta, Kasey Klaus, and Jeramy Sweany all claimed individual section titles. Sweany went on to win the program’s 11th state championship by pinning Elk Grove’s Scott Votino in the 195-pound final. Staying on the mat, Bella Vista moved up thanks to the SJS individual championships claimed by Victor Trujillo and Shayne Tucker. Although Oakmont narrowly missed the top 10 (the Vikings are No. 12), the school accumulated 1,100 points during winter — all from the outstanding season turned in by wrestler Peter Santos. Our Winter Athlete of the Year won the section and state titles at 170 pounds to singlehandedly move the Vikings up the standings. The biggest basketball movers were St. Mary’s-Stockton, Sacramento, Modesto Christian, and Brookside Christian-Stockton. All four schools won league and section titles.

BOYS hoops: Bay Area Memorial Wknd Classic, Tice Valley Gym, Walnut Creek, May 25-27 — Big Foot Hoops hosts its first Bay Area event. You like watching mix-tapes? Catch a live version. TRACK AND FIELD: CIF Track & Field State Championships, May 31-June Want more? 1, Buchanan HS, Clovis — Few states Scan for five have a more competitive state meet. bonus events!

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Tellez went 11-for-16 with three home runs and 12 RBI in a five-game stretch of Delta Valley League games to help the Thundering Herd remain just one game behind league-leading Davis. Tellez started his hot streak with a 3-for-5 effort with a homer and 4 RBI in a 12-4 win over Grant and concluded the quintet of slugfests with a two-homer, four-RBI game in which he had 10 total bases in a 3-for-4 outing against Franklin. SportStars: What do you attribute the recent hot streak to? Rowdy Tellez: The guys in front of me in the lineup are getting on base even more, so I am getting better pitches to see and hit. It has mostly been a case of being able to capitalize on the opportunities that my teammates are creating for me. SSM: The Elk Grove program has not won a Sac-Joaquin Section title since 2007. How motivated are you and the seniors to finish this year with a title? RT: We want to go out with a bang and win a section title. Dom (Nunez) and I have played on varsity for four years, so we really want (the section championship) back more than anybody. I think that we have the team to do it. SSM: How have you enjoyed your senior year? RT: When I first came to Elk Grove, I didn’t know anybody. I have made lifelong friends and it’s not just all about baseball. It’s

May 1, 2013

honorable mention

rowdy tellez

kaitlyn garcia

elk grove . baseball . senior

The Casa Roble senior led the Rams to their ninth straight win with a solo home run to beat Capital League foe Bella Vista in nine innings. It also boosted her pitching record to 18-4 with a 1.72 ERA.

shayne tucker The Bella Vista senior wrestler signed with the University of Oklahoma to continue his career on the mat. Tucker is among the program’s best all-time wrestlers, having won three SJS titles and finishing second at state twice.

kendall core

James K. Leash been a blast. SSM: What is your approach to making a decision between playing college baseball at USC and signing a professional contract after the June Draft? RT: It’s every kid’s dream to become a major leaguer, so I am going to take whatever path I think will get me there. My family and I will make a collective decision on that when the time comes. I’m not focused on that now, though, because it’s about this team and this season.

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The Benicia senior was 3-for3 with a homer and 3 RBI in the Panthers’ 10-0 victory over Vallejo that clinched the outright Solano County League softball title. In her last four games, Core is 9-for-13 with a pair of homers and 10 RBI.

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My softball coach only looks at batting average. I get a lot of walks and hit for power, so my OPS is high, but my coach doesn’t care. When I ask about why I’m not playing, he just says my batting average is too low. How can I get him to understand more advanced statistics, and that OPS is much more important than batting overage? J.S., Fremont his is a tough one. First, you have to remember that Bill James started writing about sabermetrics — which is the use of advanced statistical methods to analyze baseball (and softball) and improve decisionmaking — in the 1980s. His logic was impeccable and his methods brilliant — but it took nearly 20 years before people in this multi-million dollar Major League Baseball industry took him and his followers seriously. If you saw “Moneyball,” you know that the use of advanced metrics was scoffed at by some in 2003, even though they could not only help teams win, they could help teams make a significant amount of money. Yes, it’s 2013 now, but some coaches still believe that feel and intuition are superior to raw data, and so it’s probably not that your coach thinks OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) is not as good as batting average, he probably just thinks that all stats aren’t that important. Remember statisticians always warn about a small sample size, and the entire high school season is still a very

small sample size — that means that the numbers aren’t as reliable as they are in the big leagues. Obviously, if you have a 162-game schedule to look at, a lot of the luck in hitting (and pitching) evens out, but in a 30-game season, it doesn’t take many caught line drives or diving catches to seriously deflate both batting average and OPS. That said, though, the importance of walks and extra-base hits cannot be underemphasized. The idea of the game is to score more runs than the opposition, and to score runs, a team needs baserunners and a way to advance them to home plate. Statistics have made it crystal clear that a player who walks a lot is not much less valuable than a player who hits a lot of singles, and that doubles and triples are significantly more valuable than infield hits. In the long run, a coach who ignores those realities will lose more games than he should. In the short run, though, coaching is about talent — in softball, primarily pitching talent — so if your team is really good, your coach will see no reason to change. That’s probably not the answer you wanted, but you can’t force people to look at the world the way you do, even if you happen to be right. Sometimes you just have to accept the way things are and deal with it with as much of a positive attitude as you can muster. ✪ 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

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It’s a philosophy battle that few coaches will yield to

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Phillip Walton

Orinda-based swim coaches Don Heidary (left) and his twin brother Ron pose with 11-time NBA champion coach Phil Jackson at the Positive Coaching Alliance National Youth Sports Awards Dinner on April 20.

words from the

Zen Master

When an 11-time NBA Champion coach nicknamed The Zen Master speaks, we listen. Here were a few extra thoughts shared by Phil Jackson at the PCA National Youth Sports Awards Dinner.

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On why he was hesitant to go into coaching:

‘It’s kinda like the Groucho Marx thing: I’m wary of anybody that would accept me into a club.’ On his initial concern about coaching NBA players:

‘Dealing with the ego-driven players that we have in the NBA is sometimes a task that can compromise who you are as a person or an individual. And those were things that I thought were really difficult for us to deal with as coaches.’ On his high school coach Rob Peterson, who passed away two days prior to the awards night:

‘One of the things I mentioned when I talked about him was what a good Christian man he was. And sometimes people mistake that for some kind of identifying idea about religion. But, no, it’s about a principled person that has character; he taught that. He was instrumental in just using the opportunity of coaching to help build character in players and demonstrated it in his own life.” Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com

Wisdom in Winning H

By erik stordahl | SportStars

undreds of people were on hand for the Positive Coaching Alliance National Youth Sports Awards Dinner on April 20. The event took place at the Sharon Heights Country Club in Menlo Park and honored four coaches who are well-respected in the youth sports landscape. Founded by Jim Johnson, former athletic director at Stanford, PCA promotes positive coaching and fair play in youth sports. PCA has been around since 1998 and is endorsed by a litany of marquee coaches and athletes nationwide. On hand for the festivities was perhaps the most revered coach in American pro sports, Phil Jackson. An 11-time NBA champion, Jackson received the Ronald L. Jensen Award for Lifetime Achievement. “The idea is so prevalent in our society right now, that coaches have to build more than just winning teams,” Jackson said. “It’s about character, it’s about success coming from bringing that to the athletes who have a chance. It’s about the ability to step in and honor the game.” The coach nicknamed the “Zen Master” has been a spokesperson for PCA since 1998, giving speeches at various functions and awards ceremonies; this night, it was his turn to be the keynote speaker. The Master of Ceremonies was former San Ramon ValleyDanville standout Mark Madsen, who helped lead Stanford to the Final Four in 1998 and won three NBA championship with the Lakers from 2000-2002 — while playing for Jackson. “The high school game is really where the rubber meets the road,” said Madsen, who is now an assistant coach for the Stanford men’s basketball team, “in terms of having a big impact on young, young people. At the pro level, most of the time you’re dealing with grown men.” Madsen played basketball for John Raynor, who is still coaching basketball at SRV. Madsen talked about the major influence Raynor had on him to get into coaching. “Just the impact with basketball with John Raynor and the school environment had on my life was huge. And I wanted to get back, and I had a perfect opportunity this year to do so at Stanford.” Heather Petri, a member of the 2012 gold-medal winnning US Olympic women’s water polo team, played water polo at Miramonte-Orinda where one of her first coaches was Don Heidary. He, along with his twin brother Ron, were two of the recipients of PCA’s Double-Goal Coach Award. Petri named Don as the reason she kept with water polo. “I think he believed in me more than I did at that time,” Petri said. “I was so young, I had no idea. I was very new to water polo at a late age and I couldn’t really see the path that I wanted to go down. And he was so sure of it and so good at helping me see it that I really think I jumped into the sport a little bit more just because of him.” The Heidary brothers run the Orinda Aquatic Center and coach at rival schools, Don at Campolindo and Ron at Miramonte. “We’ve been coaching together for 35 years,” Don Heidary said. “In addition to coaching together, we coach rival high schools which adds to the intensity and complexity of the dynamic.” The other coaches honored alongside the Heidary brothers were Palo Alto Soccer Club coach Jackie Castro, and re-

nowned AAU basketball coach Rasheed Najeeullah for the Riverside Hawks of New York. These four coaches comprised a panel at the awards ceremony where they each answered questions regarding a variety of topics such as reacting to tough losses, hazing of younger athletes, and instilling leadership qualities with some of their elder athletes. The key thing each of these coaches stresses is that their

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Bay Area coaches honored while the Positive Coaching Alliance Awards Dinner gets a dash of Zen players are student-athletes with an emphasis on the former. If their players don’t meet the GPA requirements installed by the coaches, then they simply won’t play. And for them it doesn’t matter if it’s the championship game, the rules still apply. Qualities like that are why these coaches go beyond just being good, but end up being most influential in these young athletes’ lives. ✪

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Emphasizing team concept in individualized sport has propelled Granite Bay Swimming to impressive heights Story by Jim McCue • Photos by James K. Leash 14

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Granite Bay swimmers (L to R) Lauren Fitzgerald, Ryan Whelan and Hannah Calton.

aking up before sunrise to jump in a pool and training upwards of 20 hours per week in the water and in the weight room seems like a grind where the word “fun” rarely comes up. But the Granite Bay swimming program has found a way to breed enjoyment—along with Olympic champions—for swimmers of varying levels of talent and experience. Of course, winning consistently also has a way of making the grind of the swimming season a little easier. “Our first goal is to be the most fun program,” said head coach John Sherman, who has coached both the boys’ and girls’ swim teams at Granite Bay for the last 11 years. “We try to make it fun and positive for year-round swimmers and recreational swimmers alike.” The Grizzlies have discovered how to blend club and rec

swimmers to create a unique team dynamic that has translated to unparalleled success, evidenced by the fact that Granite Bay’s swimmers have not lost a dual meet in more than 15 years. The girls’ program has never lost a league dual meet since the campus opened in 1996, and the boys’ program has not suffered a defeat after finishing second in the league standings in its inaugural campaign. The impressive streaks, though, are at the forefront of Sherman’s goals for the program, which features approximately 110 swimmers at the varsity level this season. The first priority after having fun is winning Sac-Joaquin Section titles. Winning league titles and extending the streak are secondary to earning a banner. The Grizzlies have won a total of five SJS championships between the boys’ and girls’ programs, with the boys riding

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a streak of two in a row and three of the last four crowns. The girls’ team won in 2007 and 2009, thanks in some part to 2012 Olympic medalists Alyssa and Haley Anderson. While the team championships and individual accomplishments are certainly nice, Sherman takes pride in creating a team atmosphere in a largely individual sport. “We try to make it more like other team sports like football or basketball,” he said. “We want to make it bigger than them.” Sherman’s team philosophy includes a heavy emphasis on power in numbers. The Grizzlies show up together to meets and always leave together as one unit well after most of the swimmers have gone home. “We are always the last team to leave the pool even if it is not our own pool,” said senior Hannah Calton, a freestyle

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2013 SECTION DIVING & SWIMMING FINALS

Diving (at Johansen HS, Modesto) Saturday, May 4, 2013 Varsity Girls: warm-ups begin at Noon Varsity Boys: warm-ups begin at 2:30 p.m. Swimming (at Tokay HS, Lodi) Girls Trials: Thursday, May 9 Boys Trials: Friday, May 10 Girls & Boys Finals: Saturday, May 11 Competition begins at 10 a.m.

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May 1, 2013

and butterfly specialist who has committed to Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. “Sherman emphasizes being a team, and we all stick together and are there for each other to the last relay.” The Grizzlies’ swimmers make the lengthy meets (a typical dual meet can last up to four hours) more enjoyable with team cheers, music, and constant support for any Granite Bay swimmer or relay team competing at any given moment. “It never feels like a bad thing to stay around for the whole meet,” said Chase Cooper, a breast stroke specialist for the boys’ team. “The (postmeet team) warmdown is important physically, but it ensures that we all stay there to support the team. “When everyone is still there cheering for the last relay, it makes it feel like a team.” Senior Lauren Fitzgerald, a Rice University commit that has Olympic Trials “cuts” in several events according to Sherman, admits the coach’s team concept and rules can initially seem strange to year-round club swimmers. But, as a senior, she has gained a greater appreciation for having scores of teammates cheering her and others on regardless of the event and its bearing on the outcome of the meet. Often, the final events are afterthoughts to another Granite Bay dual meet victory, but the enthusiastic support should not be overlooked as a key component in the Grizzlies’ streak. “It is a great feeling when you step on the block and all of your teammates are cheering and supporting you,” said junior Kevin Wylder, who swims in part to stay in shape for water polo. “We motivate each other and hold each other accountable to get the most out of every practice and meet.” With the streak taking on a bit of a life of its own, pressure to extend it could build on individuals. No swimmer wants to be part of the team that sees the streak end, but everyone in the program understands that the streak is secondary to winning a section title — and having fun doing it. “We are not usually focused on the streak because we are thinking about sections mainly,” Cooper said. “We could lose focus in league, but coach

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Sherman always gets us back on track. He stresses the importance of maintaining focus and has a plan for everyone.” That plan includes focusing on each practice and meet with the end goal of success at the Section Masters at Tokay High in Lodi on May 11. The Grizzlies will be strong contenders for both team titles again, with some of the usual challengers looming at the biggest meet of the season. Jesuit, Davis, and Rio Americano boys will be strong as always, as will the girls from Davis, Rio Americano, and St. Francis. Among Granite Bay’s top individual performers are Kevin Wylder and Alek Dendall on the boys’ side. Wylder owns some school records and should contribute points to the Grizzlies in freestyle and butterfly events. Despite being just a sophomore, Dendall is “mature past his years,” according to Sherman, and an all-around contributor whose biggest challenge to the coach can be determining which events to enter him. Additionally, Ryan Whelan is a solid entry in the butterfly and backstroke who is “an absolute racer.” Cooper is one of the most competitive members of the boys’ team, and should add points to the cause in the breast stroke. On the girls’ side, Calton and Fitzgerald are veteran swimmers who Sherman expects to medal in a number of events. Grace Reego splits her time in the pool between swimming and water polo, and will contend in the freestyle and back stroke events. Karrisa Conner’s contribution will come from the diving board. The junior finished second at the Sierra Foothill League meet and can help the team with a high finish at the section meet. With many talented individuals, the Grizzlies still point to the larger team with the hopes of earning more championship banners. “I believe that our depth is the greatest asset we have,” Whelan said. “We have lots of great swimmers that can help us in relays and different events.” Regardless of their finish in Lodi, the Granite Bay swim teams are sure to enjoy their time together to conclude the long grind of the swimming season. Perhaps, even with a final team warmdown to close out another successful meet. ✪

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a g a b to g in p o h , s d e e w e th in g in ly re a k e re c d o o W & k e s o g o N Stephen e 2012 Sac Joaquin Section th t Bu e. tim of d rio pe d pays off. for any extende r Contributor ful that their persistence pe ho are ns pio By jim mccue | Senio am ch II , Division ler Milani for the playoffs Ty er ch pit t los k ree dc it. oo e who wa Last year, W v. II title. ood things come to thos stseason en route to the Di rwolves are po e be th m d Ti k ate in ree m dc do oo W sek e go ng th Stephen Nogosek and sence this season, creati se- but No ab ba ’s l sek oo go sch No gh in hi e up th ed en pp true wh Milani has ste sek injury. hopeful that saying rings of the despair of the Nogo t ou . ise reek ne om Ju pr rly ea in es staffs in the area,” Woodc t d os ke m as ball season conclud on en e ac wh e id th sa be sek “Tyler could ys healthy eat success,” Nogo I have both of those gu u yo “If “With patience comes gr y, id. da sa ne cia “O g. len in Va nt ic t hu Er d coach orts, baseball an ances against any team ou ch my e lik t ly igh ite m about his two favorite sp fin u de yo I y , da for the playoffs rtunity.” ing wrong, but the next damage if given the oppo l rea e m so go out and can’t do anyth do uld co e W ttle there. olves will continue to ba rw be m Ti e th d an lfai cia do next to nothing.” er len y hit aft For now, Va highest seed t hitters and getting a ke ague hoping to grab the Le ll hi ot Fo ck rra Whether it is waiting ou du e Sie siv ep 13. de elu in the Div. I playoff field for 20 d or finally bagging an e on th am to di ed ll ot ba se om ba pr e g th in be is ing on that patience they can after welcomed ot, Nogosek has learned ger, but the challenge is on str be ll wi ion tit pe m with a perfect call and sh The co . d confident in its abilities ua sq k ree dc oo ov W paramount to winning. rec a a sek said. by h ts some fun into it,” Nogo tested as he waits throug g pu I in be ion is e vis nc Di tie to pa up ’s g sek in Nogo “Mov we know this year will be in his throwing arm that so s 2, iti Ddin n ten wi r to lde rd ou ha sh s d to “Last year, it wa to do too ery from bicep an e out in an April 16 loss y our game and don’t try on pla t t jus jus g we din if or t, rec Bu er er. aft rd sidelined him wait un- even ha n.” k teammates may have to ree dc oo W s hi d we believe that we can wi an h, uc He m le. p m bu Rosevil e th on ck May 13 for him to be ba til the postseason starts

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another SJS title GET TO KNOW NOGO › Year: Senior › Throws/Bats: R/R

4/27): 3-1, 2.62 › 2013 Stats (through 0, 11 runs, 12 RBI ERA, 54 K in 29.1 IP; .34 er-of-intent with › College: Signed lett Oregon : Montreal Expos/ › Favorite MLB Team Washington Nationals Spot: Gray Lodge › Favorite Hunting Wildlife Refuge terfowl, deer, boar, › Favorite Game: Wa opposing batters ll Movie: The › Favorite Baseba Natural ll Destination: › Ultimate Baseba Hawaii Destination: › Ultimate Hunting Alaska

James K. Leash

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“If you beat me once, I am going to tip my cap to you, but I am coming right back after you to get you the next time.” — Stephen Nogosek

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Nogosek was huge in the Timberwolves’ 2012 playoff run, posting a 3-0 record with one save in four appearances that included three complete games and just one earned run in 21.1 innings pitched. When it mattered most, Nogosek was at his best, which he credits to the competitiveness he has in his genes. His grandmother, Marie, was a tough matriarch that taught the family that everything you get has to be earned. She passed away in 2003. “She is my biggest inspiration,” Stephen said of his father’s mother, whose name he writes in the dirt on the back of the mound every time he takes the ball. “She was intense at my tee-ball games and was a tough grandma. She didn’t let you get away with anything, and made sure that we learned from all of our successes and failures.” While Nogosek has had far fewer failures than successes in the last two seasons at Woodcreek, he learned about persevering through challenges as a young athlete and hunter. From his first tee-ball game at age five and his first hunting expedition with father Troy at age six, Nogosek gained an appreciation for the positive outcomes of a big hit on the field or hauling in a limit in the duck blind. It wasn’t until later in his baseball career that Nogosek became a pitcher, but the head-to-head confrontation was an instant draw for his competitive spirit. “I don’t remember exactly how old I was, but I was just randomly asked to pitch,” he said. “When I got up there and had that ‘me vs. the other guy’ feeling, I just fell in love with it.” “I’ve always liked the battle where I want to go out there and beat you,” he said of pitching’s appeal. “If you beat me once, I am going to tip my cap to you, but I am coming right back after you to get you the next time.” The last time Woodcreek faced SFL rival Rocklin before the three-game series concluding May 4, which is likely determine the league champion, was a semifinal series that the Timberwolves won 2-1 after dropping the first game 9-0. The Thunder will be gunning for revenge and a higher playoff seed, but Valencia and Nogosek may have bigger concerns than the SFL title that eluded them in 2012. “Winning league is a nice short-term goal and it is our first goal at the start of the season, but we’re looking to go deep in the playoffs,” Valencia said. “I think that we have the potential to have another special team.” With or without Nogosek in the lineup or in a starting role, Valencia, who is in his second season at the helm, sees the leadership of Nogosek and other seniors as key to giving the Timberwolves the best chance to repeat their playoff success with a new mix of players. “The seniors understand that I want them to know and learn the game, but I want them to take the leadership role,” Valencia said. “I let them make certain calls on their own and they are taking ownership of this team.” As intense a competitor as Nogosek is, his leadership is vocal without being overbearing. His laid-back attitude and fun nature work well in practice and in the dugout because everyone understands that Nogosek is all business when he steps inside the lines and expects the rest of the team to be just as focused when the game is on the line. Valencia admits to having to tell Nogosek to stop talking at times, but the coach understands that the same motor that keeps his mouth in constant motion is what powers the right-hand flame thrower on the mound. Milani, who has played with Nogosek since age 10, knows that his good friend can get a team to follow him into battle and to new heights even if most of them would not necessarily follow him to his favorite hobbies outside of baseball. “He’s definitely got his country boy side,” Milani said “but he knows what it takes to win and how to get guys out.” As the regular season winds down, Nogosek will have the opportunity to get guys out on the mound, but it may be in a limited role that leads to the familiar site of the team’s ace getting the start in the do-or-die playoffs. Valencia is hopeful that Nogosek can take on the closer role in the final two weeks before seeing if he is ready to reclaim the No. 1 spot in the rotation for the postseason. “If we have Nogo and Milani healthy for the playoffs, I definitely like our chances,” Valencia said. “If we take care of business, I like our chances. We have a team that can cause damage in the playoffs.” Woodcreek has its sights set on a league title and another section playoff crown come June. For now, Nogosek and the Timberwolves will just have to wait. And maybe good things will come. ✪ Support Your Local Business • Say You Found Them In SportStars™

Records through April 27 (source: MaxPreps.com) Rank (prev) Team Record 1. (1)

St. Francis-Mountain View

24-1

2. (3)

Casa Grande-Petaluma

19-1

3. (4)

Granada-Livermore

18-0

4. (5)

Davis

18-5

5. (6)

Elk Grove

18-4

6. (7)

De La Salle-Concord

12-5

7. (8)

Campolindo-Moraga

12-6-1

8. (2)

Serra-San Mateo

20-5

9. (9)

Jesuit-Carmichael

16-5

10. (11)

Bellarmine-San Jose

19-6

11. (15)

Clayton Valley Charter-Concord

14-3

12. (14)

San Benito-Hollister

20-4 15-5

13. (18)

Woodcreek-Roseville

14. (NR)

Bradshaw Christian-Sacramento 18-5

15. (NR)

Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills

13-8

16. (13)

Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove

16-6

17. (17)

James Logan-Union City

11-6

18. (NR)

Pioneer-Woodland

16-7

19. (NR)

College Park-Pleasant Hill

12-4-1

20. (NR)

Bella Vista-Fair Oaks

15-7

DROPPED OUT No. 10 St. Ignatius-S.F., No. 12 Granite Bay, No. 16 Valley Christian-San Jose, No. 19 El Cerrito and No. 20 Amador Valley-Pleasanton.

BIGGEST MOVERS Bradshaw Christian took the biggest jump of the week by entering the rankings for the first time at No. 14. The Pride is winners of seven straight, including a 5-1 victory over then-No. 6 Elk Grove on April 27. St. Ignatius took the biggest fall as it dropped from the No. 10 spot all the way out of rankings after losing four of five.

TEAMS STILL RANKED FROM PRESEASON TOP 20: 15 KNOCKING ON THE DOOR St. Ignatius-S.F. (15-10), Granite Bay (12-8), Valley Christian-San Jose (14-10), El Cerrito (14-6-1), Amador Valley-Pleasanton (12-6), Wilcox-Santa Clara (19-8), Washington-Fremont (14-5), Freedom-Oakley (13-5), Acalanes-Lafayette (13-6), Archbishop Mitty-San Jose (15-10), St. Mary’s-Berkeley (12-4).

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It’s Down To This

Analyzing homestretch for NCS, SJS baseball & softball

With two weeks remaining before the baseball and softball postseasons begin across Northern California, we take a look at some of the key league races as well as teams and players to watch in the North Coast and Sac-Joaquin Sections.

NORTH COAST BASEBALL ›› TEAMS TO WATCH: Division I — Granada-Livermore, De La Salle-Concord, Amador Valley-Pleasanton, James Logan-Union City. Division II — Casa Grande-Petaluma, CampolindoMoraga, Clayton Valley Charter-Concord, College Park-Pleasant Hill, WashingtonFremont. DIvision III — Acalanes-Lafayette, El Cerrito, Drake-San Anselmo. Division IV — St. Mary’s-Berkeley, Salesian-Richmond, Justin-Siena-Napa. ›› BEST LEAGUE RACE: It doesn’t receive the fanfare of some other East Bay leagues, but the Mission Valley Athletic League was an intense three-team race heading. Washington-Fremont held a onePhillip Walton game lead over James Logan-Union City Robbie Tenerowicz, and Newark Memorial, and the Huskies still Campolindo had league meetings scheduled against both teams. They travel to James Logan on May 10 and host Newark Memorial on May 15. James Logan and Newark Memorial also face off against one another on May 8. ›› QUEST FOR FOUR: When it opened the year with a 2-4 mark, there were probably a few who wondered if Campolindo (featured on the cover of SportStars’ Bay Area Baseball/Softball Preview) was going to be the newest victim of a cover jinx. Well, not so fast. After falling to that 2-4 record on March 19, the Cougars went 10-2-1 over their next 13 games and were unbeaten against NorCal teams during that stretch. So despite the early hiccups, there’s every reason to believe that Campolindo will go into the Division II playoffs as the favorite to win a fourth consecutive NCS crown — which would tie the NCS modern era record for consecutive baseball titles. The other programs to accomplish it were St. Vincent-Petaluma (1986-89) and Casa Grande-Petaluma (2004-07). ›› DIVISION I DANCE: In the four years since the NCS realigned the baseball playoffs from regional tournaments to an overall divisional format, four different teams have won the Division I title: Freedom (2009), Amador Valley (2010), James Logan (2011) and De La Salle (2012). Granada, which is the odds-on favorite to be the top seed in the field, has a chance to make it 5-for-5. If the Matadors two starting pitchers, Jacob Payne and Anthony Olmo, continue to hold opponents to a .161 batting average, then the changes are high.

SAC-JOAQUIN BASEBALL ›› TEAMS TO WATCH: Division I — Elk Grove, Jesuit-Carmichael, Davis, Rocklin, Woodcreek-Roseville, Granite Bay, Turlock, Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove. Division II — Del CampoFair Oaks, Benicia, Bella Vista-Fair Oaks, Rosemont-Sacramento. Division III — WhitneyRocklin, Antelope, Lincoln, Pioneer-Woodland, Colfax, Yuba City. Division IV — Central Catholic-Modesto, Vista del Lago-Folsom, Ceres, Manteca. ›› BEST LEAGUE RACE: The Pioneer Valley League title will likely not be decided until the

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final out of the regular season is recorded on May 8 when Colfax and Lincoln play the second of two games. The Falcons have not lost since March 27 when they fell to Div. III favorite Whitney 6-4 at the River City Classic, and momentum could be in head coach Tim Day’s favor. Colfax junior David Campbell (.512, 20 runs, 20 RBI) and senior Devon Loomis (.511, 19 runs, 25 RBI) are having an internal battle for the team batting title while Lincoln is led by sluggers Ethan Liddle (.560, 23 runs, 19 RBI) and Isaiah Garcia (.500, 30 runs, 27 RBI). ›› PROLIFIC PANTHERS: Benicia outfielder Fred Williams leads all Div. II hitters with a .489 batting average and is second with an .894 slugging percentage. The junior has driven in 22 runs and scored 21 times while collecting 23 hits, including 11 for extra bases. Head coach Jim Bowles’ team sports a .331 team average and has scored 198 runs in 23 games. ›› SEASON-ENDING SHOWDOWN: Delta Valley rivals and perennial section title contenders Elk Grove and Davis will square off in a home-and-home set to conclude the regular season and probably crown the league champion and possibly No. 1 seed in Division I. The Thundering Herd are loaded with talent and power, including seniors Rowdy Tellez (.448, 6 HR, 26 RBI) and Dom Nunez (.421, 3 HR, 27 RBI), while the Blue Devils employ more of a small-ball approach. Davis has just one homer as a team, and freshman Ryan Kreidler leads the team with 19 RBI. The matchup of Davis vs. Goliath should be an exciting prelude to the playoffs.

NORTH COAST SOFTBALL ›› TEAMS TO WATCH: Division I — Amador Valley-Pleasanton, California-San Ramon, James Logan-Union City. Division

II — Alhambra-Martinez, Concord, Clayton Valley CharterConcord, Petaluma. Division III — Terra Linda-San Rafael, Analy-Sebastapol, San Marin-Novato, Acalanes-Lafayette, Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland. Division IV — Salesian-Richmond, Cloverdale, Lower Lake, Fortuna. ›› BEST LEAGUE RACE: Cross-town rivals Concord and Clayton Valley are on a collision course for a two-day battle on May 14 and 16 that could determine the Diablo Valley Athletic League title, and could also send ripples through the NCS Div. II seeding process. Concord is the defending Div. II champion and entered the week of April 29 having won 11 straight. Clayton Valley was also winners of 11 in a row with its last loss coming on March15 to Alameda. ›› PARTY CRASHERS: Perhaps the most exciting development to the NCS softball landscape happened on April 16 when California threw its visor into the ring as serious Div. I title contender by beating Amador Valley. Pitcher Lindsey Chalmers and the rest of the Grizzlies had teased at upsetting the Dons in the past, but could never quite pull it off — that included a 1-0 loss in the Queen of the Mountain Tournament final on March 16. One month later, Chalmers flipped the script by shutting out Amador Valley by scattering five hits and striking out seven. The two teams, along with James Logan, should provide some fireworks in the postseason. ›› SUPER SOPH: Salesian began the year winning 14 of its first 15 games — and should be a heavy-favorite in Div. IV — thanks to the bat of sophomore Meghan Bradbury. The infielder/catcher entered the final week of April with a .628 batting average and seven home runs and 27 RBI. And perhaps most impressive for a young talent, she has just two strikeouts in 51 at bats.

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champion Elk Grove), Vintage-Napa has taken on all comers in compiling an unblemished record through April 29. The Crushers have dominated the Monticello Empire League, ›› TEAMS TO WATCH: Division I — Vintage-Napa, outscoring league foes by an average of 8-1. Sophomore Woodcreek-Roseville, Tracy, Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove, Oak pitcher Emily Oestreich has struck out a division-best 226 Ridge-El Dorado Hills, Elk Grove, St. Francis-Sacramento, batters in just 140.1 innings pitched through 23 games. Merced. Division II — Rocklin, Casa Roble-Orangevale, Senior Kacie Burnett leads the offense with a .494 batting Roseville, Benicia, Christian Brothers-Sacramento, Mcaverage, 37 runs, and 36 stolen Clatchy-Sacramento. Division III — bases in 37 attempts. Whitney-Rocklin, Vanden-Fairfield, ›› WORKHORSE: When a team Pioneer-Woodland, Cordova, Woodfaces Casa Roble, there is never any land. Division IV — Sierra-Manteca, doubt as to who will be in the circle Oakdale, East Union-Manteca, for the Rams. Senior Kaitlyn Garcia Cosumnes Oaks-Elk Grove, Union has pitched every out of every inning Mine-El Dorado, Central Catholicsince she joined the varsity team as a Modesto. sophomore in 2011. Now, more than ›› BEST LEAGUE RACE: The 450 innings and 55 wins later, Garcia Capital League got tighter at the top is seeking another section championwith Antelope’s 4-1 victory over Whitship from the only place she knows. ney on April 23, creating a four-team ›› POWER PLAYER: Union Mine’s race for first with just a two-game Sarah Phillis has shown plenty of difference separating the group that pop this season, leading D-4 with 6 includes Whitney, Antelope, Corhome runs. The senior first baseman Phillip Walton dova, and El Camino-Sacramento. also leads the division with a 1.263 Taylor Cotton, Whitney Any of the four teams could emerge slugging percentage and .649 batting on top while one of the teams may average, and is in the top four with 30 miss out on the postseason altogether. runs scored and 27 RBI. If she can keep those numbers up ›› VINTAGE YEAR: The Crushers are enjoying perfection in the playoffs, Phillis could power the Diamondbacks to their as they seek their first-ever section championship. Having first section title in the school’s short history. ✪ — Chace Bryson and Jim McCue only appeared in one Divi. I final (finishing as runner-up to

SAC-JOAQUIN softball

Records through April 27 (source: MaxPreps.com)

Rank, Prev. Team

Record

1. (1)

Archbishop Mitty-San Jose

23-0

2. (3)

James Logan-Union City

17-1

3. (2)

Amador Valley-Pleasanton

16-2

4. (4)

Alhambra-Martinez

15-1-1

5. (5)

California-San Ramon

15-3

6. (6)

Vintage-Napa

24-0

7. (8)

Sierra-Manteca

18-2

8. (9)

Woodcreek-Roseville

16-7

9. (10)

Rocklin

20-3

10. (7)

Elk Grove

16-6

11. (13)

San Benito-Hollister

13-2

12. (14)

Casa Roble-Orangevale

18-4

13. (15)

Petaluma

16-1

14. (12)

Carlmont-Belmont

20-3

15. (11)

Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove

15-9

16. (19)

Tracy

20-4

17. (20)

Concord

15-3

18. (NR)

Roseville

17-6-1

19. (NR)

Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills

18-6

20. (NR)

Clayton Valley Charter-Concord

13-2

DROPPED OUT No. 16 Leigh-San Jose (17-6), No. 17 Whitney-Rocklin

(16-8) and No. 18 Ponderosa-Shingle Springs (12-10-1).

BIGGEST MOVER Not a great deal of movement in the upper half of the rankings, though both Tracy and Concord jumped

three spots from 19 and 20 to 16 and 17, respectively.

Heading into the week of April 29, Tracy had won 16 of its past 17 games dating back to March 16. Concord had won 11 straight since a 3-0 loss to No. 13 Petaluma on March 21.

TEAMS STILL RANKED FROM PRESEASON TOP 20: 13 KNOCKING ON THE DOOR Terra Linda-San Rafael (19-2), Salesian-Richmond

(14-1), Leigh-San Jose (17-6), Whitney-Rocklin (16-8), Sheldon-Sacramento (11-11), Freedom-Oakley (11-51), Santa Rosa (14-5), Kimball-Tracy (16-6).

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MLB Draft: Northern California’s Top 5 high school prospects The 2013 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft is right around the corner so it’s time to take a look at who are Northern California’s top high school prospects. Now, you might be saying, “the draft is in June, that isn’t right around the corner.” You would be correct if only considering the calendar and how many days until the draft. However, a scout’s “pref list” is turned in by May 1, and from here on out it is all about making sure the paperwork is in, getting last looks at the top guys, and more than anything, getting each player’s signability. A “pref list” is an area scout’s preferred order of the prospects. Some scouts have deep lists (up to 75 players) and some have shallow lists (maybe as few as 40). The top ten players won’t be exactly the same for every scout, but in each scout’s top ten there are likely to be at least five common names. The term “signability” refers to what it will take to sign the player to a pro contract. A high school senior with a scholarship to a major college program will tell clubs how much it will take for him to forgo going to college. Signability isn’t

really supposed to affect how high a player gets drafted or IF he gets drafted, but the reality is that signability has trumped talent in some ways. According to one area scout, here are NorCal’s top five high school prospects: LHP/1B Matt Krook of St. Ignatius Prep-S.F., OF Jordan Paroubeck of Serra-San Mateo, RHP Chris Viall of Soquel, RHP Carlos Salazar of Kerman and LHP Jonah Wesley of Tracy. He didn’t put them in order, but you can surmise that more than a few others have the same five listed. That doesn’t mean they are the top five of ALL prospects in NorCal because a full list takes collegiate players into account. Krook has signed with Oregon, Paroubeck and Salazar with Fresno State, Viall with Stanford and Wesley with UCLA. All of those can be considered major college programs, obviously. It is basically a foregone conclusion that kids committed to Stanford will go to school, so Viall likely won’t get serious attention despite his exceptional talent. Krook recently had a

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poor outing in front of a large gathering of draft decision makers and that will affect his draft slot. UCLA isn’t quite as good as Stanford in getting their players to come to school, but they do get their fair share so Wesley’s signability is likely in question, as will be Krook’s. Of those players, Paroubeck and Salazar are likely the most signable, simply because a degree from Fresno State and playing baseball in the Mountain West Conference doesn’t quite

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measure up with a degree form Stanford, UCLA or Oregon while playing Pac-12 baseball. That statement isn’t intended to disrespect a great Fresno State baseball program and a fine university, rather, it just reflects part of what is considered in the draft process. ✪

Blaine Clemmens is the founder and director for the Bay Area World Series. For more information, visit www.bayareaworldseries.com

May 1, 2013

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Welcome to Impulse, your one-stop shop for gadgets, gizmos, and gear. Compiled by staff writer Erik Stordahl, Impulse provides you with the latest and greatest and what’s currently hot on the market. We’re getting close to the summer months, which means you’re shopping for a new swimsuit, eliminating that farmer’s tan and planning a vacation. If you’re like us, that means staying in, blasting the AC, eating Cheetos and watching re-runs of I Love Lucy. Let the fun begin!

Wellrox Flip Flops

After wearing the same old flip flops for an entire summer, your feet, posture and balance could be in bad shape come autumn. By using snazzy technology that’s well beyond our comprehension, Wellrox provides a nice, cushiony support while not sacrificing style. Get these flip flops and walk the beaches and shores in comfort. Grab a pair at Macy’s or online at macys.com

Workout goodies

Now that it’s starting to heat up, you’re probably gonna start running more. Here are two essentials you’ll need for working out: iLuv FitActive Sports Earphones — great sound quality with different colors to choose from. They’re ideal for running with their secure fit. Perfect for running or biking. Aduro U-Band — strap in your iPod and run for miles with the comfort and style of this armband.

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May 1, 2013

KidFest

The can’t-miss event of the early summer just got a whole lot sportier. That’s right, SportStars will be on hand for the three-day Memorial Day Weekend event at Mt. Diablo High. We’re taking over the athletic field and putting on a smorgasbord of skills stations – everything from baseball to rugby to lacrosse. There’s also going to be carnival rides, face painting, tattoos, cotton candy, tons of goodies and door prizes. Come find us at the SportStars Field of Dreams. For more info go to www.kidfestconcord.com.

Blue & Gold Classic

Oh yes, golf season is in full swing (see what we did there?), which means your calendar’s about to get booked with dozens of tournaments. Don’t miss this one! The Blue & Gold Classic tees off Monday June 3 at Indian Valley Golf Club in San Rafael. Grab your foursome for the 1 p.m. shotgun start. Contact Patty Brusati at (415) 519-2939 for more info or email her at tsportbru@aol.com.

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Pivot Firebird

Maybe you’re not a beach person and you’ll be spending the summer far away from even a hint of flip flops. In that case, grab Pivot Cycle’s latest Firebird mountain bike. It’s ideal for downhill competitions, racing down Mt. Diablo or just chasing down the ice cream truck.

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training time: tim rudd

5 Speed Training Mistakes To Avoid

The fact is many coaches just get it wrong when attempting to increase the speed and agility of your athletes. Today I want to share my first 5 out of 10 speed training mistakes coaches make. If you want faster and more agile athlete’s then avoid these mistakes at all costs. Simple example: If your athletes lack ankle mobility they are losing up to 20% of their power output when accelerating and are unable to optimally change direction. 1. Not Assessing — This goes far beyond looking how they accelerate and change direction. Coaches need to assess athletes for possible movement dysfunctions that can be limiting their ability to accelerate and change directions. Most coaches will just focus on technique, which is great, but if your athletes lack mobility or strength then all the technique work in the world will do very little in improving speed and agility. 2. Inadequate warm-up — If the athletes aren’t properly prepared for their speed and agility work, then they will not be moving optimally and their chance of injury is increased. The purpose of the warm-up is to address soft tissue quality, improve muscle length/extensibility, improve mobility of the joints in all planes of movement, elevate core temperature, charge up and prime the nervous system in preparation for the imposed demands of acceleration and agility training. If your athletes aren’t properly warming up, they are not getting better. 3. Too much speed training — The problem with over speed training is simple, it teaches the athletes to over stride. The foot travels in front of the body (rather than under and behind) causing a breaking action, not only does this slow the athlete down it also increases their chance of injuring their hamstring. The key to speed is not increasing stride frequency for high school athletes, but increasing stride length. The athlete who gets to point A and B with the fewest steps wins the race. Usain Bolt took only took 46 steps in the 100-meter final and won gold. 4. Turning speed into conditioning — The purpose of speed and agility training is to improve skill and maximal power output. The fact is that speed training is dependent on the ATP/PCR energy system. What does this mean? This system is depleted within 8-10 seconds and needs anywhere from 60 seconds to 3 minutes to fully recover in order to repeat another maximal power effort which is required for improving speed. Some coaches who don’t understand this use way too little rest, which doesn’t allow the ATP/PCR system to fully recover. So instead of improving an athlete’s maximal power output (speed) they only are working on operational output (conditioning), a percentage of maximal power output. 5. Never teaching deceleration — Team sports require many changes of direction (agility). If your athletes are not properly coached on how to land or decelerate properly then they won’t have the ability to change direction well. The fact is that athletes need to be able to decelerate and overcome their body weight to change in a new direction in response to closing the gap on defense or gain space on offense. Would you get in a plane with a pilot who never learned how to land? I didn’t think so. You’ve heard the saying speed kills; well these mistakes will kill any chance of your athletes getting faster and more agile. ✪ Tim Rudd is an IYCA specialist in youth conditioning and owner of Fit2TheCore.

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every day health: Kent Mercer

JayneSays

Practical tips from WNBA Standout

Jayne Appel, center for the San Antonio Silver Stars and graduate of Carondelet-Concord and Stanford, is the best passing post in the WNBA, and she dishes out great advice to high school athletes who would follow in her All-Star footsteps. For instance, staying in shape isn’t just about conditioning. “Sleeping, eating and conditioning all go hand-in-hand. If you put garbage in your body, it’s going to perform like garbage,” says Appel, the all-time Pac-10 rebound leader while at Stanford. “Kids have a lot going on, but unless they get Appel eight hours of sleep at night, they won’t perform like they want to.” Appel often gives athletes practical tips for getting enough sleep and eating right, which means fruits, vegetables and proteins. Good advice for performance and for recovery from inevitable injuries. “Sleep is a huge part of recovery,” Appel said. “So is eating right, especially in lower-body injuries where you can’t train like you used to. You need to make sure you’re not gaining weight.” And she tells athletes to listen to rehabilitation specialists. For Appel, that’s the physical therapy team at Muir Orthopedic Specialists in Walnut Creek, experts she trusts to balance challenging her while holding her back. “The sports mentality to play through the pain is wrong,” says Appel, who regrets playing through a broken foot her senior season at Stanford. “The trick to rehab is listening to your therapist and allowing your body the time to recover.” Kent Mercer is a certified athletic trainer for Muir Orthopedic Specialists and De La Salle High.

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get mental: erika carlson

Imagery Practice:

Seeit

DOit rememberit If you are one of the hundreds of athletes who’s been in my office looking to improve your performance, than you’ve heard me say this, “The skill that transforms good athletes to great athletes is imagery.” Scientific studies provide us with evidence that athletes who add imagery practice to their physical practice out-perform those who don’t. These results have been replicated over and over again. Using imagery (often called visualization) is relatively simple. Let’s use swimming as an example. Replay key starts, strokes, and kicks off the wall in your head. To maximize the power of imagery be sure to follow these best practices: › Perfect Practice — Remember a time when everything felt just right; your technique was great, you stayed on tempo. This is exactly what you need to repeat over and over again. The greatest advantage of using imagery vs. real life practice is that every rep can be perfect. Repeat, repeat, repeat. › Hit Delete …QUICKLY!! — It’s important to remember that you are learning while you’re imaging (your nervous system is hard at work!). That said, do you want to reinforce that mistake you just made or reinforce the time you got your stroke technique just right? Delete your mistakes ASAP. › Sensory Details — To get the most out of your imagery reps you must feel (moving through the water), see (the wall or the flags), hear (starting “beep”, cheering), smell (chlorine or salt water). Just 5-10 minutes each day is all it takes. If you are an athlete looking to level up in your sport, then you can’t afford to NOT practice imagery.

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health watch: mikel jackson

Persistent pain, swelling could be worse than you think A couple weeks ago, a coach friend of mine told me about a sport injury he had that wasn’t going away. He had been scrimmaging with his basketball team when he had felt a sharp pain behind his calf and had to sit down. Initially, he thought the injury was minor and would gradually go away with conservative treatment. A week later, limping and with no relief from the pain or swelling, he explained to me what had happened. I quickly advised him to schedule an appointment with his medical doctor due to the possibility of having a dangerous injury called “acute compartment syndrome” (or ACS) which can have long-term effects if it remains undiagnosed. Compartments are areas of the arms or legs that contain muscles, tendons, nerves and blood vessels wrapped together in a sheath of dense, fibrous connective tissue called fascia. The fascia gives support to the soft tissue and keeps the contained materials from displacing by not stretching very much. When swelling, bleeding or other products of inflammation occur inside a compartment, the increase in pressure on the capillaries, muscles and nerves can result in intense pain and loss of oxygenated blood to the muscle and nerve cells. ACS (such as the kind Los Angeles Dodgers’ second baseman Mark Ellis had last May) can result in necrosis — tissue death so severe that the limb may need amputation if the swelling is not resolved quickly.

ACS can occur during sports due to fractures, impact traumas resulting in bruised muscles, or the wearing of constricting bandages or braces. Pain is felt within the affected compartment especially when stretched. Sometimes numbness, tingling or burning pain is felt. The areas will typically feel extremely tight and smooth to the touch. The disease condition is diagnosed by physical examination and usually a doctor will measure the pressure within the muscle or fascia to confirm. ACS is a severe medical emergency that requires a surgical technique called a fasciotomy. A doctor will make an incision to open the fascia tissue and relieve the swelling and pressure. Recovery time can take anywhere from several weeks to a couple months. While most sports-related injuries are not life threatening, ACS can result in amputations or even death. If you have an injury that is more painful than expected, is not healing quickly, or results in dysfunction, always seek medical advice as soon as possible. Mikel Jackson is an athletic trainer for the staff of Sports Medicine For Young Athletes, a division of Children’s Hospital Oakland.

rotator cuffs: justin dudley

Use caution in rotator cuff strengthening Rotator cuff (RTC) strengthening is something common in many overhead athlete training programs, but many athletes and coaches may actually be doing more harm that good. The RTC is comprised of four muscles responsible for keeping the ball, or humeral head, centered in the socket throughout shoulder range of motion. As the arm is elevated overhead, the ball has a tendency to want to migrate up in the socket based on the direction of pull of the big deltoid muscle. This upward migration can cause pinching of structures within the shoulder joint causing pain and leading to what is known as sub-acromial impingement. It is the responsibility of the RTC to minimize this upward migration. Research has shown that exercising the RTC to failure or doing “burn-out exercises” of these muscles decreases the control of the humeral head. By doing so, a fatigued RTC results in upward migration of the ball in the socket even during the simplest daily tasks that require lifting the arm against gravity, increasing the potential for impingement. This is not to say that the RTC shoulder not be trained. RTC training is an essential component for the health of an overhead athlete’s shoulder. However, training should focus on cuff activation, and caution should be used when building endurance and strength of the RTC to make sure the shoulder workload is not too high. When performing cuff exercises, athletes should feel their muscles working, but should stop prior to fatigue burn. It is important to utilize very light weight, and limit the number of repetitions performed. I typically limit RTC exercises to 8-10 reps. Crossover Symmetry’s muscle activation program does a great job of activating both rotator cuff and scapula stabilizers without working these muscles to the point of fatigue. Justin Dudley is an in-house Physical Therapist for Crossover Symmetry, based in Denver.

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May 1, 2013

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Train the core for stability, not good beach physique Most people don’t understand the purpose of core training. Most think the purpose is to attract the opposite gender, when in reality it’s to keep the body capable of transferring force throughout the entire kinetic chain (from feet to head and/ or hands). I find that when I am asked to create a core training program, it’s always about wanting to know what exercises will make abs look best, especially with summer approaching. Your core is composed of many different abdominal muscle groups and most are not visible from the front of your body, and the true purpose of your core is to make sure you can stabilize and transfer force from your feet up to your hands and vice versa. The core is the link, and if it’s weak you will be as well. Imagine trying to place a drink on a table held up by one singular wooden or metal cylinder. No problem right? Now imagine placing that same drink on a table held up by a singular pool noodle toy. Not so stable huh? The cores main purpose is to allow full functionality of the body. Not full functionality of your ego. When training your core, the “side effect” should be a great looking stomach, and the main goal should be trying to ward off future pain as you get older. Make sure to focus on strength and stability of the front abs, side abs, rotational abs, and you lower back muscles to get a strong well-rounded core base that allows you to be strong in posture and healthy well into your later years. Anthony Trucks is the owner of Trucks Training facility in Brentwood and covers weight training for SportStars.

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BASEBALL/SOFTBALL

All Star Academy of Baseball All-Star Academy in Santa Clara features a 17,000-square foot indoor and outdoor training facility that is home to a variety of instructional programs designed to develop the total player. ASA offers All Skills Camps for ages 7-12, and Summer Boot Camps for 12 & under, middle school, high school competitive athletes. Info: 650-961-2255; www. asabaseball.com Cabernet Baseball Club The Livermore-based club not only hosts The Pitching Center’s Spring Break Baseball Skills Camp 2013, it also is home to training and recreational leagues in other sports — including football, soccer, futsal, softball and lacrosse. Lil’ Baseball offered for ages 3-7. Info: 925-416-1600, www.cabernetindoorsports.com EJ Sports EJ Sports provides positive, instructive baseball programs that includes camps, teams, conditioning clinics for ages 7-18. We provide an exciting, bully-free environment to help players improve athletically and build confidence. Our instructors possess the capability to teach concepts and relate to youth based on their comprehension level and athletic ability. Our staff consists of qualified coaches dedicated to improving and continually learning newest techniques in baseball. Info: 925866-7199, www.ejsports.com. The Pitching Center In an effort to develop baseball players to their full potential, The Pitching Center has become the Total Player Center (TPC), a fullservice baseball/softball training academy. We provide comprehensive, fully-integrated

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programs that evolve based on the best research and information in areas from health/safety, peak performance, education techniques and more. Age- and skill-specific programs available for ages 8-18. Info: 925416-1600, www.thepitchingcenter.com.

BASKETBALL

All Out Sports League Our camps are geared toward teaching fundamentals. Every aspect is covered: dribbling, shooting, layups, passing, cross-overs, defense, help defense, boxing out and more. Camps open to boys, girls ages 6-16. We hold a multi-week Spring Academy in Clayton, four-day Summer Academy in Antioch. Info: 925-203-5636 or www.alloutsportsleague.com Bald Eagle Basketball Camp Campers get improved skills, passion for becoming their best. Our unique format gives campers a choice period each day to play more basketball, go swimming, play sports camp games, have fun in our activity arcade — whatever summer fun they choose! This year we’ve ramped up our staff with more coaches who have high level playing and/ or coaching experience, not to mention their PCA Certification like every staff member at Bald Eagle Sports Camps. Info: 888-5052253. CalStars The Stars Basketball Academy offers youth and high school summer camps. The SBA is a fundamental based skills development camp for kids in third grade-high school. We offer three youth (3rd-8th) sessions and two high school sessions. Camps are conducted by Clay Kallam (Bentley HS), Kelly Sopak (Miramonte HS), Dan Middleton (Northgate

HS), Raul Reyes (Miramonte HS) and Elgin Leslie (Campolindo HS). Camps also assisted by former high school, college players. Info: www.calstars.org. FastBreak Basketball Margaret Gartner, highly-decorated girls basketball coach for Carondelet, leads this girls camp focused on fundamentals. Three weeklong sessions: Session I, June 24-28, Grades 4-10; Session II, July 15-19, Grades 1-6 and Session III, July 22-26, Grades 4-10. Learn, improve basketball fundamentals, skills while having fun. Info: www.FastBreakBball.com; or email Fastbreak_club@yahoo.com Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors will be conducting camps this spring, summer for boys and girls ages 7-15. In addition to high quality instruction, each camper receives a reversible Warriors jersey, headband, certificate, two tickets to a Warriors home game and more. Info: 510-986-5310 or go to http://warriors. com/camps. Hawk Basketball Academy We focus on skill development, challenging the individual to push themselves to become the very best. Focusing on: footwork, dribbling, proper shooting technique, reaching your highest level of performance, improving your mental game, preparing for CYO, high school and AAU. Info: 510-943-9252, facebook.com/hawkbasketballacademy. I’m Possible Training (Mike Allen) Whether you’re beginner or on varsity, this program will help you excel. Improve ballhandling, footwork, shooting, overall fitness. I’m Possible is a world-renowned basketball program authored by NBA skills coach Micah Lancaster. Mike Allen, head trainer for the Bay Area located in Los Gatos, runs clinics

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for athletes of all levels from pros to AAU and high school. By registering, you can download the program, which lists a library of drills. Info: 408-224-8503 or email mikeallen@possibletraining.com, www.possibletraining.com/ mikeallen NorCal Courts Basketball Camps Norcal Courts in Martinez covers all major fundamentals: dribbling, passing, shooting, defense, rebounding. The Spring Break Camp is April 1-5: 5th graders (9-11 a.m.), 6th-8th graders (noon-2 p.m.), high schoolers (3-5 p.m.). Sessions have fun, exciting drills that will help them become better players. Camps run by qualified high school coaches from Cal Stars and Cagers Basketball. Info: 925-4575081; www.norcalcourts.com

CHEER

CheerGyms.com Customize our clinics to fit your needs. Cheergyms.com runs the best overnight residential camps. We offer practical, fun material and professional, knowledgeable staff. Camps do not exceed 375 cheerleaders with one staff member for every 15 cheerleaders. Two-day camps also available. Private camps allow you to pick the hours, decide what they will learn. Camps also available for coaches. Intense Training Camps let you can pick one specific thing to work on for just $10 per student per hour. Info: morton@cheergyms.com, 925-6858176, www.cheergyms.com

ENRICHMENT

Bald Eagle Jr. High Leadership Camp Giving your child a road map to create success is extremely powerful. Our Jr. High Leadership Camp includes tangible experiences working cooperatively with peers, leading groups, public speaking, making friends, un-

derstanding community service, living an active lifestyle through fun camp activities. Info: 888-505-2253. Dianne Adair Programs Come join any of our eight summer sites for our fun and exciting summer program. Each week campers choose from several camps including sports, fashion, drama, CSI, science and more. In addition to weekly camps, we have weekly field trips to places like an A’s or Giants game, museums, the Jelly Belly Factory, Six Flags, the pool, the movies, parks and the zoo. Field trips and camps vary by site. Offers, rates may vary at any of our nine locations. Info: www.dianneadair.org.

FITNESS

Children’s Hospital “Learn What It’s Like To Be An Athletic Trainer.” Workshop exclusively for high school students, March 1-2. Includes: Overview of careers in sports medicine; ankle injuries and taping techniques; wrist, hand, thumb injuries and taping; knee injuries and RICE therapy; stretching techniques; low back injuries and CORE Training; sports concussions; shoulder injuries, rehabilitation. Class credit, certificate of completion and reference materials. Run by Children’s Hospital Sports Medicine staff, held in Oakland. Also available: yoga, athletic development, speed camps, circuit training. Info: 510-428-3558 Fit 2 The Core As a Youth Conditioning, Speed/Agility and Nutrition Specialist with the International Youth Conditioning Association, Fit-2 The Core Training Systems offers innovative approach to getting athletes back on the field. We work on a solid athletic foundation while focusing on individual progress. Instruction in movement

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training, injury reduction, linear/lateral speed development, foot speed and agility, power development, proper weight training techniques and functional strength training. Athletes are closely supervised, with attention on proper technique, safety. We offer 2 days/week or 3 days/week program options. Free two-week free pass. Info: www.fasteryoungathletes.com, 925-639-0907. Renaissance ClubSport We offer sports, speciality camps for kids 5-12 during school breaks. Participants have funfilled, active breaks as they receive instruction in a variety of sports, activities and projects. Working parents can take advantage of our extended hours for both morning and afternoon sessions. Families with multiple children receive 10 percent discount for each additional sibling registered for the same week. Info: 925-942-6344. Trucks Training Trucks Training was started by people who grew up in the area, experienced the world and came back to provide a service that we feel our community lacks. We have proven records and know what it takes to achieve the next level of sports & fitness safely and effectively. Hometown feel from true hometown people. We offer 1-on-1, group and small group training for both fitness and sportspecific needs. Info: truckstraining.com; 925756-7321

FOOTBALL

All Out Sports League Camps held in Antioch and Clayton. Our four day non-contact camp teaches every position on the football field and are geared toward the fundamentals. Every aspect is covered: blocking, tackling, running, defense, offense, spe-

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cial teams and more. Camps are open to boys, girls ages 6-16. Info: 925-2035636, www.alloutsportsleague.com Diablo Football Camps We offer contact and non-contact camps for players ages 6-14, which take place at Laural Ball Field and Shady Oaks Park in Oakley. Info/registration: 925625-2222, www.DiabloFootball.com. LinemenInc Camps Utilizing top college coaches and former NFL linemen, LinemenInc has produced a nationally-recognized camp and coach’s clinic. LinemenInc blends a fast paced, technically skill-oriented curriculum with a level of competition not found in other camps. Tuition is reasonably priced and includes camp, room, meals and jersey. In 2012, LinebackerInc was added. Info: www.linemeninc.com. Next Level Training Combine This spring combine and football camp is April 6 at Emerald Park in Dublin for football players ages 7-18. The camp will feature 10-year NFL defensive back Donovin Darius. Youth camp are 9 a.m-noon, high school camp is 1-4 p.m. Focuses of the combine will include speed, agility, strength, quickness and conditioning. Info: DariusNextLevelTraining.com; 904-290-3320 NorCal Football Camps Led by Ken Peralta, Norcal Football Camps are focused on serving youth ages 7-14. Norcal Flag Football Leagues serve kids entering grades 2-6. Info: Ken, 650-245-3608, norcalyouthfootballcamp@yahoo.com; www.norcalfootballcamps.com.

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GOLF

The First Tee-Contra Costa The First Tee Summer Camp is a youth development program for boys, girls ages 7-18. Participants will learn about golf and life skills and values inherent to the game. We have offerings at courses in Antioch, Concord, Martinez and Walnut Creek. Fee assistance available. Info: Angela Paradise, 925-686-6262, Ext. 0, www.thefirstteecontracosta.org. The First Tee-Oakland Participants receive a minimum of 12 hours of instruction over an eight-week period. Instruction is conducted at three City of Oakland affiliate courses. We introduce the game of golf in a way that allows participants to progress with the mechanics required. Offered at little or no cost. Info: 510-352-2002; www.thefirstteeoakland.org The First Tee-Silicon Valley Spring classes begin in early March and seasonal classes are offered at Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course (San Jose) and Palo Alto Golf Course. We welcome participants ranging from 2nd to 12th grade. Scholarships available. Info: www.thefirstteesiliconvalley.org The First Tee-Tri-Valley We offer seasonal camps for youth ages 7-17, held at the Pleasanton Golf Center. Life Skills Experience Classes begin in early March. Once-a-week summer slasses also available. Info: 925-4627201; www.TheFirstTeeTriValley.org. LPGA-USGA Girls Golf Camp All-girls golf camp at Boundary Oak Golf Course taught by highly skilled LPGA and PGA member Teaching Profession-

als. Improve your short game, irons, woods and trick shots. Practice on the range and short game area where we will play a lot of games while building on the fundamentals. Etiquette and character built into the curriculum. Finish by playing nine holes. Info: LPGAKatie@ gmail.com; 925-482-4547

GYMNASTICS

East Bay Sports Academy Summer day camps offer the best in gymnastics, cheerleading, and tumbling. Half-day and full-day camps for girls, boys ages 5 and up for both recreational and competitive athletes. Our 13,000 square foot facility has the newest equipment, including the brand new super-bouncy, safety-rated Weller Spring Floor, which is the largest in the world. Gymnastics & cheerleading camps: July 15-18, July 22-25, August 5-8, August 12-15. Competitive gymnastics camp (Levels 4 & up): July 8-12. East Bay All-Stars Cheerleading also private minicamps and clinics for all kinds of cheerleading. Info: www.eastbaysportsacademy.com, 925-680-9999 .

HORSEBACK RIDING

Earthquake Arabians Our skilled staff and individual instruction gives each rider an opportunity to advance at his or her own pace while creating individual goals for success. If a competitive riding program is what you’re looking for, Earthquake Arabians has been continuously successful in the Arabian show ring. Spring and summer camps are around the corner. Info: www. earthquakearabians.com, 925-360-7454.

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LACROSSE

Atherton Lacrosse Join Atherton Lacrosse and learn the basics of the game in their spring, summer and fall camps. Every camper receives access to the best high school, college and professional lacrosse coaches in the Bay Area in a setting with an extremely low coach-to-camper ratio. Every camper receives a free t-shirt. Dates and Info: www.athertonlacrosse.com.

MARTIAL ARTS

USKS Adult and children’s programs, kick box fitness, mixed martial arts. Providing excellence in martial arts instruction and services for the entire family. 925-6829517; www.usksmartialarts.com.

OUTDOOR/ADVENTURE

Bear Valley Mountain Outdoor adventures including kayaking, tennis, cycling, hiking, camp fires and more. Soccer (ages 9-16); archery (9-adult); teen climbing and Bear Valley’s Day Camps for ages 3-18 provide mountain fun. Eight-week, weeklong and day camps. Every camper will have the opportunity to enjoy a selection of mountain activities including: rock climbing, sailing, canoeing, hiking, swimming, disc golf, art and crafts, kayaking, biking, wilderness adventures and more. Info: www. bearvalley.com. Diablo Rock Gym Offering kids summer camps every week June-August. Ages 6-17; multiple kid and/ or week discounts. Info: 925-602-1000. Epic Indoor Skatepark Skateboard and scooter camps available

in June, July and November. Only $250 for a week or $50 per day. Skateboard deck or scooter grips included with a full week of camp. Lunch and snack provided. Info: www.epicindoorskate.com.

SOCCER

Gino’s Soccer Academy The official camp of the Walnut Creek Soccer Club, run by WCSC Director of Coaching, Tom Ginocchio, and staffed with WCSC club coaches & players. Five one-week programs for ages 4-17 in July and August. Along with regular full- and half-day soccer programs, GSA runs the following specialty programs: team camps (recreational, competitive), advanced player academies, high school player academy, goalkeeper academies, all boys/all girls academies. Info: www.ginossocceracademy.com, 925-937-4466 Heritage Soccer Club Two fun-filled sessions: June 24-28, July 22-25. Camp runs from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Cost for Heritage members is $150 for one session, $250 for both. Non Heritage players: $225/$325. Sibling discounts: $50 each. Heritage camp focuses on learning new skills and honing existing ones. Compete in small-sided games and camp tournaments. Camp also includes keeper and striker training, conditioning, nutrition and developing your mental game. Registration is open to boys and girls ages 7-14. Info: www. HeritageSC.com West Coast Soccer Programs designed to bring professional experience and guidance to youth players across Northern California. The WCS

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coaching staff has created a curriculum to build the necessary foundation for your child to continue to grow. WCS camps, clinics and training programs create an environment that encourages experimentation and a passion for the game. Info: www.westcoastsoccerclub.com West Contra Costa Youth Soccer League Our program caters to competitive youth players ages 8-9. The main focus is not winning, but on development of total player within framework of a team. We also offer specialized training for strikers and goalkeepers. Younger ages focus on foot skills. We desire to promote personal responsibility, fitness, sportsmanship and teamwork. Info: 510-7585288, http://wccysl.com.

SWIMMING-DIVING

Sherman Swim School Our year-round schedule allows children and adults to learn, retain and improve their swim skills. We teach from age 9 months to adults, from non-swimmers to competitive. Our private or semi-private lessons allow you to progress at your pace. We also offer beginning and competitive diving classes. Info: 925-283-2100, www.ShermanSwim.com.

TENNIS

ClubSport Valley Vista Our camps are designed so that we touch on every major aspect of the game: stroke production, conditioning, strategy, footwork and psychology. Our low prices help make summer camp more affordable than ever. Eight sessions offered between June 17 and Aug. 16 geared toward players ages 7–16 from beginner to intermediate levels. ClubSport Valley Vista members receive discounted rates. Info: 925934-4050.

VOLLEYBALL

Bay Area Blast Summer Clinics Offering summer skills clinics for players of all ages, skill levels at NorCal Courts in Martinez. Morning clinics for 6th-8th grade girls and boys or players who are beginner/intermediate level. Evening clinics for 9th-12th grade girls and boys or players who are intermediate/advanced level. Info: www. bayareablast.com/summerclinics.html City Beach The City Beach volleyball club is based out of Santa Clara and has achieved a vast amount of national success while sending an array of athletes to the college level. The club offers summer camps and clinics. Info: CityBeach.ClubSpaces.com Pacific Rim Volleyball Through private lessons and opportunity for yearround skills classes, athletes of any age or level can learn and improve the skills to gain a competitive edge. For athletes with limited experience, we help develop solid fundamentals. Our advanced training, for junior levels (12th grade & below) will provide athletes opportunity to excel at becoming elite players in preparation for high school and/or collegiate volleyball. Info: www.pacificrimvolleyball.com. U.S. Youth Volleyball League Camps are for beginner, intermediate, advanced players for boys, girls. We have a player-to-coach ratio of 8:1. Focus on spiking, serving, setting, passing, blocking, defense, offense and game strategy. Six-, four- and two-person formats allow kids to play in every position. Registration fee includes a T-shirt, completion certificate, snacks and water. Info: 888988-7985, www.USYVL.org.

the Bay has. Every activity is inclusive of any level athlete, and our message creates encouragement from coaches and teammates. Even the non-sports child will feel motivated to play and love our camp and the highly competitive athlete will feel challenged. It’s the perfect mix of fun activity, message and culture. Ages K-8th grades. Info: 888-505-2253. Cal Camps Camps are offered in variety of sports for girls, boys ages 5-19, with week-long, half-day, full-day and overnight options. Most camps on campus in Berkeley and are held from June through August. The 2013 Cal Athletics Camps include the following sports: baseball, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls rowing/crew, field hockey, football, boys and girls golf, girls gymnastics, rugby, boys and girls soccer, softball, boys and girls swimming, boys and girls tennis, boys and girls volleyball and girls water polo. Info: CalBears.com/camps. City Beach Kids Camp Camps in Fremont for ages 6-15 and are chockfull of activities, including rock climbing, interactive games, free play at the entertainment hub and courts (based upon availability). Camps are offered in 1-, 3- and 5-day session (w/ full- and half-day options) and run from June 20-Aug.30. Spring camps: March 29, April 1-5. Info: CityBeach.com; 510-6512500 x105. De La Salle Camps Our athletic summer camps provide a fun, skillbuilding week for kids. Camps appeal to local youth with a variety of athletic interests. De La Salle will offer the following sessions: football, track & field, lacrosse, wrestling, quarterback & wide receiver, lineman, volleyball, baseball, soccer, water polo and strength & conditioning. Week-long sessions run June 8-June 27. Info: summercamps@dlshs.org; 925-288-8100, Ext. 7090. East Bay Youth Sports Association We are a year-round, full-service youth sports organization dedicated to the growth and development of character, sportsmanship, confidence, teamwork, ability and fun. We offer family friendly schedules and a relaxed, enjoyment of sports in a less-thancompetitive atmosphere that offers both the player and their families the best that youth sports can offer. Our camps schedule includes spring break camps for ages 5-12 and summer camps for ages 5-14. Info: www.eastbaysummercamps.com Saint Mary’s College Camps We offer boys and girls overnight, day, team and specialty athletic camps for ages 4-18. Camps include: multi-sport (badminton, basketball, flag football, handball, paddleball, soccer, softball, street hockey, swimming, tennis, volleyball), individual sport camps (baseball, boys basketball, girls basketball, golf, rugby, lacrosse, boys soccer, girls soccer, softball, tennis, volleyball). Each clinic features the head coach of the respective Gaels’ program. Info: www.smcgaels.com, smccamps@stmarys-ca. edu, 925-631-4386. ✪

WRESTLING

Community Youth Center Offers young athletes opportunity to participate and excel in one of the world’s oldest sports. The program trains, challenges wrestlers at all age groups from kindergarten through high school, and all experience levels. The program is nationally recognized under the guidance of coach Mark Halvorson. Info: 925-671-7070, Ext. 229, www.communityyouthcenter.com.

MULTI-SPORT

Bald Eagle Sports Camps A great blend of non-traditional “ultimate” games along with traditional summer activities, especially the soft-sword “Zaber Games” that no other camp in

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