SJ Issue 46, May 24, 2012

playoff predictions: first pitch Pg. 8

vol. 3. issue 46

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May 24, 2012

best in prep sports

sac joaquin

afterburners going the distance at state. Pg. 24

eppie will flood your summer.

Pg. 15

thunder struck elk grove baseball caps amazing run. Pg. 30 fitness:

epic gets all-world power.

Pg. 14

work hard, work smart

Pg. 34

20 PHONE 925.566.8500 FAX 925.566.8507 Editorial Editor@SportStarsOnline.com Editor Chace Bryson. Ext. 104 • Chace@SportStarsOnline.com Contributors Bill Kolb, Erik Stordahl, Mitch Stephens, Doug Gardner, Matt Smith, Clay Kallam, Jim McCue, Eric Gilmore, Dave Kiefer, Liz Elliott, Tim Rudd, Jonathan Okanes Photography Butch Noble, Bob Larson, Jonathan Hawthorne, James K. Leash, Norbert von der Groeben, Phillip Walton Creative Department Art@SportStarsOnline.com Production Manager Mike DeCicco. Ext. 103 • MikeD@SportStarsOnline.com Publisher/President Mike Calamusa. Ext. 106 • Mike@SportStarsOnline.com

James K. Leash

time is now: Del Oro’s Austin Smotherman is ready to claim high school golf’s top prize.

Meet the new guy!

Vista Del Lago’s Madeleine Ankhelyi

Finishing Kick two of sac joaquin’s premier distance runners have plans beyond just returning to state.

James K. Leash

tread lightly: Be aware of increased risk of injury with football. Pg. 18 on the cover Del Oro’s Austin Smotherman.

Photo by James K. Leash.

Anthony Trucks knows all about being an elite athlete. What? You think they let anybody in the NFL? Check him out. Pg. 23

24 Eppie’s

First Pitch.....................................................8

Advertising & Calendar/Classified Sales Sales@SportStarsOnline.com, (925) 566-8500 Account Executives Erik Stordahl • Erik@SportStars Online.com, Phillip Walton • PWalton@SportStarsOnline.com Sac Joaqin edition: Ron Davis • RonD@SportStarsOnline.com • (916) 564-0111, Dave Rosales • DaveRosales64@gmail.com, Finn Jensen • finnjensen1@mac.com.

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It’s a great Race. Pg. 15

Impulse...................................................... 35

Locker Room........................................... 10 Extra Bases............................................... 30 AAA SportStars of the Week............... 13 Training Time............................................ 34 Club Scene................................................ 14 Behind the Clipboard............................. 18 Camps + Clinics...................................... 36 Health Watch........................................... 28 Photo Finish.............................................. 46

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your ticket to bay area sports admit one; rain or shine This Vol. #3, May 2012 Whole No. 46 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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Five fearless predictions for the home stretch of 2011-12

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wo weeks. That’s essentially all Ridge. And if that wasn’t all, early postthat’s left of the 2011-12 high season favorites Jesuit-Carmichael and school sports season. And if you Elk Grove have already been eliminated. think we’re going to pass on our last ■ De La Salle and Deer Valley-Antioch chance to throw out some predictions, will play an NCS Division I boys volleyball well think again! final not to be missed.

Here are five things we expect to When these two inevitably meet for happen before the state’s interscholastic the final, they will have combined records athletics season wraps up with the state of 71-5. Heading into the semifinals on golf championships on June 6.

May 23, Deer Valley had surrendered Enjoy. just three sets since during a 20-match ■ Amador Valley-Pleasanton softball win streak that dated back to April 14. will repeat as North Coast Section Division De La Salle owned a 25-match winning I champs. streak dating back to a March 23 loss to Maybe it’s not the easiest no-brainer of St. Ignatius-S.F. The Spartans streak also them all, but seriously — who’s going to includes just three lost sets. hit off Johanna Grauer? Who? No, really.

What may make the final matchup We really want to know, will she give up even more enticing is that neither team more than seven hits for the entire posthas faced each other since they met in the season? We’re willing to bet she won’t. championship match a year ago and De ■ Foothill-Pleasanton golf will bring the La Salle won in four games, 24-26, 25-19, state boys golf title back to NorCal. 25-15 and 25-23.

It’s been a long time since the Bay If the championship clash plays out in Area has seen a team this dominant. The the fashion we expect it to on May 26, it Falcons shot 5-over par — as a team! — at should further fuel excitement for the dethe California Interscholastic Federation/ but of the CIF Northern Regional tournaNorthern California Golf Association ment which is set to begin next year. VolNorCal Championships on May 21 at leyball fans across Northern California Butte Creek Country Club in Chico. The should have no problem getting fired up last time a NorCal team won the state about a potential tournament featuring tournament was in 2006 when De La NCS teams like De La Salle and Deer ValSalle-Concord won by a mere stroke over ley, perennial SJS powers such as Jesuit, 363-364 over Cathedral Catholic-San Rocklin and Granite Bay, and Central Diego at Santa Maria Country Club.

Coast standouts like St. Francis-Mountain Fun fact No. 1: The individual chamView or Bellarmine Prep-San Jose. pion that year was a young lad named ■ Carrie Verdon will cement her legacy Rickie Fowler of Murietta Valley. He as one of the Bay Area’s best female disflashed the talent that would make him tance running talents ever. a PGA star by shooting an 8-under 64.

Chace@ If we’ve learned anything by watchWe have not been able to confirm if he SportStarsOnline.com ing Verdon over her four-year career at was wearing any bright orange that day, Campolindo, it’s to never bet against her. however.

(925) 566-8503 She always seems to simply find a way to Fun fact No. 2: The winning team of De win — her gutsy effort to repeat as the La Salle featured a 1-under 71 effort from Division III state cross country chamRoberto Galletti. Meanwhile, Foothill’s pion, running two-thirds of the race on NorCal championship this year was fuan injured foot, is evidence enough. eled by a 3-under par 69 from Roberto’s Verdon entered the North Coast Secyounger brother, Nicolo Galletti. tion Meet of Champions on May 25-26 ■ Davis will win the Sac-Joaquin Secwith the state’s No. 1-ranked girls time tion’s Division I baseball title. in the mile this season (4 minutes, 53.28 Never underestimate a team riding an seconds). When she ran that time at the emotional wave. The Blue Devils opened Distance Meet of Champions on March the SJS Division I North playoffs by 24, it ranked as No. 1 in the nation. It has defeating Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills 5-2 since slipped to No. 9. in a game they dedicated to the memory She didn’t run the mile at the state of Nancy Hatamiya, the mother of their meet a year ago. She competed in the senior captain, George Hatamiya. Honoring his mom’s 3,200 and finished third. She just happens to have the state’s wishes, the catcher played in the game just two days after she No. 6-ranked girls time in that event heading into the NCS succumbed to a year-long battle with lung cancer. He even championships. picked up a lead-off base hit in the victory.

Let’s put it this way, there’s a few more podiums in her As if that emotional wave wasn’t enough, Davis also boasts some serious talent. Pitcher Ben Eckels leads the way. He future. And we’re not going to be surprised if she’s standing struck out 12 and allowed just two hits in the win over Oak tallest. ✪

First Pitch Chace Bryson Editor

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Superheroes in need of some cinematic love

Saw The Avengers on opening weekend. This is significant in that, a) we have kids, man. We hardly EVER see movies in theaters and b) we HATE big (non-sports related) crowds, so opening weekends, not really our bag. That being said. Avengers = AWESOME. The part where that guy and that other guy fight? And then the other guy does that thing? Holy jeez. Can you believe Marvel hasn’t contracted with us to write their publicity copy? Us neither. The ‘assembled’ nature of the film got us thinking about super heroes who have, thus far, been slighted by the silver screen.

Aquaman

Frankly, we figured the success of Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth would have guaranteed a big-screen feature by the comic world’s greatest nature advocate.

Plus, Waterworld proved definitively that a completely water-based movie could thrive. Oh wait. (Also, the Vincent Chase version doesn’t count.)

Captain Marvel

We have a fever. And the only cure is more Shazam.

We wanna see Billy Batson kick Superman’s arrogant man-of-steel behind in 3D.

Marvel Zombies

How has this one slipped under the radar? Super heroes + Zombies = AWESOMESAUCE. What’s better than Hulk fighting Thor?

Hulk EATING Thor. Why hasn’t anyone else figured this out?

Plastic Man

Because the kids need to recognize that Spider-Man is, at best, No. 2 on the alltime list of sarcastic comic book protagonists. Also, those funky retro shades are making a comeback…

The Flash

Hellllloooo? Superman.

Batman. Green Lantern. We heard Wonder Woman was in development. How has DC allowed this seminal member of the Justice League to languish without a big-screen production? Is it because his arch nemesis is the uber-dorky Mirror Master? Can we really hold that against Barry Allen?

Story by Bill Kolb. Action figures courtesy of the Zackary DeCicco collection 10

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Best summer vacation so far

Hawaii

rapidFIRE Band you Favorite most want home-cooked to see live meal

Yearbook award you’re most likely to receive

Movie you’ve watched the most times

Three things you’d take as a foreign exchange student

Maroon 5

Mac N Cheese

Best Dressed

Stick It

Translation dictionary, food, phone

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Tacos

Best Sense of Humor

Morgan Matranga, Campolindo, diving

Hawaii David Karbo, California-SnRmn, track

sayWHAT “It was amazing. I was surprised. I actually found out as we were shaking hands. I didn’t know right off the bat that it happened, because I was worried since the ball was headed right up the middle.”

— Campolindo-Moraga junior pitcher Trent Shelton on breaking the aluminum composite bat of Cody Snider on a groundout for the final out of the Cougars’ 2-1 victory over Dougherty Valley-San Ramon on May 10.The barrel, which completely separated, landed about one-third of the way up the first base line.

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Kick-Ass

Running shoes, phone and Pokemon

count’EM Number of female pole vaulters at Las LomasWalnut Creek who own claim to one of the Top 100 marks in the nation for the 2012 high school season. Cimran Virdi’s (right) best mark this year is 12-foot, 9-inches — good enough for No. 5 in the state and No. 19 in the nation. Her senior classmate, Megan Gemar, has reached 12-feet even (#16 in CA, No. 74 in U.S.).

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Weber broke her own SacJoaquin Section record in the 200-yard individual medley event to win her second consecutive section title on May 12. Her time of 2:00.50 broke her own section mark set at the SJS finals in 2011 by nearly one half-second. Weber also finished second in the 100-yard backstroke to help the Grizzlies to a second-place overall finish and a third-place finish in the girls’ competition. The LSU commit will spend part of her summer at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in Omaha, Nebraska, before leaving for Baton Rouge in August.

SportStars Magazine: Heading into the finals, did you feel you had a record performance in you?

Sophie Weber: My goal was to break my own record and to win the race. The atmosphere is great and the crowd cheering seems to make me able to go faster, so I thought that I could do it.

SSM: What was the difference in your race this year that allowed you to break the record?

SW: In my junior year, I went out real fast and kind of faded at the end with the breast stroke and free style. This year, I was more consistent with my pace and was able to stay stronger throughout the race. I swam smarter and faster.

SSM: What are your goals

honorable mention

sophie weber granite bay . swimming . senior

griffin galvin The Vista del Lago junior outside hitter led the Eagles to a second consecutive SJS Div. II title with a match-high 15 kills in the championship match on May 17.

Galvin also delivered 14 kills in the team’s semifinal win.

savannah love The sophomore distance runner for River City dominated the frosh/soph division of the Sierra Valley Conference track and field championships, winning four events. Love finished first in the 400, 800, 1600 and 3200.

kit carson Al Christian

for the Olympic Trials?

SW: I am mostly going for the experience. I have never swam or trained there and it will be a great opportunity to swim with worldclass swimmers and to work on my strokes. I expect it to be amazing and I am very excited.

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The Christian Brothers senior fired a 5-under 67 to tie for second place at the SJS Masters Tournament at The Reserve at Spanos Park in Stockton on May 14. It was Carson’s second-best career round and helped the Falcons team advance to NorCals.

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EPiC’s foreign exchange skater, Florian Moritz, right, with skatepark owner Jan Killingsworth.

S

By jim mccue | Contributor

treet skateboarding in Paris, France, is challenging with the majority of streets and alleys made of cobblestone.

So, what is a young skater to do with the limited urban terrain that France’s cities offer?

Florian Moritz decided to pack his bags and head to the land of skateboarding opportunity, the United States of America. Despite the presence of numerous indoor skateparks in France and throughout Europe, Moritz had discovered Rocklin’s EPiC Indoor Skatepark on the Internet.

The avid skater enjoyed EPiC’s YouTube channel and the park’s website which highlighted the facility’s varied terrain ranging from rails and transitions to ramps and a large bowl.

So, when Moritz was asked by his mother what he wanted for his 21st birthday, the answer was simple — a trip to Rocklin, CA, to spend a week skating at EPiC. After seeing the park online, Moritz had to see it and experience it in person. And his mother obliged.

Florian, or “Flo” as he was quickly dubbed at EPiC, arrived in Sacramento recently and made a bee line straight to EPiC to get started on enjoying his birthday present.

Moritz told EPiC owner Jan Killingsworth that “everyone in France knows EPiC,” and the skatepark attracted a visitor from Spain in 2011 who discovered the facility online as well.

“He was a little timid at first,” EPiC’s facility and skateboard

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Rocklin’s EPIC Skatepark gets a unique visitor team manager Keith Halterman said, “but the kids here quickly took him under their wings, showed him around the park and showed him the best lines and some tricks.”

Moritz was in the skatepark every day skating and hanging out with staff and skaters of all ages and abilities. Killingsworth helped arrange for the visit and made Flo feel like a rock star at the skatepark. Moritz was made an honorary member of EPiC’s competitive skate team and was invited to practice with the team at their regular Thursday night closed session.

While Moritz spoke pretty good English, Halterman served as a translator for the visitor at times.

“I speak a little bit of French, so I could help Flo out, especially when some of our kids would start talking pretty fast with lots of slang that Flo was not totally familiar with,” Halterman said. “I could give him a quick explanation of the

slang, and then he would get it pretty quick.”

Beyond the differences in skateboarding slang, Halterman noted a decided contrast in styles between the regulars at EPiC and Moritz.

“You could definitely see a difference in style and tricks,” Halterman said. “The European style is a little more ‘old school’ for lack of a better term. Flo seemed to have a pretty mellow skating style with older tricks, but our guys pushed him pretty hard and showed him some new things.”

When Moritz returned to Paris, he took new tricks, new friends, and great memories of his time in America and at EPiC. The EPiC staff made sure to provide Flo with an EPiC T-shirt and Halterman hopes to complete a video of Moritz skating all over the park to post on the EPiC You Tube channel.

The skatepark manager said that he hoped that Moritz would take home the energy and aggressive skating style of his team members. But, most of all, Halterman and Killingsworth hope that Moritz can serve as a European ambassador for EPiC and maybe even send more visitors to Rocklin in the future.

To check out Florian Moritz skating at EPiC, check out EPiC Indoor Skatepark’s YouTube channel at http://www. youtube.com/user/EPiCindoor?feature=results_main or visit EPiC’s website at www.EPiCindoorskate.com. ✪ Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com

hard core

Eppie’s Great Race prepares for another year on the river

Hundreds of kayaks will take to the American River in Northern California this July 21 as athletes compete in the world’s undisputed oldest triathlon. The 39th annual Eppie’s Great Race is a summertime tradition in the Sacramento area. This unique triathlon replaces the traditional swimming component with paddling.

Eppie’s Great Race consists of a 5.82-mile run, 12.5-mile cycle and a 6.35-mile downriver paddle on a race course located on and alongside the American River that flows through Rancho Cordova and Sacramento.

The run-bike-paddle triathlon is named for its founder, Eppie Johnson, formerly an avid skier and restauranteur known for unusual promotions — this triathlon being one of them.

“The popularity of Eppie’s Great Race continues to grow,” said Johnson. “I think one of the reasons is because the triathlon offers something for everyone. Athletes can compete as iron men or iron women — taking on all three legs of the race. We also offer a number of team divisions including open canoe,

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tandem kayak, corporate, junior and family.”

Kids can even take part in the fun by participating in the U.S. Bank Kids Duathlon, a 2-mile run and 5.75-mile bike ride that provides young athletes up to age 17 with their own event.

Fitness and camaraderie are two great reasons to participate in Eppie’s Great Race.

Another reason to take part is to support the event’s beneficiary — Sacramento County Therapeutic Recreation Services (TRS).

Every year, the net proceeds of Eppie’s Great Race benefit this program that helps thousands of people with physical and mental disabilities to live more fulfilling lives through organized trips and community events. To date, Eppie’s Great Race has raised close to $1 million for TRS. The race festivities begin the day before with the Great Race Expo and spaghetti feed at River Bend Park in Rancho Cordova. For more information, training packages or to register for Eppie’s Great Race, visit www. eppiesgreatrace.org or call 916-480-0270. ✪ — Anita Fitzhugh for Eppies Great Race

All Things eppie

This may not be everything you need to know about Eppie’s Great Race triathlon, but it’s close.

■ WHAT: Eppie’s Great Race is a unique triathlon that subs the traditional swim portion with a paddling segment along the American River.

■ WHEN: July 21, 2012 ■ WHERE: American River Pkwy. in Rancho Cordova and Sacramento ■ COURSE PARTICULARS: The race involves a 5.82-mile run, a 12.5-miles cycle and a 6.35-mile paddle.

■ COURSE RECORDS: Don Hicks (Ironman, 19-39 age division) set the current course’s male record at 1 hour, 33 minutes and 17 seconds in 1991. Hicks has won the Ironman division of the race a record 14 times. The female record on the current course belongs to Nicole Young (Ironwoman), who finished it in 1:49.33 in 2009. Vicki Pell has the most Ironwoman victories with eight.

■ TRIVIA: The race is believed to be the largest paddling event in the U.S.

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June 1-2 — SacJoaquin Section Division I championships, Klein Family Field at University of the Pacific, Stockton: Early favorites like Jesuit, Elk Grove and Pleasant Grove dropped off in a hurry.

Leaving a scrappy bunch behind, teams like Davis and pitcher Ben Eckels (pictured).

Davis, Franklin-Elk Grove and Vacaville will battle it out to represent the Division I North while St. Mary’sStockton is the heavy favorite to advance from the Division I South bracket over Enochs and Buchach Colony.

BASEBALL

James K. Leash

BOYS GOLF

Phillip Walton

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June 6 — California Interscholastic Federation State Championships, San Gabriel Country Club: The Sac-Joaquin Section will be well-represented when the state’s top six golf teams and 18 more qualified individuals take to the links to fight for the final CIF state title of the 2011-12 season. Granite Bay’s golf team, led by Alex Gibbs and Brandon Baumgarten, will join a slew of qualified individuals from the SJS. Among them are Del Oro’s Austin Smotherman and Justin Rankin, Chrisitan Brothers’ Andrej Bevins, Corey Pereira of Ponderosa and NorCal medalist Aaron Beverly of Armijo. They will have their hands full against Southern California’s finest, and other top NorCal golfers like Cody Blick of San Ramon ValleyDanville (pictured).

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Studies show Mom is right: Football can be dangerous Football’s injuries, though, can easily reverberate through a lifetime.

A serious knee injury, say, that requires an operation, can lead to arthritis at a much younger age than expected, even if the knee seems completely fine a year or two after surgery.

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My mom doesn’t want me to play football because I might get hurt — she’s all worried about concussions in the NFL, but high school football isn’t the NFL. Still, I’m a little worried too. How dangerous is football?

L.M., Carmichael

s I’m fond of telling my girls basketball players, football isn’t a contact sport, it’s a collision sport — basketball is a contact sport, and so is soccer.

Injuries can happen in any sport, of course, and can happen getting out of the car, but there’s really no doubt that football is the most dangerous sport of all. The American Journal of Sports Medicine did a study in 2009 that showed that football players were the most likely to get hurt, followed by wrestlers — and then distantly trailing were girls basketball and girls soccer players.

The study focused on serious injuries (athletes were out of action for more than 21 days), and the data came from schools with athletic trainers.

If your school doesn’t have an athletic trainer, then the risk of severe injury is probably even higher, because treatment and prevention are so crucial in such a physical sport.

But there’s another aspect to the serious inju-

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ries — what kind are they?

A severely sprained ankle might keep a player out for more than three weeks, and so might a pulled hamstring. Neither of those injuries, though, is likely to have a long-term impact on someone’s body.

The hamstring will heal, and an adolescent will probably recover fully from an ankle sprain given enough rest. (Some say that any injury that happens before a person stops growing will be just fine with time; injuries that happen later in life, though, won’t ever completely go away.)

Football’s injuries, though, can easily reverberate through a lifetime. A serious knee injury, say, that requires an operation, can lead to arthritis at a much younger age than expected, even if the knee seems completely fine a year or two after surgery. And of course, brain injuries are in the headlines now as more and more information comes out about their long-term effects.

Behind the Clipboard Clay Kallam

So why link football with knee and head injuries? Because football is a collision sport, and collisions put a lot more stress on the knee than just contact, and collisions are usually what cause concussions.

It is true that the collisions in high school are less dangerous than in the NFL because the players are smaller and slower. All high school physics students can tell you that force equals mass times acceleration, and a 6-2, 210-pound safety who runs a 4.5 40 is going to deliver a significantly more dangerous hit than a 5-10, 160-pound safety who runs a 5.2. Still, it only takes one collision in the wrong area of the body, and significant long-term damage can be done — and maybe never undone.

So don’t just go out for football without thinking about the possible consequences. If the risk is worth it to you and your family, then go for it — but realize that the chances of getting seriously hurt are almost three times greater in football than in basketball. ✪ 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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G

olfers are almost always measured by how well they perform on the game’s biggest stages.

So, it is no secret that high school golfers ultimately earn their reputation based on how they perform at their section’s tournament of champions, regional finals, and the CIF State Tournament.

Del Oro senior Austin Smotherman is already considered among the best (if not THE best) golfer in the Sac Joaquin Section, but he has made sure that he cements his legacy in high school golf by rising to the challenge of the biggest events.

“I want to compete with the best of the best,” Smotherman said. “The (Sierra Foothill League) is the strongest league, the Section Masters Tournament brings together all of the best players in the (SJS), and the NorCal Tournament raises the bar even more.

But, I want that. I want to prove myself against the very best.”

The ultimate goal for Smotherman is the CIF State Championships being held on June 6 at San Gabriel Country Club in Southern California. The SMU-bound golfer has little room to improve on last year’s results in the final three major tournaments, but he is off to a good start.

Smotherman set an SJS record with a 7-under 65 at the Masters Tournament on May 14 at The Reserve at Spanos Park in Stockton to better his second-place finish from 2011. At the Northern California final, Smotherman again qualified for the State Tournament, finishing in a tie for eighth place with a 1-under 71 at Butte Creek Country Club in Chico on Monday. He was nowhere close to being the lone SJS qualifier — Granite Bay’s entire team advanced with a thirdplace finish, Armijo’s Aaron Beverly won overall medalist with a playoff victory following a 4-under 68, and then Del Oro’s Justin Rankin, Ponderosa’s Corey Pereira and Christian Brothers’ Andrej Blevins all qualified.

Story by Jim McCue Photos by James K. Leash 20

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Del Oro senior Austin Smotherman has been a rising star in NorCal boys golf for some time. He hopes to close out his career as No. 1 in the state Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com

Fording Butte Creek Here’s how the SJS representatives faired at the CIF/NCGA NorCal Championships

at Butte Creek Country Club in Chico on May 21.

Teams

3. Granite Bay*.......................................... 373 4. Del Oro-Loomis..................................... 384 10. Christian Brothers-Sacramento.......... 392 Individuals

1. Aaron Beverly (Armijo)*........................... 68 5. Alex Gibbs (GB)....................................... 70 8. Andrej Bevins (CB)*................................ 71

8. Corey Pereira (Ponderosa)*................... 71 8. Austin Smotherman (DO)*...................... 71 12. Brandon Baumgarten (GB)................... 72

12. Justin Rankin (DO)*.............................. 72

20. Jeff Inouye-Wong (GB)......................... 74 23. Louie Euer (DO).................................... 75 30. Kit Carson (CB)..................................... 76 30. Hunter Rappleye (CB).......................... 76 37. Ryan Jones (Oakdale).......................... 77

37. Bryan Wise (GB)................................... 77 47. Julian Woodfork (McClatchy)............... 78 51. Bobby Mullen (DO)............................... 79

51. Canyon Rowe (DO).............................. 79 57. Chuck Pedone (GB).............................. 80

74. Michael Perez (CB)............................... 84

77. Brandon Munso (CB)............................ 85 *Qualified for CIF State Tournament on June 6.

On the grandest stage in 2011, Smotherman shot a 1-under 71 to claim fourth place at the State Tournament played at Poppy Hills in Monterey. With his college plans already decided, he wants to put one final stamp on his high school career before hitting the junior amateur circuit and leaving for Texas to join one of the top collegiate golf programs in the country.

Having experienced the CIF Tournament previously, Smotherman will be more prepared for the intense atmosphere and hopes to use the experience and high stakes to his advantage. “There is just a different feeling upon arrival at state,” Smotherman said. “You see guys that you have heard about or played against and you know there’s a good chance that someone is going to put up a real low number that day. I am just going to try to feed off of the pressure and play my best because I know that there is no reason that I can’t be the one to produce that low number.”

Smotherman has been shooting low numbers for a long time.

The 18-year-old has had a club in his hands for nearly 16 years. As a toddler, Austin’s parents, Marla and Troy, who

played golf together while dating, encouraged their son to hit plastic balls with baseball bats and small golf clubs. Smotherman’s first club was a plastic Snoopy club before his father sawed a 7-iron in half and re-gripped the handle with duct tape. To this day, Austin keeps that club and a Persimmon 3-wood in his room as reminders of his early playing days.

Marla’s father, Bill Acquistapace, still an avid golfer at the age of 74, often brought Austin along to the driving range and for an occasional quick nine holes at par-3 courses to expose him to the sport.

At age 5, Austin joined the First Tee of Greater Sacramento’s Little Linkers program and a star was born. Smotherman captured junior club championships for his age every year from age 5 to 12, before he finally won the overall junior club title as a 12-year-old.

A natural on the course with a smooth swing, Smotherman’s success may be equally attributed to the non-golf lessons learned in The First Tee program.

“His temperament alone can take him a long way,” said Del Oro coach Hal Steinback. “I think that I have seen him angry

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on the golf course maybe once in the four years he has played for me. He always plays at an even keel and I think that has a lot to do with the First Tee program.”

Of course, the club speed that the slender 5-foot-11 Smotherman creates to crush drives 300 yards with relative ease does not hurt his game. In his senior season, Austin averaged a 35.6 9-hole average in dual matches and never shot higher than 73 in any 18-hole format.

Smotherman points to his consistency as the key to his success, and hopes to make minor adjustments to his short game around the greens and bunker play to achieve peak performance in the final weeks of high school play.

“I am very confident right now and happy with my consistency,” he said. “I want to work on the short game, but I have been hitting my irons real well and have not created many opportunities outside of practice to have to chip or get up-anddown.”

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Steinback sees very few problem areas with Smotherman’s game, especially as the senior has led the Golden Eagles down the stretch. Del Oro, the 2011 SJS Masters team champion, improved its team score by 11 strokes this year, but finished in third. They came in 11 strokes behind section champion Granite Bay, which posted a Masters-record 363.

The third-place finish was disappointing for the defending champs, but still enough to qualify the Golden Eagles for the CIF/NCGA Northern California Championships in Chico.

The higher level of competition at the Butte Creek course eliminated Del Oro from the State Championships as a team, but Smotherman will continue his quest as an individual qualifier.

“That’s when it gets really interesting,” Steinback said of the state tournament. “To do what he did at Sections and to do something close to that at state is like shooting low on Sunday at a (PGA) major. I know that he has the capability to do it, and the sky’s the limit for Austin in golf.”

Smotherman’s potential path to the professional ranks will shift to local, regional, and national amateur tournaments and then to SMU to continue to hone his skills as an amateur golfer. Austin will be one of five new freshmen entering the Mustangs’ program, each recruited to replace five graduating seniors. One of the other new freshmen, Ryan Burgess from Torrey Pines-La Jolla, will be Smotherman’s roommate on the Dallas, Texas campus. Before then, the two may have an opportunity to face each other in the state tournament.

“I have stayed with him and his family down there and played their home course in Rancho Santa Fe, so it would be fun to compete with him at state before we are on the same team in college,” Smotherman said.

With his 18th birthday happening just before the NorCal tournament, and graduation right around the corner, Smotherman can expect to enjoy some celebrations in the coming weeks. But celebrating an individual state golf title would be the ultimate birthday and graduation gift rolled into one.

“This whole senior year has been a great, fun experience for me,” Smotherman said. “But (winning the state title) would be very special and a cool way to pull everything together.” ✪ Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com

Former football standout joins the SportStars team to talk weight training

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elcome to my new column where I hope to cover all areas of weight training.

Before I get started I would like to introduce myself because content is only as good as its source. I grew up in Antioch where I attended Antioch High. I earned a football scholarship to the University or Oregon where I received a bachelor’s degree focused in anatomy, biology, and human physiology. After college I spent time on the rosters of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins and Pittsburg Steelers, before suffering a career-ending injury.

I opened up a training facility in Antioch, which is now moving to Brentwood, in 2008. I have trained hundreds of athletes from youth to professionals in many sports. I am a published best selling author, creator of a sports performance app, public speaker and all around passionate guy who LOOOOVES training. So let’s get started.

In order to truly get to the depth of the ensuing strength training discussions, groundwork has to be laid, so a few areas must be addressed.

1. Training young athletes: The goal is to have a safelydesigned program that has a proper progression so a person can develop into being able to do more intense lifting as they grow over the years.

2. The Program: The biggest problem I find with new clients who are looking to start strength training is their lack of past experience in having a correctly-designed program. What people usually do is start training with no clear plan in place. The problem here is that you never know how one day will affect your training goal six months later, because there is no tracking or progression in place. This is the MOST important part of starting to train.

Powered by Trucks

Anthony Trucks

A poorly designed program followed perfectly is better than a perfectly designed program followed poorly.

3. Technique: Before starting any program you MUST do a proper assessment and movement screen to determine what exercises you are actually CAPABLE of doing in the weight room. If you are not capable of performing a certain exercise correctly because of physical limitations, more harm will be done than good. The next HUGE aspect to this is even if you have a perfect program created, failing to correctly go through the proper range of motion on any lift wastes the program, your time, the exercise being used, and can cause injury over time.

4. Consistency: A poorly designed program followed perfectly is better than a perfectly designed program followed poorly. Most people don’t have the patience to follow a program through, which leads to them jumping around the weight room and later wondering why they aren’t improving. How can you reach your goal if you keep going off the path?

Now that we have that clear, the FUN can begin. In the following columns I am going to give you some of the most cutting edge, creative, and thought provoking weight training theories, exercises, and programs out there. I am ALWAYS learning to get better daily, so strap in people and enjoy the ride! ✪ Anthony Trucks was a decorated football player for Antioch High and the University of Oregon before spending time on multiple NFL rosters.

His Trucks Training facility has been operating since 2008. Powered

By Trucks will run once a month in the magazine and will include additional content at SportStarsOnline.com. Send your weight training questions to Anthony at Contact@TrucksTraining.com.

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ABOVE: Del Campo senior distance runner Jordan Rushing, right, turns the corner during one of his races at the SJS Division II-III prelims on May 16. He would win the 1600 final two days later.

RIGHT: Vista del Lago junior Madeleine Ankhelyi gets off to a strong start in one of her SJS Divisional prelims.

Photos by James K. Leash

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Closing Speed Two of the Sac Joaquin Section’s top distance runners look to return to the state meet and finish strong

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By jim mccue | Contributor

peed kills. While that adage is more commonly associated with sprints, it is equally true for distance events on the track. Regardless the distance covered by runners, speed — or more accurately, the finishing kick — is the key to success for the Sac Joaquin Section’s top distance runners.

“In the (1,600 and 3,200 meter events) you need to be strong enough to keep up with the pace in the middle part of the race,” Vista del Lago distance and cross country coach Robert Grove said. “But, ultimately running comes down to speed. You have to have a strong finishing kick or the rest of the race will not matter.”

Grove has seen firsthand the benefit of speed and strength in his star runner, Madeleine Ankhelyi.

The junior cross country and track prodigy has excelled in the distance events and will take her shot at earning a spot on the podium at the California Interscholastic Federation State Track and Field Meet in Clovis on June 1-2. Ankhelyi is the defending Section Masters Champion in the 1,600 and has posted the section’s top times this season in both the 1,600 and 3,200.

Recently, her efforts at the Sierra Valley Conference finals helped the Eagles claim their first girls’ track and field team title in the school’s brief five-year history.

Grove and track coach Mike Kozlowski expect Ankhelyi to return to the state meet for a third time where she could build on her past experience under the spotlight of high school track and field’s biggest meet of the year.

“She seems to step it up at the biggest meets,” Kozlowski said.

“She set her personal record in the (1,600) at the Sacramento Meet of Champions and PR’ed in the 3,200 at the Arcadia Invitational.

She is tremendously gifted physically, but she excels at being mentally prepared and adapting to her surroundings.”

As a freshman, Ankhelyi qualified for the state meet in the 1,600, but was overwhelmed by the packed stadium at Buchanan High School and the scale of the event. Now, with a couple of trips down Highway 99 to draw upon, she is confident she can concentrate on making an impact in the races.

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LEFT: Vista del Lago coach Robert Grove calls Madeleine Ankhelyi, center, the model teammate. “She works hard and comes through in workouts, practice, and at meets. And others feed off of that.” RIGHT: Jordan Rushing was referred to by Del Campo distance coach Bob King as, “the most talented distance runner I have coached.”

“It’s awesome to go into an event like the state meet knowing what the atmosphere is like, so you can just focus on the races,” Ankhelyi said. “As a freshman, it was surreal and the situation just blew my mind. The atmosphere is electric, so I think I can just have fun when I go back.”

Ankhelyi plans to use her big meet experience not only to increase her chance for success, but also to assist her teammates at the SJS Masters meet on May 24-25. Madeleine’s work ethic and preparation in practice and at meets is contagious, according to Grove. It goes a long way to making the entire team better. In the SVC finals, Vista del Lago swept both the 1,600 and 3,200 events with Eagles claiming the top three spots in each final race.

“She is the best teammate that I could ever ask for as a coach,” Grove said. “She is always encouraging to the other runners and helps out the younger kids all the time. She works hard and comes through in workouts, practice, and at meets. And others feed off of that.”

While Ankhelyi has been the leading girls distance runner in the section this season, Jordan Rushing of Del Campo has turned in the top times on the boys’ side. Rushing is the defending 1,600 SJS Masters champion, and also has recorded the top times in the section in both distance events.

But Rushing struggled at the Capital Valley Conference finals, finishing third in the 1,600 and off the podium in the 3,200.

The setback will have him focusing on the shorter of the two races at the Masters meet, playing to his strength with the hopes of earning a spot on the podium in Clovis.

“My primary focus all season has been the 1,600,” Rushing said. “I peaked at the end of last season and I know that I can do it again. I have been working real hard and I believe that I have not run my best race yet.”

Del Campo distance coach Bob King, who attended his first CIF meet in 1968 and has seen more than his fair share of elite runners, agrees that Rushing can make an impact in the final meet of his high school career.

“He is the most talented distance runner I have coached,” King said. “His greatest strength is running the middle part of the race. He can run some of the boys out of the race before 26

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he even starts his final kick.”

That kick, specifically the final 400 meters of the 1,600, will be the main focus of Rushing’s final preparations for state.

Like all distance runners, the Del Campo boys turned the focus of their training in the final month to intervals and speed training. Despite the disappointment of the CVC finals, Rushing thinks he is just beginning to hit his stride and hopes he will get his speed back in time for the Masters and state meets.

“I feel like I am just getting my speed back,” Rushing said recently. “I have had a good kick in intervals and I want to win section again this year. There are some fast runners that came into the section this year, but I am excited about it and want to PR again (at the Masters meet).”

Rushing also has state meet experience, having raced in the 1,600 final a year ago. Despite winning the CVC cross country title, Rushing felt that he was at his best in the middle of the fall running season, leaving him with an opportunity to finish the track season, and his high school running career, with his best races.

“Last year, I was not expecting to get into the Masters even,” Rushing said, “but I peaked with a 4:12 at sections. I can feel my speed coming back, so I hope I can do something like that at Masters or state.”

Regardless his performances down the stretch, Rushing will continue to run at the collegiate level. He is set to attend UC Davis and compete for the Aggies in track and cross country while pursuing his goal of becoming a pharmacist.

Ankhelyi still has one more year at Vista del Lago to consider where she might excel on the track and in the classroom. She recently said that she is in no hurry to pick a school or field of interest yet.

With college, career and life planning a distant long-term need for two of the section’s elite runners, their immediate plans on for the track call for a more urgent need — a need for speed.

“It’s so important to have the strength to keep up through the middle of the race,” Rushing said. “But to win the race you need to have the speed to finish.” ✪ Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsOnline.com

CLOVIS CALLING

Here are nine more Sac-Joaquin Section track and field standouts who may find their way to podium at the CIF State Championships at Buchanan High in Clovis on June 1-2.

LAWRE’LL DOBBINS, Foothill-Sacramento, Sr.

The two-time SJS Masters champion advanced to the state meet final round of jumps, but did not record a height in that round after jumping 5-4 in the prelims. She has matched the height of 5-4 in 2012, including her winning jump at the Pioneer Valley League finals last week.

Last year, Dobbins PR’ed at the Masters with a jump of 5-6. Another PR at the Masters or State Meet could lead to a run at the podium in Clovis.

NIA DORNER, Rosemont-Sacramento, Jr.

A fifth-place finisher at the State Meet as a sophomore, Dorner has been trading the state’s top time in the 400 with Piedmont Hills’ Ellisa Bryant all season long. She is the current California leader in the 400 after dashing to a time of 54.94 at the SJS Division II-III finals last week.

She also finished seventh in Clovis last year, and has a legitimate shot at earning two finishes on the podium, including a very good chance of standing atop the 400 meter podium.

ESTHER HIGGWE, Monterey Trail-Elk Grove, Sr.

The Nigerian-born sprinter will be a threat in the 100 and 200 meters and as the anchor of the Mustangs’ 4x100 relay. She won the sprints at the Sacramento Meet of Champions, breaking the 12-second mark in the 100 for a personal-best 11.86, good enough for the fifth-best time in California in 2012. Her time of 24.50 in the 200 meters at the Meet of Champions was eighthbest in the state while Monterey Trail’s relay team recorded the state’ sixth-best time (47.43).

LONDEEN McCOVERY, Cosumnes Oaks-Elk Grove, Sr.

One of the most consistent jumpers this season, McCovery has excelled in both the long jump and high jump for the Wolfpack. As a junior, he qualified for the state meet in the high jump, but failed to advance to the final round of jumps after peaking at 6-3. McCovery jumped his personal best of 6-9 this season, most recently at the Sacramento Meet of Champions, which is tied for the fourth-best mark in California.

AUSTIN MITSCH, Jesuit-Carmichael, Jr.

The speedster won the SJS Division I titles in both the 100 and 200 meter events. Mitsch ran a 10.80 in the 100 and 21.87 in the 200 in preparation for the SJS Masters and CIF meet.

He qualified for state in 2011 and ran a 10.88 in the preliminary heat, but hopes to make it to the final sprint race of the season in 2012.

KENDAL NIELSEN, Bear River-Grass Valley, Sr.

The SJS Division III champion in the long jump and triple jump, Nielsen should return to the state meet to improve upon her preliminary jumps of a year ago. Nielsen PR’ed in the triple jump earlier this season at the Arcadia Invitational with a 39-5 jump that was the fourth-best mark in the state at the time. She has also jumped a section-best 19-3 ½ in the long jump to give the Bruins’ senior a shot a jumping onto the podium twice in 2012.

DAJE PUGH, Fairfield, Sr.

The Washington-bound hurdler posted the fastest time in the 300 meter low hurdles (42.08) to capture her fourth consecutive SJS Div. I title and also won her fourth Div. I title in the 100 meter hurdles with the state’s sixth-fastest time of 2012 (13.90). That time also tied her own SJS record. In 2011, she finished sixth in the 300 and seventh in the 100 hurdle events. Pugh and coach Dave Monk hope the Falcons’ star can bring home at least one State title in 2012.

STEVEN PUST, Golden Valley-Merced, Sr.

Pust eclipsed the 16-foot mark to win the SJS Division I pole vault title by nearly a foot over the nearest competitor. The mark was a personal-best for the Cougars’ senior, eclipsing his previous best by six inches. The mark was also the sixth-best in California in 2012 and just one inch shy of the 2011 state champion’s vault. Only 10 vaulters in the state have eclipsed 16 feet in 2012, so Pust may be peaking at just the right time to make an impact in Clovis.

CASEY WHEELER, Del Oro-Loomis, Sr.

He won his second consecutive SJS Div. II title in the 300 intermediate hurdles with a meetrecord time of 38.48. Additionally, he ran a season-best 14.38 in the 110 high hurdles to win the Div. II title in that event. In 2011, Wheeler did not make it out of the preliminaries in the 300 hurdles, but did help Del Oro’s 4x400 meter relay team advance to the final race, illustrating his versatility. ✪

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Tommy John Surgery was a breakthrough, but you should still hope to avoid it

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n July 17, 1974, a 31-year-old Thomas Edward John was pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Montreal Expos. He had runners on first and second and was going to throw a pitch called a “sinker,” which he felt would finish his inning. As he threw the ball, he immediately felt searing pain in the elbow. He tried one more pitch, no speed, just elbow pain.

He was done, or so he thought.

As a consultant to the Dodgers, Dr. Frank Jobe felt that he could repair the damaged ulnar collateral ligament (also known as UCL) by drilling two holes in the humerus and ulna and placing a graft taken from the forearm, hamstring, hip, or knee. The UCL’s main purpose is to protect and resist against forces that bend your elbow toward your body, also known as valgus stresses.

At the time of the surgery, Dr. Jobe gave Tommy John a one percent chance of returning to baseball. Fortunately, he did return to baseball and went on to win 164 games. Prior to the injury he had won 124 games.

There are currently 29 active ballplayers in major league baseball (MLB) slated to have, or who have already have had, Tommy John surgery. Unfortunately, with all the studies showing good outcomes, this has mistakenly given unfounded hope that this surgery will bring increased pitching velocity to a young pitcher who struggles with injuries and inconsistent innings.

In 2009, a study of 743 overhead throwers with Ulnar Collateral Reconstructive surgery was presented to the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM). In their study, they concluded that 83 percent of athletes returned to previous or higher level of competition in less than one year. Out of the 743 participants in the study, complications occurred in 148 patients (20 percent), including 16 percent considered minor and four percent considered major. Tommy John himself suffered ulnar nerve damage with his UCL rupture, which prolonged his rehabilitation to about 18 months before returning to the mound.

In an interview with ESPN, Dr. Jobe discussed the question of whether an athlete can gain velocity with pitching after the surgery: “It wouldn’t help if you didn’t have it before. All the surgery does is get you back to your normal elbow. You either have the stuff or you don’t.”

The surgery seems to return the pitcher to the prior level before stretching or damaging the UCL. There is no evidence of increased speed, except for the return of the prior pre-injury speed of the pitcher.

Several studies have shown that there are factors compounding this injury. These include: ■ Throwing velocities > 80 mph (73%) ■ Year-round throwing showcases (69%) ■ Early Breaking pitches (67%) ■ Seasonal Overuse (62%) ■ Inadequate Warm-ups (23%) ■ Poor Throwing Mechanics ( research currently being performed) By reducing your risk factors, and keeping an open line of communication with your coach about any pain while pitching, you can avoid this painful season ending injury.

A great resource for the bio-mechanical fault that may be causing the Tommy John Injuries is presented in an article in ESPN The Magazine. “Force of Habit: Science, not the scalpel, is the real solution for Tommy John injuries. Too bad few MLB teams are paying attention” by Lindsay Berra.

The article presented the bio-mechanical differences of two pitchers. One with good mechanics and another doomed to further UCL damage if he doesn’t change his mechanics. The data is well presented with many key points on how to save your pitchers from this injury.

Currently you can find a link to this article and more articles regarding sports injury prevention on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ChildrensHospitalSportsMedicine. ✪

Health Watch Robin Bousquet

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

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Young, talented Herd eye 2013 after being upset in Division I playoffs By jim mccue | Contributor Traditional baseball powerhouse Elk Grove has never lacked for talent during the long tenure of head coach Jeff Carlson. The Thundering Herd, winners of six Sac Joaquin Section championships, bypass the rebuilding and simply reload each year.

While Jake Rodriguez and J.D. Davis completed their successful careers at Elk Grove in recent years, up-and-coming stars like Ryan “Rowdy” Tellez and Dom Nunez have learned from great players Elk Grove Baseball and accepted the responsibility of being the face and the heart of Thundering Herd baseball.

“Even though we have eight seniors on the team, Dom and Rowdy are like seniors since they are both three-year varsity starters,” Carlson said.

“They lead the team in different ways, but I am a lucky coach to have them because they are great players and great kids off the field.”

Elk Grove entered the Sac Joaquin Section Division I North playoffs as one of the favorites to advance to the championship series. Early upsets of top-seeded Pleasant Grove and perennial contender Jesuit appeared to make the path clearer for the Herd to stampede into the final. Unfortunately, hot upstarts and bad luck also caused an early exit for Elk Grove. FranklinElk Grove and Vacaville dealt Elk Grove defeats, but the loss of Tellez’s arm may have been as damaging as the Wildcats’ and Bulldogs’ bats.

In Elk Grove’s opener against Napa, Tellez took the mound to start the game, but recorded just one out before exiting with a sore left elbow. Earlier in the week, Tellez had hyperextended the elbow and suddenly one of the livest arms in the area was no longer available for Carlson and the Herd.

“Anytime your No. 1 pitcher goes down, it kind of throws you for a loop,” Carlson said. “Everyone has to deal with injuries, and we were just not able to get it done. It did create an opportunity for some of our younger pitchers to gain valuable experience, so I think it will only make us stronger for next year.”

While the elimination is a blow to the eight seniors, the core of the team stays intact behind Nunez and Tellez.

The Herd’s dynamic junior duo each split time playing infield and taking the mound — Tellez plays at first base when he’s not taking his turn in the rotation and Nunez leaves his spot at shortstop or third base to shut down opponents as the team’s closer.

Oh, and both hit the cover off the ball.

“Dom is more of the vocal leader while I like to lead by the way I play on the field,” Tellez said. “I go about my business and want guys to look to me to see how hard I work and to follow my example. I think it’s important for me to be supportive and always offer encouragement to my teammates when I do have something to say.”

Nunez is a slight infielder at 6-foot-1 and 165 pounds especially when compared to Tellez’s 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame, but his intensity is anything but small. That mentality along with his versatility, according to Carlson, is what makes Nunez so valuable.

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Elk Grove sophomore Derek Hill had a breakout season batting in the No. 3 hole ahead of super-slugger Ryan Tellez.

Photos by James K. Leash

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“He is like our jack-of-all-trades,” Carlson said. “He has played at shortstop, third base, second, and catcher, and he is our closer.

Wherever you put him, he excels. He’s just got a bulldog mentality that drives him to succeed.”

Nunez’s success was evident both at the plate and wherever he found himself around the diamond. Batting at or near the top of the order over the Herd’s first 26 games, Nunez hit for a .447 average, scored 43 runs, and drove in 27. His .551 on-base percentage and .765 slugging percentage are second on the team only to Tellez’s mind-boggling offensive numbers. As a pitcher, he posted a 1-0 record with 2 saves and a 1.56 ERA. “Being able to play everywhere helps out the team, but it may be most beneficial for me in the future,” said Nunez, who committed to UCLA after a freshman season in which he batted .394 with 34 runs, 17 RBI and 11 extra base hits. “My personality is to want the ball

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in my hands whenever I can, especially when the game is on the line. So I really enjoy my role as the closer.”

Tellez likes the ball in his hand, but he likes holding a bat even more. And the opposition has figured that out.

Tellez dealt with opposing pitchers trying to avoid the slugger at all costs. Through it all, his numbers were amazing — he shattered Elk Grove’s batting record with an astronomical .587 average. His 44 hits were just four shy of the record 48 he had as a sophomore; he has 17 extra-base hits, including 6 home runs and 46 RBI. But what most impresses Carlson were Tellez’s scant four strikeouts in 98 plate appearances.

“He had to learn to be very patient this year,” the coach said. “He’s not seeing a lot of great pitches, but he still almost hit .600, and that’s a strong .600. He is so clutch and capitalizes on the few opportunities he gets.

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His numbers are just amazing and they are not numbers I have ever seen before, especially when we are seeing everyone’s No. 1 guy.”

Tellez almost shrugs off the numbers and takes the most pride in doing anything and everything he can to help his team win. He is especially proud of his base running, which includes 11 steals without being caught.

“I’m fine if I go 1-for-1 with a big hit and three intentional walks,” Tellez said. “I like to be patient because I know I can help out the team by getting a walk and trying to get myself in scoring position with a steal. If I get a pitch, that’s great, but ultimately I want to be able to say I helped out my team when the game is over.”

Tellez helped the Herd plenty with his bat, legs and glove, but the Elk Grove team is far from a two-man show. The other batters in the lineup benefited greatly from having a threat like Tellez in the order, but no one may have benefited more from Rowdy’s presence than another standout who will return for 2013 — sophomore outfielder and No. 3 hitter Derek Hill.

With pitchers dreading the prospect of facing Tellez with runners on base, they often gave the newcomer more pitches to hit.

As a result, Hill, who moved to California from Iowa to join his dad, a Northern California scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers, posted a .452 average with 20 runs and 19 RBI. Talent won’t just return at the plate next season. Junior pitcher David Smith allowed just two earned runs in four league starts and two relief appearances (both runs came in a 10-4 win over Franklin-Elk Grove on April 23) to earn the role of ace. He solidified that role by tossing a no-hitter in Elk Grove’s playoff opener.

“He dominated down the stretch for us and was so clutch in big games,” Carlson said. “He pitched outstanding.”

With plenty of pitching and hitting returning next year, the Herd expect to thunder back in 2013 and finish the season healthy and on top.

“We have incredible leadership that will be coming back,” Carlson said. “They are ready to carry this team and lead them back to playing Elk Grove baseball. You learn a lot more from your losses than from your wins, so I know that we will be back.” ✪

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LEFT: Junior Ryan Tellez swung one of the most-feared bats in the SacJoaquin Section in 2012. Here he watches the flight of one of his six regular-season home runs on May 2 against Davis.

ABOVE: Another junior, David Smith, developed into the team ace this season. He threw a no-hitter against Napa for the team’s only postseason victory.

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Young athletes are highly susceptible to various states of overtraining

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n the last issue I discussed how CrossFit and similarly styled programs work.

Each day the goal is complete physical exhaustion; either through maximal reps, maximal weight, maximal speed, or some combination of all three components. This is detrimental to your athletes’ performance, athletic career and health.

A concept that is not talked about enough in relation to your athlete’s daily schedule is overtraining. Think about this for a minute. They wake with inadequate sleep, go to school all day, then go to practice, then go train and finally they get home and have homework. So maybe they get 6 hours sleep, if they’re lucky. Their nutrition is probably like the typical teen, no breakfast and mostly junk throughout the day, and maybe at dinner they get a healthy meal.

Add all this to the problem discussed above with training programs that just beat the crap out of your athletes, and you have an athlete on the verge of being one who is over trained or is already there.

Monitoring all these stresses, as well as the current state of your young athlete, are important factors in the management of volume and Tim Rudd for IYCA intensity within their training programs.

Overtraining is the chronic inability of the body to adapt properly to the stress imposed upon it through the physical and mental demands of training. This happens when the body is under more stress than it has the ability to adjust to. Over time the result is a general breakdown in the different systems that regulate the body.

There are three general categories of overtraining that relate to which branches of the body’s nervous system primarily affected by excessive stress.

This is broken into sympathetic, parasympathetic and central nervous system overtraining.

Sympathetic overtraining is probably the most common type of overtraining.

This usually occurs in athletes who are exposed to excessive amounts of strength training and explosive-power/anaerobic-dominant type exercises without giving their bodies a chance to recover. It’s correlated with mental stress as well.

When these activities are done with more volume and intensity than the athlete can adapt to, sympathetic overtraining results.

Symptoms to look for in your athlete are disturbed sleep patterns, loss of appetite/weight loss, increased resting heart rate, irritability, fatigue and a decrease in performance. This is a very dangerous state for your athletes as they are at a much higher risk for injury as well.

Parasympathetic overtraining is much more commonly seen in endurance type athletes and high volume sports, and typically results from an excessive volume of aerobic activities.

Athletes in this state will feel tired, lethargic, heavy; and they may often feel depressed or unmotivated to train or compete at all. There is a decrease in resting heart rate and they feel like they just want to sleep all the time.

The final category is Central Nervous System overtraining. This type of overtraining occurs primarily from a chronic overload of activities that place a high demand on the central nervous system. Exercises and activities such as maximum effort strength training (90% of 1RM above); high intensity plyometric, explosive speed and power drills, such as sprints and jumps, etc., are all very taxing on the CNS and can lead to this type of overtraining when performed with too much frequency, volume and intensity.

Understanding the causes and symptoms of the different kinds of overtraining is an important first step to preventing it. But the best prevention comes from a properly designed program for your athlete that takes the above factors into consideration, as well as eating properly, getting enough rest, and avoiding mental stress. ✪

Training Time

Tim Rudd is an International Youth Conditioning Association specialist in youth conditioning (level 3), speed and agility (level 2), and nutrition specialist (level 1).

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

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Memorial Day Hoops

Tri-Valley Tri Club

Instead of blasting the AC and channel surfing while eating bon bons and ring dings, why don’t you do something worthwhile this summer? We recommend becoming a triathlete. Before you choke on your ice cream sundae, you should know that our friends at Tri-Valley Tri Club will take good care of you. Join their 13-week training program from June 18 thru Sept. 16 and make this happen! Hit ‘em up at www.trivalleytriclub.com for more info.

Bay Area Hoop Review’s Memorial Day Classic Tournament is going down May 26-28. It’s gonna feature the top hoopers from all over and it’s gonna be held at NorCal Courts. For more info, go to www.hoopreview.net

More Memorial Day Hoops

Our buds at Dream Courts are holding the Nike EYBL Tournament showcasing national talent playing at an elite level. For more info call 510786-3732. The beauty of both Hoop Review and Dream Courts is they’ll be hosting tourneys throughout the entire summer, but it all starts Memorial Day Weekend. Booyah.

First Tee of Contra Costa

If you like golf and enjoy helping golf programs, then you need to participate in the First Tee Contra Costa’s Third annual Multi-Course Golf Fundraiser Golf Tournament. It’s being held at Boundary Oak, Lone Tree and Diablo Creek Golf courses on July 20. The sponsorship opportunities are aptly named: Par, Birdie, Eagle, etc., but we say go with the Albatross sponsorship. Individual registration for all courses is only $125 per golfer. In addition to green fees and cart, you get a breakfast AND lunch.

Proceeds benefit the First Tee Contra Costa.

For more info contact Sandy Day at (925) 6866266 or email sandy@ci.concord.ca.us.

Get more Impulse online!

Welcome to Impulse, your one-stop shop for gadgets, gizmos and gear. Compiled by staff writer Erik Stordahl, Impulse provides you with what’s currently hot on the market. This week we tour some options that could occupy your summer (in a good way).

Jonathan Hawthorne

Bass Pro Shops

Seriously, put down the junk food! It’s time to get out and enjoy the fresh air.

Let Bass Pro Shops help you.

They’re gonna teach you the basic do’s and don’ts of hiking, campfire cooking, backpacking, kayaking and canoeing, and on and on. They hosted tutorials from May 18-28,t but there will be more opportunities to learn from these masters of the outdoors. When they’re through with you, you’ll be the next Bear Grylls. Or something.

New SSOTW partners

Flip over to page 13 where you can ooh and aah over the masterful achievements of our studs and studettes (it’s a word). There you’ll also find our friends who sponsor the program and starting this issue we’re pumped to have Boomers (Bay Area edition) and Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park (Sac Joaquin edition) join the fun. They’ll be donating gift cards and coupons for the athletes honored.

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Butch Noble

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BASEBALL/SOFTBALL

All American Sports Academy The goal of the All American Sports Academy is to train and educate all student athletes on the correct physical skills and mechanics needed to compete at all levels, as well as understand the proper practice habits and time management skills needed to improve their game. The Academy prepares their student athletes both physically and mentally to be the best that they can be. The organization is holding camps at various locations from June 11-July 26. Info: (209) 833-2255, Email: dnelson@ allamericansportsacademy.net Blankenship Baseball We are a year-round competitive baseball program based in Danville.

The Camp focuses on teamwork, hustle and sportsmanship.

We also offer small group training as well as one-on-one training. Info: lancerblankenship@ sbcglobal.net or 925-708-3173.

Cabernet Baseball Club The Livermorebased club hosts baseball and softball camps beginning as early as June

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12. Camp are for players ages 8-14.

Lil’ Baseball also offered for ages 3-7. 925-416-1600, http://cabernet. thepitchingcenter.com.

East Bay Youth Sports Baseball is Fun Beginner Camp.

July 25-Aug. 4, 9 a.m.-noon, Mon.Thur. at Tice Valley Park; Extended day/week available with Deluxe Sport Option. Ages 5-9. $35/$75.

Registration: 925-952-4450, www. walnutcreeksportsleague.com.

EJ Sports EJ Sports provides individual, group, team, coaching and manager clinics in many levels of baseball. Among the numerous different services offered, the Spring Clinic, Summer Clinic and the Fall League for children of Little League age has proven to be successful, instructional and most of all fun for the kids. Contact EJ Sports for a list of upcoming clinics, or contact your local little league to see if they participate in our coaches and managers training program. Info: 925-866-7199, 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 full-service

baseball/softball training academy.

We provide comprehensive, fullyintegrated training programs that evolve based on the best research and information available in areas from health/safety, peak performance, education techniques and more. Age- and skill-specific programs available for students age 8-High School. Info: 925-416-1600, www.thepitchingcenter.com.

BASKETBALL

CalStars The Stars Basketball Academy (SBA) is pleased to announce our youth and high school summer camps. The SBA is a fundamental based skills development camp for kids in 3rd grade-High School. We offer three youth (3rd-8th) sessions and two high school (9th-12th) sessions. Go to www.calstars.org for more info.

East Bay Youth Sports Basketball is Fun beginner camp.

July 11-21, 9 a.m.-noon, Mon.-Thur. at Tice Valley Park; extended day/ week available with deluxe sport option. Ages 5-12. $35/$65 per week.

Registration and info: 925-952-4450, www.walnutcreeksportsleague.com.

FastBreak Basketball Margaret Gartner, the highlydecorated girls basketball coach for Carondelet High in Concord, leads this girls basketball camp focused on fundamentals. Five week-long sessions are available. Session I, June 18-22, is for grades 6-10; Session II, June 25-29, Grades 1-6; Session III, July 9-13, Grades 1-6; Session IV, July 16-20, Grades 6-10; Session V, July 23-27, Grades 4-10.

If your daughter wants to learn and/or improve her basketball fundamentals and skills while having fun; then FastBreak Basketball camp is the answer. Info: www.FastBreakBball. com; or email Fastbreak_club@ yahoo.com Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors welcome players of all skill levels to participate in a variety of summer camps that will run in gymnasiums throughout the Bay Area from June 11-Aug. 17. The camps are typically for boys and girls ages 7-15. Info: camps@gs-warriors.com; 510-9865310.

Mike Allen Sports Learn the basics of basketball, sharpen your skills and improve daily

at the Ballin’ Ambassadors basketball clinics!

Hosted by MIke Allen Sports in the South Bay, registration is easy. Go to www.mikeallensports.com to reserve your spot. 408-279-4123.

CHEER

CheerGyms.com Six camps are offered from June through July: Coaches Camp, Freedom High School 2-day Cheer and Dance Camp, 2-Day Cheer Camps at ALL Cheergyms. com facilities, Jr. High/High School Cheer Camp-California Session 1, Individual/Group Stunt Cheer Camp, Jr. High/High School Cheer Camp (Elite)-California Session 2. For more info: 925- 685-8176, 866-6857615, info@cheergyms.com; www. cheergyms.com.

East Bay Sports Academy East Bay Sports Academy offers the best in gymnastics and cheerleading training. Our top of the line recreational and competitive programs earned us

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the exclusive “Best in the East Bay” award for Best Gymnastics Classes 2011. You can bring your team to be a part of the excitement, as our talented & motivated staff becomes your team’s best support system. All of our team camps are custombuilt to complement your coaching needs and team goals. Info: 925-680-9999, www.

EastBaySportsAcademy.com.

Xtreme Cheer Camps Xtreme is a competitive All-Star Cheerleading, Dance and Recreational Tumbling Gym in Antioch. In it’s 4th year Xtreme is ready to take the competition world by storm yet again! The All-Star gym staff are enthusiastic, trained professionals and maintain many certifications in order to stay current on the latest teaching techniques. All of our camp classes are fast-paced, fun and geared toward achieving your child’s goals. Info: 925565-5464; xtremetumbleandcheergym@ yahoo.com

ENRICHMENT

Dianne Adair Programs Come join any of our eight Dianne Adair summer sites for our fun and exciting summer program. Each week campers will be able to choose from several camps, including sports, fashion, drama, CSI,

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science and so many more. In addition to our weekly camps, we have weekly field trips to places like an A’s or Giant’s game, museums, the Jelly Belly Factory, Six Flags, the pool, the movies, parks and the Zoo. We also offer many “in-house” field trips like Games2U Mobile Entertainment, the Bubble Lady, Furs, Skins and Tails, magicians, clowns, singers and many more. Field trips and camps vary by site.

Please consult your site of choice for more details. Bring in this article and receive half off our $40 summer registration fee. Info: www.dianneadair.org.

FITNESS

Aspire Pilates Dramatically increase core strength, power, flexibility, balance, focus and joint stability, while preventing injury.

Aspire prides itself on helping propel athletes to the next level by addressing muscular imbalances, helping athletes increase body awareness, correcting faulty body mechanics and accessing untapped strength. Info: 925680-4400, www.AspirePilatesCenter.com.

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 an innovative approach to getting your young athletes back on the field of play post-rehabilitation (which

gets your athletes to normal function), continuing the process by progressing their bodies to handle what they must endure on the field or court. For F2C’s Back to Sports programs we offer training weekdays, with 2 days/week or 3 days/ week program options. Bottom line: Our program gets your athletes back on the field. Sign up today for your two-week free pass at www.fasteryoungathletes.com, or call 925-639-0907 for more information.

TransForm FX At TransForm FX Fitness Boot Camp, we believe that parents can take better care of their kids when they take care of their own health and fitness. We have designed adult fitness boot camp workouts to fit your busy lifestyle. Each boot camp workout is designed to help you burn fat and increase your cardiovascular endurance in less time. Info: 925-289-8042; www. transformfxfitness.com.

Walnut Creek Sports & Fitness Walnut Creek Sports & Fitness is offering a wide range of different sports fitness camps and classes in 2012. Here are three we’re featuring.

Pilates for Sports — An ideal form of fitness for athletes to improve performance & prevent injuries. Hardcore Golf Fitness — A four-week golf-specific fitness camp is the ultimate physical conditioning program for golfers of any age who want

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to take their game to the next level. TRX Team Fitness —A cutting-edge six-week small group personal training program is a team-sports inspired program for athletes of all levels who want results in a challenging, motivating environment.

For all info: Contact Bob Boos, Personal Training Director. Phone: (925)932-6400 or email: bob@wcsf.net

FOOTBALL

Acalanes Football DONS CAMP The Acalanes coaching staff will host players from grades 3-8 on June 18-20.

At our camp you will learn skills, techniques, rules and how to perform to the best of your ability.

There are daily camp awards. All athletes receive a T-shirt. This is a non-contact camp focused on having fun while learning the game of football. Staff members are coaches, teachers and parents. Info: contact Mike Ivankovich at mivankovich@ acalanes.k12.ca.us.

Black Diamond Football Camp Black Diamond Football Camp is a fourday contact team camp from June 18-21 running from 4 p.m.-7:15 p.m. each day.

Cost is $1000 per team. This camp is designed to strengthen team concepts within YOUR program. Hosted by Pittsburg and Concord High Schools, it will take place at Pittsburg High. There will be Individual drills and team periods to install your offensive/defensive schemes. There will be a 7-on-7 passing competition, a

pass protection/blitz pickup session, team goal-line challenges, and controlled, fullcontact scrimmages. Info: Contact Coach Victor Galli at (925) 473-2390 ext. 7736.

Football University From the creators of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl comes a one-of-akind football training experience exclusively for the nation’s most elite youth and high school players. Born out of the appreciation that the most successful and skilled football players have mastered great technique, and that for many younger players this level of coaching is simply not available, the Football University (FBU) experience focuses on intense positionspecific technique training taught by our expert faculty of former and current NFL coaches who have a passion for sharing this experience with young athletes.

NorCal Football Camps Space is available in all of this year’s camps & Flag Football leagues. 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/registration: Ken, 650-245-3608, norcalyouthfootballcamp@ yahoo.com; www.norcalfootballcamps. com.

GOLF

The First Tee-Contra Costa The First Tee Summer Camp is a youth

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development Golf program for boys and girls ages 7-18.

Participants will learn about golf and the life skills and values inherent to the game. In addition to golf skills, rules and etiquette, participants are introduced to The First Tee Nine Core Values - honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy and judgment. Our Summer camps are four days a week, 4 hours/day @ Diablo Creek Golf Course, Concord. We have several weeks and facilities from which to choose. Fee assistance available. Info: Angela Paradise, 925-686-6262, Ext. 0, angela@thefirstteecontracosta.org; www. thefirstteecontracosta.org. See you on The First Tee! The First Tee-Oakland The First Tee of Oakland participants receive a minimum of 12 hours of instruction over an eight-week period.

Instruction is conducted at three City of Oakland affiliate golf courses.

Each of the golf courses donates their range, golf course and classroom use. We introduce the game of golf in a way that allows participants to progress with the mechanics required, and that teaches the values of the game, celebrates the fitness aspect of playing, and is offered at little or no cost. Info: 510-

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352-2002, info@thefirstteeoakland.org; www.thefirstteeoakland.org.

The First Tee-Silicon Valley The First Tee of Silicon Valley develops youth through the game of golf throughout Silicon Valley. We impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character, instill life-enhancing values and promote healthy choices though the game of golf.

Participants learn to appreciate diversity, resolve conflicts, build confidence and set goals for their future. Seasonal classes are offered at Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course (San Jose) and Palo Alto Golf Course. We welcome participants ranging from second to twelfth grade. Scholarships are available upon request. www.thefirstteesanjose.org.

The First Tee-Tri-Valley We’re a youth development organization using golf and its etiquette to teach important life skills and core values. We offer seasonal The First Tee Life Skills Experience Classes and Summer Camps for youth ages 7-17, held at the Pleasanton Golf Center on the Alameda County Fairgrounds. Once-a-week Summer Classes will be held MondaySaturday, beginning the week of June 11.

Junior Golf Summer Camps - Summer Camps will be held 8-10 a.m., Tuesday-

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Friday for seven weeks this summer.

Camps begin on the following Tuesdays: June 11, June 18, June 25, July 9, July 16, July 23 & July 30. Info: Call our office, 925462-7201; www.TheFirstTeeTriValley.org.

HORSEBACK RIDING

Earthquake Arabians Spring and summer camps are around the corner for Earthquake Arabians!

Registration is OPEN. Log on to www. earthquakearabians. com for more info.

925-360-7454.

Franklin Canyon Stables A well structured riding program housed at Franklin Canyon Stables in Martinez which provides two covered arenas and easy access to trails. Kim Bredehoft teaches riders of all levels with an instruction program that builds confidence and enables clients to reach personal goals that benefit them in all parts of life. Info: 925-228-1801; www. kimshorsetraining.com/franklin_canyon. html.

Kelly Maddox Riding Academy Summer Camp, July 16-20, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. daily; ages 5-16. Enjoy a week of fun-filled learning as you develop new friendships with other horse-crazy kids like yourself. Learn basic handling and

grooming techniques, as well as how to saddle and bridle your horse. Activities include learning horse colors, markings and breeds; art and crafts; a farrier demonstration and human horse show; bareback riding and more! Info: 925-5754818, www.KellyMaddoxTraining.com.

LACROSSE

Atherton/Vitality 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 Atherton Lacrosse T-shirt. Every camper needs a lacrosse stick - we have partnered with Sling It! Lacrosse to bring the best value possible. Go to www.athertonlacrosse. com for more info. Sign up with Vitality Lacrosse to join one of their summer leagues in the Peninsula, Marin, East Bay, Petaluma and San Francisco. We serve the entire Bay Area! Go to www. vitalitylacrosse.com for more info.

MARTIAL ARTS

USKS Adult and children’s programs, kick box fitness, mixed martial arts. Providing

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excellence in martial arts instruction and services for the entire family. 925682-9517; www. usksmartialarts.com.

OUTDOOR/ADVENTURE SPORTS

Bear Valley Mountain Bring the entire family to mountain summer camps. This summer, Bear Valley has residential & day camps for soccer, archery, climbing & a variety of outdoor adventures including kayaking, tennis, cycling, hiking, camp fires & so much more. Bear Valley’s summer camps offer outdoor recreation programs for the whole family & is a great place to visit. Info: www.bearvalley.com.

Camp Jones Gulch Check out our wide variety of Teen Adventure Camps for both boys and girls. Camp dates range from mid-June to mid-August. Info: 650-747-1200, www.

CampJonesGulch.org.

City of Concord Skate and Swim Concord’s Skateboard Camp provides a way for children to learn from experienced instructors and improve their skills.

Participants learn skateboard safety, care of their skateboard, and all the essentials from dropping in, kickflips, the Ollie and more. All skill levels. There is a full-day camp option that combines the half-day skateboard camp with a half-day

of swimming and water games at the Concord Community Pool. Info: www. concordreg.org ,925-671-3404.

CYO Camp We’re located 60 miles north of San Francisco near the historic town of Occidental, and have provided summer camp to youth of the Bay area for over 60 years. Our seven-day traditional camps, for participants entering grades 3-9, focus on cultivating friendships, personal values and outdoor skills. Info: www.cyocamp.org.

Diablo Rock Gym We will be offering kids summer camps every week starting June 19, ending August 18.

Sign up for a week at a time or multiple weeks.

Ages 6-12; multiple kid and/or week discounts.

Call for pricing, 925-6021000.

Keigwins@theTrack We conduct motorcycle schools and practice events (“track days”) at famous racetracks in the Western U.S. Events are for experienced motorcyclists looking to improve skills and build confidence while having enormous fun riding in an ideal, expertlymanaged environment. Riders provide their own motorcycles and protective gear. Keigwins@theTrack takes care of everything else: Info: www.keigwin.com;

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650-949-5609.

RUGBY

Diablo Rugby Youth rugby is one of the fastest growing sports in the United States. Both non-contact and contact versions of the game are popping up in summer leagues, physical education classes, after school programs, YMCA’s, Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs and backyards all over the country. Based in Clayton, our club is dedicated to providing a positive rugby experience for boys at High School, Jr. High School and Youth levels. 925-381-5143, diabloyouthrugby@ gmail.com; http://diabloyouthrugby. clubspaces.com.

SOCCER

Diablo FC With a history that goes back two decades, the Diablo Futbol Club has proved to be the premier training ground for youth soccer players in the area. Headquartered in Concord, Diablo FC offers training to boys and girls from levels U6 to U23, and has premier, gold, silver and bronze level teams with players from throughout Contra Costa, Solano and Alameda counties. For complete info, call (925) 798-GOAL or visit www.diablofc.org.

Gino’s Soccer Academy Gino’s Soccer Academy is in its 14th season of running summer soccer camps. We are offering eight oneweek programs this summer and have

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programs to challenge and enrich the game of every soccer player. Whether you are just beginning, or have been playing for ten years, you will leave the Soccer Academy on Friday a more knowledgeable, better player than when you came to us on Monday. Half- and full-day sessions available. Ages 4-17. Info: www. ginossocceracademy.com.

Heritage Soccer Club In 2012, HSC will not only offer a members-only summer soccer camp, but will offer two separate soccer camps — one for boys, June 25-28, and one for girls, July 9-12 – that will be open to the community. In addition to the summer camps, HSC will conduct their annual 6v6 Blow-Out tournament in June and their second annual Harvest Cup Tournament in October. HSC is based in the Pleasant Hill/Martinez area and serves the surrounding community. Info: www.heritagesc. com.

Walnut Creek Soccer Club The Walnut Creek Soccer Club uses all the resources available to provide the proper coaching and playing environment for all members. Our goal is for every member of our club to learn and grow as a soccer player and person. We will promote a positive learning environment for our players and families as we work to provide the highest level of coaching and coach’s education. Info: wcsc_info@wcsc. org; www.wcsc.org.

West Contra Costa Youth Soccer League Our program caters to competitive youth players ages 8-9 regardless of race, creed, gender

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or religion. The main focus of our program is not on winning, but on the development of the total soccer player within the framework of a team. We also offer specialized training for strikers and goalkeepers.

We desire to promote personal responsibility, fitness, sportsmanship and teamwork. 510-758-5288, http://wccysl.com.

SWIMMING-DIVING

Sherman Swim School Our year-round schedule allows children and adults to learn, retain and improve their swim skills with little interruption. Lessons are usually offered in sessions of 3-4 weeks. (During the slower months of Fall, Winter and Spring, schedules can be more flexible, such as M-W, W-F, or only one day/week.) We teach from age 9-months to adults, from non-swimmers to competitive levels.

Since our lessons are private, they are tailored to each student’s age, ability and readiness.

We also offer beginning and competitive diving classes. Beginning sessions typically have three students and are 30 minutes long. Classes are taught in three-week sessions. Info: 925-2832100, www.ShermanSwim.com.

Walnut Creek Aquanuts Week in the Creek! Synchronized Swimming Camp, July 27-31, ages 7-18. Email: weekinthecreek@aquanuts.org. Summer Trainee Program 2012 held June 18-Nov. 12 in 5- and 6-week sessions @ Clarke Memorial Swim Center, Heather Farm Park, Walnut Creek.

Info: 925-934-4792, WCA.Trainees@aquanuts. org; www.aquanuts.org.

Walnut Creek Swim Club 2012 Spring practice will be held Mon., Wed. and Thur. evenings through June 7 @ Larkey Pool for 6-unders through 13-up.

Summer practice sessions will be offered 7:30-10 a.m. daily beginning June 11 @ Las Lomas High School.

Info: www.walnutcreekswimclub.org.

TENNIS

ClubSport Valley Vista ClubSport Valley Vista has successfully been hosting summer tennis camps in the Walnut Creek area for 33 years, with expert instruction. Tennis pro Dale Miller and his team of seasoned professionals will teach your children the fundamentals of tennis or help them improve their skills for recreation or competition. Camps are designed to touch on every major aspect of the game — stroke production, conditioning, strategy, footwork, psychology and most importantly, FUN! Players will be grouped according to level of play and age. ClubSport is located at 3737 Valley Vista Road in Walnut Creek. ClubSport Valley Vista members receive discounted rates. Info: 925-934-4050.

VOLLEYBALL

Diablo Valley Volleyball Club Seven one-week skills clinic sessions are offered from June-August. Camps differ in age groups served. Each camp has a maximum limit of players allowed. Two sessions take place

in Brentwood and the other five are in Walnut Creek. Info: 925-451-6581; www.DiabloVBC.org.

Pacific Rim Volleyball Through private lessons, and the opportunity for year-round skills classes, athletes of any age or level can learn and improve the skills needed to gain a competitive edge. Our advanced training, for junior levels (12th grade & below), will provide athletes the 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 The USYVL is the leader in developing and maintaining youth volleyball leagues for boys and girls ages 7-15. USYVL summer camps are typically three days, with each day meeting for three hours. Camps are for beginner, intermediate and advanced players, and players will be grouped accordingly, based on age and playing experience. Info: 888-988-7985, www.USYVL. org.

WRESTLING

Community Youth Center The CYC wrestling program offers young athletes the opportunity to participate and excel in one of the world’s oldest sports.

The program trains and challenges wrestlers at all age

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groups from kindergarten through high school, and all experience levels from beginner to champion. The program is nationally recognized under the guidance of Head Coach Mark Halvorson. Info: 925-671-7070, Ext. 229, www. communityyouthcenter.com.

The Creighton School of Wrestling CSW was established to provide a successful youth wrestling program in the Palo Alto/Mid-Peninsula area that serves youth of all ages. Info: 650-219-6383; creightonschoolofwrestling@ yahoo.com.

MULTI-SPORT

De La Salle Camps De La Salle High School will host athletic summer camps to provide a fun, skill-building week for kids. They offer the following sessions: Football, Track & Field, Lacrosse, Wrestling, Quarterback & Wide Receiver, Lineman, Volleyball, Baseball, Soccer, Water Polo and Strength & Conditioning. Weeklong sessions will run June 9-June 28. Online registration. For more info: summercamps@ dlshs.org; 925-288-8100, Ext. 7090.

Velocity Sports Camps Our Spring Break Sports Specific Summer Camps provide campers with a fun-packed, enjoyable environment where they can increase their athleticism and develop a wider range of skills. Velocity Sports Performance is looking for boys and girls ages 8-14 who are dedicated to making themselves better as athletes. Our Team Training programs are designed to deliver a challenging workout that is organized, educational, progressive and customized for entire sport teams. Info: 925-833-0100, velocitydublin.com.

Cal Camps Camps are offered in a variety of sports for girls and boys ages 5-19, with week-long, half-day, fullday and overnight options.

Most camps will take place on campus in Berkeley from June through August.

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.

Information: CalBears.com/camps. Or email calcamps@berkeley.edu.

City of Concord Skyhawks Sports Skyhawks Sports and the City of Concord have teamed up to provide safe, fun and skill-focused sports camps this summer for youth. Camps include Skateboard and Swim Combo, Soccer and Swim Combo, Soccer Camp, Basketball, Flag Football, Lacrosse and more. For ages 4-teen. Info: www.concordreg.org, 925-6713404.

Saint Mary’s College Camps We offer boys and girls overnight, day, team and specialty athletic camps. We have camps

available for ages 4-18. Dates are posted and registration is open. Our various camp offerings include: Multi-sport, baseball, boys basketball, girls basketball, golf, rugby, girls lacrosse, strength and conditioning, boys soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball. Info: Click “summer camps” at www. smcgaels.com for detailed information and to register online. More info: smccamps@stmarysca.edu, 925-631-4FUN (4386).

SportForm Based in Concord, SportForm provides Individual and team instruction in the sports of baseball, softball and lacrosse.

Prepare to Perform! Info: 925459-2880.

City of Walnut Creek We offer 9-13 year-olds a fully-staffed and supervised recreational athletic camp. The program consists of eight weeks of sessions with your choice of two different sports for each of the sessions, with a ninth week session offering bowling. Our camp is specifically designed to teach and develop training skills, basic individual skills, sportsmanship, team strategies and concepts as well as building confidence and self discipline. Sports to choose from include: Tennis, Baseball, Multi-sport, Flag Football, Soccer, Lacrosse, Basketball, Golf, Volleyball and Bowling. Camp offerings start the week of June 18th and run through August 17th. Info: www. walnutcreekrec.org or call 925-943-5858. ✪

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A A A Northern California, Nevada & Utah..........................................................12 Alameda County Fair............................................................................................7 All World Sports.................................................................................................17 Army National Guard Recruiter.............................................................................4 Bald Eagle Sports Camps....................................................................................42 Big 5 Sporting Goods.........................................................................................15 Big O Tires............................................................................................................2 Blankenship Baseball.........................................................................................41 Cabernet Indoor Sports......................................................................................19 Cal Athletic Camps.............................................................................................44 Championship Athletic Fundraising...................................................................33 Cheergyms.Com.................................................................................................26 Children’s Hospital And Research Center.............................................................18 Community Youth Center...................................................................................44 Concord Police Association.................................................................................45 Concord Youth Football & Cheerleading.............................................................39 Crowne Plaza.....................................................................................................44 Delta Patriots Youth Football & Cheer.................................................................40 Delta Patriots Youth Football & Cheer.................................................................38 Diablo Car Wash & Detail Center.........................................................................44 Diablo Rock Gym................................................................................................43 Diablo Trophies & Awards...................................................................................43 Dianne Adair Enrichment Programs...................................................................23 Dream Courts U S A............................................................................................29 E J Sports Elite Baseball Services........................................................................38 Earthquake Arabians..........................................................................................45 East Bay Sports Academy...................................................................................28 East Bay Summer Camps 2012...........................................................................37 Epic Indoor Skatepark........................................................................................39 Excellence In Sport Performance........................................................................40 Fast Break Basketball Camps..............................................................................27 Fit 2 The Core......................................................................................................27 Golden State Warriors........................................................................................34 Halo Headband..................................................................................................45 Heavenly Greens................................................................................................47 Home Team Sports Photography........................................................................33 Hyatt Place Sacramento / Roseville....................................................................33 Image Imprint....................................................................................................38 Intelligent Choice Fundraising Solutions............................................................41 Kinders B B Q........................................................................................................3 Mountain Mike’s Pizza........................................................................................17 Oakley Raiders...................................................................................................38 Oakley Raiders...................................................................................................36 Pacific Rim Volleyball Academy..........................................................................39 Passthaball.........................................................................................................44 Pleasant Hill Youth Football Rebels....................................................................39 Red Zone Training...............................................................................................44 Renegades Volleyball Club.................................................................................38 Renegades Volleyball Club.................................................................................41 Renegades Volleyball Club.................................................................................42 Rio Americano Jr. Raiders...................................................................................42 Rocco’s Pizza.......................................................................................................43 Rocco’s Pizza.......................................................................................................16 Rockin Jump.........................................................................................................5 Rockin Jump.......................................................................................................42 Saint Mary’s Athletic Summer Camps.................................................................44 Scandia Family Center........................................................................................44 Sheldon Jr. Huskies Youth Football & Cheer........................................................40 Sherman Swim School.......................................................................................41 Simply Selling Shirts .........................................................................................43 Sky High Sports..................................................................................................43 Skywest Golf Course...........................................................................................22 Stevens Creek Toyota............................................................................................9 Sutter Urgent Care..............................................................................................48 The First Tee Of Contra Costa...............................................................................21 The First Tee Of Contra Costa...............................................................................40 The First Tee Of The Tri Valley..............................................................................42 The Golf Club At Roddy Ranch............................................................................23 Tilden Park Golf Course.......................................................................................22 Tpc / The Pitching Center....................................................................................43 Tri Valley Tri Club................................................................................................32 Trucks Training...................................................................................................16 U S K S Martial Arts............................................................................................45 United States Youth Volleyball League...............................................................45 Valley Christian Vikings......................................................................................44 Velocity Sports Performance..............................................................................43 Velocity Sports Performance................................................................................8 Vitality Lacrosse.................................................................................................41 Walnut Creek Soccer Club...................................................................................40 Walnut Creek Swim Club....................................................................................45 Xtreme Tumble And Cheer Gym..........................................................................39

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Oakmont’s Edixon Puglisi finds an extra gear while competing in the 1,600 meter race at the SJS Division II-III prelims on May 16.

PHOTO BY James K. Leash

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