January 8, 2009

SPORTS

Girls, women to compete in ice hockey tournament

The San Jose Jr. Sharks Girls’ Hockey Club is hosting the sixth annual Martin Luther King Hockey Tournament at Sharks Ice at San Jose.

Forty teams from across the United States and Canada will be coming to San Jose to compete. The tournament boasts seven age divisions: Girls 8U, 10U, 12U, 14U, 17U and womens’ Senior B & C. All games will be played at Sharks Ice at San Jose, located at 1500 South 10th St., on the corner of 10th and Alma. Admission is free and games run from 7 a.m.-10 p.m.

“Our program started seven years ago and the growth in the level of play and number of players are the result of the dedication of the players, parents, coaches, and managers over the years” says Rod Romanchuk, president of the San Jose Jr. Sharks Girls Hockey Club. “We currently have over 15 of our girls now playing Division I and Division III hockey at some of the most prestigious universities in the country. The San Jose Jr. Shark Girls/Women’s Hockey Club offers girls an excellent avenue to play the sport for fun at an early age and take it more seriously as they progress through high school.”

Mike Johansson, the tournament co-chair explains that the tournament began as an interstate rivalry between Los Angeles and the Bay area. All California girls’ teams in each age division must play one another at least one time each season in order to qualify for the Pacific District and USA Hockey National Champion-ships.

The Jr. Sharks travel to Anaheim in September to the Lady Ducks Tourn-ament, and the Los Angeles teams travel to San Jose for the MLK Tournament in January.

“To round out the tournament and give it some variety, we have invited teams from all across the U.S, Alaska and Canada. The tournament has grown from 16 teams in its first year to 40 teams now” says Johannson.

The San Jose Jr. Sharks girls’ program was launched in 2002. There are now over 100 girls playing in the program. Robert Savoie, Sharks Ice director of hockey, says “Girls’ hockey is thriving in San Jose. These girls are solid athletes with a very competitive spirit.”

The San Jose Jr. Sharks Girls/Women’s Hockey Club is one of the fastest growing female hockey organizations in the United States. It is recognized as having one of the top girls programs in the Pacific District, competing against teams from all across North America. Five years ago the program had three teams, with a total of 35 players. As of 2008, the program has six youth teams with 100 players between the ages of 6 and 19. Two senior women’s teams were added to the program in 2005 and have grown since. The women’s teams allow the girls to continue to play hockey into their 20s and 30s. For more information, visit www.sjjrsharks.com.

Sharks Ice at San Jose is the official practice facility of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. The nearly 170,000-square-foot facility accommodates ice hockey, figure skating, broomball, curling, speed skating, ice dancing, and public skating. Sharks Ice at San Jose, along with Sharks Ice at Fremont and the Oakland Ice Center operated by Sharks Ice currently holds the largest number of Adult USA Hockey participants of any facility in the nation. Sharks Ice at San Jose features a Pro Shop, large meeting and party spaces and a full service restaurant that overlooks three of the four rinks.

Sharks Ice at San Jose is the largest indoor ice facility west of the Mississippi River and is one of only seven rink facilities in the United States that currently operates at least four NHL-sized rinks. For more information, visit www.sharksice.com. For a schedule of the tournament and more information, visit www.sjjrsharks.com and click on the MLK Tournament Logo.

High School Sports Schedule Jan. 9 – 15

Leland

Friday—Boys’ basketball vs. Oak Grove; JV at 6; Varsity at 7 p.m.
Friday—Girls’ soccer vs. Sobrato at Morgan Hill High School at 3:15 p.m.

Tuesday—Girls’ basketball vs. Branham at Leland; JV at 5:30 and Varsity at 7p.m.
Tuesday—Boys’ soccer vs. Live Oak at Leland; JV at 3:15

Wednesday—Boys’ basketball vs. Piedmont Hills at Leland; JV at 5:30, Varsity at 7
Wednesday—Girls’ soccer vs. Santa Teresa at Leland at 3:15
Wednesday—Wrestling vs. Independence at Independence at 6:30 p.m.

Thursday—Girls’ basketball vs. Del Mar at Leland; JV at 5:30 and Varsity at 7 p.m.
Thursday—Boys’ soccer vs. Yerba Buena at Yerba Buena at 3:15

Pioneer

Friday—Boys’ basketball vs. Westmont at Westmont; JV at 5:30 and Varsity at 7 p.m.
Friday—Girls’ soccer vs. Leigh at Pioneer at 3:15

Tuesday—Girls’ basketball vs. Andrew Hill at Pioneer at 3:15
Tuesday—Boys’ soccer vs. Westmont at Pioneer at 3:15

Wednesday—Boys’ basketball vs. Overfelt at Pioneer; JV at 5:30, Varsity at 7 p.m.
Wednesday—Girls’ soccer vs. Piedmont Hills at Piedmont Hills at 3:15

Thursday—Girls’ basketball vs. Live Oak at Pioneer; JV at 5:30, Varsity at 7 p.m.
Thursday—Boys’ soccer vs. Sobrato at Sobrato at 3:15
Thursday—Wrestling vs. Gunderson/Willow Glen at Willow Glen at 6:30 p.m.

For more information about Leland and Pioneer sporting events, go to:

Pioneer Athletics: www.phsathletics.com
Leland Athletics: www.lelandathletics.com
Blossom Valley Athletic League: www.bval.org

Sports Briefs

Almaden Stealth Boys’ U13 Class 3 Comp. Soccer holds tryouts
The Almaden Stealth - Boys U13 Class 3 - are looking for highly competitive soccer players with birthdates between Aug. 1, 1996 and July 31, 1997. We are a year round, competitive team based in Almaden Valley and coached by Ben Graham with MLS Camps.  We are holding tryouts at the following date and time:
Saturday, Jan. 10, from 12 noon to 2 p.m. at Leland High School, West turf field
For more information, please contact our team manager, Robert Cerone, at 408-268-9547 or by email at ncerone@sbcglobal.net. 

Girls’ U12 Soccer Tryout
Santa Clara Sporting 97G White, a Class 1, Division 1 competitive girls’ soccer team, will be holding an open tryout session on Sunday, Jan. 18 from 12 – 2 p.m. at Curtis Field, 890 Pomeroy Ave. in Santa Clara, CA. Experienced players born after July 31, 1997 are eligible to participate. If interested, please contact Dave Ballard at daveballard12@sbcglobal.net or 408-799-1213 to register.

Almaden Celtics soccer team tryouts:  Boys U13 Division 3 “Comp”
The Almaden Celtics, a U13 Boys “comp” soccer team in AVYSL (www.almadensoccer.org), is holding tryouts for the 2009 season. Players born on or after 8/1/1996 are eligible to play. The tryouts will be at the Leland High School West Turf Field on Jan. 25 from 1-2:30 p.m. and Jan. 31 from 10:30 a.m. to noon (rain or shine). Please arrive 15 minutes prior to Session Time with water, shin guards, and rubber cleats.  A parent/guardian needs to remain at the tryout. Our team has a paid trainer/head coach (Adam Coulter) and two parent assistant coaches (Lincoln Bejan and Dominic Rancadore) that enjoy working with the boys on soccer and bring a lot of enthusiasm to the game.  We will offer the opportunity to play spring and fall soccer, including tournaments.  Feel free to e-mail Frank Torres (team manager) at frank.home@sbcglobal.net if you have any questions.

AVYSL hosts tryouts for the U9 thru U12 age groups
Participants are encouraged to attend all tryout days to increase their opportunities to make the teams. Tryouts will be held at the Tillman Stadium at Leland High School, and the “West” field next to the softball diamond. Evaluations will be run by an independent team and will give every child the opportunity to succeed.

U9 age group eligibility birth dates: 8/1/00 thru 7/31/01
U10 - 8/1/99 thru 7/1/00
U11 – 8/1/98 thru 7/31/99
U12 – 8/1/97 thru 7/31/98

The tryout schedule is below – please arrive early to sign in. To save time in the registration process, download and bring the 1601 form (CYSA link provided). For more information, visit www.almadensoccer.org or contact Neil Diaz, coach@almadensoccer.org.

Girls’ U13 Soccer Tryouts
The South San Jose Hot Shots, a U13 Girls “comp” soccer team, is holding tryouts for the 2009 season. Experienced players born on or after 8/1/1996 are eligible to play. For tryout details, please send email to SSJ.HOTSHOTS@GMAIL.COM.

2009 Almaden Valley Girls Recreational Softball Registration is open
This year the AVGSL has implemented an online registration system. Please visit WWW.AVGSL.ORG to register or to find out more information regarding our league.  We are accepting registration for ages Under 6, Under 8, Under 10, Under 12 and Under 14. Everyone is welcome to join our league – from first-time player to all-star - because we have a spot for you.  AVGSL’s main goal is to ensure that all players are in a fun, positive environment while learning and expanding their softball skills. AVGSL promotes a sense of belonging for everyone. We emphasize teamwork and the sense of individual success that contributes to team sports. No player will sit out more than two innings during a game, which offers each girl the opportunity to make contributions to their team while participating in a large part of all activities.  If you have questions, please email president@avgsl.org and we will be happy to help.


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