SPORTS

Nor Cal Championships set for July 23-25
Sprinters suck serious wind in quest of honors at Hellyer Park Velodrome

By Karl Laucher
Staff Writer

Sprinter’s hack isn’t pretty. Sucking air at speeds bequeathed only to horned animals caught in the radar of well-fanged predators has a way of drying out one’s wind tunnel. Cough, cough. That’s the price they pay to race at the front of the pack at the Hellyer Park Velodrome where on Friday nights more that 50 riders gather to test their overdrive skills for thrills (sometimes spills) and price money.

The racers got faster, but the spectators went elsewhere. Nevertheless. Riders at the Hellyer Park facility can feel a kinship to those who raced at the Garden City Velodrome in the late 1930s and early 1940s near San Jose City College in the Burbank area.

To compete in the sprint, team pursuit, team sprint, and mass start events for women and Masters 35+, riders must have previous track racing experience and a current U.S. Cycle Federation license. The elite men’s points race and 15km scratch race are open only to riders with a USCF track category of three or higher.

Administered by the Northern California Velodrome Association on behalf of the County of Santa Clara Parks and Recreation Department, the Hellyer Park Velodrome in San Jose is the Bay Area’s only bicycle racing track, and the only such facility on the West Coast between Los Angeles and Portland, Ore. The Hellyer Park Velodrome offers beginner programs for aspiring cyclists of all ages, including special programming for children, teens, and women.

During the spring and summer, the velodrome also hosts training races on Wednesday nights and elite racing on Friday nights. Visit www.ridethetrack.com for schedules and event information. The Hellyer Park entry fee is $5 per day.

Wedemeyer Youth Classic game to honor Pat Tillman

By Miranda Schultz
Sports Editor

The Wedemeyer Youth Classic All Star football game, which showcases the best football players in Silicon Valley, kicks off on July 21 at San Jose City College at 7:30 p.m.

This year, the 30th Annual Wedemeyer Classic football game, where the North team will take on the South team, is especially significant because it will be played in honor of Pat Tillman, who grew up in New Almaden and was a Leland graduate. Tillman played in the Wedemeyer Youth Classic in 1994, going on to play at Arizona State and later was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals. He left the team to join the Army and was killed in Afghanistan in April.

Leland High School will send three of its best players to compete on the South team. Seniors Mike Day, Alex Baumeister and Scott Glicksberg will represent Leland under the coaching of Nick Alfano. Day, a 5-foot-8 running back, was awarded the BVAL Mt. Hamilton division MVP last season and was First Team All League and a Second Team All CCS selection. He was also a CCS scholar athlete in 2003 and a member of the honor roll. He has not yet decided where he will be attending college in the fall.

“The addition of Day to the team definitely strengthens our ground attack,” says Alfano. “He is one of the sparkplugs we have on offense this year.”

Baumeister is a 5-foot-11, 245-pound offensive lineman who helped open running lanes for Day and was named to the 2003 All BVAL First Team. He will attend San Diego State University in the fall.

Glicksberg is a 6-foot-4, 280-pound offensive lineman named to the All BVAL First Team the past two seasons. He was named the 2003 Lineman of the Year. He plans to attend UCLA this fall.

“Baumeister and Glickson are two bruising blockers. Baumeister is very agile for a lineman,” says south offensive line coach Lex Alday. “He is the anchor of our offensive line. Glicksberg is huge, he’s so big he even blocks the sun.”

Two players from Pioneer High School have been chosen for the South team—offensive lineman Armando Apolinar and running back Jeremy Landucci. Errol Canivel, a media relations intern for the Wedemeyer Youth Classic says, “Landucci is an explosive running back. You want him to have the ball because he makes things happen. I think that Apolino and Landucci will work well together because they know each other. Apolino is a big guy, it will be tough to get through his blocks.”

Former stars of the Wedemeyer Youth Classic include former San Francisco 49ers Jeff Garcia, Brent Jones and Carl Monroe; former Dallas Cowboy Doug Cosbie; and current 49er Jeff Ulbrich.

“This game is all about the community. The best football players in the Silicon Valley will be showcased, players that quite possibly have a bright future in the sport,” says Canivel.

Charlie Wedemeyer, born in Hawaii, played football at Punahou Academy in Hawaii and Michigan State University on athletic scholarships. In 1977 he was diagnosed with Amyotrphic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease and was given three years to live. He is still alive today and is the founder of the Charlie Wedemeyer Family Outreach. The program’s mission is to fight ALS.

Tickets for the game are $10 and can be purchased at the San Jose Box Office. All proceeds from the game will benefit the Charlie Wedemeyer Family Outreach and other local Charities. For more information about the event, visit www.youth classic.org.

U.S. Youth Volleyball League signups in progress

The U. S. Youth Volleyball League (USYVL) is accepting registration for its fall program. The eight weeks of volleyball will focus on serving, hitting, setting and spiking as well as the fundamentals of volleyball, including teamwork and sportsmanship. The league in San Jose runs at Kirk Park, Tuesdays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 to 11 a.m.

The USYVL is an instructional youth volleyball league for children between the ages of 8 and 14. USYVL operates in a coed format and stresses learning by positive reinforcement. USYVL’s mission is to provide every child with the opportunity to learn and play volleyball in a fun, save and supervised environment. At USYVL “Every Child Plays” while learning sportsmanship, cooperation and teamwork.

For more information and to request a registration form, call (888) 988-7985 or visit www.USYVL.org.