August 9, 2007

SPORTS

Leland football eyeing repeat of 2006 performance

Chargers look to build on 2006 success as two-a-day practices, preseason near

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

There’s no rest for the weary, or for those who wish to repeat recent success.

The latter appears to be the case for the Leland football team, which is spending its final week before the start of two-a-day practices on Aug. 13 conditioning in the weight room and on the field beginning at 6 a.m. each day. To that end, the routine of spending time in the wee morning hours conditioning is nothing new for the Chargers. Save for a pair of short summer breaks – including a recent 10-day rest period – the majority of the team has spent most of the summer going through speed drills and other activities in anticipation for the 2007 season.
“We want to make sure our guys are in prime condition going into doubles (two-a-days),” Leland head coach Mike Carrozzo said. “Next week we don’t do as much conditioning – we do a whole lot more football.”

The Leland football team is eyeing a repeat of its 2006 season, when the Chargers went undefeated in league play, winning the Santa Teresa Division title. The Chargers will begin two-a-day practices on Aug. 13. Photo by Dan Miranda

And while Carrozzo’s expectations begin with conditioning and commitment, they end with nothing short of having the team once again attain a lofty goal – to win the Santa Teresa Division title. That last expectation, said Carrozzo, is a byproduct of the team’s success in 2006 when the Chargers went undefeated in league play en route to the division title under then-head coach Jason Tenner. Carrozzo’s motivation for a repeat performance, however, also lies in keeping up with tradition.

“The expectation, always, is a league championship,” Carrozzo said. “We need to be in the A league (Mt. Hamilton Division) because this program has traditionally been an A-league power. We need to get back there and the only way we get there is by winning the B league (Santa Teresa Division) again, but no one is going to lay down for us.”

Still, Carrozzo said the team is on the right track in laying the foundation for another solid season, noting that last year’s success has rubbed off on many of the players in the way they go about getting ready for the season.

“Part of the reason why we have such great (attendance) at 6 a.m. five days a week all summer long is because of the success of last year,” Carrozzo said. “They understand what it takes, to pay that price, to make that sacrifice and to succeed.”

And so, with two-a-day practices around the corner, Carrozzo said he’s not overly concerned with where the team is both mentally and physically. In short, two-a-days, he said, will simply be a time for his players to sharpen their skills.

“We’ve learned so much this entire summer with the camps and the conditioning program,” Carrozzo said. “We’ve learned so much about these young men every day about how hard they’re willing to work and how much they’re willing to sacrifice for the success of this program. If we had to start tomorrow, I’d feel relatively confident, whereas some other programs maybe wouldn’t, because of the work that these guys have done.”

Carrozzo, who also spent three seasons (2001-03) as Prospect’s head football coach, said the start of the 2007 season will be an exciting time on a personal level as well.

“Every year is exciting,” said Carrozzo. “I don’t care if you’re with the same program for 30 years or with a program for the first time. Every year is fantastic. You know, coaches don’t do this for a living. Coaches don’t do this for money. If you’re trying to coach high school football for money you better be living in the state of Texas, not here. You do it because it’s a passion.”

Tillman Foundation executive director to run in NYC Marathon

Alex Garwood, his wife Christine, and 23 friends and family members
of Tillman plan to raise funds for foundation with marathon run

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

Alex Garwood, the Pat Tillman Foundation’s executive director, has been putting in some extra hours the past couple of months, and not all of it has been in his office.

That’s because Garwood and his wife, Christine, are training to run in the 2007 New York City Marathon, as are 23 of Pat Tillman’s friends and family members, on Nov. 4. Garwood noted that the idea is to honor Tillman with the run, while also raising some money along the way. All told, Garwood said he is looking forward to running through the streets of New York City on the 26.2-mile course.

Pat Tillman Foundation Executive Director Alex Garwood, shown here during the 2007 Pat’s Run in San Jose, will head to New York with his wife in November to run in the New York City Marathon, along with other 23 friends and family members of Tillman. Photo by Dan Miranda

“I’m excited to do it,” Garwood said. “I haven’t done one since my oldest son was born, so that’s six years, and so far, so good with the training. But, I am a little bit older than I used to be.”

Garwood said the idea of running in the NYC Marathon came about when a Tillman Foundation supporter made the suggestion after running in the marathon previously for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. After an arduous application process, the Tillman Foundation was approved to take part in the marathon as one of a selected number of nonprofits chosen every year for the event. With that process complete, Garwood said the foundation then secured 25 entry slots for the marathon for friends and family to take part in the event along with Garwood and his wife.

“It’ll be a very powerful thing,” Garwood said. “I’m fortunate enough that I’ve done a few marathons, and it’s an amazing feeling somewhere along there when you realize you’re going to make it. That’s powerful. But also, to be doing it with friends and family, and to be doing it for a reason other than just a selfish purpose of that sense of accomplishment – it’s doing it for Pat.”

And while running 26.2 miles will bring about a personal sense of accomplishment, said Garwood, raising money for the foundation’s leadership programs at Arizona State University and at San Jose Unified School District high schools is also important. Each runner, Garwood noted, is responsible for raising $5,000 as part of the marathon run, with proceeds earmarked for the foundation’s programs. To that end, Garwood said that while some corporate sponsorship is in place, sponsorships from individuals are still needed for each runner to raise the necessary funds for the foundation.

As for Garwood, the actual training for the marathon has proven to be a challenge at times. While Garwood and his wife began training a couple of months ago for the marathon, there’s still plenty of progress to be made, Garwood insisted.

“There’s a lot of reasons why it’s hard,” said Garwood. “It’s 26.2 miles; that in and of itself is a big deal. Plus, in order to be able to run that, there’s a tremendous amount of training. …The motivation to be able to do that, following through, and the discipline that it takes is hard.”

The training also brought about memories of a European vacation with Tillman, said Garwood. In short, Tillman routinely invited Garwood for jogs around historical European landmarks in the morning hours while their wives slept.

“It was a great way to see a country,” Garwood said. “…When we were there, we ran in London through Hyde Park, and we ran in Paris, along the Champs-Elysées, which was incredible.”

For Garwood and his wife, training has also been challenging in terms of family. With three young sons ranging in age from 18 months to 6 years, the couple takes turns caring for the kids while the other gets their training in. At times, the young boys take part in the training regimen as well.

“Ryan’s gone as far as six miles with me,” Garwood said of his 6-year-old son. “He’s pretty cool. He’s neat because he’ll look up and say, ‘dad, how far are we? Three miles? OK good, that means three more.’ It’s fun. They’re a part of it, and I think they’ve bought in to what we’re doing. They understand that mom and dad are running a marathon, but more importantly, they understand that it’s for uncle Pat.”

For those interested in being a Tillman Foundation runner’s sponsor for the New York City Marathon on Nov. 4, go to www.teamtillman-nycmarathon.kintera.org.

For more information about the Pat Tillman Foundation, go to www.pattillmanfoundation.org.

Almaden Cabana Club Dolphins go undefeated

Dolphins post 6-0 record for second time in four years

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

The Almaden Cabana Club Dolphins swim team finished off a memorable 2007 summer with an undefeated record, culminating with a Cabana League Championship title.

The 2007 Almaden Cabana Club Dolphins

The league championship win wrapped up a season that initially began with training sessions just after Easter for the team, which totaled 165 swimmers this season, ranging in age groups from 6-and-under to 18-year-old swimmers.

For head coach Billy Mundy, the championship win, as well as an undefeated season, was nothing new, considering that the 2004 Branham High graduate coached the Dolphins to a perfect 6-0 league title in his first season as head coach four years ago. Still, Mundy said, seeing the team succeed in 2007 was special.

“It was loads of fun,” said Mundy. “There was just a lot of hard work and a lot of kids stepped it up this year in bringing their fastest times. …A lot of the kids were more into breaking records, which got the team to a more competitive level.”

That competitiveness, noted Mundy, was one of the major keys to success in 2007. In short, Mundy said, the kids fed off each other as the season progressed, challenging each other to do better week by week.

Among the highlights of the season was 6-year-old J.P. Raimondi’s record-breaking performance earlier in the season, in which the swimmer broke an 18-year-old cabana club record in boys’ freestyle twice within one week.

“They all battle each other out for the head spot in the relay, for the fastest time, or for who will break the next record,” said Mundy. “I think that was a big contributing factor to how successful they were.”

Mundy said another key to success is familiarity. Each year, he said, the team’s swimmers keep coming back improved in various aspects of the sport. Improvement, he noted, that is accomplished because of each swimmer’s individual dedication to getting better. On top of that, Mundy noted, the team’s success can also be attributed to the tireless efforts put in by the team’s coaching staff, which included parent volunteer Dennis McKenna.

“It really helps to have them there and have that relationship with the kids and get into what they need to work on specifically,” Mundy said.

Most of all, Mundy said, the best part of the 2007 swim season was seeing the swimmers, regardless of age, come into their own while having a fun time at the pool this summer.

“Seeing the kids develop, seeing them get out of their shells and becoming more of an individual, seeing the true leaders come out and the hard workers step it up, that’s the best part about it,” Mundy said. “It’s about seeing the kids have fun.”

Sports Briefs

Tryouts for De Anza Force – U12 Girls’ Competitive Soccer
Girls’ U12 Soccer Tryouts (born after 07/31/1995). De Anza Force competitive teams. Schedules are Tuesdays and Thursdays. Class 3 (Competitive): 3pm-5pm; Class 1 (Select): 5pm-7pm. Location is Eaton Elementary School, 20220 Suisun Dr., Cupertino. For more information, contact: Stephanie Pearson at 619-917-7594. 


Silicon Valley Tigers youth tackle football now accepting applications
The Silicon Valley Tigers are still accepting applications for players between the ages of 6 and 14 for their youth tackle football teams.  We are a non-profit organization that was founded in 2006. We are dedicated to preparing the youths of Silicon Valley to play football at the high school level. We are a member of the highly competitive NYFL football league.

To register, or for more information, please go to our web site www.siliconvalleytigers.com and follow the instructions.  We have excellent coaching staffs in place for all teams.   If you have any questions about the Tigers or the NYFL, please contact Mary Ann O'Hara at 408-646-7748, Rod Abarca at 408-836-7844 or email rod@siliconvalleytigers.com.


Join the Almaden Aftershocks Boys’ U14 Soccer
The Almaden Aftershocks U14 Boys’ competitive soccer team is looking for several new players (born between Aug. 1, 1993 and July 31, 1994) for the fall season to be part of a winning tradition and a team-family culture. The Aftershocks’ coaches strive to improve fundamental soccer skills, build team spirit, improve physical fitness, create life-long friendships, and focus on team-building attitudes and fair play through practicing and playing soccer, and having fun! Our players are personally trained by an English Premier Trainer. Contact coach Mark Schrick at schrick@pacbell.net or (408) 391-6664 for more information.


Bay Area Boot Camp 5K Fitness Training Program
Boot Camp dates are from September 10 - November 4 at South Bay locations. The cost is $125 - All proceeds benefit the Bay Area Women's Sports Initiative. The 5K Fitness Training program, developed by Bay Area Boot Camp’s expert coaching staff, is a comprehensive workout series designed to prepare you for the Silicon Valley 5K Run/Walk on November 4, 2007.

Designed for runners of all levels, this 8-week program includes:

Eight weekly training sessions led by Bay Area Boot Camp coaches

A detailed schedule of running, speed, and cross-training drills

A Training log to help you track your progress and keep your focus

An eight-week nutrition plan designed to support your training and optimize your energy level

Unlimited phone and email support from our coaching staff of veteran 5K, 10K, and marathon runners

15% off September and October Boot Camp sessions - an ideal way to enhance your race preparations and cross train in a supportive group environment

A pre-race party – get to know your fellow 5K racers and learn more about BAWSI!

For more information, contact Mary Beth Gonzales at marybeth@bayareabootcamp.com or phone 408-425-9475. Visit our website at www.bayareabootcamp.com.

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