August 10, 2006

SPORTS

Tennis tandem

USTA Girls’ 18 National Championships co-tournament directors see
more than tennis by giving back to players, underprivileged

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

The USTA Girls’ 18 National Championships have arrived in Almaden once more, and once more, the co-tournament directors for the event, Andrea Norman and Jennifer Pitzen, are as busy as ever.

Cameron Hubbs serves against Christina Liles in an early morning match on August 9 at AVAC during tournament play for the USTA Girls 18 National Championships. Photos by Jeff Frazee

The event, currently running Aug. 6-13 and held annually at the Almaden Valley Athletic Center (AVAC), pits the nation’s top female tennis players, both professional and amateur, against one another for the coveted prize of a wild card to compete in the U.S. Open in New York. The draw for the event is 192 singles players and 96 doubles teams from across the country. In total, more than 200 girls compete in the event, with several singles players also playing on doubles teams.

For Pitzen and Norman, the tournament represents a hectic time, albeit for a sport they both love. The two women, who play tennis together regularly at AVAC on the Women’s 4.0 team, said they begin planning for the event well in advance.

Preparations starts early
“I start marketing in January and February,” said Pitzen, an Almaden resident. “…I start corporate sponsorships around March. We’ll actually sit down and hash (things out) right after this is over to see what we can do to make things different next year. We take constant notes.”

The 2006 USTA Girls’ 18 National Championships also marks the 14th year the event has been held primarily at AVAC, which allows the tournament to use the facility’s 11 courts. Additionally, the Los Gatos Swim and Racquet Club has donated eight if its courts for some of the tournament’s matches throughout the first three days.

The one common goal in mind for both women when running the tournament, or for that matter, in doing anything with tennis, is giving back.

For the players who participate in the USTA Girls’ 18 National Championships, giving back by Norman and Pitzen comes in the form of a college coaches forum. Each year, the tournament, widely considered the most prestigious Junior Tennis tournament in the nation, is peppered with college tennis coaches scouting out future talent. This year’s tournament, attended by approximately 70 colleges and its coaches, featured a forum that allows players to introduce themselves and chat with college coaches about the possibility of future scholarships.

“They have a table laid out with all of their (college) literature, and the girls are able to go in for two-and-a-half hours and approach them and meet with them,” Pitzen said of the college coaches forum. “…The girls have an organized manner of being able to contact the coach, and the coach in return can make four or five main contacts. Every girl that’s here has the ability to be placed somewhere for a college scholarship.”

Helping others
And while the Girls’ 18 National Championships provides an opportunity to top female tennis players to showcase their skills and advance their careers, it’s the lives of the local underprivileged kids that Norman and Pitzen are concerned with a great deal as well. All proceeds from the tournament fund the San Jose chapter of the After School All Stars, an organization that provides children with opportunities to take part in sports and educational, community and cultural enrichment programs.

Together Andrea Norman and Jennifer Pitzer are key elements is organizing and running the 2006 USTA Girls 18 National Championships at Almaden Valley Athletic Club.

The overall message of the organization is for kids to say no to drugs, gangs and other harmful life-altering environments, while providing a positive learning experience. Last year, proceeds from the Girls’ 18 National Championships provided approximately $20,000 in funding for the organization.

Each year, Pitzen and Norman also host a group of kids from After School All Stars at the tournament, while participating players autograph t-shirts. The goal with the day, in part, is to allow the kids from After School All Stars to see tennis in action and become fans of the sport.

“We believe really strongly in After School All Stars and their whole mission,” said Pitzen. “…The kids, at the end of the season, have a big barbeque and they get awards. We gave them ribbons and we sat and looked at each other and said, ‘this is because of us.’ That was kind of cool. It was just fun to see kids out there having fun, hitting balls and enjoying themselves.”

Their own nonprofit
The idea of giving the tournament’s proceeds to After School All Stars prompted Norman and Pitzen to start their own nonprofit organization, National Tennis Championships, in 1999.

“We felt really strongly that a charity should be benefiting from all of the work that is being done,” said Norman, a Willow Glen resident. “…And so we started the nonprofit and the club (AVAC) agreed and thought it was a worthy cause, allowing us to create a structure that gives money to this organization.”

More than that, National Tennis Championships is the organization officially in charge of running the USTA Girls’ 18 National Championships. To that end, both Pitzen and Norman said the tournament could not take place without numerous volunteers who give their time throughout the weeklong event. This year, approximately180 volunteers are helping run the event, making the USTA Girls’ 18 National Championships the only USTA Junior National Championship in the country that is entirely run by volunteers.

“If there wasn’t the two of us, let alone everybody else who volunteers, there’s no way this could happen,” Pitzen said.

“It makes us stand out as being a better tournament because people really care about what they’re doing here,” added Norman.

And while there’s tennis to be played and charitable causes to help fund, the one constant for the USTA Girls’ 18 National Championships is that Norman and Pitzen will be there. Pitzen has been involved with the tournament for 12 years, teaming up with Norman for most of that time to bring the event to Almaden each year. All told, the two women dedicate most of their spare time, and then some, working to make the tournament a success.

“By about the third call of the day, she’ll call and say, ‘hi honey, I mean, Jen,’” Pitzen said with a chuckle, referring to the numerous hours she and Norman spend together organizing the tournament. “She confuses me with her husband because we’re calling each other so often and half the time, we finish each other’s sentences.”

Sports Briefs

Cheer coaches needed for South Valley Pop Warner
Cheer coaches are needed for South Valley Pop Warner. If you're interested in joining a team of outstanding coaches, call Tiana Zarate at (408) 464-3285 or Teresa Smith at (408) 603-8280, or go to http://www.stpopwarner.org/

Sports officials needed for high school sports
FERMAR Corporation, which contracts with high schools in Santa Clara County, is recruiting officials for high school athletics. Officials are needed for fall season sports such as football, volleyball and field hockey.

Men and women are encouraged to apply. No experience is necessary, as FERMAR will provide training through classes, clinics and tests. All training materials are provided.

Officials are paid $32-$61 per game, depending on the sport and level of competition. Additional opportunities to officiate youth and adult sports are also available.

Interested parties are encouraged to call FERMAR at (408) 567-1700.

Bret Harte Middle School needs a dance coach
Bret Harte Middle School is looking for a coach to lead its after-school dance team.  Responsibilities will include overseeing try-outs, uniform selection, practices, performances, and competitions. 

This position will be under the direction of the school administration and Bret Harte Booster. For more information, call Don McCloskey or Julie Herbert at (408) 535-6270.

San Jose Strikkers 18U girls fast-pitch softball traveling team tryouts
The San Jose Strikkers, an 18U girls’ fast-pitch softball team based in San Jose, is holding fall ball tryouts Aug. 13 and 27 at Oak Grove High School. Pitchers and catchers begin at 9 a.m. and all other position players begin at 10:30 a.m.

For more information, contact Frank King at (408) 406-8191 or Richard Fangonilo at (408) 274-9301, or e-mail fgking25@aol.com or rfangonilo@sjm.com.

For additional information, got to the team Web site http://www.eteamz.com/sanjosestrikkers18u

Almaden National Junior Basketball signups
Almaden National Junior Basketball (NJB) signups will be starting Aug. 15. Boys and girls grades one through eight are eligible. The 11-game season starts Dec. 3. For details and signups, e-mail almadenjb@homestead.net or call Ken Keiser (408) 592-4190 with questions.

Central Coast Volleyball Club tryouts
Central Coast Volleyball Club (CCVC) is holding tryouts for boys age 14-18 on Aug. 26 from 2-6 p.m. at Leland High School.

For more information about tryouts, call (408) 391-3201 or e-mail ccvclub@hotmail.com. For additional information about CCVC, go to www.ccvclub.com.

Volleyball club spikes right the first time

Central Coast Volleyball Club lands top-20 finish nationally at Minneapolis Junior Olympics

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

The inaugural campaign of Leland coach Jason Hilbert’s brainchild—Central Coast Volleyball Club—has planted Almaden Valley and Blossom Valley on the map competing for top section stars on the local club volleyball circuit.

Hilbert reveled recently as the top-rung Boys’ 18 and under ‘Blacks’ finished 13th nationally at the USA Volleyball Junior Olympics finals in Minneapolis July 4-14. The performance signaled the club’s arrival amongst South Bay volleyball elite, a hopeful indication that South Valley public school programs will continue to improve and create a great avenue to lure college scouts to campus.

Kevin Kashanian (#21of 18 Reds from Leland) hits around Tobin Chase (of 17 Brown from Willow Glen) at the NCVA California Finals in Sacramento on June 3-4th. Photo by Jeff LaPlante

After suffering through the first day, dropping three consecutive matches, the A-team Blacks battled back to capture the bronze division crown, according to Hilbert, who handpicked the squad to represent the program that he and Willow Glen coach Jef Wind visualize as the BVAL’s representation amongst national club contenders.

While the high school volleyball scene continues to grow in the area, club volleyball has long been the measuring stick for advanced play. And without a local club, South Bay volleyball athletes had been overlooked and under-coached, according to recruiters.

“I’m ecstatic,” said Hilbert. “I couldn’t even have dreamed this up in my best case scenario. I knew we had talented players. But everything just came together well. We had great parents and great players with great attitudes. Everyone put a lot of faith in us to do something right, too. It was a sink or swim kind of thing.”

Hilbert said that he and Wind spent time observing other club programs, and that the lesson he learned was that club play contributed directly to league-wide technical improvements in high school play that followed. It seemed that was a result of heightened competition and focused coaching time.

“I saw it as a chance,” said Hilbert. “I was actually helping over at the club team APEX in Los Gatos and we watched the Los Gatos kids get better. I said, ‘hey, let’s get the BVAL kids better.’”

Between Leland and Willow Glen, Hilbert had lured the top two Mount Hamilton Division programs to join forces. Top De Anza Division contender Homestead caught word and also aligned. “The West Catholic league rules everything,” said Hilbert. “We got some Homestead and Los Gatos kids. I said let’s build a club.”

Homestead coach Matt Hoffman eventually offered his coaching expertise as well. It was Hoffman, in fact, that led the A-team Blacks, the CCVC’s only Junior Olympic qualifier in this initial year.

“There are what is known as qualifier tournaments,” said Hilbert. “This is where you get to bid for open [spots] in the Junior Olympics. They happen in the early part of winter. The kids play high school, and then they come back and play three tournaments for the summer.”

The Blacks earned its Junior Olympic bid when the team captured the first tournament on the schedule in Sacramento, while three other CCVC teams failed to qualify officially.

They trekked to Minneapolis all the same, however, competing in the Open division.

“The program is like any other club sport, where you are really paying to play,” said Hilbert. “These are high school kids from the area. They try out and we organize them all by age.”

Tryouts are typically held toward the end of summer, and the season kicks off in the fall, before high school season. Club volleyball, in fact, breaks for high school season.

“The summer stuff was the culmination of the whole club year,” said Hilbert.

The 18 members of the Blacks, named for organizational purposes, and the B-team Red, entered the tournament as the 36th seed overall, scratching and setting their way to the 13th position. They were paced by recent Leland graduate and volleyball standout Scott Lucas, who Hilbert described as a fiery leader that delivered an immense intangible presence and consistency to the team. Sacred Heart Cathedral’s CCS player of the year award winner Justin Lam also helped the young CCVC club along.

“The highlight was winning the bronze,” said Hilbert. “The cross town club is named Bay to Bay. To win the bronze, we beat them. It’s always great to beat a rival.”

Homestead setter Ryan Bridge also starred on the A-team.

B-team coaches recognized the efforts of Leland middle blocker Kevin Kashanian and Oak Grove standout Tau Iosefa throughout the tournament.

Willow Glen juniors Tobin Chase and Robby Payne paced the 17-and-under Browns, named for the coach’s favorite color, while Hilbert highlighted Leland sophomore Seth Anderson and Branham outside hitter Ryan Weald as potential prospects in the future, based on their performance in CCVC 16-and-under action.

For more information and upcoming tryout dates, visit www.centralcoastsectionvolleyball.net.

Camp Volleyball

Pioneer girls’ volleyball camp stresses fundamentals; three-day
event run by former SJSU coach Gary Mano

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

The sounds of pounding volleyballs against the Pioneer gymnasium’s hardwood floor might have signaled to some the start of the fall season—but they would be wrong.

Tryouts and practices in anticipation for the 2006 fall volleyball are still days away, but that didn’t stop a group of more than 30 girls ages 12-18 in taking part in Pioneer girls’ volleyball camp, Aug. 1-3. The day camp, which accommodated players of all skill levels, was run by former San Jose State University head girls’ volleyball coach Gary Mano. He received a helping hand from Pioneer head girls’ volleyball coach Michelle Ritter.

Gary Mano instructs girls attending Pioneer High School's summer volleyball camp. Mano recently ended ten years as a coach for San Jose State University's women's volleyball team. Photos by Jeff Frazee

Ritter said the idea of holding the camp at Pioneer was a creation of Mano and herself. For several years, Ritter’s volleyball players attended Mano’s volleyball camp, held at SJSU, as part of their regimens in getting ready for tryouts and the upcoming season. Mano, who previously ran the camp for girls ages 8-17, agreed to the idea of moving the camp to Pioneer. So far, said Mano, the idea, which was termed a “satellite volleyball camp,” has paid off.

“The benefit of it is that we get all the Pioneer girls here, and the kids who are coming into the high school, we get them all in the same system at the very beginning,” said Mano, who coached at SJSU from 1995-2005. “…And then we get to work with the team, so there’s the benefit of them getting extra practice, bonding as a team, learning about their teammates and trying to figure out how to improve in areas. There’s a real benefit to having this satellite camp at the high school.”

Although several of the girls attending the camp were beginners, there was also a strong contingent of current and former Pioneer players on hand. Two former players, Brittany Faul and Stephanie Morales, were there to help assist Mano with coaching duties, as well as fill in on the court as players during games. Ritter said several of the girls vying for a spot on the 2006-07 volleyball team were also there as a tune-up for impending Pioneer volleyball tryouts, which she said was a boon.

“I get three more days to look at them and evaluate them, so I know what they can do and I can see how well they play together,” said Ritter. “It’s really nice to have so many of them out (at camp).”

And while Mano and Ritter have coached at vastly different levels, both agree on one thing—a solid base in volleyball fundamentals for all players.

To that end, every player taking part in the camp went through fundamental volleyball drills on day one, regardless of ability level. As the camp progressed, players were divided into different groups, based on skill level, learning different offensive and defensive plays from Mano, as well as several other nuances of the game.

Mano said learning those fundamentals, such as footwork and proper body positioning on digs, allows players to blossom more easily at higher levels as their careers progress. In stressing how to do things “the right way” in volleyball, Mano enlisted the help of SJSU assistant girls’ volleyball coach Jeremy Penaflor and SJSU volleyball player Dyana Thompson at the camp.

“The nice thing is that they get to hear the same things that I’ve been telling them for the past year or so from another coach,” said Ritter of stressing the fundamentals on the camp’s first day. “Coming from somebody different, they realize that this isn’t something that I’m just picking on with them. …For the new girls, it’s really great for them to be able to see what a hard hit looks like, what a great serve looks like, from the college level.”

Mano said the emphasis is on making good volleyball athletes, rather than simply looking at the size and pure physical abilities of a player, something many colleges look at first when recruiting players.

“We try to teach them to be good volleyball players,” said Mano. “I think that’s lost in these things. A lot of college coaches recruit height and athleticism. At San Jose State, we’ve always recruited good volleyball players. Kids who know the game and understand how the game works.”

As for Ritter, she said she’s pleased to see her players at the camp have the dedication it takes to win in the sport. Ritter said that in the process of building up the girls’ volleyball program at Pioneer throughout the past few years, she sees players, especially multiple-sport athletes, at the school beginning to take the sport more seriously. Hence, those players are willing to put more time into improving in the sport, despite commitments to other sports at the school.

“Last year we tried to get some girls to go to camp and I think we had about three or four actual varsity girls, but most of them were from JV,” Ritter said. “This year, I’ve got about 11 or 12 girls who are trying out for varsity at camp … it shows a level of dedication that they’re willing to come.”

Stick it!

Local California Sports Centers celebrate National Gymnastics Day,
raise money for Children’s Miracle Network

By Margo Consul
Times Intern

On Saturday, Aug. 5, California Sports Centers in Willow Glen, San Jose and Sunnyvale celebrated National Gymnastics Day.

Nine-year-old Almaden resident Yasmin Barrows, who is a level-3 gymnast, gets some help on the parallel bars at the CSC on Malone Road.

“Anyone who wants to come in and learn how to do a handstand” is welcome to participate in the clinics and fitness challenges, said Jessica Snead, the special event coordinator for CSC.

The day was created to promote gymnastics and raise funds for the Children’s Miracle Network, but this year’s theme created a new outlook.

“This year USA gymnastics created an atmosphere focused around fitness. Gymnastics is a very specific activity, but what benefits does it provide?” said David Peterson, director of CSC. “The upper body strength, the flexibility and motor skills,” are things that can be gained by doing gymnastics, he added. Peterson was at the Race Street location on Saturday for the celebration.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mayor Ron Swegles of Sunnyvale and the San Jose City Council recognized and proclaimed Aug. 5 National Gymnastics Day. City Councilman Chuck Reed went to the Race Street location to present the proclamation and celebrate the event.

“If you let the kids sit at home and do nothing, they will sit at home and do nothing,” Reed said. “My kids are grown and gone, but I got them engaged in gymnastics and other sports at an early age. It was tremendously helpful to me as a parent to have them doing those things and extremely valuable for them to have those opportunities, and I want to support that in our community.”

California Sports Centers held the event for two hours and provided three separate activities. The first was a handstand clinic for children 6 and up. The next saw the competitive children performing floor routines for the younger children to watch. In the last segment, the children competed in fitness challenges.

Peterson described the challenges as “circuit-based. They would be introduced to a skill and a handstand. Then they would rotate in circuits or follow their coaches to do a series of tests. They would do things like pushups, sit ups and hangs or flexibility,” he said.

The weekend was not only about gymnastics, it was also about helping others.

“National Gymnastics Day started about five years ago. The primary focus of the event is to promote the sport of gymnastics. It was also created to fund-raise for the Children’s Miracle Network, and that’s been a partner of the event since its inception,” Peterson said.

On Saturday, 225 children participated at the six locations and 100 percent of their fees were donated to the Children’s Miracle Network. CSC hoped to raise $5,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network with CSC matching up to $1,000 as a company.

The event as a whole ran smoothly with almost half of the money raised at the CSC location on Malone Road in Willow Glen by 2 p.m.

“I define the success of the event by the participation,” Snead said. “Whether it be one child or 500 children that are members, or non-members, or part of the community. If we can help one child improve a skill and build their confidence then that would be a success. The more we can reach into their lives and help them build self-esteem and confidence and embrace physical fitness the sweeter the success.”

Completed and overheated

One-time San Jose State professor Marvin Snowbarger charges
hard across 135-mile course at Badwater Ultra Marathon

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

Sixty-nine-year-old Almaden resident Marvin Snowbarger completed his second Badwater Ultra Marathon in Death Valley July 25, covering 135 miles under roasting 125-degree heat in a blistering 46 hours and 13 minutes.

Badwater is reputedly one of the most grueling foot races in the world, and features the top competitors internationally. An ultra marathon, distinguished from 26.6-mile Olympic distance marathons by any longer coursed distance, the Death Valley jaunt spans 130 miles and two days for most competitors, from beginning to end.

“It was unknown what to expect my first time in 2004,” said second-time challenger Snowbarger. “I didn’t know whether I could handle the heat or the distance. In 2006, I came in and knew I could finish, but we ran into problems with heat, chafing, sleep deprivation and a flash rainstorm flood in the area. It put me in the van for an hour.”

Almaden man and retired SJSU prof Marvin Snowbarger completed the 135-mile badwater course in under two days. Photo courtesy of www.badwater.com

In Snowbarger’s second finish—he crossed in 2004 for the first time in 43 hours, 8 minutes—he was disappointed to take mere minutes longer to complete the grueling course. Badwater is renowned for its laissez-faire approach to first aid. No orange Gatorade buckets, volunteers waiting with cup in hand, shade in the desert, unless you pack them yourself, according to Snowbarger, a former San Jose State University professor of economics.

Badwater is entirely unsupervised. Teams in trailers trail their assigned competitor, quick to offer a cot and supplements to ignite energy, such as protein bars and enhanced water drinks. But the catch is it’s a ‘bring-your-own-everything’ deal in Death Valley.

Snowbarger said that while the trailer is reassuring, athletes who hope to win aim to stay away from it as long as possible. And, surprisingly, he said, few serious injury accounts spread. “You have to go down there with no supplies, no food or medical supplies provided,” he said.

“In many events people talk about people who support them and how important they are,” said Snowbarger. “But in this event, it is absolutely critical that they stay with you because in Death Valley, if they don’t give you the help you need, you are finished.”

Snowbarger’s crew consisted of four volunteers. Two would trail him and the other two would sleep in a nearby hotel.

“In Badwater, you have to run against traffic, so you are running on the left side of the road and the van is opposite,” he said. “One crew member drives and one acts as the messenger between the van and the runner, supplying information on food and drink, pacing you and providing company for the second person in the van.”

Snowbarger expressed disappointment, in fact, at his particular ailments, representing his crew, despite daunting conditions.

“Most people are out there on the course past one full day because you have to run through the night to compete,” he said. “I don’t actually sleep. You just try to keep going.”

Exhaustion and nagging pains, he said, forced Snowbarger into the van for about three hours of rest, following the first stop at Stove Pipe Wells, 42 miles into the race. “On a couple of those, I went to sleep for maybe 20-25 minutes,” he said.

It appeared as though Snowbarger would top his initial mark when he checked into Stove Pipe Wells two miles ahead of the time he had arrived in 2004. But conditioning caught him in the second half when he said that he lost 5 miles’ time.

“In ‘04, I was pushing 100 miles per week on my feet, running, climbing my trails in Almaden Quicksilver Park,” said Snowbarger. “In ’06, I never got over 65 miles per week. There were several reasons for that, but I went in under-trained.”

Always striving for perfection, the average athlete as he described himself, had never excelled much in sports before he learned about the ultra marathon circuit.

Prior to lacing up for the first time in 1998, Snowbarger exercised by riding horses with members from the Almaden Equestrian Center. It happened that several riders also enjoyed long distance running, unwinding over 30-plus miles trekked on foot.

“I got hooked up with some guys here locally,” said Snowbarger. “Several of my horse friends were doing that stuff. I always thought they were crazy.”

However, Ed Vandenhoogen, also from Almaden, a reported staple within the local running community, passed away after suffering a stroke in December of 1997. Snowbarger felt compelled to take his place in the circle. “I thought, ‘well, maybe I’ll try it,’” he said. “I took his spot in the rotation.”

Soon another friend offered Snowbarger a book that chronicled a man’s ultra marathon training experience, “To the Edge” by New York Times journalist Kirk Johnson. By April of 1998, Snowbarger was registered to run at American River, a 50-mile course, renowned for an insignia printed pullovers for finishers.

“I did it for the completion garment,” he said. “It could be a vest, pullover, windbreaker, but it has that American River logo on the left breast.”

Snowbarger advised that while it is possible for people with any range of athleticism to complete the race, people interested in pursuing ultra marathons and the Badwater race in particular ought to research first. “Take an exploratory year or a year on crew to get out there and see how the whole thing works because it is so complicated with the heat and support and supplies,” he said. “It is a major undertaking.”

Almaden resident Dan Marinsik also completed the Badwater course this year, as did Saratoga resident Jim McGill.

For more information, visit www.badwater.com.

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