SPORTS

Leland opens football practice with many new faces

Several positions up for grabs as Chargers try
to rebound from disappointing 2004 season

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

The Leland football team began to work on its 2005 football season with morning and afternoon practices on Aug. 15.

Leland head coach Jason Tenner (blue shirt) looks on as the Chargers practice on Aug. 15. Tenner is in his first year as head coach after serving as an assistant coach on defense last year. Photo by Diego Abeloos

And if the faces on the field were unfamiliar, it’s with good reason. After finishing the 2004 season with a disappointing 3-7 record in the Mt. Hamilton Division, the Chargers are fielding a team with plenty of newcomers. They go along with one familiar face in a new spot in head coach Jason Tenner, who served as an assistant coach on defense last season.

“We’re trying to replace a lot of seniors who graduated, so we’re trying to work some other kids in positions they haven’t played before and get better on a day-to-day basis,” Tenner said. “Today some players took baby steps forward and some took baby steps backwards. We need the team to take steps forward; that’s what it’s going to take to compete in our league.”

Among the faces no longer in camp are running backs Kirk Andre and Kyle Jones, who combined for 833 yards rushing in 2004. Also missing are linebacker/fullback Alex Bynum and wide receiver Art King Jr., two senior leaders on last year’s squad. To top things off, quarterback Cory Williams, a junior on the 2004 team, transferred to Lynbrook for his senior year.

To that end, Tenner has been mostly mum on who has the inside track on open positions in camp.

“As far as I’m concerned, no job is secure,” said Tenner. “We did go to a couple of team camps [during summer], and there are certain players who have put themselves in the lead, so to speak, when it comes to position battles. I had individual meetings with every player last week, and I told them that everything’s up for grabs. If they want to work hard enough and make improvements, any job can be taken.”

Tenner added that the running back position will see competition between junior Lance Gemette and senior Steven Ruel, both returning players from last year’s team who combined for 216 yards rushing in 2004. Those players, and anyone else with an eye on the running back position, will play an important role in Tenner’s run-based offense.

“What we’re trying to do is, we evaluated our personnel and we put our kids in the best position to succeed,” Tenner said. “Right now that happens to be with us running the fly (formation), utilizing misdirection and making our opponents guess where the ball is going. From there we’re going to use our best attributes, which would be our intelligence. We’re going to mix things up and get after people on the ground.”

Quarterback is also a question mark as camp progresses. Kyle Walker, who spent time as a starter last year as a junior at the position, is competing with Garrett Avilla, a junior who started last year on the frosh/soph squad. Tenner said Walker has improved on his arm strength during the off-season, but like many other positions, he is expecting a spirited battle for the starting job.

“For any team, the quarterback has to be the leader on the field for the offense,” Tenner said. “They have to understand everybody’s role and he has to be able to instruct everybody in the huddle. He has to have everybody’s confidence and lead the offense. As far as Walker and Avilla, both have done a great job thus far and worked hard this summer. They’re both going to continue to grow and I think both will be in a position to play this year and help us win some ballgames.”

As for Tenner, the transition from assistant coach to head coach has occurred without too many bumps in the road. Upon former head coach Kelly Edwards’ resignation following the 2004 season, Tenner took over football operations on an interim basis, running weight-training sessions in the off-season before getting the head coaching position prior to the end of the school year.

“It’s a tough job,” Tenner said. “It’s very time-consuming, and right now I’m a little beat down but practice is energizing me. I’m excited and anxious to get to some games and get this season underway.”

Leland begins the 2005 season with a non-league game on Sept. 3 at home against Santa Clara at 1:15 p.m.

Sports Briefs

Central Valley Edge holds youth soccer tryouts
CV Edge, a Class 3/U-17 girls’ soccer team, is offering Monday/ Wednesday tryouts to girls born after 7/31/88 for the fall season for all positions. Contact Patty Rashid (408) 267-2740 or Ary Afsari at (408) 507-7008 for more information.

South Valley Lacrosse Chiefs offer Aug. 20 free clinic
South Valley Lacrosse Chiefs are offering a free clinic during the summer for kids in grades three through eight on Aug. 20 from 10 a.m. to noon at Williams Elementary School in San Jose. 

The Chiefs are adding a seventh/eighth grade team in spring 2006. The free summer clinics give newcomers a chance to try the sport before they purchase equipment (loaner sticks available on first-come, first-served basis). So bring a friend and come have some fun with lacrosse. RSVP to joy.bender@prodigy.net.  Our Web site is www.svlax.com.

Almaden Metro holds soccer tryouts
Almaden Metro Class 3, U-17 boys, is holding tryouts for fall season most Sundays. Date of birth after 7/31/88. Contact Jeff Earl at (408) 268-5125 or jesvo11@yahoo.com.

Bret Harte seeks boys junior lacrosse coaches
Bret Harte Middle School in San Jose is looking for boys’ junior lacrosse coaches for the 2005-06 season. Multiple positions are available for both head coaches and assistants.

Previous lacrosse coaching experience strongly recommended; competitive salary. If you are skilled in lacrosse, kid-oriented and motivated to create a winning team from the ground floor up, we would love to talk with you! This is an exciting, and rapidly growing sport in California, and these Bret Harte boys are ready to go!

For more information, contact Mike Garcia at 408-590-6949 or emailmgarcia@gmail.com.

BU-12 Select Soccer team is looking for a goalie
Almaden Valley Storm, a Class 1, U-12 boys’ select soccer team, is looking for a full-time goalkeeper. Last year, the Almaden Storm advanced to the round 16 in state cup and was knocked out by one of the teams that went to the finals. 

The team hopes to win the cup. If you have a son who wants to play goalie full time and has had some comp or select level playing experience, feel free to come to our Tuesday and Thursday practices. The age group for BU12 is date of birth 08/01/93 to 7/31/94 or younger, if he is good goalkeeper. Contact Mo Bani-Taba for location and times at (408) 221-5377 or mbanitaba@yahoo.com.

U-15 comp girls’ soccer team needs a goalie
Almaden Phoenix, a Class 3, comp U-15 girls soccer team needs a full-time goalie. We have an extremely good team put together for the fall season—two goalie coaches. Must be born after 8/1/90. Please contact Scott Hoyt at 408-323-7803 or shoyt@cinnabarhills.com.

Strikkers softball tryouts for fall
18U Strikkers fall team tryouts are Aug. 20, 21 and 28 at Oak Grove High School. Pitchers/ catchers start at 9 a.m. and position players start at 10:30 am. Contact Frank King (408) 227-8191 or Richard Fangonilo (408) 274-9301 or e-mail rfangonilo@sjm.com.

16U Strikkers fall team tryouts are Sept. 21 and 28 at Pioneer High School for pitchers and catchers at 9 a.m. and position players at 10:30 a.m. Contact Ernie Garcia (408) 281-7855.

10U, 12U, 14U Strikkers fall team tryouts are Sept. 21 and 28 at Pioneer High School for pitchers and catchers at 12:30 p.m. and position players at 2 p.m. Contact Ernie Garcia (408) 281-7855.

For more information about the Strikkers, go to www.strikkers.org.

Pioneer football campaign begins with Aug. 15 practice

Defense among main concerns for Pioneer coaching staff

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

Pioneer football kicked off the start of its 2005 campaign with two-a-day practices beginning with an early morning practice on Aug. 15. By all accounts, the happiest man on the field was Pioneer head coach Mark Krail.

Pioneer Head Coach Mark Krail looks on as players stretch during an Aug. 15 practice. Krail says he is looking for improvements on defense out of the Mustangs, who went 6-4-1 last season. Photo by Diego Abeloos

“We’ve had our eye on Aug. 15 for six months now,” Krail said. “The guys are excited and running around. We certainly found out today there’s a lot of work to do. We’ve got some new people in new spots, and we’ve got to make it work.”

With a scrimmage set for Aug. 26 against Lincoln and the first non-league game on the schedule for Sept. 2, Krail sees plenty of work ahead for his squad.

Among Krail’s concerns is the defense. Despite going 6-4-1 during the regular season in 2004, Krail said there were many games his team could have won if the defense was tighter. Among those games for Krail was the 33-26 loss to Soquel in the first round of the CCS Small Division Playoffs on Nov. 20.

So it comes as no surprise that defense is one facet of the game that Krail and his staff are focusing on as the 2005 season approaches.

“Soquel was indicative of a problem that we had on defense in a lot of our games,” said Krail. “We averaged 29 points a game and didn’t win some of those games. It was a real focal point for us to get better on defense in general.”

Among those Krail is counting on defensively is C.J. Miller, a linebacker who averaged 13 tackles per game last season during his junior year.

“He’s going to be the quarterback of our defense,” Krail said of Miller. “He plays middle-backer and he played just about every down last year. We’re expecting big things out of him.”

Among the positions Krail is keeping his eye on are running back and quarterback.

Last season, Krail enjoyed a running tandem of Shaun Souza and Andrew Schulz that combined for a total of 2,104 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns. With Schulz gone after graduating in May, the running game will depend on Souza (1,270 yards, 10 TDs in 2004) and whoever else among the numerous candidates in camp steps up to make Krail’s run-based offense function.

“We expect him to run like he always has,” Krail said of Souza. “If defenses overload to try and stop Shaun, then somebody else has to take advantage of that. Shaun’s a very hard worker and one of the leaders of our team. We’re just asking him to do what he does, nothing more. Just do what you do and then we’ll have an answer based on what the defense does.”

Quarterback Chris Foley returns after getting a crash course at the varsity level as a sophomore last year. Although the numbers (55 percent completions, 2 TDs and 8 INTs in 2004) were not eye-opening, Krail said his quarterback benefited from his year at the varsity level and is looking for Foley to do some more things with his arm in 2005.

“We believe in the running game and we believe that the run sets up the pass,” said Krail. “We’re not going to drastically open things up (on offense), but yeah, I’m confident that he’ll be able to do more things. He’s become a leader on offense and he runs our offense very well from a control standpoint.”

Pioneer’s 2005 season kicks off Sept. 2 at home with a non-league contest against Gunderson at 7:30 p.m. The Mustangs will hold a scrimmage at home against Lincoln on Aug. 26 at 4 p.m.

MAG Foundation to hold fifth annual golf classic Sept. 15

Foundation hopes to raise awareness, holds testing for colorectal cancer

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

When Michael Gard lost his battle with colorectal cancer on July 18, 2000, his family decided to turn their pain into hope for others.

His children, Jason and Shana, established the Michael A. Gard Foundation in 2001, with the sincere hope of raising funds for early detection screening and to increase colorectal cancer awareness.

“Mike was very active in the community, and I think he instilled in the kids to give back what you get,” said Diane Gard of her late husband, who died at the age of 53. “When they watched other families going through the cancer treatments as well, they felt that they needed to something to make people aware that some of this can be prevented.”

Michael Gard, who lived in Almaden for more than 30 years, was an avid golfer who frequented Cinnabar Hills Golf Club. So, the foundation began to host the Michael A. Gard (MAG) Golf Classic annually at that site. The golf club also served as the site for Michael Gard’s memorial service.

“It was something that we did together and it was something that he enjoyed,” Diane Gard said. “…It (Cinnabar) was the last place he played golf.”

The Foundation, which will hold its fifth annual MAG Golf Classic Sept. 15 at Cinnabar, has a simple but important mission to educate the public about colorectal cancer.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. The CDC estimates that more than 145,000 new cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed in 2005. It also estimates that more than 56,000 colorectal cancer-related deaths will occur in the United States this year.

“It is no longer an older gentlemen’s disease,” said Diane Gard. “It is a disease that strikes everyone at all ages. Testing is the No. 1 cure. So if you have the symptoms or any symptoms, just get tested.”

More than 130 golfers took part in last year’s MAG Golf Classic, which raised approximately $25,000. That money went directly into educating the public about colorectal cancer and to hold colorectal cancer screenings for those who can’t afford to pay for them.

In March, the MAG Foundation held colorectal cancer screenings in Hollister and found one cancer victim out of the numerous people screened. Still, Diane Gard said progress has been slow and methodical. Therefore, the MAG Foundation has teamed up with Strides for Life, another small cancer organization, in support for each group’s fundraising events.

In addition, the MAG Foundation is in the process of establishing a working relationship with the CDC’s Screen for Life campaign to widen the organization’s reach to the public with regard to colorectal cancer awareness.

“The MAG Foundation is trying to become a part of a larger umbrella and reach more people,” said Andrea Luci, public relations chairwoman for the MAG Foundation. “As we get more connected to groups doing the same thing, that carries more clout and makes people pay more attention to us.”

But as usual, getting the public’s attention requires time, and even more so, money.

“I don’t think it (the MAG Foundation) has taken leaps and bounds. I think it’s a slow process, making people aware and there are so many other small organizations out there like ours trying to do the same thing,” Diane Gard said. “There are things like the Canary Fund that got a lot of publicity because there was a lot of money. If you don’t have a lot of money, it’s a little difficult to get people to pay attention and for people to take an interest in it.”

For Diane Gard and her children, life as usual five years after her husband’s death is spending a great deal of time and effort making the public aware of the disease and with the hope of saving lives. With the MAG Golf Classic nearing, the foundation is still looking for event sponsors and corporate funding for colorectal screenings.
Regardless of money raised at the event, Diane Gard said any difference that is made is well worth the trouble.

“It’s worth it,” said Diane Gard. “All the work is worth it; anything is worth it. The more we make people aware of it, the more that I think it will save more lives. It’s just inevitable.”

Registration for the fifth annual MAG Golf Classic runs through Aug. 29 at a cost of $185 per participant. The $185 fee includes a golf cart, range balls, lunch, dinner and a polo shirt. Non-golfer guest dinners are also available at a cost of $50 per person. For more information, call Jason Gard at (408) 268-6589 or go to www.magfoundation.com.

For more information about colorectal cancer, go to www.cdc.gov.

Action sportsmen meet politicos

Dignitaries gathered to celebrate the Toyota Challenge, the fourth stop of the Dew Action Sports Tour, a first-ever, season-long professional multi-sport tour in action sports on Aug. 11 at the HP Pavilion. Among those on hand were San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales, District 1 Councilmember Linda LeZotte, San Jose Sports Authority Executive Director Dean Munro, HP Pavilion Vice President and General Manager Jim Goddard, Dew Action Sports Tour athlete and Los Gatos native Ryan Nyquist and Mike Wells, Vice President and General Manager for the San Francisco Region of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

“This is very exciting to announce the Toyota Challenge event of the Dew Action Sports Tour,” Gonzales said (pictured to the right of Nyquist, who is at the podium). “I am very excited about this tour coming to San Jose like many other activities that we have been able to recruit over the last couple of years to fill out our sports calendar and have been supported by our wonderful fans.”

The gathering was also held to publicly thank officials for their support and to acknowledge San Jose’s commitment to the growth of action sports. 

“I can’t even explain how excited I am for the Dew Action Sports Tour to come to San Jose,” said Nyquist, a graduate of Los Gatos High. “I grew up here, was born and raised here and this city holds a place in my heart.”

In a show of support and commitment to the tour, Wells, on behalf of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., handed Lezotte a donation check of $10,000 to the future Calabazas BMX Park at the press conference for the Dew Action Sports Tour, which takes place Sept. 8-11 at the HP Pavilion. 

The BMX Park was closed last November to redesign the park for safety reasons and to meet the needs of both BMX riders and park users. A committee, made up of city staff, neighbors, BMX riders, including Nyquist and parents met several times in 2005 to develop a plan for reopening the park. LeZotte said she has worked on securing the funding for development of the park and is committed to getting it open as soon as possible.  

“I am grateful to Toyota for supporting this community effort with their time and finances,” LeZotte said.  “District 1 residents have been working diligently to plan and improve the Calabazas Park BMX area. Toyota’s generosity will help to provide for the next generation of riders.”

Wily Gambale walks with USTA national championship

Almaden hosts tennis stars of tomorrow

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

Brains trumped talent at AVAC Sunday when Mary Gambale lobbed the Girls’ 18 National Hard Court championship’s gold beyond Alexa Glatch’s reach.

Mary Gambale serves up a thoughtful shot.

Challenger Alexa Glatch fires a missile down the line. Photos courtesy of Jeff Rottshoff and David Ikuta

Gambale and Glatch met as the top finalists in the annual tournament where the top 200 girls under 18 nationally travel to Almaden, chasing an automatic bid at the U.S. Open in New York.

No.1 seed Gambale raced to the podium, thankful for a 6-1 victory that ended the week’s drama in the final set. And that was after a classic 7-6(8) sudden-death tiebreaker that she took to open the match, along with No.2 seed Glatch’s 5-7 plea in the second.

“I don’t understand why Alexa was the favorite in this tournament when I’m ranked 240 in the world and she’s 500,” said Gambale, referencing the girls’ rankings on the Women’s Tennis Association’s professional circuit. “Last time I checked there were about 260 spots separating us. Sometimes you can’t just look at the flash.”

Gambale, a 16-year-old Mass-achusetts native, won by bating favored Glatch into a frustrated place. Late in the match, Gambale separated herself from her opponent’s Western Gripped onslaught with cerebral lobs and defense. The tactics resulted in numerous unforced errors.

Glatch entered the contest amidst great regard and fascination—at 15, she stands nearly 6 feet tall.

“Glatch is one of the top 15 juniors nationally and has likely got the most talent out of any American out there right now,” said longtime AVAC owner Joe Shank. “She came up against a defensive player, who probably will not go as far on the pro tour, but she’s like the human backboard. That’s very tough to play with.”

Gambale will compete at the Open next month.

Group effort
The action-packed finals epitomized the week’s efforts for approximately 200 volunteers who ran the event heeding direction from co-chairs Jen Pitzen and Andrea Norman.

Pitzen and Norman head a nonprofit group USTA Girls, which has arranged the event on behalf of AVAC for the past 16 years and counting. The annual tournament involves the community throughout, providing housing for each athlete, an unparalleled college coach’s forum for recruitment and a kids’ day with San Jose’s chapter of the national After School All-Stars program.

“We bused over 32 kids over to AVAC this year,” said All-Star Program Specialist James Jimenez. “They got to interview the players and watch games mostly. It is always a learning experience for kids out here. They have never seen peers their own age who are already stars.”

All proceeds from the event benefit the After School All-Stars, which nets a reported $60,000 throughout the year.
“This is the only USTA tournament run entirely by volunteers,” said Pitzen.

The USTA championship is considered the most prestigious amateur tournament in the nation, an honor for local AVAC to host.

However, according to owner Shank, AVAC has earned it.

“We have developed a reputation as good hosts,” he said. “We don’t feel threatened that anybody else will take the tournament. Andrea (Norman) and Jen (Pitzen) have taken running these tournaments to a whole new level, getting the community involved and implementing computers and volunteer efforts into scheduling. They’ve done a marvelous job.”

Another Silicon Valley startup founded in a garage

Team Millennium Taekwondo

By Ken Lotich
Times Intern

There’s a Silicon Valley startup expanding in a San Jose garage that’s got nothing to do with semiconductors, computers, networking, software or biotechnology.

Huy Nguyen performs a split kick.

After many years of taekwondo training in Vietnam and about another five years in the United States, brothers Anh and Huy Nguyen ventured off on their own and founded Team Millennium Taekwondo on Feb. 29, 2004.

They began with just a few members, but more than a year later, Team-M now consists of 16 people who perform taekwondo demonstrations throughout the Bay Area for businesses, local events and charities.

Team-M is funded completely by money received from performances. However, the team does charitable events at no charge. Recently, Team-M displayed their talents at a local Relay for Life event.

“Some shows we don’t take money,” said Anh, a third-degree black belt. “If it’s for a good cause, such as Relay for Life, we wouldn’t accept anything. All the other the money we receive, we use to pay for the team. Sometimes we have extra money, sometimes we don’t.”

David Nguyen performs a 540-degree spinning kick. Photos courtesy of Team Millennium Taekwondo

With the youngest member of Team-M at 10 years old and the oldest at 30, Huy said one of his goals is to see the squad expand and continue its diversity.

With plans to grow the team, Huy said he realizes their current practice facility—his garage—will no longer be adequate.

“The space is a little bit limited,” said Huy, a second-degree blackbelt. “But it’s kind of a family-oriented thing—it feels nice that way, and we’re really proud of ourselves.”

The brothers do not charge the team members any money to participate, which is something that Anh said is important.

“It’s tough on the financial side of things for some people,” Anh said. “People stop attending studios because it costs too much money. Here, we just try to come in to have fun and learn.”

Accomplishments
After grabbing two championships at the Northern California Choi’s Open, Huy said many of the other participants came up to him amazed at what Team-M could do.

Long Nguyen prepares for multiple ground kicks—five targets.

“We still get things done and get first (place), even though we have such a small facility to practice in,” Huy said. “A lot of people will come out after an event and ask, ‘Where do you guys train?’ When I tell them my garage, most are very surprised.”

Huy said the biggest thing that keeps Team-M going is the respect and praise from audiences.

“We’ve received great feedback from the community,” Huy said. “That’s motivation for us and helps us keep on going.”

Linda Pham, a junior at Evergreen Valley High School, has been a member of Team-M since December. Pham, a second-degree black belt, said she has enjoyed her time with the team so far.

“It takes lot of discipline, and you have to learn to work as a team, not just by yourself,” she said. Pham said the team’s practice facility, despite being a garage, works well for the team.

Tuan Bui performs a back flip. Photos courtesy of Team Millennium Taekwondo

“(Huy and Anh) set it up so it’s just like any other dojo (studio),” Pham said. “We have all the same equipment, so we don’t even see it as a garage.”

Pham said she is most proud of being able to give back to the community and hopes other organizations will do the same.

Future plans
Anh, 23, is a computer science major at San Jose State University. Huy, 20, is a marketing major at Santa Clara University. After they graduate, Huy said he hopes they can open up their own taekwondo studio.

But first, Team-M is looking toward its next goal—a road trip to Los Angeles to compete in the 2005 K.A. Open International Choi’s Tournament on Oct. 31. The group will have to submit video footage and hope the judges choose them to compete in the tourney. Huy said the group is optimistic of their chances of getting in.

With Team-M T-shirts and DVDs in production, Huy said he only sees bigger and better things happening for the team.

“It’s been a great experience for us, and I’m proud of the results,” Huy said. “We just started with an ambition, and now we see great potential. I’m surprised how good this has all turned out.”

For more information of Team-M, visit www.mteam.net.

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Do you have a sports story to share? Contact the sports department at 494-7000 x 217 or by e-mail at diego@timesmediainc.com or fax to Almaden Times Sports at 494-7078.