March 24, 2006

Evergreen Sports

Evergreen evolution brings A-league challenge

Senior Jamie Martinez anchors a talented, but youthful group

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

Marrissa Urias may have inherited a pool whirling with youthful talent in her first year as Evergreen Valley girls’ swim coach, but the 2005 Santa Teresa Division Co-Champion Cougars are swimming upstream as the newest addition to the Mount Hamilton Division ranks.

Evergreen lady swimmers stand out in the cold on Tuesday, while the boys' p[ose for a team pic. The Cougars have plenty of talent this season, with returning league and CCS Champion Jamie Martinez leading the pack.

“I see a lot of potential with the swim team this season, but it’s going to be against stronger competition,” said Urias. “The girls have great chemistry and really strive for the best. I think that they are doing really well. Everyone is working hard at practice. They have made a lot of improvement since the beginning of the season.”

Evergreen split in two initial dual meets. They fell first to Westmont by 20 points on March 9; however, the Cougars bounced back, smoking Piedmont Hills 105-67 on St. Patrick’s Day.

In the meantime, the 200-meter medley relay team asserted itself in CCS standings, posting a time of 1:54.50, good for the third quickest mark in the section. The team features freshman Helen Nguyen and sophomores Catherine Nguyen, Courtney Chin and Esha Pedvireddy.

“We have about four girls who will qualify for CCS within the next few weeks,” said Urias. “Helen Nguyen has really stepped up this year. She has taken off many seconds and is still improving. I can see Helen making it to CCS on her own, if not this year, then definitely next year. This will be Catherine’s, Courtney’s, and Esha’s second chance at CCS. They all went last year and did pretty well.”

Senior Kari Lam may also moonlight as a member on either the 200 or 400-meter freestyle relay teams.

Urias said senior standout Jamie Martinez has assumed a familiar leadership role on the team. Martinez scripted her own legacy three years ago, winning CCS as an underclassman in the 200 and 500-meter freestyle events. She has followed with additional success in CCS, while enforcing a monopoly on league finals as Evergreen climbed BVAL divisions, initially taking the West Valley Division two years ago, moving within Santa Teresa Division realm, and now Mt. Hamilton.

Martinez recently accepted a scholarship offer from Arizona State, where she will begin in the fall, according to Urias.

“Jamie can make CCS in anything that she decides to swim,” said Urias. “She’s a great swimmer, really talented and a great kid. She is always there to lend a hand. There is one swimmer on the guys’ team who was having a little bit of trouble with his backstroke start. I saw that he asked Jamie to help out. He has actually improved a lot after working with her.”

Martinez currently occupies the ninth 200-meter freestyle position in CCS with a time of 2:00.78.

EVERGREEN SPORTS SCHEDULES
Mar. 11 to Mar. 24

*Note: for baseball and softball, only varsity games are listed because of space constraints. All JV games are played at the opposite site of varsity at the same time, unless otherwise noted

Evergreen Valley High sports schedule
3/28 – Badminton at Leland, 3:30 p.m.
3/28 – Softball at Independence, 3:30 p.m.*
3/28 – Boys’ tennis vs. Oak Grove, 3:15 p.m.

3/29 – Baseball vs. Del Mar, 3:30 p.m.*

3/30 – Softball vs. Piedmont Hills, 3:30 p.m.*
3/30 – Boys’ tennis at Mt. Pleasant, 3:15 p.m.
3/30 – Track at Oak Grove, 3:30 p.m.
3/30 – Badminton at Oak Grove, 3:30 p.m.

3/31 – Baseball vs. Silver Creek, 3:30 p.m.*
3/31 – Swimming vs. Leigh, 3 p.m.

4/4 – Softball at Prospect, 3:30 p.m.*
4/4– Badminton vs. Santa Teresa, 3:30 p.m.
4/4 – Boys’ tennis at Pioneer, 3:15 p.m.

4/5 –Baseball at Prospect, 3:30 p.m.*
4/5 – Track at Mt. Pleasant, 3:30 p.m.

4/6 – Softball vs. Del Mar, 3:30 p.m.*
4/6 – Boys’ tennis vs. Westmont, 3:15 p.m.
4/6 – Badminton at Piedmont Hills, 3:30 p.m.

4/7 – Swimming vs. Santa Teresa, 3 p.m.
4/7 – Baseball vs. Piedmont Hills, 3:30 p.m.*

Mt. Pleasant High sports schedule
3/28 – Golf vs. Yerba Buena at Cinnabar, 3:30 p.m.
3/28 – Boys’ tennis vs. Prospect, 3:15 p.m.
3/28 – Badminton at Willow Glen, 3 p.m.
3/28 – Softball vs. Leigh, 3:30 p.m.*

3/29 – Baseball vs. Independence, 3:30 p.m.*

3/30 – Golf vs. Yerba Buena at Santa Teresa, 3 p.m.
3/30 – Swimming at Prospect, 3 p.m.
3/30 – Boys’ tennis vs. Evergreen, 3:15 p.m.
3/30 – Badminton vs. Westmont, 3:30 p.m.
3/30 – Track at Independence, 3:30 p.m.
3/30 – Softball at Pioneer, 3:30 p.m.*

3/31 – Baseball at Del Mar, 3:30 p.m.*

4/4 – Boys’ tennis at Branham, 3:15 p.m.
4/4 – Softball vs. Westmont, 3:30 p.m.*
4/4 – Badminton at Mitty, 3:30 p.m.
4/5 – Track vs. Evergreen, 3:30 p.m.

4/5 – Baseball at Silver Creek, 3:30 p.m.*
4/5 – Golf vs. Del Mar, 3:15 p.m.

4/6 – Boys’ tennis vs. Oak Grove, 3:15 p.m.
4/6 – Golf vs. Del Mar at Cinnabar, 3:30 p.m.
4/6 – Softball vs. Branham, 3:30 p.m.*
4/6 – Swimming at Willow Glen, 3 p.m.
4/6 – Badminton vs. Del Mar, 3:30 p.m.

4/7 – Baseball vs. Prospect, 3:30 p.m.*

Silver Creek High sports schedule
3/28 – Boys’ tennis at James Lick, 3:15 p.m.
3/28 – Badminton at Santa Teresa, 3:30 p.m.

3/29 – Softball at Overfelt, 3:30 p.m.*
3/29 – Baseball vs. Piedmont Hills, 3:30 p.m.*

3/30 – Swimming vs. Branham, 3 p.m.
3/30 – Badminton vs. Independence, 3:30 p.m.
3/30 – Boys’ tennis vs. Willow Glen, 3:15 p.m.
3/30 – Track vs. Overfelt, 3:30 p.m.

3/31 – Baseball at Evergreen, 3:30 p.m.*
3/31 – Softball vs. Gunderson, 3:30 p.m.*

4/4 – Badminton vs. Piedmont Hills, 3:30 p.m.
4/4 – Boys’ tennis at Andrew Hill, 3:15 p.m.

4/5 – Softball vs. Andrew Hill, 3:30 p.m.*
4/5 – Baseball vs. Mt. Pleasant, 3:30 p.m.*

4/6 – Badminton vs. Leland, 3:30 p.m.
4/6 – Swimming vs. Lincoln, 3 p.m.
4/6 – Boys’ tennis vs. San Jose, 3:15 p.m.
4/6 – Track vs. Oak Grove, 3:30 p.m.

4/7 – Softball at Lincoln, 3:30 p.m.*
4/7 – Baseball vs. Independence, 3:30 p.m.*

For more information on local games, log on to the BVAL Web site at http://www.bval.org/

For more information about CCS playoff contests, go to http://www.cifccs.org

In honor of Pat

Almaden gets its collective feet ready to honor Pat Tillman
with inaugural Pat’s Run, slated for April 30

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

For Alex Garwood, honoring the late Pat Tillman will, among other things, require a good pair of running shoes.

Pat Tillman gave up a promising NFL career as a member of the Arizona Cardinals to enlist and serve his country following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

That’s because Garwood, Tillman’s brother-in-law and the executive director of The Pat Tillman Foundation, is bringing Pat’s Run to Almaden Valley on April 30, after the event’s inaugural staging saw a successful turnout of more than 6,000 runners in Tempe, Ariz. last year.

Tillman, an Almaden native, died in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004, while serving his country as a member of the U.S. Army Rangers. Tillman gave up a promising NFL career as a member of the Arizona Cardinals to enlist, along with his brother Kevin, and serve his country following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Although the focus in the news lately has been on a new Army investigation into the friendly fire attack that killed Tillman and the possible cover-up by Army personnel, Garwood and other family members said they plan to pour their energy into the upcoming hometown run.

Garwood said it seems only natural for the run to take place in Almaden as well, given Tillman’s ties to the area.

“San Jose is his home, but then he burst onto the national scene, or whatever the right term is, in Arizona,” said Garwood, who participated in the Tempe run last year. “The Arizonians very much adopted him and made him their own, whether it was because he was a Sun Devil, or because he was a Cardinal or because that’s where he became famous, for lack of a better word. But we here, for those of us who grew up here, he’s ours too … It makes sense. I mean, Arizona is a natural step but the Bay Area, it’s (also) a natural step.”

Garwood said that Tillman’s mother, Mary Tillman, is very excited and looking forward to the run.

Garwood said last year’s turnout in Tempe was a pleasant surprise, given the number of volunteers who showed up to help with the event, not to mention the numerous and wide variety of runners, from the serious-minded to novice weekend warriors. At the same time, Garwood said the outpouring of support isn’t entirely shocking to him, because, as he puts it simply, “it’s Pat.”

“Is it shocking that someone in Arizona is touched, or someone in San Jose, or New York (by what Tillman stood for)? Probably not,” said Garwood. “But when people in Utah, or Kansas, or wherever are touched by Pat, that’s amazing in his reach. Pat touched so many people from all walks of life, demonstrated in the kind of people who participated in the (2005 Tempe) run. But also, it’s not amazing, because I had the honor of knowing him, the privilege of knowing him and spending time with him. So I don’t find it amazing at all. It’s an interesting dichotomy.”

And while the event is held in honor of Tillman, its purpose is also to carry on his legacy.

Proceeds from the inaugural Pat’s Run in San Jose will benefit the Pat Tillman Foundation and its Leadership Through Action initiative, which originally started at Arizona State University, Tillman’s alma mater.

The Leadership Through Action program allows Tillman Scholars, students selected annually by the foundation and ASU, to develop into future leaders by finding solutions to social problems. The scholars not only study applicable curriculum for the leadership program, they are also advised by community and business leaders, and afforded the opportunity to test their solutions before implementing them with seed money through the Pat Tillman Foundation.

Garwood said a similar program is currently in the works for South Bay high schools, which will directly benefit from the San Jose run.

Pat Tillman, shown here during his playing days at Arizona State University, made quite an impression on future brother-in-law Alex Garwood during Tillman’s high school days. Garwood, who played football at Leland shortly before Tillman began his career there, said he heard several stories about Tillman’s skills on the football field. Photo courtesy of the Pat Tillman Foundation

“It was important to us to come up with something that felt like Pat, a program that somehow was reflective of him,” Garwood said of the Leadership Through Action initiative. “You can imagine the challenge that would be, trying to develop something that captures him … and that’s what Leadership Through Action is.”

And while the Leadership Through Action program is reflective of Tillman, the run also features ample amounts of symbolism. The Foundation created the run of 4.2 miles with the idea of honoring Tillman whose his jersey number, 42, was worn at both Leland High School and ASU. There’s also a 0.42-mile race for children ages 8 and younger around the Leland track. In addition, the race, which begins on the corner of Via Valiente and Camden, ends at the 42-yard line of Pat Tillman Stadium.

In between, the 4.2-mile run/walk will go past some of Tillman’s old stomping grounds, including Bret Harte Middle School, where Tillman’s mother still works as a teacher, and where the Almaden native graduated eighth grade before venturing on to Leland High School, as well as Graystone Elementary School, where Tillman spent his early childhood years.

In keeping with the foundation and Tillman’s theme, Garwood said Pat’s Run is an opportunity to bring something positive to the community, while also honoring a local hero.

“Everyday, our job, good or bad, is to try and carry forth the amazing legacy of this man,” said Garwood. “And so, you try to do something positive out of something horrible ... I spend my day talking about Pat, which is good, but it’s also hard.”

For Garwood and the rest of the Tillman family, the weeks leading up to the inaugural Pat’s Run in San Jose will be difficult, at best. The city of Tempe will hold its second annual Pat’s Run on April 15, which coincides with this year’s selection of Tillman Scholars at ASU. In addition, the April 30 run in San Jose will take place slightly more than a week after the April 22nd anniversary of Tillman’s death. Garwood said a time for reflection would likely come shortly after San Jose’s run.

Garwood said he hopes Almaden residents will come out and celebrate Tillman’s life by taking part in the run and honoring the Almaden native for who he was and what he stood for.

“Pat wasn’t my best friend,” Garwood said, “he was just one of the best people I’ve ever met.”

Registration for the inaugural Pat’s Run in San Jose, slated for April 30 at Leland High School, is $25 per person. To register for the run, go to www.patsrun.com. For more information about the Pat Tillman Foundation and its Leadership Through Action initiative, go to www.pattillmanfoundation.org

Evergreen Little League kicks off 2006 season with festivities at Chaboya

Little Leaguers attend opening day ceremonies in full uniform to signal start of the season

By Diego Abeloos
Editor

More than 500 Evergreen Little Leaguers turned up in full uniform with their families and lined the baseball field at Chaboya Middle School to celebrate 2006 opening day on March 18.

Johanali Westmoreland, 4, mimics her team coaches by taking off her hat as the national anthem is sung at the opening day parade for the Evergreen Little League on March 18. Photos by Jeff Frazee

Although no games were played, Mother Nature followed suit, providing a sunlit day as the league celebrated opening day with a parade around the Chaboya baseball field, games and prizes, as well as a barbeque for all in attendance. Last year’s festivities were cancelled because of rain.

“We hope it’s fun for the kids,” said Evergreen Little League President Scott Karstetter. “They’ve got their uniforms and this is the first opportunity that they have to wear them somewhere. We’ve got five-year-olds on the field with 12 to 15-year-olds, so they get a chance to see what it’s like as they grow older as to what the big kids look like. So that’s fun for them.”

To kick off the 2006 Evergreen Little League season, young baseball and softball players lined the field with their respective teams and were ceremoniously introduced to the crowd as they crossed home plate after walking down the first baseline. Following the introductions, the players and coaches saluted the flag and recited the national anthem. That was followed by all of the players and coaches reciting the Little League pledge, promising to play hard, play fair and try their best on the field of play.

At Evergreen Little League’s season opening carnival, the Athletics are recognized as last year’s tournament of champions winners.

After organizers announced the 2006 Evergreen Little League board members, Members of the Junior A’s, the 2005 Tournament of Champions winners, raised their championship flag to celebrate their 2005 success. District 8 council member Dave Cortese was also on hand and spoke to the crowd about the league’s good work in the area before taking the pitching mound and firing the first pitch - a strike – signaling the start of the season.

This year’s Evergreen Little League will field 51 teams in baseball alone, from T-ball, Pee-Wee and Farm levels, to the Majors, Juniors and Seniors Divisions. In addition, Evergreen Little League will field a Challenger Division team, consisting of disabled children.

“This area does have growth in housing, so there will be growth in families,” Karstetter said of the league’s growth. “So, we assume there will be growth in baseball players.”

While baseball has always had its’ place in Evergreen Little League, softball is growing as well, said Karstetter. This year, Evergreen Little League will field four softball teams (two minor teams, one major team and one junior team), up from one team the league fielded in the past five years. To that end, Karstetter credited the recruiting efforts of Marissa Simon and Annette Lopez – two Evergreen Little League softball organizers – for expanding the softball division of the league.

Cortese speaks to the crowd at Evergreen Little League’s opening parade.

“We were able to grow from about 12 girls, to close to 50 girls,” said Karstetter. “…We’re fully supporting softball and we always have been. This year, we had some recruiters and we intend to keep that going and be strong in 2006. We hope to be up to six to eight teams next year.”

All told, Karstetter said this year’s registration saw more than 600 players from all levels in both baseball and softball sign up for the 2006 season, which he said was on par with last year’s total. Karstetter also credited the Evergreen Elementary School District for its cooperation in allowing the league to use fields within the district to host games throughout the season.

Following the on-field festivities, players and their families enjoyed carnival games, such as a radar gun pitching booth, among other things, as well as a barbeque lunch of hamburgers and of course, a staple on all baseball menus, hot dogs.

EVHS track team honors the Hunts

Parents presented with framed jersey and flowers honoring their children

By Diego Abeloos
Editor

The Evergreen Valley High School track team honored two former classmates – siblings Tristine and Torrienne Hunt - on March 9 in a ceremony prior to a season-opening track meet at the school.

Andre (right) and Modestine Hunt hold up the framed track & field jersey presented to them by the Evergreen Valley High School track team in honor of their late daughter, Tristine. Both Tristine and Torrienne Hunt died as the result of a car accident in New Mexico in July of 2005. Photos by Diego Abeloos

The siblings, both former athletes and students at EVHS, died as the result of a severe car accident in New Mexico while on a family trip to look at colleges for Torrienne during the summer. Torrienne, a former basketball standout at EVHS and a 2005 graduate of the school, died instantly on July 1, 2005. Tristine, a sophomore at EVHS, died shortly thereafter on July 3.

The ceremony, put together by members of the EVHS track team and coaching staff, saw Torrienne and Tristine’s parents, Andre and Modestine Hunt, receive flowers and a framed track & field jersey commemorating Tristine’s two seasons on the team. Earlier this season, the EVHS boys’ basketball team also paid homage to Torrienne, sporting embroidered patches with his jersey number, 32, on team uniforms.

“We’re feeling a wide array of emotions,” said Andre, who suffered a damaged rotator cuff and a broken hand as a result of the accident. “Me personally, obviously I feel a deep sense of loss, having lost both of them. It’s a tremendous sense of loss. But on the other hand, I think the loss is buttressed by the fact these kids (EVHS students) really cared about our kids.”

Following a presentation of flowers and the framed jersey, the EVHS track team released a large bundle of balloons into the sky.

Tristine, according to EVHS head track coach Frank Slaton, was a stellar shot put thrower and still holds the school record in that category.

“I don’t think there was a dry eye there, on the track team,” Slaton said of the ceremony. “…We miss them both dearly.”

Slaton, who coached Tristine for two seasons, said the idea of the ceremony came about through the efforts of EVHS track athlete Jennifer Gines and several other teammates on the track squad.

Slaton recalled Tristine as a kind and bright student who not only loved to compete in track, but also had a passion for acting.

“She was just fantastic,” Slaton said. “She was quiet and unassuming. …The kind of kid that led by example.”

For Andre and Modestine Hunt, the ceremony was a chance to reflect on the effect their children had on the lives of their friends, classmates and instructors in the Evergreen community.

“You teach your kids how to be the best that you know that they should be. You teach them all these things, but you never know what they’re doing out at school or in the community, unless you hear it from other people,” said Modestine, who suffered a broken arm as well as some broken ribs. “To see all this outpouring, it just reinforced that what we taught them, they did.”

Modestine Hunt is presented with a bouquet of flowers, with husband Andre Hunt looking on, during a ceremony honoring their children prior to the Evergreen Valley track team’s season-opening track meet on March 9.

But while the ceremony rehashed painful feelings for all, it also brought about something positive. Slaton said he’s currently working on establishing The Hunt Memorial Scholarship Fund, with the goal of raising $3,000 to split evenly into two yearly scholarships for deserving EVHS students.

Slaton, who contributed some of his own personal funds, said he has currently raised approximately $2,500 through
several donations from community members and businesses, as well as a pair of fundraisers. Slaton added that the memorial fund will continue for years to come.

The reason for Slaton is simple: give promise to others in the name of those who had so much promise still ahead in life.

“They were in the prime of their lives,” Slaton said. “They were both looking toward their futures. They just had the whole world in their hands.”

As for the Hunts, the community support during their tragedy is something neither one will soon forget.

“It hasn’t just been the school. It’s been all people in the community,” Andre said of the support. “Our neighbors, the school community, people from the general Evergreen community, people from really all over San Jose. People have just reached out to us, surrounded us, and supported us. …It’s just been tremendous, it really has been.”

To contribute to the Hunt Memorial Scholarship Fund, contact Evergreen Valley High School at (408) 347-7000 or mail contributions to the school, care of Frank Slaton, at 3300 Quimby Rd, San Jose, CA 95148.