June 2, 2006

Evergreen Sports

Mount Pleasant wins eighth CCS track title on girls’ side

Valley Christian, Evergreen runners look to state and future

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

Jeneba Tarmoh edged out Khrystal Carter in the 100 and 200-meter races that clinched Mount Pleasant’s eighth CCS title over Valley Christian at the CCS track and field finals on May 26 at San Jose City College.

Mt. Pleasant's 4x100 relay team took the top spot in the CCS Finals with a time of 46.55 seconds.

Five girls scored 86 points for Mount Pleasant, while Valley mustered 62.

“I have never had a meet where everybody came through and everybody did what was expected of them to that degree,” said Mt. Pleasant Head Coach Steve Nelson.

Mount Pleasant juniors Stella Dugall, Vashti Thomas, Diedre Pettigrue, Tarmoh and sophomore Marshay Brown stormed the podium, combining for six first place finishes.

Dugall and Thoms swapped honors in the long jump pit, with Dugall posting the top triple jump mark—38-feet, 7¾-inches—while Thomas leapt 18-feet, 9-inches in long jump for gold.

Thomas also took the 110-meter high hurdle race in 0:13.92. Evergreen Valley standout sophomore Golde Ibia placed second in that race finishing in a time of 0:14.25, while Dugall crossed fourth at 0:14.72.

“She comes from a long string of super athletes,” said Evergreen coach Frank Slaton of Ibia. “Her brother ran at Berkeley and she is sort of a diamond in the rough. She is just starting to come into herself. She can run the 100 and 400; she is also a great high jumper. Golde could probably be an outstanding decathlete in college.”

While Carter and Tarmoh clashed noisily in the 100, Evergreen junior Yareni Carrasco quietly finished fourth, posting a promising 0:12.42 mark.

“She is excited about competing next year,” said Slaton. “Yareni could be one of the top girls in Northern California, if not the state. She doesn’t really display it as far as talking about it, but she has this intrinsic motivation. She is a real competitor.”

Valley Christian freshman Jennifer Bergman also impressed in the 3200-meter run. The Evergreen resident finished fourth in the section with a time of 11:12, missing the state meet by just under seven seconds.

The Cardinals were tops in an unusually talented pool that turned out for the finals, but it was the face off between junior Tarmoh and senior Carter, who will run next season at Texas A&M, that left the stands buzzing.

Carter held the section’s top 100-meter time this season, upon entering the race. With tailwinds whipping behind the runners, Carter and Tarmoh both actually improved on personal records; however, it was Tarmoh who finished first in 0:11.39, while Carter finished second in 0:11.43.

Tarmoh then set the nation’s third fastest 200-meter mark of the year, finishing in 23.47, just ahead of Carter, who finished in 23.75.

Meanwhile, Brown and Pettigrue finished fourth and fifth, respectively at 0:25.34 and 0:25.41.

Mount Pleasant also claimed the 4x100-meter relay victory in 46.55, moments ahead of second place Valley Christian.

DEAD HEAT. Mt.Pleasant's Jenebah Tarmoh goes toe-to-toe down the stretch with Valley Christian's Khrystal Carter in the girls' 100-meter dash. Tarmoh edged Carter, an Evergreen resident, taking first place with a time of 11.39 seconds to Carter's 11.43 seconds. Tarmoh also placed first in the girls' 200-meter dash with a time of 23.47 seconds, one spot ahead of Carter, who recorded a time of 23.75 seconds. Both will square off again at the CIF State Track and Field Meet.

“I actually don’t consider it that surprising,” said Nelson. “Jeneba had beaten Khrystal at several events this season, and I don’t think either one of them was too concerned with the results at CCS. The meet we are actually shooting for is this week at the state finals. A lot of coaches are done with CCS and whatever happens, happens. We are shooting for state.”

The top three finishers in CCS receive automatic bids to race in Norwalk, California during the first weekend in June, versus top qualifiers from opposing sections.

“Even though I didn’t take first, I was really excited about my time and I was pleased with how I competed in general,” said Carter. “Basically, it was time to run faster based on our training program and the wind played a big factor as well.”

Carter said that the most important thing in preparing for any race is control.

“I am planning on taking home a state championship,” said Carter. “I need to run my race and focus and be the best that I can. The most important thing in racing is running my race and being me and focusing on what I know I can do, not focusing on everything I cannot control.”

Nelson said Mount Pleasant’s 2006 roster could go down as one of the greatest groups assembled in CCS history. He does not expect them to win a state team championship this season, but he said it is fully possible a year from now.

“A lot of track is mental,” said Nelson. “If you are a kid that has a lot of athletic ability, but it is just not as important to you, you won’t perform to the best of your abilities. The big part is buying in and believing in yourself. You have to believe in yourself. We’re going to go down there to the state meet and have a chance to medal individually, but the best is yet to come in terms of team efforts.”

Sports Briefs

Almaden United U12 Girls Soccer Team Looking for Players
The Almaden United, a Girls Under 12, strong Class 3 team, applying for Class 1 in the fall season, is looking for players for the spring and fall '06 seasons. Date of birth should be between August 1, 1994 and July 31, 1996. Please contact Jeff Pine at pine@apple.com or (408) 391-7542 for more information.

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.

South Valley Pop Warner Football and Cheer signups in June
South Valley Pop Warner Football and Cheer program is having signups every Saturday in June from 12-3 p.m. at Round Table on Thornwood [behind Oakridge mall]. Participants must be 5-15 years old as of July 31. For more information, call Bill Vines (408) 781-6699 or Coronel Smith (408) 679-7739. Visit our website at www.stpopwarner.org.

Cougar Wrestling Camps Summer 2006
What: Learn to wrestle and enhance basic skills.

When: June 26-30, 2006

Where: Quimby Oak Middle School, room 1. The school is located at 3190 Quimby Rd., San Jose, CA 95148

Camps: five-day camp for grades k-5 from 8 a.m.-10 a.m.

In addition, there is a five-day camp for grades 6-8 from 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Cost: $110 camp fee includes instruction and t-shirt. Camps are limited to the first 30 wrestlers.

For more information contact Sam Spengler at (408) 348-2169 or samspengler@ hotmail.com, or contact Ricardo Garcia (408) 910-5835 or ricogarcia@earthlink.net. To register by mail: send registration to CWC Summer 2006, 2980 E. Capitol Expwy. #50-203, San Jose, CA 95148.


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, please call Tiana Zarate at (408) 464-3285 or Teresa Smith at (408) 603-8280, or go to http://www.stpopwarner.org.

37th Annual Evergreen Invitational Golf Tournament at the
Villages Golf and Country Club set for July 21 and 22
The 37th Annual Evergreen Invitational Golf Tournament will be held at the Villages Golf and Country Club on July 21 and 22, 2006. This major annual event offers a unique opportunity to present your business to the entire Villages Community and to many other communities in the Bay Area through exposure to many invited guests.

The Villages is a Bay Area award-winning, active adult community, with over 4,200 residents and professional adults. Each year at this time, The Villages invites members of the local business community to assist in the sponsorship of this Villages event.

All sponsors will be prominently posted at the clubhouse and in our printed brochure. Individual sponsors are also displayed at various tee areas throughout the golf course. The Villages would like to invite you to become a sponsor of this event. The sponsor participation categories are:

Platinum Sponsor ($2500) - display located at practice and all 18 holes as well as a large listing in the sponsor's brochure

Gold Sponsor ($1000) - display located at practice Putting Green /Driving Range/Clubhouse area and a medium listing in the sponsor's brochure

Silver Sponsor ($500) - display located at practice Putting Green /Driving Range/Clubhouse area and a small listing in the sponsor's brochure

Bronze Sponsor ($200) - display located at a dedicated hole and a business card size listing in the sponsor's brochure
For more information, contact Ken Peters, Evergreen Tournament Chairman, at (408) 270-4002

Ta eyes state race

Silver Creek senior follows through on goals set,
wins CCS 110-meter hurdle event

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

Silver Creek's Justin Ta celebrates after finishing first in the boys' 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.38 seconds. Ta also finished third in the boys' 300-meter hurdles. Both events earned Ta an invite to the CIF State Track and Field Meet.

Silver Creek senior Justin Ta was the toast of the CCS final track meet May 26 on the boys’ side of the event.

Ta raced to a section title in the 110-meter high hurdles, completing the event in a top time of 0:14.38. Ta also placed third in the 300-meter intermediate hurdle event, posting a time of 0:38.83, and Raider coach Chuck Bean said Ta has a legitimate opportunity to medal at the state meet.

“Nobody deserves that more than him,” said Bean. “Justin is one of the hardest working kids that I have been around in 30 years, and I have seen several hurdlers that were state meet contenders. Justin has basically been on a year-round training program, similar to what a college kid would maintain since last season ended.”

Following CCS and state final meets last season, where Ta did not win, but qualified, he took one week off and resumed training. He raced in the Junior Olympics and lifted weights religiously.

In the off-season, Ta also raced for Silver Creek’s ASB Presidency and began applying to schools, in hopes of attracting attention from recruiters. He won on both fronts.

“Justin has been very focused in being successful in track,” said Bean.

A week prior to CCS finals, Ta’s work paid off when UC Berkeley extended a track scholarship offer that promises to subsidize 75 percent of the tuition.

Evergreen Valley's B.J. Miller finished fifth in the boys' triple jump with a distance of 44 feet and 11.25 inches, one spot behind teammate Nathan Goodrich, who recorded a distance of 45 feet and three inches.

“He has achieved pretty much all of his goals so far,” said Bean. “Justin is ranked eighth in the state based on entry times right now. He has a legitimate shot to medal if he runs the race that he had at CCS or anything better than that.”

Bean also said that the California state meet is considered the best junior meet in the world that is defined by geography.

Evergreen boys
Evergreen juniors Nathan Goodrich and B.J. Miller missed qualifying marks for the state meet by mere inches, soaring 45-feet, 3-inches and 44-feet, 11¼-inches, respectively.

Goodrich, who moonlights on the Cougar football team, landed just 2 inches from third place, while basketball standout Miller, missed by under half a foot.

“Goodrich and Miller will probably be two top kids in the section next year returning in the triple jump,” said Evergreen Coach Frank Slaton.

Senior Jonathan Gragert also missed qualifying for the state meet in the 3200-meter race; however, his career will continue at San Jose State in the fall next year, where he has agreed to run on the cross country team.

First Tee of San Jose Parent/ Child Tournament on June 18

Windermere Town & Country Properties and the East Valley Family YMCA are co-sponsoring the First Tee of San Jose Parent/Child Tournament at Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course on June 18.

Interested parties can participate in the event, which benefits the First Tee of San Jose, at a cost of $45 per team (parent/child), and includes the following: green fees, goodie bags, BBQ, Polo shirt (child) and a lot of prizes. You do not have to be enrolled in The First Tee to participate. Register by going on to www.playgolfamerica.com or contacting Long Nguyen in the Rancho Golf Shop.

The First Tee of San Jose is a Chapter of The First Tee, a World Golf Foundation initiative dedicated to providing young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to develop through golf, character education and life-enhancing values such as honesty, integrity and sportsmanship. The First Tee of San Jose is one of the ways the San Jose Sports Authority works with partners to support youth and amateur sports in the community.

The San Jose Sports Authority’s youth golf program began in 2001 and was known as the Eagles at Rancho del Pueblo. It was originally funded by a $50,000 grant from the U.S. Golf Association and was subsequently funded through sponsorships raised by the Sports Authority and the annual SBC San José Golf Classic.

In June of 2005, the Sports Authority, in cooperation with the City of San José, San José Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services, received approval from the San José City Council to bring its Eagles program into The First Tee.

The First Tee of San Jose also offers low-cost golf instruction to girls and boys 7 through 18-years-old. Scholarship aid is available to those who need financial assistance. All of The First Tee’s instructional programs include character education, which teaches young people how the skills essential to success in golf can help them flourish in life. This character education, contained in The First Tee Life Skills Experience curriculum, is based on The First Tee Nine Core Values.

Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course is located at 1649 Hermocilla Way in San Jose.

To register for the event, go to www.playgolfamerica.com. For more information, go to www.sjsa.org or contact:

The First Tee of San Jose
Administrative Office
San Jose Sports Authority
55 Almaden Boulevard, Suite 210
San Jose, CA 95113

Phone: (408) 288-2932
Fax: (408) 278-1868
info@thefirstteesanjose.org
Contact person: Shelly Wolfe