June 17, 2005

Evergreen Sports

Evergreen Girls Swim to CCS

EVHS girls swim team named 2005 Santa Teresa League Co-Champions

By Jeffrey Lo
Times Intern

The girl’s locker room buzzes with the excitement of competitive swimmers eager for their next meet.

Jamie Martinez swims for both the EVHS Lady Cougars as well as for De Anza Cupertino Aquatics. At the 2003 Far Western’s competition held at Independence High School, Jamie flew straight to the finish line. Photo courtesy of DACA

Before they head to the pool for warm ups, they hear the confidently delivered words, “Alright guys, we’ve got to win.”

The pre-meet pep talk comes from Evergreen Valley High School junior Jamie Martinez—a girls’ swim team leader and a veteran CCS qualifier who also made it to the Olympic trials in the summer of 2004.

Something in that short yet sweet speech struck a chord with the team. It helped lead the EVHS girls’ swim team to a 7 – 2 overall record and a 5 – 1 league record that earned them the title of league co-champions beside Piedmont Hills High School.

The Lady Cougars suffered one loss in league competition against their fellow co-champions, Piedmont Hills. Yet they avenged that two-point loss by annihilating the Pirates at the league finals, where Piedmont Hills took second place with a whopping 150 points less than Evergreen Valley.

“I felt that the girls’ swim team performed exceptionally well this season,” said EVHS Coach Matt Rudy.

CCS swimming finals
This year was the first year that more than one Evergreen Valley swimmer qualified for CCS.

Along with seasoned veteran Jamie Martinez, four senior swimmers—Amanda Reyes, Emily Tang, Elizabeth Burns, and Captain Julia Lam—and four freshmen—Courtney Chin, Brianna Chavira, Catherine Nguyen and Esha Peddireddy—traveled to Avery Aquatics Center at Stanford University to compete in the 200 meter medley, 200 meter freestyle and 400-meter freestyle relays.

The team performed their best at CCS, improving their times in the 200-meter and 400-meter relays by more than two seconds.

“I really liked having a relay team there because I wasn’t alone like I was in the years before,” said Martinez who competed in two of the relays. She also competed solo in the 200-meter freestyle, where she placed third, and in the 100-meter backstroke, where she placed second.

“The thought of competing against all the amazing athletes there [at CCS] was pretty mind-blowing,” said Lam. “But seeing Jamie—who by now is an old hand at this—and our coach—kind of an unflappable guy by nature—take things like it was business as usual, was reassuring.”

Senior leadership, freshman hope
The girls’ magical season will be the last for the team’s four seniors.

“Our seniors provided a tremendous amount of leadership,” said Coach Rudy. “It was great that all of our seniors were able to cap off their high school careers by making their first trip to CCS.”

“Leaving is kind of emotional,” said Reyes. Despite the loss of these seniors who must move on as part of the 2005 graduating class, Evergreen Valley fans have a lot to look forward to.

A majority of this year’s team consisted of freshmen and sophomores, and a promising new group of seniors, including Martinez, will provide leadership for the squad next year.

The departing seniors have confidence in the younger swimmers.

“Next season the team is moving up to A league, so it’ll be more competitive, but there’s no doubt that they’ll step it up a notch and perform just as well as the other teams,” predicted Reyes

Evergreen’s Carter crowned state champ in 200-meter dash

Mt. Pleasant’s Tarmoh medals

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

Evergreen resident Khrystal Carter went into the State Track Championships in Sacramento with high hopes before walking out a state champion in the 200-meter dash.

Evergreen resident Khrystal Carter, shown here during the qualifying race for the 100-meter on June 3, became a state champion in Sacramento, winning the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.44 on June 4. among the group of hurdlers.

Carter, a junior sprinter from Valley Christian, was among a sizable group of Evergreen athletes to participate in the State Track Championships, held June 3 and 4 at Sacramento City College.

“It was a real nice surprise,” said Carter. “I wanted it so badly. I wanted so badly to be a state champion.”

In the qualifying round of the championships, held June 3, Carter came in as the expected favorite in the 100-meter dash after setting a national mark for 2005 in the same event at CCS Finals with a time of 11.57. Carter didn’t disappoint, taking first place in the first heat of the day and qualifying for the finals round with a time of 11.63, nearly four tenths of a second ahead of second-place finisher Kristin Holmes of Claremont High School.

The first-place finish came after a disappointing showing from Valley Christian in the 4 x 100 relay, in which the team finished with a disqualification coming out of the gates. Riding high on the win in the 100-meter dash, Carter continued her dominance in the 200-meter dash, winning the second heat of the day with a time of 23.87.

The following day however, things changed dramatically for Carter. In the blocks and aiming to compete against the state’s best in the 100-meter finals race, one of Carter’s opponents, James Logan’s Kristina Davis, was called for a false start. The crowd reacted angrily with boos and taunts, which Carter said threw her off her game plan. The result—a third place finish for Carter with a time of 11.68—was a disappointment for the Valley Christian sprinter.

“I was just totally distracted and unfocused,” Carter said of the crowd’s reaction to Davis being disqualified. “…It was harder for me to focus on what I needed to get done.”

With barely any time to prepare for the 200-meter event, Carter said her coach, Greg Marshall, pulled her aside and told her to stay calm and focused. Carter said she went into the blocks with a single purpose—to win—which is exactly what she did, taking first place by two one-hundredths of a second over Louisville’s Elizabeth Olear, getting a time of 23.44 and being crowned state champion.

“It’s really exciting,” said Carter. “I’m getting a lot of attention and it’s not something I’m used to. It’s not a bad thing.”

Mt. Pleasant
The Cardinals came into the State Championships with the largest contingent of Evergreen track athletes and also saw one of their own earn a medal after Jeneba Tarmoh took third place in the 200-meter dash finals on June 4.

“I’m extremely proud of her because this is her first full year in track and field,” Cardinals head coach Steve Nelson said. “…This year she put a big effort into it, and I’m really pleased with how it all ended.”

Tarmoh’s feat was the highest for Mt. Pleasant at the State Championships. The Cardinals 4 x 100 relay team didn’t make it past the qualifying round on June 3, placing fifth in the third heat and 11th overall among the schools participating in the event with a time of 47.65.

“We did alright,” Nelson said of his relay team’s finish. “For us to make the finals, we would’ve needed perfect handoffs and everything else would have to go right for us to make it.”

Like the relay team, Monica Gomez didn’t last beyond the qualifying round in the girls’ shot put event. Gomez’s best throw, 34 feet and 1.75 inches, was followed up by two consecutive fouls, placing her 22nd overall among the competitors at the event. Nelson said despite not making it past the qualifying stages, Gomez still had reason to be proud of her year in track.

“She had a good year,” Nelson said of Gomez, who will head to New Mexico State in the fall. “…She knew about the team aspect at the State Championships and she really wanted to be a part of it.”

Sprinters Stella Dugall and Vashti Thomas also participated at the State Championships but neither advanced past qualifying. Dugall finished sixth in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.07 on June 3, while Thomas was disqualified from the race for a false start.

Silver Creek
The Raiders also sent a pair of athletes to the State Champions and received positive results. Justin Ta qualified in for the 300-meter hurdles, placing fifth in the first heat of the event, after not qualifying for finals in his first event, the 110-meter hurdles, on June 3. The following day, Ta placed seventh at the 300-meter hurdles finals, clocking in with a time of 39.12.

Sharrell Smith was the only female representing Silver Creek and her trip to the State Championship lasted just one day as well. Smith finished eighth in the second heat of the girls’ 300-meter hurdles with a time of 48.71 on June 3.

EVHS badminton team reflects on season as Santa Teresa Division champs

Head coach John Dotson retires from sport after 15-1 season

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

When the 2005 badminton season finished for the Evergreen Valley High School Cougars, John Dotson did an unusual thing for a head coach whose team just won a league championship—he retired.

While Dotson will still return to Evergreen Valley as a math teacher, he will no longer serve as head badminton coach in 2006 after leading the Cougars to the Santa Teresa Division title with a 15-1 record. In his three years as head coach, Dotson has seen the team grow from a West Valley Division contender to a Santa Teresa Division Championship team in its first year at the B-league level.

Along the way, Dotson not only had to mold his team into top-level badminton players, but also deal with the circumstances surrounding the first new major high school built in the South Bay in more than 20 years.

“Our initial year was 2003 and we spent half of the year practicing at Mount Pleasant before we came over to Evergreen and realized the gym wasn’t ready,” said Dotson. “We practiced in Cougar Hall [the cafeteria] without any lines or anything to know what a court would look like.”

Moving to a new league was the latest challenge for Dotson and his players, and while the team did well the previous year in the West Valley Division, finishing the 2004 season with a 14-2 record, no one knew for sure what to expect in 2005 in the more competitive and higher-skilled Santa Teresa Division.

“We didn’t know if we were going even to finish in the top three in the division,” said Jennifer Huynh, who served as co-captain on the 2005 squad and played doubles with partner Linda Chung. “But Mr. Dotson said that we could if we believed we could.”

Those uneasy feelings were laid to rest when the 2005 regular season ended with the Cougars as division champions, compiling a 15-1 record throughout the regular season. The race for the division came down to the final game of the season, with Evergreen Valley and Leland tied for the top spot in the division.

Leland, which handed Evergreen its only loss of the regular season, ended speculation of sharing a championship during its final game of the season, losing to the underdog Westmont Warriors and settling for second place in the division.

“It was kind of like destiny,” Dotson said of finding out his Cougars won the league title. “We went crazy. We came back to school, and we were hollering and hooting.”

Yet the journey for the Cougars didn’t end with a league title.

At the league finals shortly after clinching the title, the Cougars saw their No. 1 singles player, Llewelyn Lagmay win the league title at the finals as well as the No. 2 doubles duo of Stephen Huynh and Phi Do. In addition, No. 2 singles player Ngan Hoang won the boys’ title at finals, while Jennifer Huynh and Chung finished third overall at the league finals.

Dotson placed players in four competitive categories in the CCS Playoffs, and although all of them were knocked out of CCS competition after two rounds, he reflects on the season, and mostly his players, with fondness.

“The kids were very dedicated,” said Dotson, who ran practices at 6 a.m. during the beginning of the season to get his players prepared. “They love the sport and they did everything I asked them to do.”

Perhaps the greatest source of pride for Dotson is not his players’ performances on the court, but in the classroom. As a team, the Cougars average grade point was above 3.5, with several of the graduating seniors on the team moving on to four-year colleges in the fall.

“I’m most proud of the fact that these kids are the finest students,” Dotson said. “…They are a phenomenal group of kids.”

As for Dotson, the recently retired badminton coach will continue to teach math at Evergreen Valley but hopes to help find his successor in due time. Dotson, who commutes daily from his home in Ben Lomond, said he wants a coach in place who will give the players the same, if not more, time and attention than he could give in his three years as coach.

“These kids, to be good at badminton, have to devote a lot of time to it,” said Dotson. “It’s only fair to the kids to have someone there to spend the time with them.”

Silver Creek High School

Cheerleaders wrap up another successful season

By Bea Baechle
Editor

The cheerleaders of Silver Creek High School don't take much time off.

Ten months of the year they're either cheering for football and basketball teams or practicing for cheerleading competitions.

With final exams out of the way, the new Silver Creek cheerleaders are already practicing for the 2005-06 football and basketball season and preparing for Cheerleading Summer Camp, sponsored by United Spirit Association, to be held at UC Santa Cruz in August.

The camp will provide not only an opportunity to learn new stunts and dances, but also a chance to participate in team building activities and receive invitations to perform in London or Hawaii.

“We’re usually better prepared than many of the other squads who attend,” said Silver Creek’s Head Cheerleading Coach Ojae Balgos, who fully expects both individuals and the team to earn some of those coveted invitations.

Balgos, a Silver Creek alumnus, graduated from San Jose State University in May with a degree in business administration and a concentration in marketing. He currently works at the Silver Creek Valley Country Club in addition to his coaching responsibilities.

Successful regional competitions
After a season filled with the typical trials and tribulations, the Silver Creek cheerleading squad pulled successfully through four regional competitions this spring to prepare for nationals.

Despite departures based on cost, maintaining a 2.0 grade point average or students simply quitting, the cheerleading squad earned first place in the America’s Best competition in Sacramento and second place in the JAMZ competition at CAL State Hayward for their varsity show cheers.

Although both JAMZ and America’s Best have national competitions of their own, it’s United Spirit Association, better known as USA, that’s been around the longest and provides the stiffest competition according to Balgos.

Silver Creek had to earn a score of 85 or better in a regional USA competition to qualify for the USA Nationals at the Anaheim Convention Center, even though they placed so well in competitions sponsored by other groups.

Based on choreography, stunts and tumbling, Silver Creek’s second regional USA competition offered a chance in the national competition. Once at nationals, Silver Creek placed 14th out of 28 teams.

“The kids pulled through despite a lot of drawbacks, and still came out better than most local teams,” said Balgos, who noted that Silver Creek came in 18th place last year. “Not many teams from San Jose make it to nationals.”

Looking back
Senior Melissa “Missy” Pires, who has been cheering for Silver Creek since her freshman year, says she “gained responsibility, leadership and cheerleading skills while cheering for Silver Creek High School. This was my last year and it was fun! I have a lot of memories—everyone on the team made it memorable.”

“This year turned out to be a better year than I thought it would be,” says senior Alyssa Arciaga. “I have been cheering for six years, and I am not going to stop—yes, cheering after high school. The team turned out well. The girls were very strong, and we got through it together.”

Junior Serina Valdez adds, “This was my first year, and it was a fabulous experience for me. I met a lot of new people and grew a lot of friendships with the girls.”

Jessica Pinon, a junior in her second year of cheering for Silver Creek says, “I had a great year! All the girls stepped it up, and I am very proud of them. I hope next year we will be twice as good and make it to finals.”

Jessica’s sister Andrea Pinon, a freshman, just completed her first year cheering for Silver Creek and her first national competition.

“It was a great experience for me, because we did so much bonding as a team,” says Andrea. I am definitely going to cheer for the next three years of high school. All of us, as a team, are very proud of our school, and when we compete in competitions and nationals, we are not just representing our school, but our city and the Evergreen School District, which I am very proud of.”

Save the Date: June 20 – 23

Evergreen Championship Basketball Camp at Chaboya

Chaboya Middle School will be hosting a basketball fundamentals camp for boys and girls, grades four to nine, June 20 – 23. Walk-ins are welcome!

The four-day camp will cover shooting, defense, ball handling, passing, team play and more. Instructors for the camp include Chaboya coaches John Franza and Allen Ventura, as well as some high school basketball players.

The first session for fourth through sixth graders will meet in Chaboya’s gym, 3276 Cortona Dr., from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Cost is $110. The second session for seventh through ninth graders will meet there from noon to 2 p.m. Cost is $80.

For more information, contact John Franza at (408) 605-1513 or Allen Ventura at (408) 410-3570 or stop by Chaboya’s gym on June 20.

Save the Date: June 20 – 24

Cougar Wrestling Camps at Quimby Oak

The Cougar Wrestling Club will be hosting Summer Wrestling Camps 2005 for boys and girls, grades kindergarten to fifth and grades six to eight, June 20 – 24. Walk-ins are welcome!

Participants will learn and develop their wrestling skills in a safe, supervised environment. Collegiate, freestyle and Greco Roman styles will be covered. The staff includes Sam Spengler of Quimby Oak Middle School and Ricardo Garcia of Evergreen Valley High School, an NCAA Division I qualifier.

The first session of the five-day camp, for kindergarten to fifth grade, will be held from 9 a.m. to noon in Quimby Oak’s gym, 3190 Quimby Road. The second session, for sixth to eighth grade, will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

A $110 camp fee includes instruction and a t-shirt. For more information, contact Sam Spengler, (408) 348-2169, sspengler@eesd.org or Ricardo Garcia, (408) 910-5835 ricogarcia@mac.com, or stop by the Quimby Oak gym during the week.