May 8, 2007

Westmont boys’ volleyball headed to CCS Playoffs

Warriors finish regular season with 3-1 stretch, grab No. 14 seed in CCS postseason play

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

The Westmont boys’ volleyball team may have ended the season on a down note with a 3-2 loss at Leigh on May 3, but the squad will reap some reward for a strong finish anyway.

Westmont's Keith Nyberg sets the ball during a 3-1 win over Leland on April 26. Photos by Dan Miranda

The Warriors will head to the CCS Playoffs as the No. 14 seed after finishing off the final four games of league play in the Mt. Hamilton Division at 3-1, boosting the team’s record from 3-3 at the start of the stretch to 6-4, placing Westmont in third place in the final standings. Westmont received some help in gaining the third place finish as well, as Willow Glen, who finished second in league to Leigh at 8-2, defeated Leland in the season finale on May 3, leaving the Chargers in fourth place at 5-5. The winning stretch included a key 3-1 win at home during Senior Night over Leland on April 26, bumping the Warriors up into a third place tie at the time at 5-3.

“We’re looking forward to it,” Westmont head coach Jeff Poppinga said of his team’s upcoming postseason play. “…I don’t care. I don’t care who’s on the other side of the net. If we play our game, we’ll be fine.”

The Warriors then took a key 3-0 win over Oak Grove on May 1 before taking a tough 3-2 loss at Leigh to end the season. Westmont led Leigh two games to none and was poised to take the match leading 22-20 in game three before Leigh stormed back for a 25-22 win, followed by wins of 25-14 and 15-10.

“We came out on fire, taking game one and game two,” Poppinga said. “We were totally in control of game three, but we just got a little nervous. I’ve got young players with not too much experience, and it showed in game three.”

Still, Poppinga said he’s pleased with the way his team finished off the regular season, despite a touch of bad luck on the injury front along the way. After starting out the year at 3-1, the Warriors lost two straight, in large part because of the absence of All-League outside hitter Jon Ng-Parish, who pulled a ligament – and along with it, a chunks of bone – in his ankle. The injury however, was not enough to keep Ng-Parish out of action for long. The senior standout led all scorers with 21 kills in the win over Leland, followed up by a 14-kill performance in the win over the Eagles on May 1.

Poppinga noted the play of others in the team’s 3-1 stretch to end the season. Junior Brandon Beville helped propel the Warriors over Leland as well, finishing the night with 13 kills and providing headaches for the Charger defense with his serves, as noted by Leland head coach Jason Hilbert, who said Beville’s serves “tore us apart. His serve was the difference tonight.”

Beville also led the team with 14 kills in the loss to Leigh on May 3.

All told, Poppinga said he hopes the sudden momentum gained by his Warriors in the final stretch of the season carries over to the CCS Playoffs. The team’s trend to get hot later in the league schedule, noted Poppinga, has been a familiar trait by his squad in years past.

“Once the season starts, I start coaching my guys and they get better and better as the season goes,” Poppinga said. “I wish we had a (league) tournament at the end, because I know that my boys will always be peaking at the end of the season. …Hey, kudos to the players. They’re pulling it out right now.”

Boy wonder

Thirteen-year-old Shane Smith youngest to earn black belt at Los Gatos Kenpo Karate studio

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

When Shane Smith was 5, he and his father entered the Los Gatos Kenpo Karate studio of Master Rich Ariota looking for an opportunity to study the martial art.

Ariota, who has owned and operated Los Gatos Kenpo Karate for 35 years, nearly turned the pair down because of Smiths’ young age.

From left, Master Rich Ariota and 13-year-old Shane Smith at the Los Gatos Kenpo Karate studio.

Fast-forward eight years later to present day, and you’ll find that Ariota’s decision to work with Smith was a smart move. Smith, now 13, earned his black belt on March 26 from Ariota, while garnering the distinction of being the youngest student in Ariota’s 25 years to do so.

“It’s a great accomplishment,” Ariota said. “For kids, or for anybody. I’ve never seen anybody at this age be able to accomplish something like that. …This has just never been done before, so this is fantastic.”
Ariota, a seventh degree black belt, said he was convinced of Smith’s potential quickly when he walked into his studio eight years ago.

The turning point?
When Ariota noticed Smith’s natural “center,” a concept Ariota incorporates in his teachings, using spiritual ideals, as well as physical and internal energy concepts in developing his Kenpo Karate students.

“When he first came in, I wasn’t really going to take him because he was at such a young age, but his father (Steven Smith) kind of insisted that I take a look at him,” Ariota said.

“I said, ‘well, let’s give it a shot.’ I noticed that his balance, his basic center was already beyond the average child at 5 years old. So he started out already with a good starting point, you might say. From there, he and I were able to develop the concept.”

Smith, who will attend eighth grade at Valley Christian next year, said he’s been able to use his center in other sports he enjoys, such as baseball and football.

“It moves your center, and stuff like that,” Smith said of applying the lessons learned in Kenpo Karate to other sports. “I play football and baseball, and there’s a lot of stuff you can use in karate, concepts and things, that you can use in football and baseball.”

Ariota agreed, and said developing the concept can translate into other aspects of life.

“We teach the young persons how to develop and use their internal centers, which develops a lot of internal power,” Ariota said. “That can be used in other things. It takes a while to be able to develop that kind of a concept, especially at an early age.”

Still, Smith said developing his center, as well as working his way toward a black belt, has not been an easy task. Smith currently trains with Ariota two to three times per week.

“It took me a while, and I’m not great at it right now, but it took me a while to just get OK,” Smith said of developing his center.

Furthermore, Ariota said his students—especially Smith—have been able to apply other lessons learned, such as focus and discipline to other aspects of life, such as schoolwork.

“It helps them develop a sense of focus and concentration, as well as discipline,” Ariota said. “It helps them quite a bit.”

As for Smith, he plans to continue his training in Kenpo Karate, as well as play the other sports he loves, like football and baseball. Although Smith doesn’t compete in Kenpo Karate, he’s mulling the idea of doing so in the future, as well as trying his hand at other martial arts.

“It’s a big achievement (the black belt), but I also want to do things like kickboxing and things like that,” Smith said. “This will help me with that.”

Sports Briefs

Bay Area Starters Softball Program: Competitive "A" Ball Program has a few openings for 15U/16U 2007 Summer Roster.  Season begins May 15th upon the completion of High School Ball.    Bay Area Starters' goal is to provided Talented, Committed, Hard Working Student/Athletes further opportunities to better their Softball Skills through training and aggressive work-outs, while introducing Age-Appropriate High School Athletes to the College Environment and Scouting Events. For more information, visit our website www. BayAreaStarters.com or e-mail BayAreaStarters@aol.com
 
The 16th Annual Springtime Bike Tour of the South Santa Clara Valley is scheduled for Saturday, May 12, at the Paramite Corporation, 18735 Madrone Parkway in Morgan Hill. The 100 mile and 100 kilometer courses start at 6am - all other courses start at 7a.m. This family-oriented event includes refreshments at course beginning, six rest stops, and a BBQ lunch at the end. Entry fees are $45 before May 6 and $50 after. There are special family and tandem bike rates. Almaden Super Lions uses event proceeds to help the blind and visually impaired as well as other projects such as ‘Backpacks for Needy Kids” and holiday food baskets for disadvantaged families. For registration/information visit www.icareclassic.org or call Judy Froom – 782-6287.

Youth Compete in San José Track Meet to Qualify for Statewide Competition
Evergreen Valley High School will host the City-Wide Youth Track Meet on Sunday, May 20. Registration is from 8 - 9:30 a.m. followed by the Track Meet from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. This event is open to boys and girls ages 9 - 14 years old, born between the years of 1993 – 1998. There is no entry fee.

Events include: 50 Meter, 100 Meter, 200 Meter 400 Meter, 800 Meter, 4 x10 Relay Race, Standing Long Jump and a Softball Throw. The top two winners will be eligible to compete in the Hershey Nor-Cal State Track Meet on Saturday, June 16, 2007 at San José City College. This event is sponsored by the City of San José Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department and the San José Police Amateur Athletic Foundation. For more information, please call City-Wide Sports at (408) 871-3826 or Judi Baxter, City-Wide Youth Track Meet Director at (707) 546-3986.

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