July 11, 2005

Triactive Fitness Zone opens thanks to donation from late Campbell resident

On June 30 the city of Campbell opened its new TriActive Fitness Zone. The outdoor fitness zone is specifically geared to the general population and offers a variety of exercise apparatus to meet all fitness levels.

The Fitness Zone, located next to the Campbell Community Center track, includes 12 stations with a variety of different exercise options. The various options include equipment geared towards strength training, cardiovascular training, core strengthening and flexibility.

The equipment is supplemented with easy to use descriptive signage located on show boards adjacent to each apparatus. The signage provides the necessary information for proper use and safety of each piece of equipment.

The equipment is provided by TriActive America located in San Luis Obispo, Calif. The company’s mission is to implement new and meaningful outdoor fitness opportunities, available to everybody in the community free of charge at all times.

The objective of the Fitness Zone is to stretch, strengthen and tone all of the major muscle groups, using basic everyday motions. In addition to implementing basic movements, resistance levels are determined by one’s own body weight, rather than using the standard free weight or weight machine programs and equipment.

Money for the project was donated by Rosina Pattison, a longtime Campbell resident who died several years ago.

Pattison was part of the Campbell senior nutrition program for several years and donated a portion her estate donated to the city in her will. Cost of the project, including concrete, surfacing tiles, equipment and installation was approximately $45,000.

Campbell Girls bring home the gold in jump rope competition

By John Medalen
Staff Writer

Campbell 15-year-olds Katie Johnson and Sarah Medalen (yes, I’m her proud dad) recently returned from Orlando, Fla., where they participated in the United Status Amateur Jump Rope Federation’s National competition.

Christine Reed, Katie Johnson, and Sarah Medalen poised to begin the Grand National competition for Double Dutch Singles Freestyle. They placed ninth in the nation for this event.

This marked the girls’ seventh year of jumping together, and their fifth at “nationals.” They are members of the competitive jump rope team “Jumping for Joy,” from Santa Clara.

The competition consists of “speed” and “freestyle” events, in both single rope and Double Dutch (two ropes with two turners), which are divided in to various age groups. The “speed” events consist of jumping as fast as you can for 1- to 3-minutes, and “freestyle” consists of various tricks that are a combination of gymnastics and dance.

This year the girls knew they had the potential to qualify to “get on stage” for several of their events, which is
quite an accomplishment. During the first two days of competition, the jumpers are only competing within their age group for each event.

Once those standings are decided, the top 12 finishers from all age groups for each event compete again on the third day for the title of Grand National, being the best in the nation for that event.

Sarah has been working hard all year to get on stage. “One of my goals this year was to get on stage for one minute speed. That was important to me because I’m involved in a lot of team sports, so this was a way for me to prove to myself that I could perform well on my own. It’s an event that requires strength and individual focus.”
The hard work paid off! Sarah took sixth place in her age group for 1-minute speed and qualified for Grand National competition, where she took eighth place overall in the nation.

Some Unsmooth Sailing
The second day of competition is for Pairs and Double Dutch freestyle. Sarah and her partner, Christine Reed of Los Gatos, have been performing Pairs Freestyle together for three years. They were hoping that this would be their year to get on stage for this event. But alas it was not meant to be.

Just as they were to start their performance, Sarah’s rope broke. “I just thought ‘Oh my God!’ I could not believe that this was happening, right before we had to go on.” She scrambled to find another rope, but no two ropes are the same. After borrowing a teammate’s rope, they were able to continue, but were feeling flustered.

The combination of a hurried start, an unfamiliar rope and an untied shoelace during the routine conspired to produce three major mistakes and no chance of getting on stage.

“Our pairs event was very disappointing. We hit it all year and then to get to nationals, where it really counts, and to make a bunch of mistakes under unforeseen circumstances was a bad way to end the year.”

They had no time to wallow, though. Katie, Christine and Sarah had two Double Dutch freestyle routines to perform, each of which could potentially get them on stage if they performed well.

During practice for their three-person Double Dutch routine, another mishap occurred leaving Sarah concerned that she was stuck in a reoccurring nightmare.

“When one of our Double Dutch ropes broke, I was thinking ‘Wow, this can not be happening again!’” After being unable to fix the broken rope, their coach was able to get another set of ropes. The replacement ropes were not the same type, and the team was not sure if they could work with them. They practiced their routine and made three major mistakes. I could see the stress on their faces as they struggled to get themselves focused.

After taking a short rest, they attempted their routine again. As I was watching them progress through the routine, I could see that they had started to regain their comfort level. When they finished the routine with no mistakes, the stress melted from their faces, and I could see them heave a sign of relief. Now all they had to do was repeat that performance in front of the judges.

With all the upheaval, no one could blame them for being nervous. But through broken ropes and the pressure of competition, they were able to finish fifth in their three-person Double Dutch freestyle, and fourth in their four-person Double Dutch freestyle. Both finishes earned them the right to compete on stage for Grand Nationals. They ended up finishing ninth and eighth in the nation for those two events.

Katie Johnson describes the atmosphere on stage as, “The lights are on you and so are the ESPN cameras. You’re the center of attention. All you think is focus, don’t mess up, smile and look pretty.”

And then there was gold
The last regular event for the girls was Team Show. Team show is a freestyle event of eight to 30 jumpers. Using a combination of single, Double Dutch and long jump ropes, the routine is choreographed to music. Jumping for Joy competed in the Small Team event with eight jumpers. They had to practice extra days during the year to get their routine honed to perfection if they wanted to win.

The Gold Metal winners in Small Team show, and overall National Team Show winners Jumping for Joy. From left to right, Melissa Fitsemons, Katie Johnson, Sarah Medalen, Jessica Starr, Jamie Delozier, Christine Reed, Michelle MacFadyen, and Kanae Suzuki.

And win they did, taking gold in Small Team show, and winning best overall Team Show in the nation. “For being so young and doing so much,” shared Katie, “taking first in the nation was really exciting for me.” And it didn’t hurt that they received a standing ovation from the crowd.

The Jumping for Joy team itself did great as well. Overall points are awarded for each event for placing first through tenth. Jumping for Joy was third in the nation, a solid accomplishment considering there were 18 adolescents and five adults on the team. The first and second place teams had about 40 competitors each.

Coach Cindy Joy is happy with how everything turned out. “It was a good year. The kids worked hard, and they reached some of their goals. I am very proud about winning the team show and overall team show.”

Next Goal – Toronto
But there’s no time to stop and rest on their laurels. World Trials is in March, where the girls hope to qualify to represent the United States in World competition to be held in Toronto in July of 2006.

Even though the oldest age group is 18-and-over, the Jumping for Joy adult team is planning on competing at the World Trials. The team consists of Katie’s dad Ken, Joy, myself and another team dad. We are confident that they can reserve last place for us. But just being able to complete is a huge accomplishment. Of course, we’ll have to remember - focus, don’t mess up, smile and look pretty.

From the beaches of Hawaii to the friendly confines of Westmont

New Westmont AD Jeff Poppinga brings blend of aloha spirit and determination to Warriors athletics

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

For an easy-going Hawaiian, Jeff Poppinga certainly seems to enjoy taking on some big responsibilities.

Poppinga, who has served as a physical education teacher for nearly two years and just completed his first year as varsity boys’ volleyball coach at Westmont, added another title to his resume on June 10 when he was named the school’s new athletic director.

“I was very happy and very nervous at the same time,” Poppinga said of receiving the news of his new position at the school. “Westmont’s a great school and the athletic programs are in a positive position right now. We’ve had some great athletic directors before, so I knew I was taking over a position that was [going] in the right direction.”

The 2004-05 athletic year saw Westmont gain respect among its’ competitors in various sports. The Warriors football team, for instance, shared the Santa Teresa Division title with Lincoln and Santa Teresa and went on to play in the CCS Medium Division finals.

In addition, the Westmont softball team placed third in the Mt. Hamilton Division and made it into the CCS Division II playoffs, and the baseball team made it into the first round of the CCS playoffs. Westmont also enjoyed winning seasons from volleyball and basketball, to name a few.

While winning can be a contagious formula for happiness, Poppinga said his overall concern is for kids in the athletic program walk away feeling positive about their experiences and having grown as a person as a result of those experiences.

“My philosophy is always that it doesn’t matter if you win, as long as you play to win. You can then walk off the court saying you gave it your best,” Poppinga said. “That’s the thing I want to instill in the kids as well as you don’t determine success by winning and losing, but just have a blast out there and giving your 100 percent so when you walk off, you feel confident about yourself.”

For those who know Poppinga best at Westmont, the task of keeping the winning tradition going is in the right hands.

“He is pretty laid back and that has a lot to do with his Hawaiian style,” said Westmont head football coach Tony Santos. “He has a good blend of being meticulous and dealing with people on a comfortable level…. I think he’ll make an excellent athletic director. He’s very focused and directed on tasks. He’s the same way as a teacher. He’s what we need at Westmont.”

To that end, Poppinga said he will make sure to cement positive relationships with parents and other teachers, as well as the Westmont athletic booster club. With budgets continually tightening for schools, athletic programs like Westmont’s are always looking for ways to raise funds and divide those funds up fairly among all the sports.

“I’m trying to make sure that we can get them (programs) as much as possible,” said Poppinga of funding the athletics at Westmont. “I want to be visible to the parents and the players and faculty around here, so if they have any questions, they can come and talk to me. I want to make sure that the faculty realizes how important athletics is, and that parents know that their kids are in a positive program here, no matter what sports they are playing.”

The Kauai trio
For Poppinga, who was born and raised on the island of Kauai, sports have been a way of life for several years now. He starred, along with his older brothers Brian and Victor as volleyball players for the University of Hawaii. He played there from 1987 until 1992.

In Hawaii, where college athletics are the main sporting attraction, Poppinga said he was treated like a star and was also known, along with his brothers, as being the only brother trio to ever compete on the same team in college athletics.

“It was definitely a fun time,” Poppinga said. “My brothers had already blazed a trail for me and already made a name for themselves, so I just got to ride on their coattails and enjoy all the publicity and the enjoyment that came with college sports, especially in Hawaii, where college sports is the top.”

After graduating from the University of Hawaii in 1992 with an education degree, Poppinga landed a job in Oahu teaching math and PE and coaching volleyball with his brother Brian at Kaimuki High School. From there, Poppinga landed a job three years later in Maui at Seabury Hall, a private middle and high school, where he spent time as an athletic director.

Now, as the athletic director at Westmont, Poppinga wants to make sure young high school athletes have the chance to enjoy all the experiences he went through during his days in Hawaii.

“My whole life has been based around athletics since I was a kid growing up in Hawaii,” said Poppinga. “I’ve always wanted to be an athletic director and try to make the best program. I want to have a kid feel what I felt playing sports and how important it is for their growth.”