Welcome back everybody...
So a few things to get caught up on:
--Forms were passed out today for volleyball and soccer -- please bring those back as soon as possible, tomorrow even if you can.
--PLAY, PLAY AND PLAY! The more, the merrier.
PRACTICES
As soon as all the forms are returned, we can get going on practices. Soccer and volleyball start up in a matter of weeks, so as much practice before the games, the better.
This week, we will have soccer on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Whichever team you are on, plan on practicing on at least two out of the three days. Official days will be made available by the end of this week.
For the 7th and 8th graders, and anybody else who wants to show up and get practice in, practice tomorrow at Moscone will run from 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Have a good Monday. See you tomorrow.
.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Taiwan in Little League World Series, Go away Stephen Jackson
Tomorrow at 12 p.m. PT on ABC (Ch. 7), the kids from Taiwan will go for the Little League World Series Championship. This afternoon, they beat Mexico 9-4.
Taiwan has won the most Little League World Series with 17 titles and will be making their 20th appearance in the championship game.
STEPHEN JACKSON WANTS OUT
Not surprising, Stephen Jackson wants out and wants to be traded to the Cavaliers -- where Lebron and Shaq can do everything and Jackson can mooch off them and get a championship. Sound familiar anybody?
Just go away. The Warriors gave Jackson a huge contract worth almost $30 million when nobody else in their right minds would've given him anything close to that. I hope the Warriors trade him and he realizes he is really an NBA roleplayer at best. On the Warriors, he is the man, because who else do the Warriors really have?
On other teams, he'll be lucky to be in the starting line-up. Good riddance.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Countdown to school
The countdown to the first day of school is approaching. So here are some things to chew on...
The first two sports this year out of the gate will be volleyball and soccer. We will start our first soccer practice tomorrow at West Sunset at 12 p.m. Anybody who wishes to play in grades 3-8 is welcome to show up to get back into soccer mode.
Official sign-ups will take place during the first week of school.
GOOD RIDDANCE
Today will be Olivia's last day in San Francisco before moving on to high school in Minnesota. We thank her for participating and wish her the best in all her future endeavors. And even though she is leaving, she still came and helped out at the first few volleyball practices for the 7th/8th grade the last few weeks.
Adieu...
The first two sports this year out of the gate will be volleyball and soccer. We will start our first soccer practice tomorrow at West Sunset at 12 p.m. Anybody who wishes to play in grades 3-8 is welcome to show up to get back into soccer mode.
Official sign-ups will take place during the first week of school.
GOOD RIDDANCE
Today will be Olivia's last day in San Francisco before moving on to high school in Minnesota. We thank her for participating and wish her the best in all her future endeavors. And even though she is leaving, she still came and helped out at the first few volleyball practices for the 7th/8th grade the last few weeks.
Adieu...
Sunday, August 23, 2009
The Slide-Show Log
If Emily was a man, she would be "THE MAN."
So a big thanks to Emily who compiled this list, watching the Slideshow -- slide by slide and logging down each time a person was in the slide show. Below is the list. Rewatch it again to make sure your number corresponds to the times you appear on screen.
THE LIST
Olivia - 25
Sophia - 19
Marissa - 18
Derek - 17
Vivian - 17
Brandon - 13
Emily T - 13
Brandon L- 12
Melinda - 11
Shari - 11
Michelle C- 11
Priscilla - 10
Daniel - 10
Jeremy - 10
Serina - 10
Nicholas - 10
Tom - 9
Elliot - 9
Tianna - 9
Mark - 9
Justin L- 9
Kevin - 9
Justin G- 9
Kelvin - 8
Tiffany Y - 8
Brandon K - 7
Cynthia - 7
Beverlyn - 7
Perry - 7
Winnie - 7
Kevin - 7
Timothy - 6
Gavin - 6
Brendan - 6
Catharine - 6
Ryan - 6
Raymond - 6
Tommy - 6
Garrick S - 5
Fiona - 5
Aaron - 5
Simon - 5
Isabella - 5
Jonathan - 5
Sally - 5
Iris - 5
Robert - 5
Willard - 4
Erica - 4
Gavin C- 4
Calson - 4
Miles - 4
Edwena - 4
Tiffany V- 4
Hartman - 4
Elton - 4
Patricia - 4
Katlyn - 4
Steve - 4
Victoria - 3
Grant - 3
Ivy - 3
Hunter - 3
Matthew - 3
Jason - 3
Gary - 3
Emily C- 3
Zachary - 3
Michelle W - 3
Jessica - 3
Anthony - 3
Gregory - 3
Michael - 2
Angel - 2
Assunta - 2
Garrick - 1
COACHES AND STAFF
Tiff- 11
Thanh- 11
James- 10
Bryan - 9
Vinette- 9
Matt- 9
Ronnie- 8
Aaron- 7
Alex- 7
Freddy- 6
John- 4
Tim- 4
Ed- 4
King- 3
Stephanie- 3
Tiffy- 3
Mr. Choi- 2
Justin - 2
Mrs. Mayfield- 2
Diana - 2
Eudora - 2
Mrs. Fiebelkorn- 1
Mr. B- 1
Mr. Ryan- 1
Jeffery - 1
Heather - 1
Friday, August 21, 2009
Happy Birthday
I was in 7th grade when they started Spirit Families, probably the best idea our principal at the time ever came up with. It gave a chance for all the students in the school to get to know at least one person from each grade.
In 8th grade, I got stuck with a little rascal named Andrew. He was about 2 feet tall, big ears and everyone always raved about how cute he is. I used to hold his hand walking to church. And now he is 16...good grief.
He's a bit taller now, and will be playing for Wallenberg's varsity basketball team this upcoming school year. I even coached him for 3 years when he was in 5th, 7th and 8th grade -- two championship appearances and one championship victory in 2007.
Happy Birthday to Andrew.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
A local kid, makes it big in soccer
With soccer season around the corner, I thought I'd share an article of a local boy, now man, who went to Lowell and is now playing in England, trying to make it big as a professional soccer player. Unlike other sports in the United States, soccer here is nothing compared to what it is in other continents. Want to be a soccer star? You probably need to get out of the states.
S.F.'s Peterlin acclimating to soccer in England
Courtesy: Tom Fitzgerlad, San Francisco Chronicle
(08-11) 19:35 PDT -- Not even the incessant rain in Liverpool can dampen the spirits of Anton Peterlin, a soccer player from Lowell High who recently signed with Everton of the English Premier League.
He's been enjoying Liverpool 1, the city's downtown, and was preparing to move into an apartment. He spent a month in a hotel, not counting a training trip to Scotland and an exhibition match in Austria.
"It's amazing how much it can rain over here," he said. "I heard that it can rain 285 days a year. But beside the rain, the people are welcoming, at least the ones I've met in the hotel and on the streets."
Peterlin, a 22-year-old midfielder, was offered a contract after attending Cal Poly. Not many Americans sign with the Premier League, one of the most demanding in the world. Peterlin is playing this year on Everton's developmental team, Blues XI, and that kind of experience is rare for an American youngster.
"You could probably list the American kids on the fingers of two hands over the last 10 years who have signed with the Premier League" shortly after college, Cal Poly coach Paul Holocher said.
Peterlin has trained alongside American goalkeeper Tim Howard, Australian midfielder Tim Cahill and English midfielder and team captain Phil Neville.
It was intimidating at first, Peterlin admitted, "but now you learn to play with them and give the respect, as well as putting myself in a spot to show what I've got. All of these players are incredibly gifted but even more dedicated to our sport."
Besides his considerable skill and ambition, Peterlin had something that most American players lack: a European Union passport, which eased the process of joining the English club.
He was born in San Francisco to a Danish mother and a Slovenian father. Anne Peterlin came to the United States on a tennis scholarship to USF. Boris Peterlin is also a fine tennis player, his son said. Anton said he fell in love with soccer playing in the backyard with his grandfather and brother, Sebastian, now a rower for Stanford.
Anton watched Premiership games on TV as a kid, at the home of a friend who admired Manchester United. The youngster's dream job was soon apparent.
"I'm delighted he's getting the notoriety he deserves," said Ernie Feibusch, who has coached Lowell soccer for 44 years. "He was fantastic for us, a real leader. He never got a big head, even though I suspect he knew he was pretty damn good."
In middle school and high school, Peterlin used his middle name, Alex, but switched back to Anton at UC Santa Cruz, he said, because it's "strong and unique" - and the team had three other players named Alex. He transferred to Cal Poly when Holocher, who had recruited him to Santa Cruz, took the job there a year later.
Though not highly recruited out of high school, Peterlin improved significantly every year, Holocher said. In a nationally televised 2008 game against UC Santa Barbara in San Luis Obispo - which Cal Poly lost 1-0 in overtime - Peterlin gave an outstanding performance before a crowd of 11,075, the third largest in Division I regular-season history.
There were Major League Soccer scouts on hand as well. Peterlin had tryouts with the Earthquakes and the Chicago Fire, and both clubs wanted him, but Peterlin always had Europe in mind.
He was invited to a 10-day training session with Everton in March, on the recommendation of Graham Smith, his coach with the Ventura County Fusion in the fourth division of the U.S. league system. Everton coach David Moyes played him with the first team and said he was impressed with "his attitude and undoubted ability."
Don't expect Peterlin to exchange elbows with Man U's Wayne Rooney in the near future, Smith cautions. "I want people's expectations to be realistic," he said. "He's not at a Premier League level. He's a young man who, in terms of football development compared to other players in Europe, is probably 17 or 18. He's on a fast track to catch up."
Peterlin said, "I have been given an amazing opportunity. It's rare because not many Americans get the opportunity with Everton or any English club for that matter."
Players like Howard, Clint Dempsey and others in the Premier League are clearing the way for newcomers, he said. Peterlin, for one, doesn't mind packing his umbrella.
S.F.'s Peterlin acclimating to soccer in England
Courtesy: Tom Fitzgerlad, San Francisco Chronicle
(08-11) 19:35 PDT -- Not even the incessant rain in Liverpool can dampen the spirits of Anton Peterlin, a soccer player from Lowell High who recently signed with Everton of the English Premier League.
He's been enjoying Liverpool 1, the city's downtown, and was preparing to move into an apartment. He spent a month in a hotel, not counting a training trip to Scotland and an exhibition match in Austria.
"It's amazing how much it can rain over here," he said. "I heard that it can rain 285 days a year. But beside the rain, the people are welcoming, at least the ones I've met in the hotel and on the streets."
Peterlin, a 22-year-old midfielder, was offered a contract after attending Cal Poly. Not many Americans sign with the Premier League, one of the most demanding in the world. Peterlin is playing this year on Everton's developmental team, Blues XI, and that kind of experience is rare for an American youngster.
"You could probably list the American kids on the fingers of two hands over the last 10 years who have signed with the Premier League" shortly after college, Cal Poly coach Paul Holocher said.
Peterlin has trained alongside American goalkeeper Tim Howard, Australian midfielder Tim Cahill and English midfielder and team captain Phil Neville.
It was intimidating at first, Peterlin admitted, "but now you learn to play with them and give the respect, as well as putting myself in a spot to show what I've got. All of these players are incredibly gifted but even more dedicated to our sport."
Besides his considerable skill and ambition, Peterlin had something that most American players lack: a European Union passport, which eased the process of joining the English club.
He was born in San Francisco to a Danish mother and a Slovenian father. Anne Peterlin came to the United States on a tennis scholarship to USF. Boris Peterlin is also a fine tennis player, his son said. Anton said he fell in love with soccer playing in the backyard with his grandfather and brother, Sebastian, now a rower for Stanford.
Anton watched Premiership games on TV as a kid, at the home of a friend who admired Manchester United. The youngster's dream job was soon apparent.
"I'm delighted he's getting the notoriety he deserves," said Ernie Feibusch, who has coached Lowell soccer for 44 years. "He was fantastic for us, a real leader. He never got a big head, even though I suspect he knew he was pretty damn good."
In middle school and high school, Peterlin used his middle name, Alex, but switched back to Anton at UC Santa Cruz, he said, because it's "strong and unique" - and the team had three other players named Alex. He transferred to Cal Poly when Holocher, who had recruited him to Santa Cruz, took the job there a year later.
Though not highly recruited out of high school, Peterlin improved significantly every year, Holocher said. In a nationally televised 2008 game against UC Santa Barbara in San Luis Obispo - which Cal Poly lost 1-0 in overtime - Peterlin gave an outstanding performance before a crowd of 11,075, the third largest in Division I regular-season history.
There were Major League Soccer scouts on hand as well. Peterlin had tryouts with the Earthquakes and the Chicago Fire, and both clubs wanted him, but Peterlin always had Europe in mind.
He was invited to a 10-day training session with Everton in March, on the recommendation of Graham Smith, his coach with the Ventura County Fusion in the fourth division of the U.S. league system. Everton coach David Moyes played him with the first team and said he was impressed with "his attitude and undoubted ability."
Don't expect Peterlin to exchange elbows with Man U's Wayne Rooney in the near future, Smith cautions. "I want people's expectations to be realistic," he said. "He's not at a Premier League level. He's a young man who, in terms of football development compared to other players in Europe, is probably 17 or 18. He's on a fast track to catch up."
Peterlin said, "I have been given an amazing opportunity. It's rare because not many Americans get the opportunity with Everton or any English club for that matter."
Players like Howard, Clint Dempsey and others in the Premier League are clearing the way for newcomers, he said. Peterlin, for one, doesn't mind packing his umbrella.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Y.E. Yang beats Tiger Woods, Volleyball tomorrow
Sunday afternoon, Y. E. Yang became the first Asian-born player to win a men’s major golf championship, winning the PGA Championship over Tiger Woods.
I bet not one person reading this watched the end, but it was a pretty impressive feat considering Tiger is by far the best golfer in the world. He even held a lead going into the final round, but out of nowhere, Yang overtook the great Tiger Woods and beat him.
VOLLEYBALL
Tomorrow, there will be a light volleyball workout at Helen Wills at 3:30 p.m. Please show up if you are interested in playing volleyball this season.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Matt is famous
MATT'S HOUSE - As I am sitting here on Matt's computer, tracking his internet history, a newspaper article from 2005 hangs above his computer.
In his prime, Matt was one of the strongest paddlers on the Lincoln dragonboat team. Below is the article that showed up in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Upsurge in paddlers is breathing new fire into the ancient Chinese sport of dragon boating
By Vanessa Hua
Matt Chung isn't the biggest, strongest or fastest guy, but he knows what counts in the sport of dragon boating: teamwork.
"You don't have to be 7 feet tall and all muscle. In dragon boat, you need a big heart," said Chung. "You paddle for the 19 other people who you suffered with, paddled with, in the rain and cold."
His will compete against almost 100 youth, adult and company teams and 2, 500 paddlers at the San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival Saturday and Sunday on Treasure Island. The event is sponsored by Kaiser Permanente.
The nation's biggest such competition, the festival, now in its 10th year, is moving from Lake Merced to Treasure Island to accommodate more participants in this fast-growing sport.
When Chung, 18 (now 22), started paddling in his sophomore year at Lincoln High, he weighed only 115 pounds and stood 5-foot-5. It was cold out on the water, and he was scared of falling in because he didn't know how to swim (not a requirement because rowers wear life jackets). By his senior year, he was captain of the team. He credits the sport for helping him become much stronger and more confident.
"Every paddler has to be on the same page, with the same goal, or else," said Chung, a Sunset District resident who will attend San Francisco State University this fall.
Dragon boating is an ancient Chinese sport, based on the legend of a scholar who threw himself into a river to protest government corruption. Local fishermen beat their drums and threw in dumplings to distract the water dragons, preventing them from eating him.
Today, the colorful boats feature a dragon's head on the prow and a tail at the stern. They seat 20 paddlers in 10 rows of two. Paddlers face forward, stroking to the beat of a drummer at the stern down the 500-meter course. They push off with their legs and use their backs to pull through the stroke.
There's a position for every body size and every level of skill and strength. The front of the boat is narrow and calls for smaller people with a good sense of cadence and technique. The middle of the boat, known as the engine room, or meat locker, seats the biggest, strongest paddlers, and the rear is for paddlers with good technique, who can handle fast water.
In the Bay Area, the nonprofit California Dragon Boat Association provides the 500-pound boats (which cost $12,000 to $15,000 each) and other equipment used by the teams. In any competition, to ensure fairness, a single organization usually provides all the boats that race.
Many local teams run boats with men and women. To qualify as a "mixed" boat, they must include at least eight female paddlers.
The sport has grown quickly in the Bay Area, said Linda Cheu, the association's president.
The annual competition started a decade ago as a fundraiser for Self-Help for the Elderly, a Chinatown social services organization, intended to involve older and younger generations, said Dorothy Yeung, 59, a physical therapist who has paddled in national and international competitions.
"I started the first women's team, knowing nothing, but I have always been an athlete," Yeung said. "You just have to be fit and persistent."
Chaz Roh, who coaches San Francisco's Community Youth Center team, said that in 2001, it was hard to muster even eight teenagers to practice. Now the team has 90 paddlers and fields up to three boats.
Connie Liu, 16, entered the sport just this year, and already she is the lead paddler on the youth center team racing this weekend.
"I'm excited and nervous, because it's for an international competition," said Liu, who lives in the Sunset District. "I really love dragon boating."
In his prime, Matt was one of the strongest paddlers on the Lincoln dragonboat team. Below is the article that showed up in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Upsurge in paddlers is breathing new fire into the ancient Chinese sport of dragon boating
By Vanessa Hua
Matt Chung isn't the biggest, strongest or fastest guy, but he knows what counts in the sport of dragon boating: teamwork.
"You don't have to be 7 feet tall and all muscle. In dragon boat, you need a big heart," said Chung. "You paddle for the 19 other people who you suffered with, paddled with, in the rain and cold."
His will compete against almost 100 youth, adult and company teams and 2, 500 paddlers at the San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival Saturday and Sunday on Treasure Island. The event is sponsored by Kaiser Permanente.
The nation's biggest such competition, the festival, now in its 10th year, is moving from Lake Merced to Treasure Island to accommodate more participants in this fast-growing sport.
When Chung, 18 (now 22), started paddling in his sophomore year at Lincoln High, he weighed only 115 pounds and stood 5-foot-5. It was cold out on the water, and he was scared of falling in because he didn't know how to swim (not a requirement because rowers wear life jackets). By his senior year, he was captain of the team. He credits the sport for helping him become much stronger and more confident.
"Every paddler has to be on the same page, with the same goal, or else," said Chung, a Sunset District resident who will attend San Francisco State University this fall.
Dragon boating is an ancient Chinese sport, based on the legend of a scholar who threw himself into a river to protest government corruption. Local fishermen beat their drums and threw in dumplings to distract the water dragons, preventing them from eating him.
Today, the colorful boats feature a dragon's head on the prow and a tail at the stern. They seat 20 paddlers in 10 rows of two. Paddlers face forward, stroking to the beat of a drummer at the stern down the 500-meter course. They push off with their legs and use their backs to pull through the stroke.
There's a position for every body size and every level of skill and strength. The front of the boat is narrow and calls for smaller people with a good sense of cadence and technique. The middle of the boat, known as the engine room, or meat locker, seats the biggest, strongest paddlers, and the rear is for paddlers with good technique, who can handle fast water.
In the Bay Area, the nonprofit California Dragon Boat Association provides the 500-pound boats (which cost $12,000 to $15,000 each) and other equipment used by the teams. In any competition, to ensure fairness, a single organization usually provides all the boats that race.
Many local teams run boats with men and women. To qualify as a "mixed" boat, they must include at least eight female paddlers.
The sport has grown quickly in the Bay Area, said Linda Cheu, the association's president.
The annual competition started a decade ago as a fundraiser for Self-Help for the Elderly, a Chinatown social services organization, intended to involve older and younger generations, said Dorothy Yeung, 59, a physical therapist who has paddled in national and international competitions.
"I started the first women's team, knowing nothing, but I have always been an athlete," Yeung said. "You just have to be fit and persistent."
Chaz Roh, who coaches San Francisco's Community Youth Center team, said that in 2001, it was hard to muster even eight teenagers to practice. Now the team has 90 paddlers and fields up to three boats.
Connie Liu, 16, entered the sport just this year, and already she is the lead paddler on the youth center team racing this weekend.
"I'm excited and nervous, because it's for an international competition," said Liu, who lives in the Sunset District. "I really love dragon boating."
Monday, August 10, 2009
The biggest series since 2004
This week, the San Francisco Giants will play their biggest 3 games since 2004 when they take on their arch-rival, the hated, Los Angeles Dodgers. This is the biggest rivalry in Bay Area sports, more than any other sport.
These three games will be intense. There will be fights in the crowd (although I don't condone fighting) and a playoff like atmosphere at AT&T Park.
Tonight: NBC (Ch. 3 or 11) @ 7 p.m.
Tuesday: CSN Comcast SportsNet @ 7 p.m.
Wednesday: CSN Comcast SportsNet @ 12:45 p.m.
Be sure to tune in, baseball fan or not. It will be a series that can make or break the Giants chances for a division championship.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
More Slideshows
So I dug up the slide show from 2008 and uploaded it to YouTube for all to see. However, the music that I used was copyrighted and YouTube has this huge bf about which music you can and can't use, so I had to use something generic (from the early 90s).
However, you can also view the original slideshow with the same music used at Awards Night on the blogspot version of it.
Now, the question is, can you identify the music for the original slide show? If you can, let me know and I'll get you a little something. Enjoy and have a good week.
YOUTUBE VERSION
ORIGINAL
However, you can also view the original slideshow with the same music used at Awards Night on the blogspot version of it.
Now, the question is, can you identify the music for the original slide show? If you can, let me know and I'll get you a little something. Enjoy and have a good week.
YOUTUBE VERSION
ORIGINAL
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
The Blog Log
Gavin is the man.
Over the summer, he was given the tough assignment of logging the blog and he took it on and came through. The blog log below will feature a list of every single player, coach or parent that was mentioned on the blog over the course of this year.
Gavin went through each post and jotted down how many times each person was mentioned. So when you see him on the street, shake his hand, and congratulate and thank him for this data.
THE LIST
Olivia - 34
Sophia - 21
Derek - 19
Vivian - 18
Marissa - 14
Tianna - 14
Justin G - 13
Jeremy - 13
Melinda - 13
Shari - 13
Tommy - 12
Nick - 11
Tiff - 10
Brandon L- 10
Tom - 10
Elliot - 10
Brandon K - 10
Emily - 10
Serina - 10
Beverlyn - 10
Brandon T - 9
Daniel - 8
Isabella- 8
Calson - 8
Garrick - 7
Cynthia - 7
Elton - 7
Kevin C - 7
Willard - 7
Edwena - 6
Mark - 6
Iris - 5
Sally - 5
Justin L - 5
Zachary - 5
Victoria - 5
Ivy - 5
Perry - 5
Gavin L - 4
Gavin C - 4
Raymond - 4
Jessica - 4
Larry - 3
Kelvin - 3
Kevin L - 3
Steve - 3
Fiona - 3
Gary - 3
Katlyn - 3
Patricia - 3
Miles - 3
Michelle - 3
Tiff Y - 2
Priscilla - 2
Ryan - 2
Erica - 2
Simon - 2
Grant - 2
Greg - 2
Jonathan - 2
Aaron - 2
Matthew - 2
Tiff V - 1
Brendan - 1
Timothy - 1
Robert - 1
Jason - 1
Michael - 1
Catharine - 1
Angel - 1
COACHES/TEACHERS/PARENTS LIST
Matt - 11
Tiff - 10
Freddy - 9
James - 8
Alex - 8
Ronstance - 7
Clarissa - 5
Thanh - 5
Aaron - 5
Diana - 5
John Wang - 5
Jeffrey - 4
Eunice - 4
Eudora - 4
Stephanie - 4
Heather - 3
Justin K- 3
Mr. Ryan - 3
Tiffy - 3
Heather - 3
King - 4
Mrs. Mayfield - 2
Ed - 2
Mr. Choi - 2
Susan - 2
Tim - 1
Vinette - 1
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