Coelho vaults to Junior Olympic regionals
It didn’t take long for incoming San Benito High School senior
Sophie Coelho to make up the difference. Less than two months ago,
Coelho recorded an 8-06 in the pole vault event at the Central
Coast Section Track and Field Trials, falling 12 inches short of
advancing to the championship round.
”
Everything went wrong that day,
”
Coelho said.
And not a whole lot went right from the start on June 28 either,
when Coelho was competing at the Pacific Association Junior
Olympics Track and Field Championships at Grenada High in
Livermore. Temperatures rose to a toasty 109 degrees, leaving the
poles too hot to even touch.
”
We had to water the poles down,
”
Coelho recalled.
With a developed form and a strong work ethic since the CCS
Trials, though, Coelho managed to set the bar at Junior Olympics on
her very first attempt, despite the heat, when she set a personal
record vault of 9-06 – four inches higher than her previous best
and 12 inches better than the CCS Trials.
As a result, Coelho finished fourth overall to advance to the
Region 14 Junior Olympics Track and Field Championships this
Saturday in Bakersfield, where a top-three finish will qualify
Coelho to the national meet in North Carolina at the end of the
month.
”
We’ve been training for a while and I was hoping to get a better
height, but I was happy,
”
Coelho said.
”
We sat out there for a long, long time, and by the time we got
to jump, it was over 100 degrees off the track.
”
I was hoping for a little bit better. But it was a rough day, so
I was happy with it.
”
Coelho vaults to Junior Olympic regionals
It didn’t take long for incoming San Benito High School senior Sophie Coelho to make up the difference. Less than two months ago, Coelho recorded an 8-06 in the pole vault event at the Central Coast Section Track and Field Trials, falling 12 inches short of advancing to the championship round.
“Everything went wrong that day,” Coelho said.
And not a whole lot went right from the start on June 28 either, when Coelho was competing at the Pacific Association Junior Olympics Track and Field Championships at Grenada High in Livermore. Temperatures rose to a toasty 109 degrees, leaving the poles too hot to even touch.
“We had to water the poles down,” Coelho recalled.
With a developed form and a strong work ethic since the CCS Trials, though, Coelho managed to set the bar at Junior Olympics on her very first attempt, despite the heat, when she set a personal record vault of 9-06 – four inches higher than her previous best and 12 inches better than the CCS Trials.
As a result, Coelho finished fourth overall to advance to the Region 14 Junior Olympics Track and Field Championships this Saturday in Bakersfield, where a top-three finish will qualify Coelho to the national meet in North Carolina at the end of the month.
“We’ve been training for a while and I was hoping to get a better height, but I was happy,” Coelho said. “We sat out there for a long, long time, and by the time we got to jump, it was over 100 degrees off the track.
“I was hoping for a little bit better. But it was a rough day, so I was happy with it.”
Winn to compete in selection process for First Tee Open
San Benito High School junior Nathan Winn of The First Tee of Monterey County will travel to Rogers, Ark., to compete for an opportunity to play in the Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach in August.
Winn is one of 84 boys from The First Tee Chapters worldwide who will take part in the selection event at Shadow Valley Country Club, July 14-18.
The sixth annual Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, a nationally televised Champions Tour tournament, takes place Aug. 31-Sept. 6.
Parks and Rec offering tennis, swim lessons
The Hollister Parks and Recreation Department is offering a tennis and swim camp at San Benito High School this summer. The camp includes 90 minutes of tennis instruction, a 30-minute lunch break, followed by one hour of supervised swimming.
The camp runs weekly, Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The cost is $125 a week.
For more information or to sign up, contact the Hollister Parks and Recreation Department at (831) 636-4390.
USPTA pro offering beginner tennis lessons
Ridgemark Golf and Country Club tennis professional and San Benito High School boys tennis coach Chris Yoder is offering beginning tennis lessons to juniors on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., or on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Ridgemark also offers a complete tennis development program for players of all ages and abilities, with a special adult beginner class on Saturdays from 9 to 10:30 a.m.
Lesson fees are $15 per class.
For more information, contact USPTA pro Chris Yoder at (831) 637-0748.
Cutting Edge to host summer softball camp
Cutting Edge Softball is hosting its Fifth Annual Summer Softball Camp for players 7-14 years of age on July 13-16. This camp is geared to help players develop and strengthen core fundamentals and advance their skills in each area of the game: hitting, bunting, slapping, fielding and base running. Pitchers and catchers will have an extra hour of instruction to sharpen their performance on the field. Three-time Olympic gold medalist Laura Berg will discuss her experiences from the Olympic Team. Camp registration is now open. For more information, call Cutting Edge at (408) 231-1173 or send an e-mail to: Le***@cu*****************.com
Tri County Running Club off and running
Runners of all ages looking to stay in shape and run some races during the summer months can join the Tri County Running Club, which will be held from now until Aug. 7.
The club will meet at 9 a.m. three times a week: Mondays at Manzanita Park in Prunedale, Wednesdays at Toro Park in Salinas and Fridays at Nisene Marks Park in Aptos.
There will also be an afternoon session at San Benito High School in Hollister every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4 p.m., as well as a kids’ group at Castroville School on Wednesdays and Fridays at noon.
Cost is $75, or $25 for kids 12 and under. Cost includes a club T-shirt and uniform use.
For more information, visit the club’s Web site at: tricountyrunningclub.tripod.com, or contact Gustavo Ibarra at 831-524-1283; Jess Morales at 831-801-7138; or Francisco Cornejo at 831-794-2516.
Everett Alvarez to host volleyball camp in July
The volleyball program of Everett Alvarez High School will host the Second Everett Alvarez Girls’ Volleyball Camp for middle school athletes on July 15-17 from 2 to 5 p.m. This camp is designed for girls entering sixth through eighth grade who are interested in improving their volleyball skills. The camp will provide certified and qualified volleyball coaches and will feature some outstanding high school players from the local area.
Enrollment into the camp is on a first-come-first-serve basis. Cost of the camp is $60 and includes nine hours of instruction and a camp T-shirt.
Registration deadline is June 30. Late registration will be accepted if space is available after June 30 with a $15 late fee. On-site registration will also be allowed (pending availability).
For more information, call Camp Administrator Janna Simons at (831) 236-5418, or e-mail her at: ja**********@cs***.edu
San Juan Oaks to host spring, summer golf clinics
The San Juan Oaks Golf Club will host four golf clinics through the spring and summer months, where golfers can fine-tune specific areas of their game to help improve scores.
One clinic will be offered each month, with clinics focused on sand shots (July 18), full swing (Aug. 22), putting (Sept. 26) and pitch shots (Oct. 17).
Classes will be held on Saturdays from 12 to 1 p.m. Cost is $25 per person.
For more information or to sign up, visit the golf shop at San Juan Oaks or call 831-636-6115.
