Athlete of the Week Articles

Mixed martial arts newcomer Gary Pintor gave an electrifying performance during the Battle in the Vines, held on Aug. 28 in Orcutt. Pintor, who had been rocked during his second round, turned the tables by knocking his opponent out in the third. Pintor may be fresh to the cages of MMA, but he’s faced off […]

Becoming a golfer is almost like becoming a Jedi Knight: Start early, for you must be enthralled with the discipline. Today, Jack Avrit may be 11, but he’s already been golfing for nine years. His passion began at home. Literally. “My dad bought plastic clubs and balls that we could play with out in the […]

Rory Slikker might just be the incarnation of John Philip Sousa. With baton in hand, feet pounding to the thundering rhythms of the drumline, Slikker is feeding his passion for music—a passion just as demanding as hurdles or tossing a pigskin. When Slikker isn’t giving marching orders to the band, he plays the trombone and […]

It’s a quarter till five, tailwind of summer, and Josh Prenot is swimming laps at practice while the rest of his swim team is on break. “During the training season, I usually have 10 practices a week, which amounts to 24 hours a week,” Prenot said. “After Saturday, I get a break,” he added with […]

Baseball coaches on the Central Coast see many good players; however, few leave as strong an impression as Chris Mallory has. Mallory, a second baseman for the Santa Maria Packers, was recently given the California Collegiate League Player of the Year Award, beating out three other candidates in a close vote by league coaches. Mallory, […]

Before coach David Ramirez found him, he had lost two fights. But now, after starting a strenuous twice-a-day training regimen, 15-year-old Jhordy Ramirez is on his way to the top. He’s already made progress after becoming a Coachella East Coast champion, claiming a national belt. In fact, he mopped up the competition: He knocked down […]

As the leadoff batter and first baseman for the Orcutt Youth Softball Association’s 8U All-Stars, Abigail Salazar lit the spark under the Sparks. With her bat and hustle, Salazar helped lead her team to a 9-8-1 record. The Sparks won the Nipomo tournament in June, going 3-0, and followed it up two weeks later by […]

Running may not get you away from your problems, but for recently graduated Righetti High School senior Megan Allen, it’s going to take her all the way to the admissions office at Cal State Northridge. Once there, Allen will participate in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles portion of the Division I college’s track team. “I’m […]

Sure, there’s no “I” in team, but every tribe must have a chief. For the Indians II, Santa Maria’s 12 and Under Girls’ All-Star softball team, it’s starting pitcher Hannah Diaz, a fixture of the team’s run to the Amateur Softball Association’s Nationals tournament. The Indians’ No. 1 hurler, Diaz has played softball since the […]

Alfred “Alfie” Plaza began skateboarding not because of the hit video game Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, but because his uncle influenced him. “I started skateboarding when I was 9,” Plaza said amid loud bangs and thumps from nearby skateboarders. “He got boards for me, and he showed me everything.” Once inspired, Plaza knew there would […]

Anyone who’s said there’s no such thing as a smart jock has obviously never met Sam Waterman. The 8-year-old recently won the Super Bowl of Chess, a regional chess competition held each June on the Central Coast. Competing against other players up to age 14, Waterman won 11 of 12 games, stalemating one, and raking […]

James Brooks has traveled quite a long way to play baseball—all the way from the sunny land of Australia. Brooks started playing baseball at 17, but he had been playing softball since he was around 5 because his brother and sister were playing. “[Softball and baseball] are minority sports in Australia,” said Brooks, who has […]