Athlete of the Week Articles

As Manny Flores was finishing the first-ever Elks Rodeo P.L.A.Y. 1-mile stampede, he thought to himself that he should start pursuing running more for a sport. Flores, who just wrapped up his freshman year at Pioneer Valley High School, quickly established himself as a great athlete. He’s already earned a letter for being on the […]

Who needs snow to take on a downhill ski run? Certainly not Righetti High School junior Logan Kemp. The 17-year-old competed in the U.S. Open of Mountain Biking downhill championships on Memorial Day weekend in New Jersey, taking third place honors out of 71 competitors in his age division—the amateur junior men. After taking a […]

Reilly McMahon, Righetti High School’s rising golf star, is one part lemonade, one part iced tea short of being on par with Arnold Palmer. Although McMahon is just finishing his sophomore year, he already can boast the history of a seasoned golfer. He’s played in numerous tournaments around the United States—from the deserts of Arizona […]

There aren’t too many people who can lawn bowl, and there aren’t too many of those who can lawn bowl into their older age, but Jim Gram isn’t too many people. He started lawn bowling in 1952 at the age of 19 because he thought it looked like an interesting sport. After his first year […]

Nipomo High School pole vaulter Tevin Limon just keeps raising the bar on his own records. At the Pac-7 league track and field finals on May 6, the sophomore set a new school mark by vaulting 14 feet, 4 inches, smashing his personal best by 10 inches. “I’ve been working on really shooting up in […]

“What is that?” Coach Louis Quintana said, pointing to Allan Hancock College’s rising track and field star Douglass Webb’s stomach. “Was that from the weekend? He sucks in that stomach when he runs, you know.” If there really is a stomach there, it’s hard to notice with the times Webb’s racking up. The freshman is […]

Pioneer Valley senior Dan Ando made a name for himself on the football field during his high school career, but his track exploits deserve at least an honorable mention. Despite running on an iffy knee, Ando set new school records in both the 100- and 200-meter events during the Santa Barbara County Championships on April […]

From the amount of time Karen Hendrick has spent in the pool—and from her family history of swimming—one might suspect that she’s been hiding fins and gills under her swimsuit. Hendrick started swimming at the age of 5, due to her mom’s insistence. However, it was her older sister who sparked Karen’s interest in swimming […]

The rain may be pouring—and the proverbial old man snoring—but the weather doesn’t put Allan Hancock College’s Chris Berryman out of training. In fact, for this freshman, it may take a baseball covered with a film of kryptonite to stop him from pitching a good game—like his recent six-inning performance against Moorpark, an outing that […]

She may not appear all that menacing, but Jessica Maio is an all-around monster for the Diamondbacks of the Orcutt Youth Softball League. During a recent midseason Division-I League tournament, the 11-year-old hit five homeruns in four games. The fifth-grader also pitched all four games of the single-elimination series on March 28 against teams from […]

Analise Riezebos, a senior at Saint Joseph High School, went once more unto the breach and came out an MVP at the 20th annual Kiwanis Central Coast All-Star Basketball Spectacular. She racked up a total of 21 points, 12 rebounds, and three assists. This wasn’t the first win for Riezebos, nor the first time she’s […]

You wouldn’t know it by looking at his statistics, but Allan Hancock College sophomore Brandon Creath is still the new kid on the mound. The 6-foot-3 right-hander is a perfect 5-0 as a starting pitcher for the Bulldogs with a 2.25 ERA through March 22. “The position players have been hitting the ball really well,” […]