Athlete of the Week Articles

For the first time in his young golfing career, St. Joseph High School junior Chris Blystone can enjoy making a splash. On March 29, Blystone beat out 71 other American Junior Golf Association hopefuls from all over the western United States and Canada, taking the Boys’ Division crown in the Golf World Preseason Junior at […]

Righetti High School’s very own 6-foot-9 middle hitting senior, Garrett Passmore, has made quite the name for himself. After only two years of being on Righetti’s boy’s 
volleyball team, he’s been recognized as one of the team’s best players. Passmore (No. 0) first got involved in sports when he was a child. Since he’s always […]

Santa Maria High School varsity baseball team member Michael Ybarra is drawing attention for his excellence and competitive drive out on the field. He’s been playing baseball since he was a youngster. He began at just 6 years old after he was influenced and encouraged by his mother )who played softball) and his father (who, […]

Allan Hancock College sophomore Kenna Wolter is a rising star in women’s track and field. At a recent meet in Ventura, Wolter broke the school record in the long jump by more than seven inches with an 18-foot, 7-inch leap, winning first place in the event. Wolter also won the 100-meter and triple jump events […]

This young and aspiring senior at Valley Christian Academy is only a few months away from graduating and moving toward a new chapter: life as a college student. Kylie Mugg started playing sports when she was 9 years old after joining a recreational soccer team. “I’ve always been a klutz, so naturally my parents were […]

Erika Lethcoe is more than an average youngster. Since beginning gymnastics as a recreational sport only four months ago, she’s walked away with a stunning 10 medal awards for her hard work and dedication to the sport she’s grown to love. Lethcoe first began taking an interest in gymnastics when she was 5 years old. […]

Jacob Cano is quite the triple threat: The 16-year-old junior plays baseball, basketball, and football for St. Joseph High School. Cano led the Knights in three-pointers, including a spectacular mid-court score at the buzzer last week against Santa Maria. He’s also the Knights’ leading scorer, averaging 15 points a game, according to Coach Ed Torres. […]

José Angulo didn’t know it, but he was about to be named captain of the Allan Hancock College men’s tennis team. He’d come pretty far from his early days as an athlete. In fact, he didn’t have any early days as an athlete. In high school, the Orcutt resident broke his hand during his freshman […]

It doesn’t matter where on the soccer field 17-year-old Nestor Alvarez plays: offense, defense, even goalkeeper. Alvarez is, according to Santa Maria High School soccer coach Al Garcia, “tearing it up.” “He’s our second-most productive offensive player, but he can play just about anywhere,” Garcia said. The coach recounted a recent match in which Alvarez […]

Cambria Morales is a soft-spoken eighth-grader who, according to her mom, likes tea parties. Get her in the water, though, and it’s a whole different story. Morales is one of Santa Maria’s most promising up-and-coming water polo players. Morales was selected last year to attend a water polo training clinic at the Olympic Training Center […]

Sonny Martinez is a soft-spoken guy with an easy smile, but don’t let that fool you—he’s one of the best wrestlers in the area. The Pioneer Valley junior is 37-1 this year. Martinez knew from early on that he wanted to get into sports. So early, in fact, that “wrestling was the only sport that […]

Dave Bourbon never set out to be a world-champion arm wrestler. He and his wife were out one night in 1973 at the Black Eye Bar (now Rick’s) in Santa Maria when he was told to get weighed. “What for?” he remembers asking. The answer: There was going to be arm wrestling that night. Bourbon […]