On Our Board:
Pete Constant

Sports Authority's impact reaches deep into our community

Congratulations and thanks to all who made last month's NCAA Men's Division I Basketball West Regional a huge success – especially host San Jose State and the staff of HP Pavilion at San Jose.

Major events like the NCAA tournament are the primary focus of the Sports Authority's work in our community. But fulfilling the mandate in our masthead – Enriching Our Community Through Sports – means the Sports Authority does more than bring events to stadiums and arenas. It also means we put sports in service to our young people in ways that they learn and practice the positive values that sports teach so effectively: hard work, determination, fair play, teamwork and self-reliance, respect and others.

The Sports Authority operates two youth programs in our community, the REACH Youth Scholarships, and The First Tee golf and life skills program, which depends on the annual First Tee of San Jose Invitational golf tournament as its primary fund-raiser. Another Sports Authority initiative, the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame, supports Special Olympics Northern California and high school sports.

The impact of these programs is measured in the lives of people who are the future of San Jose. When you or your company is approached to support or sponsor them, I hope you will consider the value they represent.

Patricia Ernstrom
Acting Executive Director

Each spring the REACH Youth Scholarship Program produces the most touching and heart-warming stories of any activity in which the Sports Authority is involved. It is also a program in which you or your company can participate as sponsors by (408) 288-2930.

Last year five Santa Clara County high school seniors were awarded a total of $9,000 in college scholarships based upon essays they wrote describing how they overcame obstacles in their personal lives through participation in school athletics:

• Amanda Polzin of Harker School described how she faced prejudice from coaches because she does not have all her fingers but ultimately proved herself as a volleyball player and captain and co-MVP of her basketball team.
• Laine Armour of Fremont High wrote about the automobile accident which shattered bones in her spine and face but how she came back to finish her water polo career as a four-year player.
• Born with a congenital heart defect, Margo Consul of Leland High nevertheless pushed ahead in sports, which required implantation of a series of pacemakers allowing her to keep up with her activity.
• Inspired by his mother's dying words, Nikhil Marathe of St. Francis High focused his efforts on tennis, the sport he learned from her, to become his school's No.1 player.
• A failing heart ended Justin Martin's senior football season at Live Oak High after three games, but following a transplant, he returned to sports in the spring semester to letter in track and field.

A record 52 students have been nominated by 23 county high schools this year for REACH, which stands for Recognizing Excellence, Achievement, Courage and Hard work. Scholarship winners will be announced at the May 11 breakfast honoring the nominees, chaired by former 49er Ronnie Lott, at the San Jose Marriott.

Two sellout crowds totaling more than 36,000 fans packed HP Pavilion at San Jose in March for the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball West Regional, which was won by UCLA. The event drew rave reviews from the NCAA Men's Basketball Committee as well as generating enormous excitement in our community.

Hosted by San Jose State, it marked the fourth NCAA basketball championship event held in San Jose since 1997 and the seventh NCAA championship (the others were in soccer) staged in our community.

The next will be in 2010 when eight teams come to San Jose for Rounds 1 & 2 of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, also hosted by San Jose State.

No ice hockey event in California has ever been this big.

The USA Hockey Girls/Women National Championships at Logitech Ice at San Jose started March 22 with the senior women's division and concluded last weekend with girls' play. Katie King, the leading scorer in U.S. Olympic play, spoke during the tournament along with soccer star Brandi Chastain. Shelley Looney, an Olympic teammate of King, played with her club team in the tournament.

Altogether more than a 1,500 players from 78 teams nationwide participated accounting for more than 4,500 room-nights in local hotels.

The San Jose Mercury News featured the tournament in a story focused on local college and potential Olympic players in the event.

They ranged from tiny, 40-pound bantams to high school athletes weighing more than 220 pounds. At the end of three days of competition in the South Hall of the McEnery Convention Center March 9-11, champions were crowned in 90 age, weight and gender divisions of California USA Wrestling's state youth championship tournament.

The event was the first of two big tournaments California USA Wrestling will stage in San Jose this year. San Jose is also home to the annual Dave Shultz Kids / Cadet Freestyle Championships to be held May 12-13 .

Registration for the The First Tee of San Jose's summer youth classes will be held from 9-11 a.m. Saturday, May 19 at Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course and Driving Range, 1649 Hermocilla Way. The program offers an opportunity to develop – through golf – character education and life-enhancing values such as honesty, integrity and sportsmanship.

First Tee participants were treated to a clinic earlier this week at the San Jose International Open golf tournament at the Golf Club at Boulder Ridge.

The First Tee of San Jose Invitational, the annual fund-raiser for The First Tee of San Jose, will be held July 16 at CordeValle. For sponsorship information, contact Tracie Morris.

It's tax time again, and the Sports Authority would like to extend special thanks to one of our long-time partners and sponsors, Petrinovich, Pugh & Company, LLP, provider of our accounting services, and partner Ed Davis, a youth coach and chairman of the Greater San Jose After-School All-Stars.