Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table - Athletics, Academics, and Ethics
Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table - Athletics, Academics, and Ethics
As the spring sports season nears its end, it’s time to cherish the moments, especially for the senior student-athletes. For Santa Barbara High aquatics coach Mark Walsh, the Channel League Swimming & Diving Championships is one of his favorite events because his whole team is involved and just about everyone swims a personal best. “When I left, I felt like we’d won because when every single kid swims their best time, like how can you lose?” Walsh said. The Dons boys finished … [Read more...]
Kirsten Moore was at Monday's Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon to talk about her Westmont women's basketball team claiming the program's first National Championship. None of the players could make the trip, so Moore introduced a new one. Sydney Hedges, the CIF Player of the Year for Providence Hall's championship girls basketball team, announced for the first time that she will be attending Westmont for the next step in her playing career. "I'm just really excited to … [Read more...]
There is much that goes into a high school athletics program that never gets enough credit. That's why the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table created the Sports Person of the Month Award, to honor people like Katina Etsell. The San Marcos parent was recognized at Monday's press luncheon for her contributions to the Royals. "She really follows through and gets projects done and she always has a smile on her face," said San Marcos Assistant Principal Dan Garske. Etsell has donated her … [Read more...]
The circle of life in the local running community was on display at Monday's Athletic Round Table press luncheon as Jim Sloan of the Santa Barbara Athletic Association distributed checks to the local high school running programs. Much of the money taken in at the local running events organized by the SBAA throughout the year goes back into local youth running programs to attract new runners to the sport. It also supports the hundreds of student-athletes that make many of the races possible by … [Read more...]
Presidio Sports' All-City Basketball Teams were celebrated at the Santa Barbara Athletic Press Luncheon on Monday, as all 14 selections received certificates for being named to the elite local high school all-star teams. Each of the boys and girls teams featured seven players chosen from the eight local high schools competing in the Santa Barbara area. Headlining the boys team was Bishop Diego's Caleb Richey as MVP. First Team selections included Santa Barbara High's Emilio Gonzalez, Dos … [Read more...]
Local high school golf programs received a big boost at Monday's Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon as Rich Nahas of Glen Annie Golf Club presented a large check to the golf coaches in attendance. Despite the loss of the long-running High-Five Golf Tournament, Glen Annie remained committed to helping raise money for the high school golf programs. A fundraising tournament was re-established this year and TaylorMade donated a package that included a new set of clubs, a bag and … [Read more...]
World champion decathlete Ashton Eaton recently had a close call with a javelin while training on Westmont's campus, where the recent Gold Medal winner will be participating in the Sam Adams Multi Events meet on April 6. It's an event Warriors track & field coach Russell Smelley encouraged the community to come see at Monday's Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon. Eaton won the Gold Medal in the decathlon in London in 2012. The just-turned-25-year-old hopes to repeat again … [Read more...]
Fresh off the first CIF Championship in school history, Providence Hall's girls basketball team attended Monday's Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon. Eleven players were introduced by Lions head coach Ernie Quiroz, including Female Athlete of the Week Olivia Barroca. Barroca scored a team-high 16 points in Saturday's championship game, a 49-46 victory over Rio Hondo Prep. With the Kares keying in on star player Sydney Hedges, Barroca stepped up to be the first player other … [Read more...]
Coaching matters. That much was evident at Monday's Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon as more than one speaker took the time to praise the influence of coaches making a difference. It started with San Marcos High School's Phil Womble Award recipient Anastasia Kunz. "It’s been an honor to participate in San Marcos athletics,” Kunz said. “All the coaches, all the students, all the athletes that participate are really fun to be around and are a pleasure to work with. The … [Read more...]
There weren't any pretenders at Monday's Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon. Only contenders. CIF playoffs begin this week and a majority of the teams reporting at Harry's Plaza Cafe had postseason thoughts on their minds. Santa Barbara High has five teams competing in CIF, the most of any area school. Dos Pueblos, Bishop Diego and Cate have four teams still in the mix. The Dons also led with three league crowns. The Channel League champion girls soccer and boys … [Read more...]
