Athlete of the Year: Coaches' Thoughts

Our 2011 Athlete of the Year, Kevin Murphy, has had a lot of different coaches in his life.
In his senior year at VCHS, Murphy had five different coaches from five different varsity sports, and they all had plenty of good things to say about such a versatile, hard-working athlete.
Here are their thoughts:

Kyle Kline, varsity boys water polo coach:
I think Kevin is a great choice for Athlete of the Year. I only had the pleasure of coaching Kevin for one season. I have had many athletes show up senior year and decide they want to play water polo and I was skeptical when I heard about Kevin and his desire to join the team. He showed up with confidence and I really didn’t expect him to last more than one day.
Kevin proved me wrong and exceeded my expectations. He was definitely behind on experience and conditioning in the water but that didn’t discourage him one bit. He worked through the tough practices and absorbed as much as he could to try to catch up. This is definitely one of the most coachable athletes I have had and he put everything I tried to teach him to use. I would only have to tell Kevin something once, and I would see him working on whatever it was throughout the rest of practice and the whole season. Kevin is also a natural athlete. He is aggressive and gives 110% with everything he does.
Something else that really defined Kevin was his willingness to face a tough challenge. He never backed down from a tough swim set that would give seasoned swimmers a tough time. What really set him apart was his decision to take on one of the toughest positions in the pool as two meter defense. This position involves defending usually the biggest and strongest player on the opposing team. When I described this position Kevin’s eyes lit up. He knew this was his spot and he wanted to make sure he earned the starting position. He worked hard and earned the starting spot and again exceeded my expectations. This position does not usually get the stats that the offensive two meter player gets. It does not get nearly as much attention or glory as other positions. Kevin was not in it for those things. He was in it for the challenge and to help his team. He handled athletes that had many more years experience than him and did an excellent job.
What makes Kevin a successful athlete is a combination of things. His work ethic is exceptional. He is confident but not over confident. He faces challenges head on and with an enthusiasm that I don’t often see. He is a positive role model for younger athletes and a team leader. He leads by example but is outspoken when necessary. He is extremely coachable and has a great attitude. All of these things are beneficial to a team. He made a huge contribution to my team this season and I can only imagine the water polo player he would have been with a few more years experience.
I am sure Kevin will apply these characteristics in the future and it is these that will ensure success in anything he chooses to pursue.
Kevin’s senior year stats: nine goals, 16 assists, 31 steals, and four blocks.
Thanks for giving recognition to a great athlete, student, and individual!

Clay Clifford, varsity wrestling coach:
Kevin was a three-year varsity letterman for wrestling and was a contributor to our second place finish at the San Diego CIF Division IV Championships. Kevin is good-natured and was a pleasure to have on the wrestling team. He made many sacrifices for the team when called upon, and always gave his best effort. I expect that Kevin will one day be a very good coach, hopefully in the sport of wrestling.

Rick Darland, varsity boys golf coach:
Kevin is a great kid and a team leader, and I had a lot of fun coaching him this season. To be able to do that many things that well shows you what kind of an athlete and what kind of a person he is.
Because of the nature of golf, you can’t just pick up your sticks after taking all winter off, but somehow Kevin showed up this spring and was better than he was last year. He progressed further than I thought he would this year.
He’s a well-rounded person who enjoys life, and he knows what it takes to be successful in whatever he wants to do.

Rob Gilster, varsity football coach:
He played football all four years, and he was thinking about just doing water polo his senior year, but he was such a strong long snapper that we found a way to make it work out for him to do both this year. He’s a really good long snapper, and I’m sure he could have helped us out at some other positions on the football field, but he was really passionate about water polo. He was able to get in some practice time and work with Davey [Last, the football team’s kicker] on his own. And he was able to get to all our games on time, even though he had other games on the same day.
He was also one of my ASB students this year, so I got to work closely with him on a lot of school activities. He’s a great kid, a hard worker, and very dependable. You know he’s going to get the job done.
He’s very responsible, and as a student and as a player, same thing. I know he had a lot of other responsibilities in his life, but he’s committed to doing what he needs to do to be a good teammate, a good student and a good person.
I think the balance and time management that he’s learned through sports and ASB in high school are important skills he will carry with him. That’s what so much of life is—we don’t always get to focus on just one thing, we have to be able to handle a lot at a time, and Kevin is definitely prepared to do that.
And he was good, too. He’s a great athlete.

Laura McCaulley, varsity swim coach:
Kevin did really well this year for the swim team. He fit in well with the boys and helped us out a lot, especially in the relays. He went to league for the 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relays and got better throughout the year.
His experience with the water polo team helped him be successful because he was already training really hard. During the swim season, he would come to the morning workout because he had golf in the afternoon, so he had a lot of long days.
But it paid off because he did such a great job in the league finals, where he placed in both the relay events as well as the 200 freestyle.
He’s a really hard worker, and that’s only going to help him with whatever he does in life. His work ethic is unreal!

2011 Roadrunner Athlete of the Year: Kevin Murphy

To see more photos of Kevin Murphy, click here to visit the gallery on Facebook.

By: Dan Kidder

They say that a jack of all trades is the master of none.
But Kevin Murphy is the rare kind of athlete who defies simple sayings.
Murphy, like the Jim Thorpes and Bo Jacksons before him, was never content with the challenge of just one athletic endeavor.
He grew up playing Little League baseball, Boys & Girls Club basketball, Pop Warner football and youth soccer. He tried his hand at motocross for a while (“Just for fun,” he says).
His older sister, Erin, ran cross country in high school and earned a scholarship to UNLV. Since the middle school didn’t offer very many sports at the time, Murphy decided to follow in his sister’s footsteps and joined the cross-country team. He continued playing flag football and basketball while waiting for his chance to show his stuff at the next level—high school.
His freshman season, Murphy played football, basketball and golf, a sport he picked up on a whim and ended up playing at the varsity levels all four years of high school.
“We became members of the country club,” he says. “And I totally fell in love with golf.”
In his sophomore season, he once again played football and golf, but switched to wrestling in the winter season.
“I loved playing basketball,” he says. “I grew up playing with Beau [Reilly], Stehly [Reden] and AJ [Broomell] on a lot of travel teams. But I wanted to try something a little different. One of my favorite sports to watch is MMA [Mixed Martial Arts], and I’ve always wanted to try to get into that. But in wrestling, you work so hard, especially with the guys around you, it’s like a brotherhood of wrestlers.”
Murphy’s sports schedule remained unchanged for his junior year, but things really picked up for him this year.
In his senior year, he played football and water polo in the fall season, wrestling in the winter season and both swimming and golf in the spring.
“My buddy Ian Macfarlane said I should come swim with him because it’s a great workout,” Murphy says. “It totally changes your body. I used to lift weights to bulk up for football, but swimming really leaned me out while keeping me really strong.”
Not only does Murphy play so many different sports, he plays such unique positions that usually require specific skills beyond the pick-it-up-as-I-go-along mentality.
Growing up, he played middle infield and pitcher on the baseball diamond, as well as point guard in basketball.
Although he grew up playing different positions in football, by the time he got to the varsity level, Murphy was so good as a long snapper that he was able to work out his own practice schedule that allowed him to play both water polo and football this season. He worked out with the special teams unit on Thursdays and found time with kicker David Last to keep his game at the highest level.
On the water polo team, Murphy quickly carved out a spot at two-meter defense, despite his relative inexperience.
“I’ve played so many sports, and water polo is a combination of so many sports, it just came to me,” Murphy says. “I played against the other team’s best offender. I like playing defense, and if the team needs something, I’m willing to do whatever.”
He wrestled somewhere in the 140-pound range, posted a golf index of four (which basically calculates how many strokes above par a player is, on average), and swam the 100 freestyle, the 200 freestyle and the 100 backstroke for the swim team this year.
“I love the camaraderie with my teammates,” Murphy says. “I love winning, and for me, there’s nothing like trying to be the best you can. I was never the quarterback, never scored the most goals, never was the biggest guy on the field, but I always want to work hard and try as many different things as I can.”
To try so many different sports takes a unique approach, and Murphy says that each sport he has played carries its own mentality.
“It’s different for each person,” he says. “For example, a football player isn’t as methodical as a golfer. Before he gets to the first tee, a golfer knows where he wants to put the ball and he has a plan for that hole. A football player walks on the field and he has all his coaches worrying about the bigger picture. He just has to go out and make a play.
“In wrestling, it’s just you against one other guy,” he adds. “You don’t really need the whole team to do your job—it’s a team sport, but so much is placed on the individual. It’s all about self-motivation. In water polo, it’s a lot of work and a lot of swimming, but that sense of brotherhood is big. You work so hard with these other guys that you really appreciate each other. And in swimming, it’s a pretty small group but it’s really tight-knit. It takes a lot of work to do swimming, but it pays off when you start to see your times drop. The coaches were great—they know they work us hard, but we know it’s for our benefit.”
Murphy didn’t earn any scholarships for his play on the field, and even though he will always enjoy playing sports for fun, he doesn’t have any plans to pursue college athletics.
“My sister’s boyfriend is a division one football player—he’s six-two, runs a four-six forty and he plays free safety,” Murphy says. “I love playing sports, but I know I can’t reach that kind of level. To play college sports, you have to be so naturally gifted. I look at Stehly [Reden] and that’s the kind of natural athlete you have to be. But even if I’m not playing, I still love working my body to the point where it feels like it’s breaking down and exceeding my goals. We’ll see where life takes me, and what God’s plan is for me.”
Murphy’s father, Sean, was a Navy pilot, his grandfather was a Blue Angel, and his uncle is an F-4 pilot, and Murphy says that he would love to join the ranks of his fellow naval aviators. But he also says his faith plays a central role in his life, and that he’s willing to pursue other directions as well. As a core team member at St. Stephen’s church, Murphy says he wants to honor God’s plan for his life.
“I definitely have an interest in the military, but I want to go where God leads,” he says. “You don’t know where God’s going to take you, but if you love Him and serve Him, wherever He takes you will be wherever you’re supposed to be. For me, if that’s the Navy, then that’s great. But I’m open to whatever.”
Wherever he goes next, Murphy says that he will never forget the years he spent playing sports with his friends here in Valley Center.
“There are so many great memories,” he says. “Like rushing back from a water polo game at Poway to make it to our home football game—I walked in with no shirt on, my pads in my hands and my eyes still watering from the pool, but I made it in time. And I’ll always remember winning league with the golf team this year—we came through a lot. All the practices, working hard and messing around with the guys, those are the things I’ll remember.”
Kevin Patrick Murphy grew up in Valley Center with his family—his father, Sean, a retired Navy pilot who works for Computer Protection Technology; his mother, Colleen, an aide for the Valley Center/Pauma Unified School District; and his siblings, Erin, John and Bridget.
Befitting his Irish heritage—his grandmother is from Ireland—Murphy is a fan of the Boston Red Sox, the Boston Celtics, and Notre Dame football. He and his father are planning a trip to Dublin, Ireland, to see Notre Dame play against Navy next year. He also likes Duke basketball and has been following the emerging career of PGA golfer Rory McElroy, lamenting that “I was a Tiger Woods fan, but…you can’t really do that anymore.”
When he’s not playing sports, Murphy says he’s working, working out, participating in church activities or sleeping.
After his high school athletics experience, Murphy has some encouragement for young athletes.
“To all the little guys out there, don’t ever stop working hard,” he says. “You may not be a stud, but you mean just as much. A team is a well-oiled machine, and it needs every part to work. So never give up, and don’t be afraid to go out and try a new sport. You never know if you’ll like it, so even if it’s hard, keep pushing through.”

VCHS spring sports photos

Be sure to check out our Facebook page for new galleries of photos from VCHS spring sports. We've got plenty of baseball and softball photos up now, and will have lacrosse, volleyball and golf coming shortly.

Click here to see the photo galleries.

And be sure to send us your sports photos, either by e-mail to sports@valleycenter.com or by uploading them on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/valleycenter/

Outstanding individual scores have Jags' golf team off to a solid start

The Valley Center varsity boys golf team has posted a trio of outstanding team scores behind excellent individual play so far this season, as the Jaguars have won two of their first three matches to start the year.
All three matches so far have been on the par-35 course at the Pauma Valley Country Club, and the Jags started out the season there by beating Canyon Crest Academy, 212 – 214.
Kevin Murphy fired a 41 to lead the Jaguars, while Paul Calac and Jeremy Halligan each shot a 42, Kamron Zarrabi shot a 43 and Stephen Magnani shot a 44.
The Jaguars suffered a setback in their second match, falling to San Marcos 219 – 228.
Murphy, Calac and Zarrabi each shot a 43 to lead the team, while Cole Kline shot a 45, Halligan shot a 54 and Danny Miller shot a 56.
This week, the Jaguars hosted Escondido on Thursday and rolled to a 214–223 win.
Calac shot a four-over-par 39 for the best score of the season so far, while Zarrabi shot a 42, Kline shot a 43, Murphy and Magnani each shot a 45 and Carlos Casteel shot a 52.
Valley Center is now 2–1 overall with the City Cup Tournament coming up at the Escondido Country Club on Monday.

Valley Center High School 2011 spring sports tryout schedule

Valley Center High School – Jaguar Athletics
Spring Tryout Schedules 2011

You must turn in a sports clearance form to the office before participating in tryouts. Also note that tryouts fall on our Presidents Break week off. Clearance packets must be turned in by Friday, February 18th. The next date that packets can be turned in is Monday, February 28th. Please plan ahead.


Baseball
Tuesday through Friday 2/22 to 2/25
2:30–5 p.m. on the varsity baseball fields

Boys Golf
Starting Monday 2/21
3–5:30 p.m. at Pauma Valley Country Club

Boys Lacrosse
Tuesday through Thursday 2/22 to 2/24
3:30–5:30 p.m. at the Primary School

Girls Lacrosse
Monday through Friday 2/21 to 2/25
3–5:30 p.m. at the Elementary School

Softball
Friday 2/25 from 2–5 p.m.
Saturday 2/26 from 9 a.m.–noon

Swimming
Monday through Friday 2/21 to 2/25
3–5:30 p.m. at Adams Park

Boys Tennis
Wednesday to Friday 2/23 to 2/25
3:15–5:15 at Adams Park

Track & Field
Monday/Wednesday/Friday 2/21, 2/23, 2/25
8–10:30 a.m. at the track

Boys Volleyball
Saturday 2/19, Friday 2/25 and Saturday 2/26
8–10 a.m. in the gym

Note: Once practice begins, practices will be daily.
Each coach will distribute additional time schedules for the remainder of the season.

Lady Jaguars get first golf win of the season

The Valley Center varsity girls golf team got its first win of the season last week, as the Lady Jaguars struggled out of the gate this season but are improving with each match.
The Lady Jags are 1–1 in league after a victory over Orange Glen in a tri-meet that also included Oceanside this week.
In the match, the Lady Jaguars shot their lowest score of the season, a 304, last Monday at Woods Valley Golf Course. Kaley Prudham led Valley Center with a 53, while Hannah Johnson shot a 59, Megan Ennis, Jil Johnson and Haley Stone each shot a 64, and Taylor Bibby shot a 77.
Overall, the Lady Jags are 1–10 this season, but the team and individual scores keep getting lower.
“We got off to a rocky start, but we’re getting better as a team,” head coach Shandrea Degen said. “We have improved our overall team scores over the past couple of weeks and the girls continue to get better. With such a new team that is all I can ask for right now. Our team goal this week is getting below 300 for 5 scores. Considering our first few team scores were 321, we have shown great improvement.”
Most recently, the Lady Jags played at Canyon Crest last Tuesday, posting another team best score for a second consecutive round with 304, but took the loss with Canyon Crest shooting a 229.
For Valley Center, Prudham led the way with a 43, while Jil Johnson shot a 51, Ashley Williams shot a 64, Ennis shot a 72, Bibby shot a 74 and Hannah Johnson shot a 76.
On Sept. 23, the Lady Jags took on Fallbrook at the Fallbrook Golf Course, but took the loss, 242–320.
Prudham posted a 54 to lead the Lady Jaguars, while Hannah Johnson shot a 59, Jil Johnson shot a 65, Stone shot a 69, Ennis shot a 73 and Williams shot a 76.
The day before, Valley Center hosted Horizon at Woods Valley Golf Course and suffered a 291–315 loss.
Prudham once again led the Lady Jags with a 53, while Ennis shot a 56, Hannah Johnson shot a 67, Bibby shot a 68, Williams shot a 71 and Stone shot a 74.
On Sept. 20, the Lady Jags took on Escondido at Woods Valley, and couldn’t match the Lady Cougars in a 266–321 loss.
Prudham had a nice round with a 56, while Ennis shot a 60, Hannah Johnson and Stone both shot a 67, Bibby shot a 71 and Williams shot a 79.

VCHS Fall Tryouts Schedule

Valley Center High School – Jaguar Athletics
Fall Tryout Schedule 2010

You must turn in a sports clearance form to the office before participating in tryouts!

Boys/Girls Cross Country
Starting, Monday, August 16th 6:30am-8:30am at the track

Girls Field Hockey
Starting Monday, August 16th 7:00-10:00am
At grass field hockey field/JV baseball field

JV/Varsity Football
Thursday, August 12th pick up gear: Var /9:00am JV /9:30am Practice 3:00-5:00pm
Friday, August 13th: 8:00-11:00am and 2:00- 5:00pm
Saturday, August 14th 8:00-10:00am

Frosh Football
Thursday, August 12th pick up gear: 10:00am 11:30-1:30PM
Practice Friday, August 13th 8:00-12 noon
Saturday, August 14th 8:00-10am

Girls Golf
August 16th-19th _ All levels 9:00-10:30am at Woods Valley Golf Course
August 23rd and 24th 3:00-5:00pm

Girls Tennis
Starting Monday, August 16th 3:00-5:00pm at Adams Park

Girls Volleyball
Monday, August 16th – All Levels 3:00-6:00pm in VCHS gym
Tues-Thurs, August 17th-19th Frosh 2:00-4:00pm Var/JV 4:00-6:30pm

Boys Water Polo
Starting Monday, August 16th at Adams Park
Varsity: 6:00-7:30am and 4:00-6:00pm
JV/Novice: 6:00-8:00pm

Note: Once practice begins, practices will be daily.
Each coach will distribute additional time schedules for the remainder of the season.

Note: All athletes must be cleared before they can tryout for a team.

Athletic Clearance Packets are available at the VCHS front office starting August 2nd. A printable version of the packet is available on the Valley Center High School web site. Completed packets that contain proof of a recent physical, proof of insurance, all signatures signed, and all information filled out must be turned into the athletic director’s office before an athlete can try out for a team.
There will be a Sports Clearance Night at the high school on Monday, August 10th, starting at 6:00 pm. Cost is $30 for a physical. Parents must attend physical night with their son/daughter. You may get a physical from another doctor, but you must use the form that is in the clearance packet.

Inaugural Inter Tribal Sports Tournament to Tee Off on July 12

Golfers are invited to tee off at the inaugural Inter Tribal Sports (ITS) Golf Tournament that is open to the public at Journey at Pechanga on Monday, July 12.
Participants will play on the world-class course while raising money for ITS, a dynamic non-profit organization that unifies tribal youth and communities through structured athletic programs. The four-person scramble tournament begins with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. and will feature great food, tee prizes, a raffle and golf contests. The cost is $165 per person. Hole sponsorships are also available.
ITS provides a safe environment for young athletes to build self esteem, respect one another and learn sportsmanship while developing athletic skills guided by community volunteers, recreation professionals and educators. Recently, ITS was recognized by NIKE when the organization was awarded with a grant from the Nike N7 fund, a grant created to unleash the potential of Native American youths through the power of sport. There are currently fourteen different tribal communities in Southern California participating in Inter Tribal Sports programs. Sponsors of the Inter Tribal Sports organization include the Barona Band of Mission Indians, Pauma Band of Luiseno Indians, Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians, the Southern California Tribal Chairmen's Association, Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians, Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation and Mesa Grande Band of Mission Indians along with Strictly Native Apparel. For more information or to register for the event, visit www.intertribalsports.org or call the ITS office at 951-695-0909.

So Many Sports To Choose From

Sometimes it’s hard being a sports fan.
Sure, there are the thrilling games, the transcendent moments, and the larger-than-life performances that bring us together as fans.
But inevitably, these hilltop experiences lead only to the valleys of sports fanship. In these times we search for the next great athlete, the next indomitable underdog, or the next phenom waiting to break out.
My recent mountaintop experience came, as we discussed here over the past few weeks, with the European soccer championship. I fell in love with the spunky spirit of the Turks as they rallied to one impossible comeback win after another; I marveled at the tremendous athleticism of Lukas Podolski, David Villa, Andrei Arshavin, and so many others; I looked forward to the championship match like a kid waiting for Christmas.
And now that it’s over, I’m stuck here in sports limbo. So where do I go to find that next great sports connection?
I’ve got a few ideas, but I still can’t decide which sports experience I’m going to sink myself into next. I’m not talking about the “Big 3” mainstream sports, the NFL, MLB or the NBA; I want to find a so-called “fringe” sport and find out what makes it great. And hopefully, I’ll find the top of the sports mountain in the process.
Let’s take a look at the options, in no particular order:
Soccer
We’ve talked a lot about soccer lately, so we might as well tackle it right up front.
Pros: It’s a classic game. Every country besides the U.S. has a storied history in the sport, and that history carries over into so many facets of the game. Good play requires a set of very specific skills, and the smallest mistake can be the difference between winning and losing. When it’s done right, soccer is really fun to watch. And there’s also Hope Solo.
Cons: It’s not always done right. Watching a soccer match between two lackluster teams is bad enough, but it gets even worse when a good team takes on a bad team. Because it’s incredibly difficult to score, a two-goal lead usually means game over. Plus, there are a lot of weird rules and quasi-rules that can get confusing. And there’s also Franck Ribery.
Conclusion: International soccer is great, but the MLS is another thing. Let’s see what else is out there.
Hockey
Specifically, the NHL, which used to be part of the mainstream but has fallen into the second tier of sports.
Pros: Like soccer, it’s an extremely difficult game to master, and the players who are great are exceedingly fun to watch. Rising stars such as Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Andrei Kostitsyn, and Marc-Andre Fleury give new fans plenty of opportunities to find a team to follow. If nothing else, it’s cool to watch the fights.
Cons: Like soccer, there are a few too many odd rules, although the league has taken steps to clear some of them up. Also like soccer, there are a lot of names that look like a box of Alpha-Bits spilled on the back of a jersey, making it hard for kids in the school yard to have to yell out things like “Oh yeah? Well I’m Maxim Balmochnykh of the Anaheim Ducks!”
Conclusion: Hockey certainly fills the hours in a place where it snows for eight months a year, but when you live in Southern California, it just doesn’t have the same appeal. Maybe if they scratch a few of the bottom-feeders (would anybody miss the Columbus Blue Jackets?) and relocate some teams back to Canada, I’d get more excited.
Tennis
As you read last week, I had a reader write in to suggest that I follow the Wimbledon tournament this year. It turned out to be a great final in both the men’s and women’s bracket, so we’ll see if tennis is making a comeback.
Pros: I don’t know… short skirts? I will grant that it takes a lot of concentration, skill and preparation to compete as a world-class tennis player. The men’s game shows off the power of the sport as well, with serves in excess of 130 miles per hour and impossible winners. And because it’s an individual sport, it’s easier to follow a particular player throughout his or her career.
Cons: Tennis has gone downhill from the exciting sport it used to be even as recently as the 1990s. With improving technology and physical capability, the game has become about power and speed, instead of endurance and precision. Also, there are so many tournaments and championships that the sport seems to lack a true season and off-season. And as exciting as the conclusion is, it’s really tough to watch a four-hour match of two people hitting a ball back and forth over a net, especially when the fans have to sit quietly while it’s happening.
Conclusion: If they updated the scoring system and made some improvements to keep the technology from taking over completely, it could come back. But it’s not completely hopeless.
Motor Sports
You may recall that I already follow NASCAR, and that with something of a passion. But every time I mention this in conversation, someone usually brings up some of the other forms of motor sports out there, such as Motocross or Off-Road Racing.
Pros: Since I already like NASCAR, I’d like to learn more about cars and bikes, mostly because I feel pretty manly talking about gears and carburetors. Racers are a unique breed of athlete, and watching a person wrestle with a 2,000-pound hunk of metal at 200 miles per hour is every bit as thrilling as a perfectly-placed free kick.
Cons: My defense of NASCAR as a sport usually revolves around the fact that we follow sports because we follow the story lines behind them. With some of the lesser-known motor sports, it would be difficult to get to know the drivers and the stories behind them. Plus, it’s not very easy to find these sports on television, and it gets pretty expensive to follow a sport when you have to go to all the live events.
Conclusion: If the fringe motor sports were more prevalent, I’d be more inclined to find out more about them. Of course, all it would take is finding an interest in a new driver or something like that to motivate me to find out more.
Curling
Ha ha… Just kidding.
Golf
I’ve heard lots of arguments that it’s not a sport, but it’s not like it’s bowling or something. Plus, it’s not a bad way to spend the afternoon in Southern California, so we’ll consider it.
Pros: Ask any golfer, from the most experienced pros to the beginners: golf is hard. You can practice ‘til your hands bleed, but you still can’t guarantee what that little white ball is going to do when you whack it with a club. So when the pros somehow manipulate the laws of physics to put the ball where they want it, it’s a little bit exciting. Add the drama of a major tournament and it’s worth watching.
Cons: Because it’s so difficult, golf can be excruciating to watch, especially to those who can identify with the struggles of the game. It’s also a very quiet game, so it’s hard to get too amped up about it. And now that Tiger Woods is out until 2009, it’s going to be a long season.
Conclusion: When Tiger comes back, it will be a fun sport again. In the meantime, we’ll just have to continue wondering what happened to David Duval.
-- -- --
As you can no doubt tell, I have my preferences among the above options. I’m leaning towards hockey, mostly because I used to follow it and miss the thrill of the game.
But I’d love to hear from you as well.
Write me a note at sports@valleycenter.com to convince me to follow one of these sports, or even to enlighten me on a sport I haven’t mentioned.
As always, I’ll be happy to share your suggestions with the community in next week’s issue.