The Gulf Coast FCA held its annual 7 on 7 Shootout July 26 at Braden River High.

Sixteen teams, including Braden River High, The Out-of-Door Academy and Southeast High, along with 13 teams from Tampa, Desoto and Sarasota and Charlotte Counties participated in the event, which was sponsored by CORE Construction.

Following morning pool play, players and coaches listened to former Port Charlotte High and University of Florida running back Ernie DuBose share about life, football and his faith.

In single elimination, Palmetto High defeated defending champion Tampa Wharton in overtime and Gaither High defeated Southeast. In the final, Gaither High edged past Palmetto 34-26 to win the 2011 Gulf Coast FCA 7 on 7 Championship. 

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Article source: http://www.yourobserver.com/news/east-county/Sports/0802201113200/Gulf-Coast-FCA-hosts-7-on-7-Shootout

We all love the game of tennis and all of the benefits it adds to our lives:  good health and good friends in a social or competitive atmosphere.  I want to share with you a list of the most common mistakes people make and the recommended adjustments. See if this helps you enjoy the game just a little bit more and puts you in the “W” column more frequently.

Trying to hit winners every time: First, let’s understand that in every match you will hit winners but even at the professional level, as great as these young men and women are, they normally will only hit 26 to 30 winners in a two and a half hour match.  Now imagine how many balls they hit in that period of time and you will see it is not a very high percentage.  The professionals play to stay in the point.  They do not let their opponents force them into mistakes.  During the course of the point there will come a time to strike but that is never on the first ball.

Aiming the ball just over the net: We will keep this simple, the net is an obstacle in tennis not something to line your shot up to.  It is equivalent to the water hazard in golf.  You do not want to clear the water by a little bit because your percentages are bad.  Likewise in tennis you need to clear the net by 2 to 4 feet so you are playing high percentage tennis.  Believe me if you lost your balls in tennis like you lose your balls in golf when you hit the hazard you would quit doing it and you would find yourself in the “W” column more often.

Not moving your feet: Tennis is a game of motion and transition.  There should be no standing between shots.  Hit your shot and move to the next shot and your transition will be smooth. You will be well balanced for your next hit.  When you stand between shots you become flatfooted and lose your momentum.  Pushers love to play people who just stand around so do not be that person.  You can stand and rest between points but not during the point.

Not following the ball: Tennis is a game of angles and the more you move with the ball the more you are cutting off the shot your opponent will hit next. 

Not watching the ball: Always keep your eye on the ball.  There is seeing the ball and watching the ball.  When you watch the ball you see it hit on your opponents side of the court, you see the ball off of your opponent’s racket which will tell you immediately if the ball is going to your forehand or backhand and tell you if the ball is coming shallow or deep.  This gives you a head start to your next shot and puts your opponent on defense.

That’s the Tennis Talk for now, until next time,

John

John Woods is the director of tennis at the Longboat Key Club and Resort. For more information, call 387-9151 or visit www.longboatkeyclub.com.

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Article source: http://www.yourobserver.com/news/east-county/Sports/0802201113203/COMMUNITY-SPORTS-TIPS-The-five-most-common-mistake

IMG Academies’ Jin Zhang and Sarasota Riverview’s Michael Visacki were the only players on the North team to win both matches, combining for a 1-up victory in the alternate shot format over Austin Padova and Sam Horsfield.

Both teams are made up of 10 boys and six girls. In the alternate shot, six of the eight matches paired a boy and girl together.

Colombian native and IMG student Daniel Jaramillo played with girlfriend Jamie Freedman in the second-to-last group.

The duo grinded out a 1-up victory, which means the South team enters today’s portion down 12-4.

“I get along with her perfectly,” Jaramillo said. “And it was fun playing with her, getting to know her game more and getting to test both my game and her game with both our misses and our good shots.”

Walker partnered with Zhang for a 3-and-2 triumph in the best ball session, while Bradenton Christian’s Jordan Miller teamed with Visacki in a 2-and-1 victory over Jimmy Stanger and Padova.

Miller, who birdied five consecutive holes in the morning, said if it had been a stroke play round then he would have shot about 67 with Visacki around 68.

Stanger, though, would exact revenge in the afternoon.

After Eric Ines misfired a putt from short range on the 17th hole, Miller and Walker still had a chance on the 18th to salvage a half point.

Walker and Ines both sent tee shots sailing left, with the North’s shot finding the fairway bunker and Walker’s tee ball falling short of it in the rough.

Stanger blasted the fairway bunker shot short right of the green, where Ines would later curl a chip that looked destined to stop for a tap-in but trickled about 7 feet away.

Meanwhile, Miller launched an 8-iron about 30 feet from the pin on the right side, despite a crosswind blowing to the left.

“I threw up grass two times before I hit, and both of it went to the left,” Miller said. “And then I hit. And it kind of flew out of the rough, and I hit it right where I was aiming. I thought the wind would have taken it.”

Walker’s putt was dead-on, but just ran out of steam. Stanger then calmly drained his to secure the point for the North.

There was a 40 minute weather delay for lightning in the vicinity, but Mother Nature couldn’t prevent the North team’s dominance.

“I think I need Ben Crenshaw to come and give the speech that he gave at the (1999) Ryder Cup,” South captain Darin Green joked. “We’ve got a young team, so hopefully we can some matches and make it close.”

Braden River alum Kristin Swindell (0-2 on Monday), who plans on attending Florida Gulf Coast University in the fall, is also on the South team.

Article source: http://www.bradenton.com/2011/08/02/3390312/golf-florida-junior-cup-south.html

The Miss Manatee Softball League will hold registration for its upcoming fall season from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Aug. 20 and 27 and 6-8 p.m., Aug. 31 at the Miss Manatee Softball complex behind the Lakewood Ranch High stadium.

Registration is open to all girls ages 5 through high school age at a cost of $110. T-ball is $25. New players also must bring a copy of their birth certificate.

For more information visit www.missmanateesoftball.org. 

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Article source: http://www.yourobserver.com/news/east-county/Sports/0801201113171/Registration-dates-announced-for-Miss-Manatee-Soft

Woods’ descent into golf’s wasteland is well-known following his Thanksgiving Day car crash in 2009.

The scandal that followed has plagued a game that’s undergoing swing changes to support a ravaged body. And there’s the latest injury recovery period that has left him away from the game since the Players Championship a few months ago.

Since then, Woods has missed both the U.S. and British opens and, more recently, fired longtime caddie Steve Williams in a shocking move.

Woods still sits on 14 majors, while Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 majors remains intact.

And it seems the Golden Bear’s benchmark isn’t getting threatened anytime soon.

Tiger is aging, but he’s also a fit athlete who plays golf unlike the era when Nicklaus navigated tournament fields with such a high success rate.

Woods will get a crack at a final major this year to inch closer to Nicklaus, but don’t hold your breath.

Golf needs Woods, for better or for worse, to hunt down Nicklaus and drive up ratings.

Rory McIlroy filled the void during the U.S. Open, and Darren Clarke’s triumph at the British Open had a nice, sentimental touch.

But Woods is still, and will be, the guy everybody is watching as the hunt for Nicklaus’ golden tally resumes.

Just don’t expect any progress toward that end at the PGA Championship, but be happy he’s back, because that’s what golf needs.

What took so long?

The sacking -- to borrow an English football term -- of Bob Bradley as the United States men’s national soccer team’s coach couldn’t have come at a better time.

Team USA should have fired Bradley following the Gold Cup final meltdown against Mexico, but now at least the team can move forward ahead of World Cup qualification.

Getting a new coach now is much better than waiting, because it will give the players time to adjust to tactical and system changes.

On Friday, Jürgen Klinsmann, who helped West Germany win a World Cup in 1990 as a player, was named Team USA’s new manager.

Klinsmann speaks English fluently -- he was a television analyst during the 2010 World Cup -- and managed his nation’s 2006 World Cup run to the semifinals, infusing an attacking style to a team known for its defensive schemes.

The argument against Klinsmann is that he’s a foreigner and Americans want to cheer for an American coach with American players.

I say hogwash. He’s the perfect fit, because of his system and track record of good results.

Bradley’s system and lineups never gave the appearance that progress was being made, despite the team advancing out of the group stages amid shaky officiating in South Africa last year.

The club never looked like world beaters.

The phrase “the best defense is a good offense” is a concept Klinsmann can add.

Jason Dill, sports reporter, can be reached at 745-7017.

Article source: http://www.bradenton.com/2011/08/01/3387284/come-back-tiger-stay-away-bradley.html

Washington, a Bayshore High product, is entering his seventh season out of Nebraska. The 28-year-old began his pro career with Oakland in 2005 before moving to Baltimore for the past three seasons.

“Tracy Porter’s nicked up right now, and the season is going to be quicker upon us than it normally is,” Saints coach Sean Payton said Sunday. “So, it’s being smart when you look at all of our numbers. He’s another player that we evaluated when he left Oakland and went to Baltimore. He was one that, as we started this camp, we felt necessary to bring in another veteran corner.”

Article source: http://www.bradenton.com/2011/08/01/3387280/fabian-washington-granted-sainthood.html