Presented by East Bay Family Nights and 4Ever Me Foundation.
Take BART to NBA All-Star Weekend events in the Bay Area Feb. 14-16
BARTable and the NBA have partnered to reward riders for taking transit.
Events: Rising Stars, National Basketball Players Association Brotherhood Deli, NBA All-Star Concert Series at Pier 48, All-Star Saturday Night including Skills Challenge, 3-Point Contest & Slam Dunk and All-Star Game
By Bay Area Rapid Transit District
Friday, Feb. 14, marks the start of the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend, hosted by the Golden State Warriors. BART looks forward to carrying fans to the games and events happening on both sides of the Bay. We’re also proud to partner with the NBA Players Association for the big weekend.
Follow our directions below to make your journey to games and events as smooth as Curry’s free throws. BART will adjust train lengths to accommodate ridership. For tickets and locations find a list of all the NBA All-Star Weekend events.
Win free tickets and prizes
Visit BARTable’s contests and deals page from now until Feb. 16 for a chance to win exclusive prizes and MVP experiences.
Those looking for more opportunities to get free tickets and other prizes, download the NBA Events app which has partnered with BART and other Bay Area agencies to encourage riding transit around the Bay.
After creating a free NBA ID account, visit the participating stations (see below), tap the tile on the dashboard corresponding with the station, and earn your check-in via your mobile device in mixed reality. Each check-in will also count towards unlocking NBA All-Star prizes through the NBA ID All-Star Rewards Program.
Participating stations:
• 16th St Mission
• Coliseum
• Embarcadero
• Lake Merritt
• Powell St
The Grand BART Prizes will be in the form of digital railgoods.com gift cards in amounts ranging from $10 to $100.
Take transit to Chase Center
Take BART to Powell St. Station and transfer to Muni T Third trains at Union Square Station. Signs on the platform and concourse will guide you to the right exit to catch Muni, and the special event trains will read “S Shuttle Mission Bay.” Disembark Muni at UCSF/Chase Center.
Take BART to 16th St./Mission Station and transfer to special Muni 78X bus service. Disembark at 16th St. & Illinois St. Your event ticket is your Muni ticket. Ride Muni to Chase Center for FREE with your event ticket (excluding cable cars). For more information, visit the Chase Center website.
• Friday, Feb. 14, 6pm: Castrol Rising Stars
• Saturday, Feb. 15, 5pm: State Farm All-Star Saturday Night
• Sunday, Feb. 16, 5pm: 74th NBA All-Star Game
Take transit to Oakland Arena
BART takes you directly to the Oakland Arena. Take BART to Coliseum Station and walk across the overpass and around the Coliseum to the arena. Use the arena’s North Entrance for a shorter walk.
• Friday, Feb. 14, 4pm: Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game
• Saturday, Feb. 15, 11am: NBA All-Star Practice presented by AT&T
• Saturday, Feb. 15, 2pm: NBA HBCU Classic presented by AT&T
Take transit to Moscone Center
Take BART to Montgomery Street Station and walk a short distance to Moscone Center.
• Friday, Feb. 14, to Sunday, Feb. 16: NBA Crossover interactive fan experience
• Sunday, Feb. 16: NBA G League Next Up Game
Take transit to the NBA All-Star Concert Series at Pier 48
The NBA will host a three-day concert series from Friday, Feb. 14, through Sunday, Feb. 16, at Pier 48. Headliners include Noah Kahan, The Chainsmokers, Zedd, and Flo Rida.
Take BART to Powell St. Station and transfer to Muni T Third trains at Union Square Station. Signs on the platform and concourse will guide you to the right exit to catch Muni, and the special event trains will read “S Shuttle Mission Bay.” Disembark Muni at Mission Rock and walk to Pier 48.
Take BART to Embarcadero Station and transfer to Muni N Judah trains on the upper level of the station. Disembark at King and 2nd streets and walk to Pier 48.
Take transit to the NBPA Brotherhood Deli at SPARK Social SF
The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) will bring their Brotherhood Deli food truck – the only fan experience powered by the 450+ members of the NBPA – along with activations and programming to SPARK Social SF from Friday, Feb. 14, through Sunday, Feb. 16, 11am to 6pm. It’s a short walk from SPARK Social to Chase Center.
The celebration will include player appearances, photo opps, plant-based food, immersive gaming, and hourly slam dunk shows and fan shooting contests. To register and secure your spot during All-Star Weekend click, here: NBPA Brotherhood Deli.
Take BART to Powell St. Station and transfer to Muni T Third trains at Union Square Station. Signs on the platform and concourse will guide you to the right exit to catch Muni. Disembark Muni at Mission Rock and walk to SPARK Social.
Take BART to 16th St./Mission Station and transfer to the Muni 22 bus. Disembark at Mission Bay Blvd North and 3rd Street and walk to SPARK Social.
Are you excited for NBA All Star Weekend?
Share with us on social media at @SFBARTable and #SFBARTable! Keep up with us on Instagram and Facebook to see all of the best BARTable events, places to eat and where to have fun around the Bay.
“Giants of the Faith”
Giants pitchers Gary Lavelle in August 1980 and Bob Knepper in July 1980 and First Baseman Mike Ivie. Photos by SF Giants
By Matt Sieger
Depending on your spiritual bent, you may have been either thrilled or turned off by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy talking about his Christian faith in interviews on his way to the Super Bowl.
After engineering an amazing comeback to defeat the Detroit Lions for the NFC Championship, Purdy told reporters, “When I’m down 17 at the half, honestly, I’m just thinking, ‘Alright God, You’ve taken me here, and win or lose I’m going to glorify You.’ . . . Honestly, I think it’s just a testament to God and where He’s taken me in life.”
Some probably feel, as Beneatha Younger put it in Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, “I’m just tired of hearing about God all the time. What has He got to do with anything? . . . I just get so tired of Him getting the credit for things the human race achieves through its own effort. Now, there simply is no God. There’s only man. And it’s he who makes miracles.”
The media and the public are now accustomed to hearing athletes thank God for the abilities he has given them. But that wasn’t always the case. In baseball in the 1950 and 1960s it was extremely rare to hear such pronouncements from athletes. Then in the 1970s in San Francisco, one of the great culture clashes between religious athletes, the media and the fan base erupted over a group of born-again ballplayers on the Giants who became known as the God Squad.
Giants’ relief pitcher Gary Lavelle became a born-again Christian in the winter of 1976. When he returned to the club the next year, he gradually and quietly began to share his faith with his teammates when they showed an interest. Several, including Bob Knepper, Jack Clark, Rob Andrews and Randy Moffitt (brother of tennis great Billie Jean King) came to faith, and by the 1978 season there were eight or nine professing Christians on the team.
The Giants, who had suffered through several losing seasons, came to life that year and led the National League West for much of the season, only to fade in a September swoon and finish third. In post-game interviews, the players frequently thanked God for the ability he gave them, and the press raised no objection.
But when the Giants’ fortunes faded on the field in 1979, the media was quick to blame the born-again players, claiming their newfound faith had made them passive. The press derisively referred to them as the God Squad.
The cornerstone of that accusation was a quote attributed to pitcher Knepper, who supposedly told manager Dave Bristol it was “God’s will” when he yielded a home run that lost a game. Knepper and his Christian teammates have always denied the quote, as did Bristol. But the false story continued to hound them for years.
The media was merciless at times. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Glenn Dickey wrote, “It may be that the Giants will have to trade one or two of the most obvious born-agains on the club, to break up the clique. At the very least, their lockers should be separated in the clubhouse.”
Another prominent Chronicle sports columnist, Lowell Cohn, told me recently that he disagrees with Dickey on that score. However, Cohn, known for his biting satire, penned one of his most provocative pieces, “Can Satan Save the Giants?” in which he recommended that one of the Giants sell his soul to the devil since God didn’t seem to be helping the team too much!
Not only did the media blame the God Squad for losing, it also alleged that the Christian athletes caused division in the clubhouse and got two managers fired. These false claims spread to the national media, where prestigious columnists Peter Gammons of The Boston Globe and Dick Young of the New York Daily News repeated them. One of the more ridiculous accusations was that the Giants had two team buses to take players to the field, one for the God Squad and another for the others,
Mike Ivie, one of the God Squadders, returned to the club from a stint of mental exhaustion and sounded much like Purdy, who said his faith in God helped sustain him during his recovery from a torn ligament in the elbow of his throwing arm.
“He’ll put you through trials and tribulations and He’ll use every resource to help you find happiness in your heart,” said Ivie. “It would have been twice as hard for me to come back if I hadn’t believed in the Lord.”
Ivie and his teammates commonly made such pronouncements in a liberal San Francisco atmosphere and era that was not conducive to talk about faith. Cohn felt the tension and in his memoirs made this fascinating statement, “Until that day, I believed I was covering a baseball team. I was wrong. I had wandered into the middle of a deep religious debate, one that defined the Giants at that time.”
The God Squadders were spiritual pioneers who bore the brunt of attacks by the media. They paved the way for Brock Purdy and other Christian athletes to speak boldly about their faith.
Matt Sieger, now retired, is a formers sports reporter and columnist for The Vacaville Reporter. He is the author of The God Squad: The Born-Again San Francisco Giants of 1978. This article first appeared in The Vallejo Times-Herald and The Vacaville Reporter.
Martinez author offers “My Interview with Joe DiMaggio”
Matt Sieger (far right) and Joe DiMaggio. Courtesy of Matt Sieger
“Joltin’ Joe” DiMaggio was a Martinez native
By Matt Sieger
In the summer of 1974, between my junior and senior years at Cornell University, I was freelancing for the Ithaca New Times, a weekly newspaper in Ithaca, NY. My editor suggested I write a feature story about the Oneonta Yankees, a New York Yankees farm team in the New York-Penn League.
The NY-P, founded in 1939 as a Class D League as the PONY (Pennsylvania-Ontario-New York) League, became a Class A league in 1963. The NY-P is now the oldest continuously operated Class A league in professional baseball.
Oneonta is about a two-hour drive from Ithaca. My only problem was that I didn’t have a car. But back then, many young people hitchhiked. It was not yet considered very dangerous (although in 1973 the FBI did put out a poster warning drivers that a hitcher might be a “sex maniac” or a “vicious murderer”!). I guess I didn’t look like either, so I managed to hitch a ride to Oneonta.
Oneonta is a small town (around 16,000 people then, 14,000 now) nestled in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains. In the 1940s and 1950s, the town supported the Oneonta Red Sox, a Boston farm team in the now-defunct Canadian-American League. Frank Malzone, the Golden Glove third baseman for Boston in the fifties and sixties, played at Oneonta in 1949.
The Yankees took over the franchise in 1967. Notable Oneonta Yankees alumni include Don Mattingly (1979), Bernie Williams (1987) and Jorge Posada (1991). During my visit in 1974, the roster included Dennis Werth, a catcher who played in the big leagues for parts of four seasons and whose stepson is Jayson Werth, the retired All-Star outfielder. Also on the squad was Mike Heath, then a shortstop, who spent 14 seasons in the Major Leagues, mostly as a catcher. The president of the team was Sam Nader, cousin of the famous consumer advocate Ralph Nader.
The team played at the well-groomed Damaschke Field, where attendance averaged around 1,000 a game. Admission was $1.25 for adults and 60 cents for children.
I had intended to just spend the day, do my interviews and hitch a ride back home. But General Manager Nick Lambros informed me that I happened to arrive the day before Famous Yankee Night, an annual promotional event when the team brings in a former Yankee star.
Well, the star that year was Joe DiMaggio! The next evening 3,000 people jammed into Damaschke Field to see Joltin’ Joe before the game. He signed autographs, talked with the fans and took a few swings for old times’ sake.
I wouldn’t be able to stay that late, but Mr. Lambros invited me to a small press conference the next afternoon on his backyard patio. So, after sleeping the night on the floor of an apartment shared by some of the players (one of them was Lou Turco, a pitcher I had played summer baseball with in New Jersey), I headed over to the press conference.
As we sat on the patio sipping lemonade, Mr. Lambros emerged through the screen door of his home and announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Joe DiMaggio!” And behind him came the dapper, dignified Yankee Clipper himself.
As a 21-year-old cub reporter, I was in awe as DiMaggio sat down in a lawn chair right next to me. He would turn 60 in November, but apart from the silver hair, he looked like he could still be playing center field for the Bronx Bombers.
As I wrote in my August 24, 1974, article for the Ithaca New Times, “Even if he can no longer hit that high inside fastball, the grace and dignity that characterized him on and off the field still shine through.” What impressed me most was how unassuming and approachable and congenial he was. Here was the great Joe DiMaggio in a tiny town with just a few folks out on the patio, and he treated me and the others with the utmost respect, taking time to fully answer all our questions.
Here’s the portion of the article from my interview with him that day:
The Yankee Clipper reminisced: “I think I played in one of the most beautiful eras in baseball. At that time you had a different type of fan and a different type of ballplayer. We used to sit in the hotel lobbies and talk baseball for hours. Nowadays all the players have business interests and other things on the side to think about. But I don’t blame them for that.
“As far as ability, that’s hard to say. There were only eight teams in each league when I was playing. Today you have 12, and I believe that’s diluted the talent a bit. Also, they’re bringing along young ballplayers a little too quickly, so that they come out of the minor leagues unrefined. I remember when I was coaching for Oakland and Reggie Jackson first arrived. He couldn’t catch a fly ball. We’d hit it to him, he’d pound the glove a few times, and the ball would drop 20 feet behind him. I’m not kidding.”
Jackson has come a long way since then, and DiMaggio says it’s because he’s a hard worker. He feels that natural ability goes only so far. “There’s no perfect ballplayer,” said the man who may have been the closest to it. “We all strive for it but there’s no one who ever gets there. I worked for hours and hours in practice just charging ground balls.”
After talking a little about his famous 56-game hitting streak, his daffy roommate Lefty Gomez and the great Yankee manager Joe McCarthy, DiMaggio was goaded into answering one of the most frequently asked questions: “What was your greatest thrill in baseball?”
“I’ll tell you one of them,” he replied. “Putting on the New York Yankees pinstripes in spring training for the very first time.”
It was such a thrill to interview the Yankee Clipper that day. Who knew that 44 years later I would move to Martinez (Joltin’ Joe’s hometown) and get to share this story with readers of the Herald.
Matt Sieger, now retired, is a former sports reporter and columnist for The Vacaville Reporter. He is the author of The God Squad: The Born-Again San Francisco Giants of 1978. Matt lives in Martinez. This article first appeared in The Vacaville Reporter.
Los Medanos College to livestream homecoming football game Oct. 5
Source: LMC
Feature 50th Anniversary Tribute Halftime Show
Pittsburg, Calif. – Los Medanos College (LMC) presents a special livestream production on CCTV of the Mustangs’ homecoming game against De Anza College Lions, 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5 from the Pittsburg Campus, 2700 E. Leland Road.
The livestream includes a half-time show that debuts a special 50th Anniversary Tribute with historic images, musical score by the LMC Jazz Band, introduction by Contra Costa County Supervisor Ken Carlson, and commentary by former President Peter Garcia, President Pamela Ralston, author and art history professor Nick Nabas, and others.
“This tribute showcases the heart and soul of LMC that has endured from the first day we swung open the doors to students,” President Pamela Ralston said. “It captures the arc of our success through memories and stories of our alumni, dedicated faculty and staff, and students.”
Source: LMC
The tribute video, produced in partnership with Fallout Pictures, rounds out the homecoming game production, which includes a high-energy opener produced by CCTV’s Ronn Carter. The opener highlights the city of Pittsburg and its storied success as an economic driver for the East Bay. Gametime coverage also features announcing and color commentary by local sports broadcasters Tony Schultz and Dan Wall (an LMC alumnus), and contributions by LMC Experience student journalists Finn Atkin, Juan Cebreiros, and Lauren Gannod.
The homecoming game is Part II of a day of festivities that begins at the 11 a.m. party, hosted by legendary DJ Chuy Gomez of 102 Jams FM. The party will be held on the Pittsburg Campus in grassy area adjacent to Mustang Stadium.
For more information about LMC 50th Anniversary activities, visit www.losmedanos.edu/50th.
About Los Medanos College (LMC): LMC is one of three colleges in the Contra Costa Community College District, serving the East Contra Costa County community. Established in 1974, LMC has earned federal designations as a Minority-Serving and Hispanic-Serving institution. It offers award-winning transfer and career-technical programs, support services, and diverse academic opportunities in an inclusive learning environment. With exceptional educators, innovative curriculum, growing degree and certificate offerings, and state-of-the-art facilities, the college prepares students to succeed in their educational pursuits, in the workforce, and beyond. LMC’s Pittsburg Campus is located on 120 acres bordering Antioch, with an additional education center in Brentwood.
10 Contra Costa athletes compete at 2024 Olympics
The 2024 Olympic athletes from Contra Costa County competing in Paris (by last name alphabetical order). Top Row: Amit Elor, Megumi Field, Drew Holland, Sabrina Ionescu and Kara Kohler. Bottom Row: David Liebenberg, Daniella Moroz, CJ Nickolas, Jewell Roemer and Maggie Steffens.
Former Antioch resident trained two of the Olympians on Team USA’s four-member taekwondo squad; Oakley athlete is alternate in Men’s Trampoline
By Allen D. Payton
Contra Costa County is well represented at the 2024 Olympics in multiple sports. According to the Team USA website, there are nine athletes who qualified to compete in the quadrennial games in Paris. In addition, former Antioch resident and taekwondo training center owner, Ed Givans has two Olympians that he’s trained, who earned spots on the four-member Team USA taekwondo roster.
80Kg Gold Medalist Carl Nickolas at the Taekwondo competition at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games October 22, 2023 in Santiago, Chile. Photo by Mark Reis, USOPC.
CJ Nickolas – Brentwood – Taekwondo
As previously reported, Carl “CJ” Nickolas, Jr. of Brentwood is competing for gold in taekwondo in his first Olympics during the Paris 2024 Games. He was trained by Givans – his dad – until he was 18 and had heart surgery in 2020. As of last December, Nickolas was ranked number two in the world.
Learn more about Nickolas on the USA Taekwondo website and his experience and victories through the years, here, here, here and here. Watch video of CJ’s victory at the 2024 President’s Cup in Costa Rica, here.
Watch Nickolas represent Team USA and compete in the Men’s Welterweight 68-80kg division on August 9th.
Kara Kohler in the gym and rowing in Sept. 2023. Source: Facebook
Kara Kohler – Clayton – Rowing
Bronze medal winner, Kara Kohler from Clayton is competing in rowing in the Women’s Single Sculls. The three-time Olympian competed at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo where she placed 9th in Women’s Single Sculls, and at the 2012 Olympic Games in London 2012, where she won bronze in Women’s Quadruple Sculls.
On Saturday, Kohler took first place in Heat 6. She competed again in Quarterfinal 1, Lane 3 on Tuesday, July 30 at 12:30 a.m. Pacific and took second place qualifying Kohler for the semifinals on Thursday, Aug. 1 at 12:30 a.m. Pacific. (See related article)
Maggie Steffens. Sources: (left) TeamUSA, (center) USA Water Polo and with her 2020 Gold medals. Source: Facebook.
Maggie Steffens – Danville – Women’s Water Polo
Three-time gold medal winner Maggie Steffens will compete at her fourth Olympic Games in Women’s Water Polo for her fourth gold medal in a row. She won her first gold at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, here second at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and her third in 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
According to USA Water Polo, The two-time MVP is also the Team USA captain and considered one of the best in the world” and Steffens “Hails from a massive water polo playing family and was joined on the 2012 team by older sister Jessica.” (See related article)
Jewel Roemer official photo and during competition. Source: USA Water Polo
Jewell Roemer – Martinez – Water Polo
Playing in her first Olympics, Martinez native Jewell “Roemer’s journey to the Olympics is marked by a series of impressive achievements. She has been a part of the Stanford University’s women’s water polo team, where she contributed to the team’s success as NCAA Champions in 2022 and 2023,” according to an iHeart Radio report.
According to USA Water Polo, Roemer “Attended Acalanes High School…Four-year letter winner and senior season team captain in water polo…Three-time first-team All-American (2018-20)…Two-time North Coast Section MVP (2019-20)…CIF Northern Division MVP (2020)…Three-time first-team All-Conference (2018-20)…Team went undefeated in back-to-back seasons, winning North Coast Section championships…Two-time Junior Olympics MVP with 680 Water Polo Club.
Won 1st place at the 2024 World Aquatics World Championships in DOHA, QATAR, 1st place at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile and 1st place at the World Aquatics World Cup in Long Beach.
During their second Group B match on Monday against Spain, Steffens and Roemer each added one goal apiece, but the Americans were handed a rare 13-11 loss. Team USA Women’s Water Polo next plays Italy on Wednesday.
Megumi Field. Sources: Team USA and Instagram
Megumi Field – Danville – Artistic Swimming
East Coast transplant Megumi Field, of Danville, will compete in her first Olympics on the Artistic Swimming team. She started synchronized swimming at five years old and earned among many other victories since 2018, Field won a bronze medal for Technical Team at the 2023 World Championships.
According to USA Artistic Swimming, as part of the official 2024 Olympics roster, Megumi and her teammates “made a statement in their debut” at the World Cup Super-Final hosted in Budapest, Hungary by winning three gold medals for Team Technical, Team Acrobatic and Team Free in the final competition before the Olympic Games.
In addition, “Jaime Czarkowski and Megumi Field made their second appearance as duet partners in Budapest, choosing to participate in the Technical Duet receiving 7th place overall with a score of 222.5134.”
Watch Artistic Swimming at the 2024 Paris Olympics beginning Monday, Aug. 5th.
Danielle Moroz. Sources: TeamUSA, Facebook and US Sailing
Daniella Moroz – Lafayette – Kiteboarding
The first member of the U.S. Sailing team to qualify for the Paris 2024 Games, 23-year-old Daniella Moroz of Lafayette will compete in Olympic Kiteboarding for the first time in the sport’s history, after the sports’ athletes have been waiting for two decades.
According to a report on Paris2024.Sailing.org, Moroz has six consecutive Formula Kite World Championships titles to her name before the age of 22.
“Everything I do and have been doing the last several years is to give myself a shot at a medal,” she said. “At the Olympics I want to deliver my best possible performance and I know I’m capable of winning a gold medal if I do my best. It would mean everything to me and my family and to bring a gold home to the US after we’ve really struggled as a nation the last few Games’ would be really special.”
“I just want to keep enjoying it and keep racing for as long as possible. I am definitely thinking about LA 2028 since it will be a home Games,” Moroz added.
Women’s Kiteboarding will take place in the Marseille Marina in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea and begins Sunday, Aug. 4th with the medal round on Thursday, Aug. 8th.
Drew Holland and playing goalie. Source: Team USA
Drew Holland – Orinda – Men’s Water Polo
The 2013 graduate of Miramonte High School in Orinda, Drew Holland returns for his second Olympic Games. He played in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo where the U.S. Men’s team placed sixth and he tallied 52 saves. According to his USA Water Polo profile, Holland accumulated 26 saves at the 2024 World Aquatics World Championships in Doha, Qatar; Racked up 33 saves at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile; Notched 12 saves at the 2023 World Aquatics World Championships in Fukuoka and named top goalkeeper at the 2021 FINA World League Super Final recording 41 saves.
Holland played at Stanford University where he holds the all-time save record with 925 and was a four-time All-American.
Team USA Men’s Water Polo lost to Italy on Sunday, 8-12 and was to play again Tuesday morning, July 30 against Romania at 7:30 a.m. Pacific. (See schedule)
David Liebenberg official photo and in competition with teammate Sarah Newberry Moore. Source: US Sailing
David Liebenberg – Richmond – Sailing
Competing in Sailing during the 2024 Paris Olympics, 32-year-old David Liebenberg of Richmond has three National Championship titles and three North American Championship titles. According to U.S. Sailing, as a member of the Tufts University Sailing Team he was a team captain during his senior year and led the team to their first Collegiate Match Racing National Championship in 2012. In the summer of 2013, Liebenberg was the tactician for the American Youth Sailing Force, which was selected to represent San Francisco in the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup.
Sailing a Nacra 17, he took first at the Oakcliff Sailing Triple Crown #3 (Oyster Bay, USA) in 2018 and second sailing a 49er at the Cork Olympic Classes Regatta (Kingston, CAN) in 2016.
He will be sailing the Nacra 17 with his teammate, Sarah Newberry Moore of Miami, FL. The pair qualified the U.S. as a country at the Pan American Games in Chile on November 3, 2023. They won athlete selection at the 2024 Nacra 17 World Championship in France in May and secured their spot to represent the U.S. at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Following that final step Liebenberg said, “It’s quite a relief. It has been nearly 10 years coming and to finally secure a spot feels amazing.”
See video of the team sailing out of the Richmond Yacht Club and watch Liebenberg and Newberry Moore compete in the Nacra 17 (Mixed Multihull) sailing competition beginning Saturday, Aug. 3rd with the medal round Aug. 7th.
(Top Left) Amit Elor in her official uniform and with LeBron James (bottom left) and Steph Curry (bottom center) on the Team USA boat during the Opening Ceremony on July 26, 2024. (Top right) Wrestling in a match on Oct. 1, 2022. (Bottom right) Flexing with Calvin “Snoop Dogg” Broadus, Jr. during the 2024 Paris Olympics. Source: Facebook
Amit Elor – Walnut Creek – Wrestling
A 20-year-old female wrestler from Walnut Creek, Amit Elor, a New Year’s Day baby, attended College Park High School in Pleasant Hill and Diablo Valley College, and has been on Team USA since 2022. She is competing in her first Olympic Games. According to her Team USA profile, Elor is an eight-time gold medalist at World Championship events across the U17, U20, U23 and Senior age divisions, including the freestyle and beach wrestling disciplines.
Wrestling during the 2024 Paris Olympics begins on Monday Aug. 5th and ends on Sunday, Aug. 11th.
Learn more about Elor on her official website.
Sabrina Ionescu in her #6 jersey. Source: USA Basketball. Goofing in her Team USA uniform. Source: Instagram
Sabrina Ionescu – Walnut Creek – Basketball
The 26-year-old Sabrina Ionescu is a Walnut Creek native, graduate of Miramonte High School and University of Oregon and is playing in her first Olympics during the Paris 2024 Games as a member of the Women’s Basketball Team. According to USA Basketball, “Ionescu will make her Olympics debut after helping the USA to gold at the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup. She has extensive experience with USA Basketball at the junior level, winning gold with the 2013 U16 Women’s National Team, 2014 U17 Women’s National Team and 2017 U23 Women’s National Team, in addition to experience in 3×3.”
In high school, Ionescu was the 2016 USA Today and MaxPreps National Player of the Year; MVP of the McDonald’s All-American Game. In college, she helped lead Oregon to a gold medal (6-1) at the 2019 Red Bull 3×3 Nationals in Las Vegas and was named MVP and as a junior in 2018-19, led the Ducks to their first NCAA Final Four.
Ionescu was selected No. 1 overall by New York in 2020, has played four WNBA seasons with New York and is a two-time WNBA All-Star (2022, 2023). In addition, according to her WNBA profile, she was the first player in WNBA history to record 500+ points, 200+ rebounds and 200+ assists in a single season and the first player to record a Triple-Double in less than three quarters in WNBA history, as well.
Watch her play for Team USA’s Women’s Basketball team.
UPDATE: Ruben Padilla – Oakley – Trampoline Alternate
Ruben Padilla. Photo: USA Gymnastics
23-year-old Rubin Padilla of Oakley is also in Paris for the 2024 Olympics and a member of Team USA. But according to his mother, Nelia, “Ruben is the alternate for trampoline. We are aware he will not compete.”
According to his Team USA profile, Padilla began gymnastics at age 5 when his mother enrolled him in a class because he always used furniture as gym equipment as a child.
Among his many World Championship medals, Padilla won four gold medals, including in 2023 for All Around Team – Mixed, Double Mini Trampoline – Men and Double Mini Trampoline Team – Men; and in 2022 for Double Mini Trampoline – Men. According to the USA Gymnastics website he is the 2024 U.S. trampoline, double mini and synchro champion. See video of Padilla defending his World Title in the Double Mini at Trampoline Worlds in November 2023.
Ed Givans and CJ Nickolas in 2018. Source: Ed Givans. CJ, Ed and Faith Dillon in May 2024. Photo courtesy of Grandmaster Clint Robinson, Robinson’s Taekwondo. CJ and Faith. Source: Givans Taekwondo
Former Antioch Resident Ed Givans, Trainer, USA Taekwondo
As mentioned, Nickolas’ dad, former Antioch resident Ed Givans, who owned Givans Taekwondo in the city before relocating it to Las Vegas a few years ago, trained CJ until he was 18.
Givans is also on the Tournament Committee for USA Taekwondo and has another athlete he trained who made the four-person U.S. taekwondo team at the Olympics, Faith Dillon. According to the Team USA website, she earned her spot during the Pan Am qualification tournament in April.
Read more about her and watch Faith fight in the 57 kg. category on August 8th.
Learn more about all the members on the Team USA 2024 Olympic Roster at www.teamusa.com/paris-2024/olympics/roster and watch all the athletes compete on NBC channels.
Go, Team USA! Bring home the gold!
Kaiser Permanente mom from Brentwood to cheer on son at Paris Olympics
Ncal-Olympics-02 – Denise and CJ Nickolas in 2009. (Left) 80Kg Gold Medalist Carl CJ Nickolas’ first flag run after he won the Taekwondo competition at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games October 22, 2023, in Santiago, Chile. Photo by Mark Reis, USOPC. (Center) Ncal-Olympics and Ncal-Olympics-01 CJ Nickolas at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile in October 2023. Photo credit by Mark Reis, USOPC (Right)
A nurse in Antioch, CA has nurtured her 22-year-old son’s taekwondo ambitions since he was 3
Expected to compete for gold, CJ Nickolas, a former Heritage High student, was first trained by his father at Givans Taekwondo in Antioch
By Elizabeth Schainbaum, Manager, Regional Content, Corporation Communications, Kaiser Permanente Northern California
Over the years, wound care nurse Denise Nickolas would talk with colleagues about her kids’ sports activities — just as others would talk about their own kids.
Most colleagues didn’t realize her kids were different. They didn’t know how seriously athletic they were after he won a medal in World Taekwondo Championship in May 2023 when her son, CJ, received publicity as he vied for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.
CJ is competing in the Paris Olympics in taekwondo on August 9, 2024. The 22-year-old is ranked second in the world.
“She doesn’t go around telling just anyone how he ranked at tournaments,” said Daniella White, a colleague who has cheered Nickolas on through CJ’s injuries and other challenges. “If someone asks, she will humbly share how well he did. That’s not to say she wasn’t overly proud or excited for him, but she just continued to show humility in the process.”
Kaiser Permanente fan club
Nickolas is happy everyone knows now.
“Everyone is so excited, and they asked why I didn’t say anything,” said Nickolas, who was a gymnast in college and also achieved a taekwondo black belt during her son’s practices. “They’ve been so supportive and even started a Teams group to cheer us on and check the progress of his Olympic bid.”
Her boss, Darci Walker, is a big fan.
“I remember her sharing one of CJ’s competitions where he won first place, and he moved the entire crowd and audience by singing the national anthem. The whole stadium joined in and sang together,” Walker recalled. “This was a very proud moment that Denise shared with me. When I watched the video on her phone, it brought me to tears as well. We are all excited for CJ and their entire family.”
A ‘family-friendly’ organization
Nickolas has worked at Kaiser Permanente since 2001. Since then, as a single mom, she’s juggled full-time work with two kids who were competitive athletes.
Her older daughter, now 24, was an elite gymnast for a long time. She pivoted to diving, and that was the sport she did in college.
Her kids’ sports often required traveling to competitions. Nickolas said her managers and colleagues have been supportive and accommodating when she’s had to take time off, even last minute.
“Kaiser Permanente is absolutely a family-friendly organization,” she said. “I was able to have the life I wanted with my kids because of Kaiser Permanente.”
To make it work, she would essentially work two part-time jobs and lived just 10 minutes from the hospital.
She would start the morning at the Antioch Medical Center and then take the kids to their practices. Later, she would work another shift with Home Health Department.
“I was exhausted, but it was worth it, totally worth it,” Nickolas said. “I’m so grateful.”
Walker said Nickolas also worked hard to make it work. She coordinated well with colleagues before she would travel so there were no bumps with patient care. When she returned, she was ready to get back into the swing of work.
Going for gold
Nickolas followed this routine for years. She realized in 2007 that CJ, who had been doing taekwondo for three years at that point, had a future in competitive sports.
At the age of three, he said he wanted to do martial arts. She hesitated because she was against combat sports at the time.
She pushed that feeling aside because she could see how eager he was to do it. She steered him to taekwondo because it was included in Ivy League sports programs and was an Olympic sport.
When he was about 6, she noticed he was intense and focused. She checked in with the coach.
“’Am I just proud or is he really good?’” she recalled saying. “The coach said, ‘No, he’s really as good as you think he is.’”
That coach, until CJ turned 18, was his father, Ed Givans, who previously owned and trained his son at Givans Taekwondo in Antioch which he relocated to Las Vegas in 2018. Givans is also on the Tournament Committee for USA Taekwondo and has another competitor he’s trained on the four-person U.S. team at the Olympics, Faith Dillon. As of last December, CJ was ranked number two in the world. She earned her spot at the Pan Am qualification tournament in April.
Many injuries later, including a broken toe that she said Kaiser Permanente did an excellent job of repairing, he’s now going for Olympic gold.
Nickolas will be there watching, with her Kaiser Permanente colleagues rooting for her son.
“I can’t believe this day has come,” she said. “He’s worked so hard, but it still feels so surreal.”
Watch CJ represent Team USA and compete on August 9th on the NBC channels.
Learn more about CJ’s experience and victories through the years, here, here and here.
Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.
Cutting-edge procedure puts Clayton Valley Charter star athlete back on track
Zoe Lahanas, a star athlete at Clayton Valley Charter High School, is excelling after surgery and sports rehab at Kaiser Permanente. Photo: Kaiser Permanente
The Kaiser Permanente Diablo Sports Medicine Department takes a whole-team, integrated approach to treating injured athletes.
By Eunice Park, Kaiser Permanente
In 2021, Zoe Lahanas, then a high school freshman at Clayton Valley Charter in Concord, was a competitive athlete in soccer, swim, and track and field.
Lahanas strained her left knee playing soccer, so she took a break from it. She continued with track, winning a medal for high jump. The day after that win, she returned to soccer and injured her meniscus and tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her right knee.
The family wanted a physician who could perform a newer technique for ACL reconstruction, called a quad tendon autograft.
“Our team approach has created an incredibly unique partnership, which has been the secret to our success.” – Colin Mansfield, MD
“We interviewed three doctors to find the best one,” said Lahanas’ mother, Samantha Strong, a retired doctor.
The best one was Colin Mansfield, MD, a sports surgeon in the Kaiser Permanente Diablo Sports Medicine Department.
“Dr. Mansfield is on the cutting edge,” Dr. Strong said. “Zoe went from not being able to do anything in July to winning huge track meets the following April because of the ACL surgery.”
She benefited from Kaiser Permanente’s integrated sports rehab teams, which operate under a data-driven approach that focuses on getting athletes back to their chosen sport. Lahanas’ diligence and dedication, as well as the care from the surgical and physical therapy teams led to her successful recovery.
“Zoe has really been able to excel,” Dr. Mansfield said. “As soon as she returned to sports, she was making personal records.”
A whole-team approach
Sports medicine doctors work with athletic trainers at local high schools. Zoe’s athletic trainer at her high school diagnosed her ACL tear and contacted a Kaiser Permanente sports medicine doctor who got Lahanas an appointment within two days.
“That kind of communication and facilitation of care is really what makes the system so phenomenal,” Dr. Strong said.
As a busy referral site for challenging surgeries and injuries from other areas, the department offers the full spectrum of sports care, from advanced athlete recovery programs to state-of-the-art joint restoration procedures.
“Something that maybe not everyone understands about Kaiser is that we really are working at the highest levels with the newest technology,” Dr. Mansfield said. “Our team approach has created an incredibly unique partnership, which has been the secret to our success. I’ve been so fortunate to be inspired and learn from so many talented mentors and colleagues within our department.”
Brigham Wise, MD, a sports medicine physician with the Kaiser Permanente Diablo Sports Medicine Department, says the department’s strengths are its integration and collaboration.
“It’s a whole-team approach, and we’ve got great physicians and surgeons and excellent [physical] therapists,” Dr. Wise said. “We also focus on prevention to keep patients on the field rather than in our office.”
Getting patients back to doing what they love
The Kaiser Permanente Diablo Sports Medicine Department’s priority is to return patients to their normal activities as soon and as safely as possible. The group serves a large and diverse population. Patients range in age and goals.
“I really enjoy helping people get back to doing what they love,” said Dr. Wise. “That includes high school and college athletes, as well as the weekend warriors who just want to get back to playing pickleball or running their next marathon.”
Now a high school senior, Lahanas was able get back to the sport she loves.
Lahanas is a track star winning medals in the Junior Olympics and is being recruited actively by NCAA Division 1 colleges.
“What they have done at Kaiser Permanente in making things right is amazing,” Dr. Strong said. “Kaiser has done an incredible job of taking care of us.”
Cutline: Zoe Lahanas, a star Clayton Valley Charter High School athlete, is excelling after surgery and sports rehab at Kaiser Permanente. Photo: Kaiser Permanente
New season starts at Antioch Speedway Saturday night
Cousins Kellen Chadwick #83 and reigning IMCA Modified State champion Andrew Pearce #15p battle for position. Photo by Katrina Kniss
By Candice Martin, DCRR Racing Media
Antioch, CA…The rainy weather has prevented things from happening at Antioch Speedway for the last three weeks, but this Saturday night, March 16th that’s about to change. The 64th season of auto racing begins with an exciting five-division lineup.
The track at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds is the only place to enjoy auto racing in the county. There will be weekly racing from Saturday night through the end of October with some events planned in November as well.
The popular IMCA Modifieds are the headliners. This division enters its 35th consecutive championship season. They started in 1990 as the track became the third in the state to add the division.
Nearly 15 years ago, the IMCA Sport Modifieds were offered as a slightly more affordable alternative. This is also the opening night of the fourth season for the IMCA Stock Cars.
Pacific Coast Hobby Stock racers Jared Baugh #07 and rookie Mya Jones #73j. Photo by Katrina Kniss
Rounding things out will be the Pacific Coast Hobby Stocks, which began being featured at the speedway in 1995. Also, the 26th season for the Wingless Spec Sprints will begin. Antioch Speedway was the first place to feature a wingless, carbureted Sprint Car class in the state.
Last season, Troy Foulger of Oakley and Billy Bowers teamed up for a stellar effort. The duo picked up championships in both the Modified and Stock Car classes, making this the first team to ever win two championships in the same season at the track. Furthermore, Foulger was the IMCA Stock Car State title winner.
IMCA Sport Modified State champion Trevor Clymens #2c and State runner-up Jason Ryan Jr #52 had a close point battle last year. Photo by Katrina Kniss
The closest point battle last season was featured in the IMCA Sport Modified ranks, where Kenny Shrader of Pacheco, Jason Ryan Jr of Oakley, Trevor Clymens of Brentwood and Mark Garner of Antioch all had a shot at the title going into the finale. Shrader beat Ryan by just two points. Ryan also settled for second in the State point battle behind Clymens.
Grayson Baca of Brentwood left little doubt who the Pacific Coast Hobby Stock title winner would be, despite the resurgence of Antioch’s Ken Johns late in the season. Not to be forgotten in the mix, Gilroy’s Jarrett Soares scored a pivotal win late last season to notch the Wingless Spec Sprint title as Oakley’s James East again settled for second.
General consensus is that these are the five most popular classes featured in the speedway’s lineup, and this will be a rare opportunity to see them all in the same night as the curtain comes up on an exciting new season.
As we approach spring, this is a unique opportunity to see green grass in the infield and cars with new bodies on them as they hit the racetrack for the first time. It’s a clean slate for everybody, and anything is possible.
Jason Robles #78 and Dave Hill #15a will be ready to kick off the new IMCA Stock Car season. Photo by Katrina Kniss
Jason Robles of Rio Vista ended up runner up in the IMCA Stock Car class for the second-straight season last year. He’s hoping to get back in the winner’s circle for the first time since 2022, an honor his son Kenneth Robles of Rio Vista earned at the opener last season. Kenneth topped the rookies and ended up third in the standings. 2022’s top rookie, Jason Jennings of Antioch, returns this week after a year off.
Last season’s top IMCA Modified rookie Andrew Pearce of Oakley also won the State title. Each year this talented up-and-comer has improved noticeably in his driving skills. The DeCarlo family should be back in action again, including two-time champion Nick DeCarlo of Martinez and his Hall of Fame father Terry DeCarlo, Sr. of Martinez. Nick and brother Terry DeCarlo, Jr. of Martinez are anticipated in the IMCA Stock Car ranks as well.
Terry, Jr.’s daughter Taylor DeCarlo of Martinez is one of the top Hobby Stock drivers in the field. Jewell Crandall of Antioch will attack the season with renewed excitement, and other returning stars include Aidan Ponciano of Oakley, Kevin Brown of Oakley and Jared Baugh of Pittsburg.
Top 5 ranked Spec Sprint racer Jeff Scotto #92a and Dylan Newberry #63 are two of the top Spec Sprint racers at the speedway. Photo by Katrina Kniss
The Wingless Spec Sprint division will be visited by top competitors from out of town throughout the season with a Hunt Series race scheduled for next week. Some of our top stars include ageless veteran Roy Fisher of Antioch, Jeff Scotto of Brentwood, Steve Maionch of Sonora and Bob Newberry and nephew Dylan Newberry of Brentwood.
There’s plenty of anticipation in the air as we get ready for the excitement that only a night of racing at Antioch Speedway can bring. It’s not a show that you will want to miss.
The gates will open at 4:00 PM with the first race starting at 6:00 PM.
Adult tickets are $20, Senior/Military $15, Kids (5-12) $15 and kids four and under free.
Parking for the Speedway is located on L Street between W. 10th and 18th Streets.
For further information, go to www.raceantiochspeedway.com or check out the Antioch Speedway by PROmotions Facebook page.
CCC Delta Stars professional basketball team’s next home game Sunday, Feb. 18 in Antioch
The Contra Costa County Delta Stars play their home games at the Cornerstone Christian School gym at 5:15 p.m. 1745 E. 18th Street in Antioch. For more information about the team visit cccdeltastars.com. The Stars compete in the 109-team American Basketball Association. For more information visit Home of American Basketball Association (ABA)
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 14
- Next Page »