Winning volleyball coach fears complacency

By Dylan Burke

GROSSMONT COLLEGE- The Women’s Volleyball team’s record is nearly perfect and has made its coach, Jamie Ivers, prouder than ever about its performance.

The Griffins on Tuesday night, Sept.20,  defeated Saddleback 3-0 here at Grossmont and as they improved their record to 7-1.  This
game played was a make up for one originally scheduled for Friday, Sept. 9.

“We may be 7-1 but we have the big target on our backs now so we have to be sharp every day in practice and every night in our matches because teams will play harder against you than they will other teams,” Ivers said. “Everyone is looking to take us down.”

Coach  Ivers has been kept busy reviewing videotape of the games in order to get her team ready to play for the next one.

“There is always something you need to improve on, or be more consistent at,” Ivers explained. “I feel we still have more growth in certain areas which makes me even more excited as we head into conference and playoffs,” she said.  We have a great
group of women this year who are really on board and buy in to what we are trying to accomplish this year”.

As a matter of fact the only thing according to Coach Ivers that is concerning is not being concerned at all, “I feel like there is a huge problem if you don’t think there is anything to work on as a head coach. Nobody is perfect and we are no
exception to that.”

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Burke is a student in Media Comm 132; he may be contacted at dylanb@gcsummit.com

Seven Texans on Grossmont football team

By David Hurst

GROSSMONT COLLEGE — On Jay Z’s song Big Pimpin, Native Texan Pimp C (Port Arthur) ask the listener with a boastful mix of pride and passion, “Now what y’all know about them Texas boys?!!” The Lone Star State is a high school football hotbed like no other. One can look to the number #1 selling, and award nominated Friday Night Lights book, movie, and television franchise to see that.

College campuses from all over the country usually are represented by native Texans and Grossmont is no different. The 2011 roster features seven such players: Running Back Dontae Williams (Houston/Aldine High School), Joseph Carheel, Wide Receiver (San Antonio/ Madison HS), Rion Smalls (Laredo/United HS), Blake Bullard (Killeen) and three players from El Paso: Twin Brothers Marcus and Eldredge Calhoun (Austin HS), and Kicker Andres Carrillo (Bel Air HS). “There’s a lot of talent there,” says head coach Mike Jordan.

Being from the same state is one thing. But getting the players to agree on whose city best represented the Lone Star State was a dubious task. “West Texas all day,” said Eldredge Calhoun, who recorded a big 62 yard interception return in the Griffins 37-40 loss to Southwestern College. “South Texas all day,” countered Smalls. “Centex is where it’s at,” boasts Bullard who is from the Central Texas football hotbed, Killeen, Texas.

Cross-country Coach Robert Claessen’s 19-year career longer than some team members’ lifespan

By Jessyka Holguin

GROSSMONT COLLEGE — Coach Robert Claessen is easily recognized on campus. He often can be seen riding his bike or running around campus with a pack of young women! The women’s cross country mentor has coached track for 19 years– as long as some team members have been alive!

He said has been interested in running since he was a child and was naturally drawn to the running trails around Lake Murray. Injuries prevented him from competing in cross country as a college student here at Grossmont. However, he later started coaching cross country at Humboldt State College.  The coach said some of his favorite experiences were running through the fog and forests up there in northern California.

He also has run in different countries and says, if he could. he would love to travel all over the world.

The coach said ths season his main goal is for everyone on Grossmont’s team to be healthy and to have fun with the work outs. He said that one of the great things about cross country is that it transfers into everyone’s personal life. It helps people deal with challenges and makes them stronger for it, he said.

This year’s team has a positive drive and a desire to help one another out, Claessen said.  He added this is one of the reasons he predicts that the team will do really well in the conference this year. Cross Country has much to be proud of at Grossmont , with teams in 7 out of 8 years making it to the Southern California Conference. If the team does well in this conference it will get the opportunity to run in the state championships.

What sets Grossmont’s team apart from other competitors is that it has great access to mountains and trails within a few miles of the campus, Claessen said.  For example, Cowles Mountain and Mission Trails Regional Park are weekly work out sites for the team. These work outs get the team ready forcompetitions elsewhere.

The coach noted that the season is still young and there still are openings on the Women’s Cross Country Team.  He said Cross Country is a sport that requires people to work out all year in order to compete. Claussen said one of the attractions of Grossmont’s Cross Country Team is that everyone becomes like a family. This not only is a benefit for the individual members; it is a key to the team achieving its goals, he said.

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Holguin is a student in Media Comm 132.  She may be contacted at jessykah@gcsummit.com

Griffins suffer heart-thumping football loss to Southwestern in first home game

Griffin Quarterback Mike Karls (13) successfully lands in the end zone for a 2-point conversion. (Photo: Dylan Burke)

By David Hurst

GROSSMONT COLLEGE—The Griffins outscored Southwestern College (SWC) 20-7 in the 4th quarter, but it was not enough as SWC escaped with a 40-37 football win at Mashin-Roth Stadium Saturday afternoon on the Grossmont campus. The team’s first home game of the 2011 season was witnessed by a capacity crowd that erupted after a 63 yard touchdown pass from Quarterback Chris Bonner to Wide Receiver Mervin Stewart only 45 seconds into the game.

The Griffins had a 17-7 lead at the end of the first quarter after a 29 yard field goal by Andres Carillo and a 1 yard run by Patrick Arinze that was set up by a 61 yard interception return by Eldredge Calhoun. SWC countered with 26 unanswered points and led 33-17 after 3 quarters. After an injury to Bonner sidelined him for the remainder of the game, backup Quarterback Mike Karls led the Griffins on a 3- play 78 yard drive that culminated in a spectacular 38 yard touchdown heave to Wide Receiver Joshua Bell. “I had to work hard for that catch; It helped our team out” said Bell. Karls then turned a broken play into a two point conversion by eluding two SWC defenders.

With the Griffins within a touchdown and a two point conversion of tying the game, Griffin defender Josh Canup intercepted a SWC pass and returned it 26 yards to the SWC 9 yard line. On the ensuing play Karls found Wide Receiver Tim Patrick for a 9 yard touchdown making the score 33-31. On the potential game tying 2 point conversion attempt, Karls’ pass fell incomplete and the Griffins were down by 2 points with 2:34 seconds remaining in the game.

Winless Griffins face Southwestern in home opener football game Saturday, Sept. 17

By Dylan Burke

GROSSMONT COLLEGE — The Griffins will face Southwestern College at home at 1 p.m. Saturday, still looking for their first win of the season.

The football team  is 0-2 this year after dropping its opener 33-30 to San Diego Mesa and 34-7 to El Camino last weekend.
Despite the lopsided loss to El Camino, there are definite signs of improvement among the young Grossmont football players, according to head coach, Mike Jordan.

Jordan attributed the loss to a combination of mistakes made by all three squads: the offense, defense and special teams, “We were not securing the football”, he said;  however, the number of turnovers dropped from five in the San Diego Mesa game  to three against El Camino. 

Fresh off loss, young Griffin football team faces strong rival El Camino College on Saturday

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Grossmont football team practices at Griffin Field (Photo: Dylan Burke)

By Dylan Burke

GROSSMONT COLLEGE – Football coach Mike Jordan says he is looking forward to facing El Camino College in an away game Saturday in a continuation of the “very heated rivalry” that often “goes back and forth” in playoff tournaments.

What Jordan described as the “youngest team” he has coached in his six years at Grossmont will go into the game following a season opening loss last week to San Diego Mesa, 33-30—a loss blamed in large measure on inexperience and five turnovers.

Jordan told the GC Summit that his team needs to make fewer mistakes on the field. He said players need to follow their assignments better to make the plays work out.

For example, he said, if offensive line moves to the left when it is supposed to move to the right, it leaves the quarterback exposed and likely to be sacked.

Jordan has his own approach toward practices. Whereas many coaches will have their first-string team on the field through most, if not all of practices, Jordan has his second- and third-string players practice also. He said that he was very pleased with last Wednesday’s practice.

Tuning up the second and third stringers will prepare them for the later part of the season if members of the first string team are injured, the coach explained.

Asked how the team reacted to the loss to San Diego Mesa — a team which Grossmont typically beats– Jordan replied that some players were “devastated, as well they should be,” while others on the team, “did not know how to respond.”

The Griffins practice from 3-5 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays.

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Burke is a student in Media Comm 132. He may be contacted at dylanb@gcsummit.com

Padres fan not intimidated at Dodger Stadium

The shirt worn to Dodgers Stadium

By Dylan Burke

LOS ANGELES -The Grossmont College baseball team, the Griffins, will be playing half its games on the road this year against teams such as Fullerton, Compton, Southwestern and S.D. Mesa. I don’t know how our fans feel when they’re attending the away games but I know how some people worry when they travel, as I did, to Chavez Ravine, also known as Dodgers Stadium.

On March 31, the opening day of the 2011 baseball season, the Dodgers hosted the defending-world-champion San Francisco Giants. Before the game, outside in the parking lot, Giants fan Bryan Stow was attacked by two Dodgers supporters. Two attackers pummeled Stow, resulting in critical brain damage. Stow is currently recuperating, where he is making attempts to speak again. The Dodgers denounced the incident.

Around the end of May, Giovanni Ramirez, 31, was arrested in connection with the case.

With all the fear of going to Chavez Ravine as a supporter of another team, my relatives and I still went to a game last week. Against all suggestions, I wore my “SD Beat LA” t-shirt that was given to me at a Padres game against the Dodgers earlier this year.

Fall Sports begin at Grossmont

By Vince Ruffino

GROSSMONT COLLEGE — Put away the surfboards and sunscreen, its time to get focused on school, but  not without something to look forward too, Fall Sports!

For many Grossmont College students, the beginning of the Fall Semester marks  not only the end of summer and the beginning of the academic year, but also the  beginning of their respected sports season. But a novice sports fanatic might question, ‘What are the Fall Sports?’ Here’s a look at four Fall Sports at Grossmont Community College.

Football: Grossmont’s team comes off a modest season in 2010 finishing 6-4  with a post season loss to East Conference Runner Up Santa Ana College Dons in the Beach Bowl, 52-43. This year, Coach Mike Jordan looks to lead his Griffins  in the season opener on the road against rival San Diego Mesa College on Saturday, September 3, 2011 at 6p.m.

Women’s Soccer: New Head Coach Dave Ridenour and The Lady Griffins dropped the season opener, 1-0, at home against Golden West. They look to rebound Friday September 2, 2011, on their home pitch against El Camino at  1pm.

Grossmont offers youth basketball camp

GROSSMONT COLLEGE (Press Release)–The Athletics Department  and  men’s basketball coach Doug Weber are inviting all
boys and girls entering the 3rd through 9th grades to Grossmont College’s annual  youth summer basketball camp, from 8 a.m. to noon, Monday through Thursday, Aug. 8 to 11. The camp will feature instruction on fundamental skills, group and  individual contests and three-on-three tournaments, along with life lessons about sportsmanship, communication and goal setting. Cost is $75 per camper,  which includes t-shirt, contest prizes and giveaways. For more information, visit www.grossmont.edu/athletics, or phone (619)  644-7878.

Since arriving at Grossmont College from Salt Lake Community College in 1998,  Weber has won a Pacific Coast Conference title and Coach of the Year honors. He has been coaching at the college level for 25 years. During the past 12 years,  more than 40 of his athletes have transferred to four-year  universities.

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Preceding provided by Grossmont College public information office

NCAA penalizes teams with low academic scores

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (USANN4)– Major college basketball and football teams have been  penalized for poor academic performance.   The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has sanctioned 103 teams for missing its academic benchmark.   One of the teams penalized was the University of Connecticut’s men’s basketball team, the reigning national champions.

Other penalized teams in basketball include Arkansas, Georgia Tech, and Louisiana State.   Elite football programs getting penalties for low academic progress are Louisville and Maryland.   The NCAA handed one-year post-season bans to eight teams at seven institutions.

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Preceding provided by USA News Network 4