April 21, 2008 - If you’re a student-athlete, take note. It’s finally happened – videogames are now officially homework. Kaplan, the makers of all those test preparation books, has teamed with Aspyr Media to create an SAT prep game for the Nintendo DS, according to Newsweek.

The project is early in development and does not yet have a name.  If it’s a success, can we also get a DS game to help us understand the theory of relativity or the geometry of space time?

When it comes time to prep for the SATs, and your parents suddenly decide to buy you a Nintendo DS, they may well have an ulterior motive. Would you be more likely to prep for the SATs on your DS than through a book or browser?

Filed under: Entertainment, General, High School Athletics, News Bytes, Student-Athlete by jane
No Comments »

March 15, 2008 - RISE presents Nneka Ogwumike as the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

Nneka Ogwumike (pronounced neck-ah oh-GWOOM-ih-kay) thought she was on her way to head coach Ann Roubique’s office to finalize the design for her commemorative state championship ring. But the Cy-Fair (Cypress, Texas) senior soon discovered that the subject at hand was more than jewelry as a throng of assembled teammates cheered the news that she was named Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

Ogwumike, who will turn 18 on July 2. “At first, I thought that’s what they were talking about. Gatorade is such a big deal. It’s the nation’s biggest award.”Ogwumike was officially named 2007-08 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year on Thursday during a ceremony in Cypress, Texas. The 6-foot-2 standout led her team to a 112-2 record during her three-year varsity career, carrying the squad to the state championship as a senior in one of the country’s toughest classifications - Texas Class 5A.

Full story at Rise Magazine

Filed under: Basketball, High School Athletics, News Bytes by jane
No Comments »

March 14, 2008 - Though the number one and number two teams in the country are both in California, and both will play for CIF Championships at Arco Arena on Saturday, they won’t play each other.

Number one Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) is classified as a Division III school (roughly 1,000 to 1,500 students), while number two Long Beach Poly is a Division I school (more than 2,000, though in this case closer to 4,000). CIF rules force teams to stay in their enrollment-based divisions, presumably to prevent small private schools from recruiting by denying them the opportunity to play against the bigger schools in postseason.

The Irish, the top-ranked team in the country and winners of 55 straight games, will play Magnolia, which has lost six games and is a huge underdog.  The undefeated team is still reeling, however, from the loss of Terrell Rogers — father of star forward Tierra Rogers — who was shot and killed across the street from the gym during halftime earlier this year.

Long Beach Poly will play Berkeley, a very good team that hasn’t been close to the national rankings all season. The Yellowjackets have lost to Long Beach Poly in the last two state finals, including last year’s 58-52 defeat.

A Long Beach Poly and Sacred Heart final would have drawn a better crowd and Long Beach probably would have preferred a rematch. For that matter, Magnolia and Berkerly would probably have been a better game for each school.

And it would cap off a wonderful season of California girls’ basketball if the state championship not only decided the national championship – but rules are rules, and the two teams will only be able to watch each other rather than play each other.

Filed under: Basketball, High School Athletics by jane
No Comments »

Name: Allison Weiser

Fave Sport: Softball
Other Sports: Basketball and Soccer
Nickname: Allie
Hometown: Wildwood Crest, NJ
Age: 16
Position: Pitcher
Highest Clocked Speed: 65 mph
ASA Team: Newtown Rock Gold – Bucks County, Pennsylvania

Career Highlights: In 2007, Allie’s 16U ASA team, the Delaware Cobras, won the 18U ASA Delaware State Championship. Last season, as a high school sophomore, she struck out 219 batters and walked only 23 in 118 innings pitched. Allie also averaged .578 with 37 hits at the plate. This fall while playing for the Newton Rock Gold, she was 14-2 with 85 strikeouts and 13 walks. (more…)

Filed under: High School Athletics, Profiles, Softball, Student-Athlete by keri mikulski
No Comments »

Feb. 5, 2008 - Where are you going to College? February 6th marks the National Letter of Intent signing day for many NCAA sports and it’s the time of year when high school seniors across the country make their commitment to a college.  

By signing a National Letter of Intent, a prospective student-athlete agrees to attend the designated college or university for one academic year. Students are not required to sign the NLI on the first day of the signing period (commonly called “Signing Day” in the sport of football) but many do so to bring to an end the recruiting process.

Started in 1964 with seven conferences and eight independent institutions, the National Letter of Intent program now includes 55 leagues with more than 500 participating institutions. The program has many advantages to both prospective student-athletes and participating educational institutions:

For some athletes, the day is immortalized. When every girl on an Idaho club team committed to play soccer at the college of their choice, the players went to the Boise Capitals soccer complex to sign their letters of intent together. Three different news stations attended along with several broadcasting members from the respective high schools.

Others commemorate the event by signing in their school gym or library surrounded by friends and classmates. If you’re one of the lucky ones signing a LOI this month (or in the coming months) congratulations - your hard work and dedication has paid off!!

Filed under: College Athletics, High School Athletics, Parent/Coach, Recruiting, Student-Athlete by jane
No Comments »

Dec. 21, 2007 - In its third decade of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in partnership with RISE Magazine, announced outside hitter Kelly Murphy of Joliet Catholic Academy (Joliet, Ill.) as its 2007-08 Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year.

The award, which recognizes not only athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court, distinguishes Murphy as the nation’s best high school volleyball player. A national advisory board comprised of sportswriters and sport-specific experts from around the country selected Murphy from more than 390,000-plus high school volleyball players nationwide. Murphy is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year Award, to be presented at a special ceremony the afternoon prior to The ESPY Awards in July.

(more…)

Filed under: High School Athletics, News Bytes, Student-Athlete, Volleyball by jane
No Comments »

Published by Razorbill (Penguin Group), Pretty Tough by Liz Tigelaar is the first in a series about a group of Southern California girls as comfortable in a ponytail and running shoes as glitter and high heels.

Who says you can’t be both pretty AND tough? These girls constantly push limits and kick grass on and off the field. Perfect for Young Adult readers tired of the same old chick lit.

Reviews

“The true depths of the bonds of sisterhood are realized in this heartwarming and heart pumping novel full of love, acceptance, drama, strength and forgiveness.” - The Compulsive Reader

“This is a well-paced book with solid character development and witty, authentic dialogue. The relationship between the siblings is both strong and complicated. With its classic themes of sisterhood and romance, the book is an updated version of Francine Pascal’s ‘Sweet Valley High’ series (Random), with a sports twist.”-School Library Journal

“Readers will find themselves engaged, touched, and moved by this look inside a thorny relationship between two strong and complicated sisters. The sports elements balanced with those exploring the dynamics of friendship make this a title that will have broad appeal.” -KLIATT

(more…)

Filed under: Book Club, Entertainment, Fun Stuff, High School Athletics, Soccer by admin
No Comments »

They run, play lacrosse, volleyball, soccer, golf and basketball and they’re among the top girls playing high school sports. Check out Sports Illustrated list of the 10 girls who deserve the highest high school accolades.

(more…)

Filed under: Basketball, Golf, High School Athletics, Lacrosse, Track & Field, Volleyball, Youth-HS Soccer by admin
No Comments »

As women’s wrestling gains momentum (it became an Olympic event in the 2004 Games) more and more female high school and college student-athletes are taking up the sport.

Below are a few facts about girls’ wrestling and some online resources to learn more about this growing phenomenon: (more…)

Filed under: 101-Basics, College Athletics, High School Athletics, Wrestling by admin
No Comments »

Women’s Participation - High School
Over 15,000 women participate in lacrosse at 600 high schools which currently sponsor programs that are either sanctioned by the athletic department or are recognized as school affiliated club teams.

Lacrosse programs began in eastern preparatory schools and have expanded to public and parochial schools nationwide. Since January 2000 alone, four states (California, Georgia, Illinois and Minnesota) have sanctioned lacrosse. The NFHS reported 74,225 male and female students played in 2001, a 20 percent increase from 2000 and better than a 100 percent increase since 1995.

Women’s Participation - College and University

Filed under: 101-Basics, College Athletics, High School Athletics, Lacrosse by admin
No Comments »