John and Mardi Warkentin, who put three student-athletes through San Marcos High School, made a synthetic turf field at San Marcos a reality with their $500,000 donation to the Field of Champions campaign. The greatly improved facility, now named Warkentin Stadium, will benefit countless local athletes for years to come. (Randy Weiss Photo)
Andre Barbieri, local Sports Figure of the Month for December, was chosen for the his remarkable journey in 2011 that has proven to be inspirational to many.
Presidio Sports is proud to have been able to highlight 11 local sports figures in 2011 as part of our Sports Figure of the Month series that we began back in February with the support from presenting sponsor American Riviera Bank.
The series was created to recognize individuals in our athletic community that do big things, whether it be on the playing field, in the workplace, or in the community.
Our Sports Figures of the Month profiles, written exclusively by Presidio Sports columnist Randy Weiss, have created an interesting catalogue of many of the year’s biggest local sports stories.
So here is a recap of the amazing people and events that were a big part of the local sports scene in 2011. While the awards were given out for what happened that month, the impact of their contributions will be felt for some time.
Included are stories about installing the new turf field at San Marcos High School’s Warkentin Stadium, Orlando Johnson representing UCSB at the World University Games, Bill Pintard and the Foresters winning another NBC National Championship, Andre Barbieri overcoming tragedy with a positive outlook on life, Kiley Neushul and Lauren Stratman capping off historical prep careers in water polo and tennis, and many more.
A special thanks goes to American Riviera Bank for making this award possible as well as to Presidio Sports writer Randy Weiss, who has pieced together some great stories about these amazing people. We look forward to another huge year of great stories in 2012!!!
2011 SPORTS FIGURES OF THE MONTH:
December, 2011: Andre Barbieri
November, 2011: Lauren Stratman
October, 2011: Rich Hanna
September, 2011: Lauren Capone
August, 2011: Orlando Johnson
July, 2011: Bill Pintard
June, 2011: John & Mardi Warkentin
May, 2011: Lakey Peterson
April, 2011: Van Latham
March, 2011: Ethel Byers
February, 2011: Kiley Neushul
Lakey Peterson had a huge year in 2011. The 17-year-old qualified for the 2012 ASP World Tour after a string of strong results this year, including a win in the Junior Pro at the U.S. Open. Lakey was chosen Sports Figure of the Month in May when her Nike 6.0 film “Leave a Message” was released.(LakeyPeterson.com Photo)
Kiley Neushul completed an incredible prep water polo career at Dos Pueblos with a fourth-straight CIF title and an undefeated season. The CIF-ss Division I Player of the Year won her last 67 games as a Charger. (Presidio Sports Photo)
Santa Barbara Foresters’ manager Bill Pintard led his club to a third NBC World Series title this summer. (Presidio Sports Photo)
UCSB star Orlando Johnson was chosen to carry the flag for Team USA in the Opening Ceremony for the World University Games in China. For that, Johnson was August’s local sports figure. (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/USA Basketball)
