It was a great summer with a lot of great memories. This one comes from the Santa Barbara Foresters’ Santa Barbara Bank & Trust Family & Community Day. It was the last game in SB before the ‘Sters took off on their Championship Run!! Peter Gaum, Owner of SB Baking Company on left and manager Bill Pintard in middle, WC on right.
Forget presidential elections and national conventions.
Clint, too ?
Absolutely nothing stirs quicker debate for Mankind than Top-10 Lists!!
Womankind, too.
Mr. Blackwell ? hello??
So??
Yes, we?re on earthquake-shaky new ground here.
But that won?t stop us from weighing in on top local summer talent!!
And if such a list already exists ? we ain?t seen it!!
So let?s just jump into things ?
(Do-dat-drum-roll-in-your-head-thing-here.)
Hang on!!
Here we go, ladies and gentlemen??
THE FIRST EVER?…
?TOP SUMMER SPORTS STARS OF SANTA BARBARA?
10. Steve Shlens ? Won late August?Catalina Classic?traditional paddleboard competition in near-record time (5:57) for the Stock Board Division ? a 32-mile ?bon voyage? using an ultra-challenging 12-footer and lying flat or on knees. Not SUP. Other summer uber-paddles: Molokai-2-Oahu Race (32-miles in July with a buddy) and the 22.17-mile Rock-to-Rock Race from Catalina to San Pedro in June.
Jason Smith and Adrienne Hengels after each won the Ventura Triathlon.
9. Race Directors: Jerrett McFarland (Goleta Beach Triathlon); Joe Coito (SB Tri); Jake Clinton (Nite Moves); Jane Cairns & Co. (Team Reef & Run); Steve Hyslop (Chuck?s 33rd?Annual Fun Run); Marcella Young & Jay Ritterback (SB Kids Tri); Dave Odell (Westmonster); Kevin Young (34th?McConnell?s Ice Cream Endurance Events & young runner venues) & Van Latham (Carpinteria?s ?All Comers? Summer Friday Meets).
8. Adrienne Hengels & Jason Smith ? Local triathlete power couple! She: Power of Your Om Yoga Guru with impressive summer credentials:?Hawaii 70.3 ? overall top amateur female and then Sonoma Vineman 70.3 – 3rd amateur female. Closer to home in the Ventura ?Breath of Life? Olympic Tri, she and coach/bff Smith finished as overall top female & male. He: an endurance coach & personal trainer, capped off summer with 4th?Place in the SB Tri Long Course, then 2nd?in the Sunday Sprint.
7. Kevin Marsh ? A decorated winner of many golf tourneys — including two SCGA Amateur Championships, a USGA Mid-Am Championship and mucho SB City Championships with pal, John Pate — Marsh claimed the 101st California Amateur Championship this summer in his own backyard ? La Cumbre CC. And in grand style — ?eight birdies and an eagle in 33 holes while putting on a putt-ing clinic in front of the local gallery.?
UCSB men’s water polo coach Wolf Wigo was just named Santa Barbara Sports Figure of the Month by Presidio Sports and American Riviera Bank. (UCSB Photo)
6. Riley Moore – This former San Marcos Royal star was the University of Arizona?s ironman catcher — catching 96% of all innings pitched, batting .301 and was named?Freshman All-American by Baseball America. He stepped it up for these ultimate NCAA Champs in summer?s College World Series ?hitting .412 ? the second-best among Wildcat hitters and fifth-highest among all players. Moore was also named to the CWS All-Tournament Team.?
5. Wolf Wigo ? UCSB head water polo coach and three-time Olympian, Stanford All-American, captain of the USA National water polo team who shined this summer on the World Olympic Stage as an NBC television water polo color commentator; returned to USA to win Reef & Run 1-mile contest ahead of his entire USCB Men?s water polo team.
4. Conner Coffin?? The 19-year old Santa Barbara surfer won the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) 4-Star Nike US Open of Surfing Pro Junior at Huntington Beach with ?a powerful Semifinals performance and went on to leave his fellow finalists in a combination situation with a 17.10 out of 20 heat total to solidify the biggest win of his career!?
3. Walker Bell ? Young (15) Nite Moves and Reef & Run slender swimming sensation, weekly winner or Top 3 finisher, won first-ever Boat-to-Beach R/R Grand Finale in record time (10:55).
Lakey Peterson is carried up the beach in front of thousands in Huntington Beach after winning the U.S. Open of Surfing
2. Bill Pintard ? Magical Santa Barbara Foresters Coach who, again, propelled??Ster Nation?a 1st?Place finish on very last day of regular season en route to their second consecutive National Baseball Congress World Championship Crown ? their fourth in six years and the first time in 78 years of repeat champ. Through it all, he passionately furthers their Hugs for Cubs Program for cancer kids and families in perpetual memory of his late son — Legendary ?EP19?.
1. (Tie) Lakey Peterson ? Banner year for the soon-to-be 18-year-old surfing star, fellow Presidio Sports blogger and local McDonalds heiress — ?explosively lighting it up in her first year on the ASP World Tour by winning the summer?s U.S. Open of Surfing featuring the best women surfers in the world!!
1. Kami Craig ? This decorated SB Don alum and water polo ace was simply ?The Pride of Santa Barbara? at the Summer Olympics Games — can you say: Gold Medal??
Honorable Mention?(random order)
Orlando Johnson?(first UCSB Gaucho in 20+ years to be selected in the NBA Draft);?Rich Hanna?(SB City?s Jr. Guards Czar kept local beaches safe);?Ed Smith & Becky Glusac?(Mr. & Mrs. Semana Nautica);?Joe Howell?(does it all as inspirational senior athlete);?Ricky Ho & Mike Shalhoub?(running studs & pals who win/place regularly);?Mark Walsh?(JO Championship Coach of SB Aquatics Club G18 Water Polo Team);?Kevin Battle?(rugby coach);?Jenny Schatzle?(fitness queen)?Jake Ballantine?(young running & biking star @ age 10);?Kelly Knowles?(regular Nite Moves, Reef & Run enthusiast);?Ernesto Paredes?(Moms in Motion coach);?Tim Hayes?(Ocean Duck);?John Maloney?(longtime AYSO Soccer Commish);?Ryan Fitch?(Challenger Baseball);?Dayna Jordan?(stepped up big-time as new Momentum-4-Life leader);?B. Chuckie Roth?(SB County teacher accolades & then National Champion club water polo coach);?Adrienne Binder?(Nite Moves champ & ?Charlie?s Angels? look-a-like);?Scott Reed?(forgoes his beloved ocean swimming to lead the Music Academy of the West to its best summer season ever as its new President & CEO);?Ashley Haug?(leaves sterling Special Olympics legacy as she moves to Alaska);?Mike Snow?(running visionary);?CathyAnn Simon?(tennis patrons);?Leslie Wiggins Roth?(swam Nite Moves two weeks after giving birth to Kumani, then added run a week later);?CrossFit Santa Barbara?(Fundraiser for Daisy Merrick) and?Todd Rogers & Big Phil?for chasing their Olympic volleyball dreams.
Phew!!??There you have it!!
Congrats to all!!
Some did it here.
Some did it far from home.
A few did it quietly.
Other with millions — and even billions — watching!!
But they all sure did it well, actually great, this summer ?
And it adds up to one spectacular community!!
Oh ? and our apologies, of course, to anyone missed.
Who dat??
We’d like to see it!! Submit your entry below in our wonderful comment section.
A lone runner competing in last weekend’s Pier to Peak Half Marathon, which comes every year on Labor Day Weekend, unofficially bringing the Santa Barbara summer sports season to a close. (Presidio Sports Photo)
