SportStars, CalHiSports.com join forces

SSM to begin exciting partnership with CalHiSports.com, beginning with its Football Preview on Aug. 22

  California’s most authentic source for state high school rankings in five sports, state records in all sports and all-state teams will be teaming up with SportStars heading into the 2013-14 school year.

  In an agreement announced this week by CalHiSports.com Editor-Publisher Mark Tennis and SportStars Magazine President and Publisher Mike Calamusa, CalHiSports.com will become the “Official Statewide Rankings Provider” to SportStars Magazines, including all-state teams and state records. SportStars Magazine, in turn, will become the “Official Prep Sports Magazine Partner” of the CalHiSports.com website.

  Both media entities will share space and links on each other’s web sites and will look for other opportunities in which to help both businesses grow. CalHiSports.com also will provide content for a two-page spread each month in the magazine.

   “We’re going to need to get some new people coming to our website starting with the football season and partnering with SportStars makes a lot of sense to us,” said Tennis, who launched a new version of CalHiSports.com last May. “We have been extremely impressed with the look and content of the magazine, led by editor Chace Bryson, and we think we can help them in achieving their statewide expansion initiative. Reaching into the 400-plus high schools that SportStars Magazine reaches will ensure that a solid audience of coaches and athletes will be seeing more of our CalHiSports.com content.”

  SportStars Magazine was launched in 2010 with an edition focused on the San Francisco East Bay and the CIF North Coast Section. A year later, SportStars expanded to cover the CIF Central Coast Section and the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section. Digital editions will be featured on the CalHiSports.com website.

  “We have built a solid NorCal foundation over the last several seasons and we have had our sights set on statewide for some time. Entering into a partnership with Cal-Hi Sports, the kings of CIF sports/team rankings is a no-brainer,” said Calamusa. “Mark Tennis’ reputation as a trusted source providing solid research and rankings information makes Cal-Hi just the type of partner we seek. Plus he’s one of those really nice guys you just like to be around. The partnership provides the editorial foundation for an easy entry into our more southern markets.”

  The publication is produced 20 times per year in print, digital and mobile editions from its headquarters in Concord (not far from Clayton Valley Charter High School). Calamusa and Bryson are aided by staff writers Erik Stordahl and Jim McCue, CFO Sharon Calamusa, production manager Mike DeCicco, staffers and several free-lance contributors, including Clay Kallam (one of the nation’s top analysts for girls basketball) and Mitch Stephens (the outstanding lead prep writer for MaxPreps). Since the early 1980s, Calamusa successfully grew his automotive publications (DRIVE!, Sport&Classic Truck and Street Racer) into nationwide leaders expanding region-by-region. That same model will be assisted this time around with a more robust digital presence.

  Cal-Hi Sports was started in 1979 by Mark Tennis and his uncle, the late Nelson Tennis, as a weekly newspaper, newsletter and media service, providing state rankings in many sports (currently football, boys basketball, girls basketball, baseball, softball) with an additional emphasis on all-time state records and all-state teams. Cal-Hi Sports has been part of several larger media groups over the years, including Student Sports, Fox Sports, Scout.com, Rivals.com and ESPN. Many of those media companies helped Tennis and his staff publish seven state record books, the last one in 2009.

  “It’s hard to believe but it’s been almost 10 years since I was editing the Student Sports Magazines based down in Torrance,” Tennis said. “I’m still working with my long-time colleagues at Student Sports on other exciting projects, but it’s not a magazine. It’s going to be fun to part of a magazine again.”