Don’t let “Swimmer’s Shoulder” drag you under this season INJURY AVOIDANCE : Hunter Greene, M.D.     As swim season hits full stride and swimmers start ratcheting up their training, we’re going to talk about shoulder problems. Poor stroke mechanics, training errors, overuse and muscular imbalances are some of the... Read more

   Regular readers of this column probably know our stance on the way the California Interscholastic Federation employs its Open Division within the state basketball championships.     It’s never quite won us over. We’ve always understood the logic behind it — separate the most elite programs from the Division I-V... Read more

   It’s just not fair. I go to Miramonte, and our girls won the NCS title and beat Bishop O’Dowd. But because O’Dowd lost, they got to play in Division III and won a state championship. We had to play in the Open Division and got beat in the... Read more

   Most you are likely familiar with the phrase “All the news that fits.” Well, if you’re asking us, it’s “All the camps that fit.”    That’s how we’ve approached each one of our annual Camps & Clinics Guide. This is our fifth, and just as I wrote in... Read more

By KEITH POWER for KPA ELITE Having been involved with elite level youth sports for 25 years, it is clear the expectations today for our young athletes have never been higher. Parents and kids alike feel the pressure to navigate this hyper-competitive, pressure-filled, make-it-or-break-it world of youth sport.    As... Read more

Powered by Trucks : Anthony Trucks    Like everyone else this year I made it a point to kick up my physical training.     In fact, I dug out my original training program from Oregon when I used to play football for the Ducks. In the back of my... Read more

GET MENTAL : Erika Carlson     A growing trend in youth sports, especially female youth sports, is early commitment to college. In 2014, the New York Times ran a story about Haley Berg a 14-year-old 8th grader who, just a few weeks before her first day of high school,... Read more

   Just like that we’re already at our first awards season. And, in addition to naming our Fall SportStars Athletes of the Year in both the Sac-Joaquin and Bay Area regions, we’re excited to be revealing our 2nd Annual SportStars All-NorCal Football Team. For the first time, too, we’re... Read more

   Coaches put a lot of stock in their seniors, but it’s not personal. They have good reasons.  Behind the Clipboad: Clay Kallam    All my coach does is talk about seniors. “The seniors have to step up,” “The seniors are the key to the team,” and he says things... Read more

   As it’s our final issue of 2014, we feel the need to reflect. This is truly an original idea. We’re quite certain we’re the only publication that indulges in year-end lists to commemorate all the good things of the previous 12 months. We’re not? Well, good luck finding... Read more

Our head coach left, and now the assistant from last year is taking over. I think it’s great because the assistant coach was really easy to get along with, and the head coach could be a jerk sometimes. My dad says I shouldn’t count on the old assistant being... Read more