Sports News | Sports-n-Rec: Sports News From Jacksonville Beaches Area
April 9th, 2010 | 
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A Beaches baseball team playing in the World Series this weekend, a tennis standout capping off an outstanding summer, a familiar pro golfer opening his own clinic and Beaches-area swimmers winning an ocean marathon are just a few of the highlights in Beaches sports and recreation this week.
Here are this week’s top performers and events:
- In the Series: The Jacksonville Beach 10-and-Under All-Stars are in Ocala this weekend for the 2010 Cal Ripken 10 Year Old World Series, which began Friday and continues through Friday. Jacksonville Beach won the Southeast Regional championship July 30 to Aug. 3 in South Carolina for the third year in a row. This will mark the first year the team will advance to the World Series.
“These young baseball players are a special group of dedicated, hard-working individuals,” said coach Palmer Knight. “We are extremely pleased with their focus while always maintaining a true love of the sport. Our championship successes, this year and during the past two years, are shared with the players’ families, as they commit just as much time and energy in making a winning season possible, and we are all looking forward to our first World Series Tournament.”
In the Southeast regional, Jacksonville Beach out-scored its opponents 74-27 over six games. The team had a record of 5-1 in the double elimination tournament, with its only loss coming to the Alabama state champs, whom Jacksonville Beach later beat 12-0 in the championship game.
The Jacksonville Beach All-Stars, also coached by John Callihan, Wally Hall and Kevin Rupinta, are Tyler Callihan, David DeAngelis, Kyle Durkin, Easton Flowers, John Paul Galen, Clayton Guthrie, Lucas Gutierrez, Cooper Hall, Austin Knight, Brycen Padgett, Alex Parcell and Dalton Rupinta.
- Tennis star: Ponte Vedra Beach’s Tom Blackwell put the finishing touches on a successful summer of tennis last week. Blackwell, a recent Ponte Vedra High School grad who will be leaving next week to play tennis at the University of Nebraska, had a strong showing at the U.S. Tennis Association Boys National Championship in Kalamazoo, Mich., Aug. 5-7.
At the tournament, which is the country’s biggest of the year for junior players, Blackwell defeated Zach Bruchmiller of San Antonio 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 in the first round and Alexander Golovin of Round Lake, Ill., 7-6, 6-2 in the second round before falling to Atlanta’s Jordan Cox, the country’s top-ranked player, in three sets.
“I was holding pretty comfortably, but I was letting [Blackwell] hold every game in the first set,” Cox said. “[In the second set] I made him play some more balls and attacked a little bit more with the forehand. He ran down a lot of balls; he grinded out there; he’s a good player.”
Blackwell, 18, is ranked 45th in the country.
“It was great playing someone of his caliber,” Blackwell said. “It was exciting winning the first set and I got off to a good start in the second, but then he turned it on. I put a scare into him.”
Blackwell was also part of Team Florida that won the Boys’ 18 division at the USTA Boys National Team Championships July 31 to Aug. 3 in Urbana, Ill. The team pulled off the biggest upset at the tournament, beating New England 5-2 in the first round, the East 5-2 in the second round, and Southern California 4-3 in the semifinals. SoCal had won the event eight of the past nine years. In the finals, Team Florida shocked the No. 3-seeded USTA Midwest Section 4-3 for the championship. Team Florida was coached by Florida State University coach Nick Crowell.
- Golf champ: Anthony Scolapio of Ponte Vedra Beach won first-place honors at the Jacksonville Area Golf Association’s Junior City Championship at Eagle Landing Golf Club Aug. 9-10. Scolapio, a 15-year-old sophomore at Ponte Vedra High, fired a 73-72 in the two-round tournament to win the Boys 13-15 division by three strokes over Osborn Theam of Jacksonville and Kiernan Murphy of St. Johns.
- Swim results: The HammerHead Triathlon Club held its fifth annual Ocean Marathon Aug. 7 at the Jacksonville Beach lifeguard station. In the 1.25-mile race, Wil Friedman, 17, was the top finisher in 31:15, while Kristen Ghandour, 17, was the top female finisher in 37:57. In the 2.5-mile race, Neptune Beach’s Blake Ehlers, 16, was the overall winner in 1:04:53, while Anastasia Bistrow, 16, was the top female finisher in 1:17:33. Ghandour, who recently graduated, and Ehlers have been members of the Fletcher High swim team, while Friedman and Bistrow swim for Providence.
- Established: Former PGA Tour player and Jacksonville native Mark McCumber announced the formation of the McCumber Golf Academy on Thursday. The academy will be at the University of North Florida’s Golfplex.
“I am happy to share something that I learned over 35 years of professional golf – that one thing great players have in common: a repeatable pre-shot routine,” McCumber said in a news release. “The McCumber Golf Academy will help players of all skill levels develop their own unique routine by helping them set up properly for every shot. Champions are made with this key fundamental of golf.”
John Berardi, a PGA teaching professional with about 12 years of experience, will serve as the academy director and director of instruction. Berardi’s specialty is developing junior golfers, and he has helped many of them to achieve their goal of playing at the collegiate level.
- Football fundraiser: The Ponte Vedra High football program will hold its 2010 Gridiron Gala at Palm Valley Gardens at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. The adults-only event will feature a live band, $2 drinks and a Mexican fiesta catered by Whole Foods. Tickets are $35 per person. For more information, go to www.pontevedra football.com.
- Softball news: The Softball Academy at the High Intensity Training Center in Jacksonville will conduct a fastpitch hitting clinic from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday. The clinic, open to ages 13 and up, will teach the fundamentals of slapping, power hitting, speed and strength training. Space is limited to 10 players. To sign up, contact Andy Manning at 304-4897 andy.manning52@gmail.com .
Game On Softball will host a program called Reps, Reps, Reps at Jax Yard, an indoor facility off of Beach Boulevard, and Days in the Clay at Mandarin High School.
Reps, Reps, Reps will be from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, and Mondays, Aug. 23 and 30, for a registration cost of $15 per session. Each session features 11/2 hours of hitting, including front toss stations, side toss drills and challenging tee stations. Some instruction will be given, primarily at the request of the hitter. Sessions are limited to 40 participants, and pre-registration is required.
Days in the Clay is designed to allow players to work on a specific defensive position. The Game On Softball staff will work with each player to fine-tune defensive skills by running players through a variety of drills and providing instruction. The final two sessions will be on Saturday, Aug. 28, from 9 to 11 a.m. (outfield, ages 14-18) and 11 a.m. to noon (infield, ages 11-12). Registration is $25 for the outfield session and $15 for the infield session. Sessions are limited to 20 spots and pre-registration is required.
To register for either event, e-mail Sonya Wilmoth at swilmoth40@aol.com . The Game On Softball staff is an all-female group who have played or coached at the college level. For more information, go to www.gameonsoftball.com .
Registration also has begun for Ponte Vedra Girls Softball’s fall season. Registration can be completed online at www.ponte vedragirlssoftball.com. Cost is $100 for the 6-and-Under division and $125 for all older divisions. Evaluations will be Saturday, Aug. 28, with the season running from Sept. 4 to Nov. 18.
- Baseball news: The CBC Storm Riverhawks, a competitive youth baseball organization out of St. Johns County that competes in tournaments and league games throughout the Southeast, will hold tryouts Saturday, Aug. 21, at River Town. Tryouts will be for the 15-and-Under, 16U, 17U and 18U fall baseball seasons. For more information, contact Keith Daniel at 669-3346.
The Jacksonville Beach Baseball Association will hold onsite registration for the upcoming fall baseball season from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and Saturday, Aug. 21, and from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday at Wingate Park. The league is open to those aged 4-12 as of May 1, 2011. Registration costs $115 per child and includes a full uniform. Online registration is available at www.jax beachbaseball.com. Tryouts will be held Sunday, Aug. 22. The Babe Ruth League (ages 13-15) will have sign-ups Saturday, Aug. 21, at Wingate Tower. For more information, contact Tim Boyd at 568-7016.
Registration also has started for the Ponte Vedra Athletic Association’s fall baseball season. The fall season will run from Saturday, Sept. 18, through Saturday, Nov. 20, with practices beginning in early September. Registration, which is $95 for tee-ball and $105 for all other divisions, will run through Friday, Aug. 27. After then, registration increases to $140. To register, go to www.pvaabaseball.com . Prospective coaches and volunteers are required to complete a form authorizing the county to complete a background check prior to taking the field.
- At the Y: Registration for fall sports will begin this week at the Winston Family YMCA in Ponte Vedra Beach.
Registration for indoor soccer, open to boys and girls ages 4-8, will be from Monday through Friday, Aug. 27, with the season running from Saturday, Sept. 11, to Saturday, Oct. 16. Registration for girls volleyball, open to ages 7-16, will be Sept. 6-16, with the season running from Sept. 28 to Oct. 20. Registration for flag football, open to boys and girls ages 4-13, will be Sept. 6-16, with a Sept. 30 through Dec. 4 season. Registration for cheerleading, open to girls ages 4-7 (JV) and 8-11 (varsity), will be Sept. 6-16, with the season running Oct. 22 through Dec. 4. Registration for indoor tennis, open to boys and girls ages 5-7, will be Sept. 6-16, with the season running from Oct. 21 through Dec. 2.
Prices for fall sports are $65 for members or $120 for program participants. Registration is available online at www.firstcoastymca.org . For more information, call Tara Weaver at 543-9622.
- Coming up: The 46th running of the Summer Beach Run will be at 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, at the SeaWalk Pavilion. A 1-mile fun run will also be at 6:05 p.m., with medals given to all children who complete the event. The 5-mile run will be followed by a post-race party featuring live music and food from Carrabba’s. The Summer Beach Run will be the second race of the Jacksonville Grand Prix. For registration and more information, go to www.1stplacesports.com .
The Beaches 2010 Labor Day 5K Run with FRIENDS will be Monday, Sept. 6, at Selva Marina Country Club in Atlantic Beach. The run, which will benefit those affected by cancer on the First Coast, begins at 8:30 a.m. A 1-mile fun run will be at 9:30 a.m. Race entry includes a racer’s breakfast and a post-race award ceremony at Selva Marina that will include family entertainment. For event information and registration, go to www.1stplacesports.com/laborday.html .
Brian Kosoy is Shorelines’ sports correspondent. Please contact him with Beaches sports and recreation tips at bck716@hotmail.com.
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