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Oakwood Sports Medicine is once again a proud sponsor of the 2009 Individual Wrestling Finals on March 12-14 at the Palace of Auburn Hills. In collaboration with Friends of Wrestling, Oakwood will provide medical services and supplies in support of the approximately 900 tournament participants. We are proud of this affiliation with Friends of Wrestling and the fine people that make that organization go. Thank you and good luck!
The long winter in Michigan will eventually give way to spring, but not until hundreds of high school wrestlers begin their trek to the state finals later today. Wrestlers may advance as a team or as an individual. District and Regional champions will be crowned in each weight class in all four divisions. The team finals are March 6-7 at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek. The individual finals are March 12-14 at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
For more information on schedules or the tournament visit www.mhsaa.com
San Juan was noticed by Cristobal Colon (Christopher Columbus) in 1493 and became a significant military outpost in the Caribbean sometime around 1500. Fort Cristobal is a testament to this perspective to defend against British and Dutch take over.
Today San Juan remains a major port city in the eastern Caribbean. Rich in history, European influence and Puerto Rican hospitality, Old San Juan is a unique and easy destination to navigate.
During our trip we spent several hours in Old San Juan checking out the shopping, food and culture away from the ball park.
The sun washed colors of these buildings is quite spectacular!
This statue of Cristobal Colon was erected in 1893 and located in the Plaza de Colon in Old San Juan.
This view from Fort Cristobal is breathtaking and one cannot appreciate the enormous undertaking in order to construct.
Outlook post at Fort Cristobal.
Young student-athletes need good role models now more than ever. Hearing straight talk is often more meaningful when it comes from someone other than a coach or parent. Parents and coaches reading this are likely to understand and agree with this point.
A good friend of Coast to Coast Baseball stopped by to talk with the players during our week. Santiago Rivera was a standout player for Arizona State at shortstop, drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 25th round and played over 200 games in the minor leagues batting .224. Santiago now works for the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau.
This was a unique opportunity for the team to meet a solid role model, talk with Santiago about baseball, life on the road and their dreams of playing at the next level. Thank you for visiting Santiago!
Santiago Rivera with Coast to Coast staff
Coast to Coast Stars & Vega Baja Team
The trip is winding down. There are sore arms hanging, a badly bruised lower leg from a foul ball, a concussion and a tender in-step (from a different foul ball). Fortunately, nothing too serious but devastating for a team during one week of competition. A busy athletic trainer is never a good thing!
Coast to Coast Stars & Puerto Rico Baseball Academy
Throughout our journey there are several people that have made a difference for us. Here a few more. Enjoy!
Balisio is the Sno-Cone Man at Ocean Park and several other ballparks in the area. Balisio drives an older model Ford pick up truck with a cab and a large block of ice and all the fixings in the back. Now, Sno-Cones are just ice and syrup, right? Well, not quite. Balisio shaves the ice by hand using a metal plane and packs it into a plastic cup and forms the ice into a cone shape. The syrup comes in all flavors including fruit punch, blueberry and pina colada!
Making Sno-Cones
Time to enjoy!
While Puerto Rican athletes may not be well known to the general public there have been hundreds that have achieved greatness in world sport competition. Today we visited the Museum of Sport in Guaynabo where these athletes are showcased in their respective sport. This was a good experience for the players to not only see the baseball greats from the 1920’s to present but also athlete biographies in boxing, tae kwon do, equestrian, softball, powerlifting, tennis, horse racing and basketball.
Museo del Deporte de Puerto Rico
Roberto Clemente
Ed Figueroa Display
Movimiento Olimpico
Athletic competition in climates different from where the bulk of preparation takes place is a hurdle that all teams and participants face. There are a few measures to help make the transition easier before and after arriving in a new climate.
Acclimatazation to a warmer climate or a higher altitude takes proper planning and action. Today I will focus on the move towards a warmer climate. Acclimation is a process in which the athlete’s body develops physiological tolerance through a training program that will generally result in improved performance. This process can take from 5-14 days. Most athletes will have achieved ~75% of their full capacity in 5 days.
The body adapts to the new environment through passive and active measures. Passive acclimation occurs during normal daily activities in the heat. This process will take longer to achieve a satisfactory level for competition. Active acclimation takes place through a purposeful conditioning/training session in the warmer climate. When the opportunity and means present themselves, the recommended method of acclimation is to arrive in the warmer region approximately two weeks prior to the start of competition or event. This allows a consistent training program taper and at the same time allows the athlete’s body to adjust.
Since most of our team hails from northern states, our introduction to the acclimation process was important. Upon arriving on the island we held a one-hour workout the first day that consisted of low level agility, stretching, sports specific agility, core strengthening and arm care/warm-up. This not only helps the acclimation process it assists with reinvigorating the body after a long day of travel.
The Puerto Rican culture is chock full of hospitality and welcome arms. We are always met with friendly smiles and sincere interest in our journey at every destination. Today after our morning game in Caguas we were treated to lunch at Sabenera’s, a family run restaurant near the ballpark. The home cooking was some of the best food on the trip! Ham chops with pineapple and sauce, pork chops, spaghetti, brown rice and braised chicken were the menu choices today.
Javier Gonzalez was born in Puerto Rico and moved to New York at a young age. He returned to PR as a teenager and worked hard to eventually start his own tour bus company and then a restaurant. Javier is a great example for the players to see what a vision and determination can produce.
Thank you Javier for all that you do!
Sabanera's
Sabenera's owner, Javier and his mother. The food was absolutely wonderful!
The learning experience of moving a team around the island is continuous and without the passion, support and love for the game of baseball, our trip wouldn’t be as well organized or productive. There are some key people that I will tell you about along the way.
Francisco “Papi” Cruz is a fixture at the Ocean Park facility. Way back in the day, Papi was a very good middle infielder who loves the game and the players. He attends every game we play, helps prepare the field and keeps score on a chalkboard hanging from the fence behind home plate. Papi is well into his eighth decade of life and always has a sparkle in his eye when the boys are on the field. He rarely offers advice yet always has a story to tell if asked. Thank you, Papi!
Francisco "Papi" Cruz
