User Posts : The Southwest Voice

Splash Dogs ae coming--

The SPLASH DOG's are coming to the Kern County Fair! Little Dogs, Medium Dogs, or Big Dogs, all are welcome to come out and take part.
There are divisions for every dog to compete in. Dogs are placed in division based on how far they jump.
Splash Dogs    0' 0" - 9'11"
Junior Dogs   10' 0" - 14' 11"
Senior Dog division    20' 0" - 22' 11"
Extreme Division   23' & over

This is a fun event for you and your dog, go to www.splashdogs.com and check it out

"I am the greatest player of them all"

A Little girl, in a softball hat in hand stands in the field with her ball and bat.
Says, "I am the greatest player of them all" puts her bat on her shoulder and she tosses up the ball.
And the ball goes up and the ball comes down swings her bat all the way around
The world so still you can hear the sound, the softball falls to the ground.
Now the little girl doesn't say a word, picks up her ball, she is undeterred.
Says, "I am the greatest there has ever been" and she grits her teeth and she tries it again.
And the ball goes up and the ball comes down swings her bat all the way around
The world so still you can hear the sound, the softball falls to the ground.
She makes no excuses, she shows no fear, she just closes her eyes and listens to the cheers.
Little girl, she adjusts her hat, picks up her ball, stares at her bat
Says, "I am the greatest, the game is on the line" and she gives her all one more time.
And the ball goes up and the moon so bright, swings her bat with all her might
The world's as still, as still can be, the softball falls and that's strike three.
Now it's suppertime and her momma calls, little girl starts home with her bat and ball.
Says, "I am the greatest, that is a fact, but even I didn't know I could pitch like that!"
Says, "I am the greatest, that is understood, but even I didn't know I could pitch that good!"

Kern County High School All-Star Scholarship

Cassaundra St. John, V.P.of Coffee Exchange Of The Americas, Inc. presents to Aly Rosales the Supreme Bean Coffee - Kern County Senior All-Star Softball Game $200 Scholarship for 2008. Every year any profits from the Senior All-star game go towards giving a scholarship to one of the players.

2008 High School All-Star Team

This years Kern County ASA Senior High School All-star High Softball Game will be held on Wednesday, June 11th @ 6:30pm at Dave Fry Field. Each High School team in Kern County was contacted and asked to nominate at least two (2) deserving players. There are over 30 High schools in Kern County this year and we were able to pick every player nominated by their high school coaches to play in this years game! Last year the players from the desert took home most of the awards. But this year for some reason, the desert coaches didn't nominate anyone deserving to play in this game? This game is a chance for all our local players to show what they can do one last time for the Bakersfield and Kern County fans. Each player and coach will recieve the All-Star T-shirt and a framed Certificate from the game.

Here are the teams as nominated by their high school coaches:
                                  PLAYERS
                        Melissa Cope, Stockdale
                        Jessica Johnson, Golden Valley
                        MacKenzie Oakes Stockdale
                        Yvette Salazar,  Golden Valley
                        Amanda Roberts, Centennial
                        Kaiyla Stoddard,  Golden Valley
                        Jessica Newton-Smith, Centennial
                        Brittany Hunt, Foothill
                        Hannah Grisham, Centennial
                        Heather Shull, Foothill
                        Vanessa Medina, Centennial
                        Lonnie Carrera, Garces
                        Joni Lagerstrom, Centennial
                        Ellen Krausse,  Garces
                        BreAnna Brown, North
                        Shelby Alsup, Garces
                        Amanda Flores, North
                        Megan Grace,  Garces
                        Danielle Scroggs, North
                        Celina Morales, Garces
                        Sami Lindsey, North
                        Danyel Fein, BHS
                        Ashley Young, Taft
                        Kelsey Nichols, Highland
                        Brittany Barlow, Taft
                        Myranda Sawyer, Highland
                        Brittney Morrison, Ridgeview
                       Courtney Hockett,  Liberty
                       Jamie Dumatrait, Ridgeview
                       Joya Cervera, Wasco
                        Kristian Moore, Wasco
                              COACHES
                       Jayna Chapman, Centennial
                       Henry Arias, Liberty
                       Corrie Gunnaway, North
                       Mike D'Amato, Garces

The Kern County ASA will honor as it's "Kern County Woman of Softball"
Barbara SantaCruz, here is a list of her accomlishments:
Played High School Softball at East High School in Bakersfield
Played ASA Travel with the BLITZ, BLAZE and RUNNERS (15 years).
Coached U14, U16 and U18 BAKERSFIELD DIRT DEVILS (6 years).
Coached/Assisted at East,South,Ridgeview and Golden Valley High Schools.
Played at CSUB from '86-90,where she was a 2 time All-American andled her team to 3 National Championships and was assistant coach from 1990-98
Selected to the NCAA 25th Anniversary Hall of Fame Team.

"Barb"is now Teacher/Interim Assistant Principal and Athletic Director in the Greenfield Union School District.

We are still looking for a sponsor to help us out this year. We need help to keep this game going year after year!

Thank you,
Joe Cox
KernCountyASAJO@aol.com
661-565-1808

KERN COUNTY ASA SENIOR ALL-STR GAME

Once again the Kern County Amateur Softball Association and the Kern River Girls Softball are planning on holding the Kern County ASA Senior All-Star Softball Game. Again, we will be needing some sponsors so that we don't have to charge the players for anything. We have to pay for the player insurance, umpires, the awards, the T-shirts, field use, lights and other expenses! We will again charge admission to help with raising some of the money needed. If we can turn a profit, the money will go to a scholarship to one of the deserving players in the game. If you can help out, or know someone who can, please do!

Tentative plans:
First, we will have one 8 inning game. Eight innings so that coaches can get all the girls playing time.
Second, the game will be played on a Wednesday evening (June 11) so that all the travel league players can take part in this years game.

Third, each High School can nominate two (2) players (If you feel you have more on your team that deserve consideration contact me). I try to follow every Kern County high school that fields a softball team in Kern County. There are over 30 High schools in Kern County this year and we can't pick every player nominated from every school! We would like to have as many High Schools taking part as possible! We would like to keep the teams at around 14-18 players each?

Fourth, the awards for this year will be as follows: A scholarship to a deserving player that hasn’t received one from any College or University, MVP of the game (usually a pitcher), Outstanding player (usually a hitter or defensive player), Coaches awards, Outstanding Kern County Woman of Softball. (If you want to nominate someone for this honor, please feel free to do so!)

If you have any ideas, please let us hear from you. This game is for our local girls to show off one last time to the Bakersfield fans and to be seen by some college couches. Last year we had 7 college coach’s in attendance. We are looking for more this year.

By the way, last years Kern County ASA Woman of Softball, Kristine Karr-Jacobson will be inducted into the Central California Amateur Softball Association (CCASA) Hall of Fame on Saturday, May 3, 2008 at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore.

Please try to find a sponsor to help us out this year. We need your help!

Thank you,

Joe Cox
Kern County ASA Junior Olympic Commisssioner
KernCountyASAJO@aol.com
661-565-1808

Amateur Softball Association 75th Birthday

ASA Celebrates 75th Anniversary
The Amateur Softball Association, the national governing body for softball in the U.S., is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2008. Founded in 1933, the ASA has become one of the nation's largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 83 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 230,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than four million.

For more information on the ASA, visit www.asasoftball.com.

About USA Softball

USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Men’s, Women’s, Junior Boys’ and Junior Girls’ National Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women’s National Team is one of the only two women’s sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won eight World Championship titles including the last six consecutive as well as claimed two World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about USA Softball, please visit www.usasoftball.com.

Central California Amateur Softball Association www.ccmsasa.org

The association was founded in 1962 and was originally called Fresno Metro covering Madera and Fresno counties. Since that time the association has grown to cover 9 counties, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare, Kern, Mono, Inyo, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo. In 1985 the association name was changed to Central California. ASA has recognized Central California as one of the top ten associations in team and umpire registrations for the past 10 years. We thank you for your support.

Central Cal ASA is bringing the United States Womens Olympic Team to the new Miracle League complex in Visalia to play an exhibition game against a local Central Cal All-star team before they head off to China. The game will be played on May 16th. Plan on attending and watch our US Olympic Team. We expect 4,000 spectators at this event.
Kern County Amateur Softball Association

The staff of the Kern County ASA is an all volunteer group, comprised of the following people: Bob McCormick, Kern County ASA Commissioner;--Joe Cox, Kern County ASA Junior Olympic Commissioner/HS All-star Game-- Isaac Salcido, Kern County UIC-- Candice Swan, District Coordinator/HS League-- Brian Teeters, Slo-Pitch Coordinator-- Linda Lamb, At Large CCASA Council Member-- Jack Shafer, At Large CCASA Council Member.

We will be putting on the Kern County Senior High School All-Star Game in June along with the High School Summer League this year. We are here to help local ASA leagues wherever and whenever possible and to advance the great sport of softball!

For more infomation: KernCountyASAJO@aol.com 661-565-1808

Dogs & Cats

Dear Dogs and Cats, in the family

The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food.
The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate of food does not stake a claim for it, becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn´t help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom.
If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years
-- canine or feline attendance is not required. The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat´s butt. I cannot stress this enough!

To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:

To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our
Pets:

1. They live here. You don´t.
2. If you don´t want their hair on your clothes, stay off the
furniture. (That´s why they call it "fur"niture.)
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, it´s an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn´t speak clearly.

Remember: In many ways, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:
1. Eat less
2. Don´t ask for money all the time
3 Are easier to train
4. Normally come when called
5. Never ask to drive the car.
6. Don´t hang out with drug-using friends
7. Don´t smoke or drink
8. Don´t have to buy the latest fashions
9. Don´t want to wear your clothes
10. Don´t need a "gazillion" dollars for college.

And finally,
11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their children.

Prince Andy, the Flying Puppy (Update)

Seven month old Prince Andy traveled to Diamond Lake, OR. this past weekend. He took part in the "Northwest Challenge" and came away with a 2nd place in his junior division before moving up to try on the senior division. In the senior division Andy finished 8th over all. Andy set another personal best record (PR), as a matter of fact he had 4 jumps longer than his old PR. His jumps were 17'2", 16'2", 16'1" & 15'9".

Most Dock Jumping people are impressed at his age and how far he is jumping. 6 month old puppies (he was born on January 12, 2007) usually start in the Splash division (under 10"), but Andy started out jumping in the 14' range in his first competition! Hopefully he will stay interested in jumping so we can see just how far he can go! Like I have said, he is crazy about jumping.

Away from the dock he is mild mannered and obedient, and well behaved like most Lab's. But let him see the Dock and then let him on it and he will do anything he can to get to jump. He loves the attention he gets, the applause when he is up there. He hears the crowd and wants to do good, He will even jump without throwing his Wubba. All they have to do is let him go! They did that on one jump and he still jumped over 13'.

One hears people say their pet's know when they are competing. Well, it is true, Andy knows what he is doing and that his humans want him to do good and he responds in kind. He is rewarded for his efforts with lot's of love and affection and lots of "goodies."

His workout consists of once a week jumping (playing) at the Lake. The rest of his work outs are throwing a ball in the back yard and letting him chase it. Kind of boring training routine for his humans? Most of the regular dock jumpers have a 2 hour per day work out of an athlete. With Andy's age they do not let him work very hard. When he gets to be 18 months old he will then start a regular work out routine. By then he may have a training partner?

He is being jumped in these meets to get him ready for the Splash Dogs World Championships at Cynosports in Scottsdale, AZ onNovember 1 - 4, 2007. Andy has his in the "Junior Title" and will compete in that dicision at the Worlds.

Next up for Andy is the "Bark in the Park" in Lancaster, CA.

http://www.princeandyflores.com/

Prince Andy, the Flying Puppy, wows Reno

Reno- The Super Retriever Series, Splash Dogs Super Fly, competition took place at the Sports Warehouse in Reno, NV. this past weekend. There were two divisions of competition, the Amateur division for dogs jumping 18 feet and under and the Professional division for dogs jumping over 18 feet. Andy was entered in the amateur division. Ducks Unlimited was one of the major sponsors of the event. In addition to the Super Retriever & Super Fly events there were the duck calling events going on at the same time as the jumping competition. Making it very noisey for the dogs jumping.

The event finals were being filmed by the Outdoors TV Channel to be shown later as part of their upcoming TV Show about sporting dogs. Only those dogs that finished in the top 12 were allowed to jump in the finals.

Andy showed his stuff on Saturday, setting a personal best with a jump of 15'6" and followed that up with a jump of 15'3" to qualify 3rd in his division moving on to the finals on Sunday and getting the chance to be on National TV?

On the Sunday Finals it was Andy's 7 month birthday and with the newly formed "Prince Andy Fan Club" singing "Happy Birthday" to him as he sprinted down the dock and with the cameras running Andy was distracted by all the interest and his first jump was "only" 13'1", but he calmed down enough to make his final jump of 15'1" to finish 5th over-all in the Amateur Division. Andy was also clocked by the radar gun at 30mph running down the dock, second fastest of all the dogs in his division.

Andy's next event will be at the "End of Summer Bone-a-Fit: in Auburn, Ca on September 14-16th, then it's on to Oregon where Andy has been asked to show his stuff for the people in the great northwest.

When watching a SplashDog's Super Fly or DockDog’s Big Air event, people always ask how they measure the distance of the dog’s jump? This is by far the most asked question by everyone watching for the first time and I will try to answer the question:

The measurement standards among various dog-jumping events were set when DockDogs, and ESPN hosted the first Big Air Dogs event during the Great Outdoor Games a few years ago. Most other jumping events, Purina for one, still measure a dog’s jump distance from the edge of the dock to where the dog’s front feet enter the water. All SplashDogs and DockDogs sanctioned events including Super Fly and Big Air events like all the Super Retriever Series measure the official jump distance as being where the hind-end of the dog breaks the plane of the water’s surface, minus the tail. Because of a dog’s physical length this can mean a difference of 4 or 5 feet between a front measured jump (Purina's) and a rear measured jump (SplashDogs/DockDogs). A front measured jump of 20 feet, one can do the math and find the jump is actually a 15-16 foot jump using the SplashDog/DockDog standard.

The objective of the sport and of SplashDog's/DockDog's is to make this a performance competition like track and field’s Long Jump. By measuring from the edge of the dock they create a single standard from which to measure, and by measuring to the rear of the dog, minus the tail, can they measure the true distance the dog jumped without non-jump factors like how big the dog is. To make the point, think of a Irish wolfhound jumping against a 45 lb lab! Say that from the rear of the dogs both jumped the same distance, but if we used a front measured standard the wolfhound would always win simply because of its size! SplashDogs and DockDogs objective is to make this a performance sport that demands that they measure from the edge of the dock to the rear most part of the dog (not including the tail) to take away all unfair advantages not associated to the jump distance itself.

Prince Andy the Flying Puppy flys again

Vallejo--The Sonoma County Fair Splash Dog Challenge was a success for local flying puppy "Prince Andy". On Friday Andy qualified for the "Open" Division by finishing 2nd in the Junior class with a jump of 14' 7". On Saturday, 6 month old, Andy jumped 15' 3" to qualify for the "Open" Division Finals on Sunday against the best adult dogs in Northern California. Only the top 20 dogs qualify for the "Open Finals".

The event director and splash dog founder, Tony Reed, commited to the people watching that he "had never seen such a young puppy that loved jumping and had no fear of the water like Andy". Altho Andy is not jumping as far as the adult dogs in the "Open" class "YET" he loves the challenge. When he see's the dock, the other dogs and the people cheering, he wants to show off, he wants to jump! He knows when it's show time.

On Sunday Andy seemed to know he was on center stage and he was sky high for the event, we couldn't get him to calm down, but he still finished in 10 place over all with a jump of 14' 4" against some of the biggest jumpers in Northern California and Naveda.

Next up is the Super Retriever Series in Reno, NV August 8 - 12, 2007.

Prince Andy on his "open" jump of 14' 7" to finish 10th over all.
Picture #1 catch the "wubba"

Picture #2 Closing in on the "Wubba"

Picture #3 catching up to the "Wabba"

Picture #4 The "wubba" is mine!

Andy the flying puppy

PRINCE ANDY'S FIRST JUMPS A HUGE SUCCESS
2007 Wags for Wishes Splash Dog Show, July 6-7-8, San Diego, CA Andy the Flying Puppy By Joe Cox 565-1808 I have found a new sport to enjoy. It is called Dock Jumping and features ordinary dogs doing spectacular jumps into water. Thousands of dogs across the country participate in big-air dock jumping. The concept of dock jumping is simple: Dogs jump as far as they can into a body of water. Specifically, the dogs sprint down a 40-foot dock which stands two feet above the water's edge. Their handlers toss a toy into the air for incentive. Then they leap out over the water in hopes of reaching the toy — and a record distance. Officials then use a specialized camera to create a digital image and measurement of the jump, calculating the distance from the end of the dock to the closest point where dog hits water, minus the tail. Average distances in competition range from 6 to 18 feet, while dogs jumping over 20 feet are considered to be at a professional level. There are no age groups in the sport, dogs are placed based on how far they jump. My grandaughter and her husband have a 6 month old Lab that they are training for this. Last weekend, June 6-7-8, they entered Prince Andy in the "Wags of Wishes" competition in San Diego where he was outstanding. On Friday, Andy jumped 12' 6" on his first competitive jump, bypassing the "Splash Class". Andy was one of only two puppies entered in the event. Dogs compete not by age but by how far they jump. On Saturday, jumping in the senior class, he jumped an eyepopping 15' 4". On the final on Sunday, Andy was placed in the Junior Class where he won his "Wave" and the Blue Ribbon with a jump of 14' 11". Andy also qualified for the Splash Dogs World Championships in Scottsdale, AZ on November 1 - 4. Next weekend we will be going to Vallejo for the Sonoma County Fair Dock Jumping Challenge. Andy's first weekend of "Dock Jumping" was a great success and so much fun!! He was entered in 3 waves, one on Friday, Saturday, Sunday.. Wave #1: Friday 12' 10" Andy bypassed the "Splash Class" Wave #2: Saturday 15' 4", Wow, so much improvement in such a short time! This got him 2 ribbons! Wave #3: Sunday Final 14'-11", A great jump for just a six month old puppy to win the "Junior Class". Prince Andy and the winning jump of 14' 11" at the “WAGS FOR WISHES” competition in San Diego. Prince Andy lanches a jump of 15' 4" at the “WAGS FOR WISHES” competition in San Diego.

Bakersfield's championship teams

Worked the CCASA "B" Metro Championships this past weekend in Santa Maria and the teams from Bakersfield did very well, thank you. The 12u BASA Blast won the tournament, beating teams from all over central California and qualifying for the ASA Western Nationals in Las Cruces, NM on August 1 - 5. The BASA Blast 10U also qualified for the ASA Western National tournament by finishing in the top of it's tournament in Paso Robles. This is a big deal for Metro Bakersfield to have these fine teams representing us at National Tournaments.

This weekend the Greenfield All-Star teams will be attending the CCASA "C" Metro Championships in Santa Maria, we wish them luck in their quest.

The ASA "A" Division is the highest level of National play available to our youth, no other youth program is played at a higher level. Next comes the ASA "B" level, it consists of teams at the next level of National play. The third level of play is ASA "C" for recreation league teams that are not at the level of the above teams. Most all of the other organizations play at about this level.

If you have never watched the "A" teams play you are missing some great softball. I hope to hold a tournament here in Bakersfield next year if I can find a complex to play on? Come out and be amazed!

2007 Kern County Senior All-Star Softball Players

OK (Drum roll please........) here are the final rosters for The 2007 Kern County Senior All-Star Game on June 15th at Dave Fry Field @ 6:00pm! Congratulations to all these outstanding young ladies and the coaches.

West Team

1 Bianca Castillo, North HS

2 Roxie Leiva, West HS

3 Ashley Cordova, West HS

4 Celins Cruz, West HS

5 Lauren Smoot, Bakersfield HS

6 Bianca Moreno, Bakersfield HS

7 Katie Stephenson, Wasco HS

8 Christina Stephenson, Taft HS

9 Shilo Mayfield, Taft HS

10 Veronica Sanchez, Shafter HS

11 Courtney Evans, Boron HS

12 Alana Smith, Boron HS

13 Kristin Garcia, Boron HS

14 Gee Doshanh, Garces HS

15 Ashley Haskell, Golden Valley HS

16 Aly Rosales, Golden Valley HS

Coach Shannon N

Setting the All-Star Team

The coaches have spoken, the players' names are in. The deadline has passed! Now it is time to set the teams. Looks like we will have the full 36 players, 18 per team. This is the max we can have so all the players will have playing time! Still looking for sponsors! Talked to two league winning coaches today and both accepted the offer to coach the All-Stars. Thanks guys for stepping up. Remember to set aside Friday, June 15, at 5:45 p.m. for this event. Donations are only $5 adult and children under 12 are free. Hope to see you there!

Coming together

OK, starting to receive names of the players for the All-star game. Have a couple of dignitaries RSVP me about attending the All-star game. Guess now I will have to set aside some parking spaces for them along with some seating. It's shaping up to be a very good event. Had a couple of people step up and offer to help sponsor the game. Thank you for your help. Your names will be posted at the field before the game for all to see. Hopefully, next year I will have more people involved and will get more input from the high schools as to what is needed for this game?