Sports Shorts Sports Shorts (July 28, 2004)

TAKING A DIVE . . . Palo Alto resident Michela Fossati-Bellani, a 14-year-old Jordan Middle School graduate, has just returned home from a very successful international competitive diving season. Fossati-Bellani, who trains with the Santa Clara Diving Club under coach Tanja Gerchoun, is a dual USA and Italian citizen and has elected to compete for Italy, where she is part of the Italian Junior National Team. In Italy, she trains with diving legend Klaus Dibiasi, a winner of five Olympic medals, including three golds, in four successive Olympic Games. Competing in the FINA B age group (14-15 yrs old), Michela won the gold medal on platform and 3-meter springboard, and the silver on 1-meter springboard in the Comen Cup, a meet of the Mediterranean nations that was held in Cairo, Egypt in June. She had the same results at the Age Group Italian National Championships, July 2 to 4, in Rome. Finally, Fossati-Bellani won the bronze medal on 3-meter and was fourth on platform in the European Youth Championships, in Aachen, Germany, July 14-18, diving against some of the strongest age-group divers in the world. Her performance in the final meet qualified her for the Youth World Championships, which will take place in Belem, Brazil at the end of October.

BABE RUTH SUPPORT . . . The Palo Alto Babe Ruth 14-year-old all-star team is headed for the Western Regionals in Murray, Utah, a trip that could cost the league upwards of $12,000. The team is planning on chartering a bus for the tourney, which begins Aug. 6. League officials are looking for support from the community to help defray costs for the trip. The all-stars will leave next Tuesday. Those wanting to support the team's efforts in the upcoming event, which could eventually land the squad in the World Series, can send checks to: 14-year-old All-Stars c/o Palo Alto Babe Ruth, P.O. Box 1363, Palo Alto, 94302.

HONOR FOR STANFORD AD . . . Stanford Athletic Director Dr. Ted Leland was honored at the CoSIDA Academic All-American Hall of Fame last week in San Diego. He received the 2004 Dick Enberg Award, given annually to "a person whose actions and commitments have furthered the meaning and reach of the Academic All-America(r) program and/or the student-athlete while promoting the values of education and academics." The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) established the Hall of Fame in 1988 to honor former college student-athletes who have excelled in their professions and made substantial contributions to their communities.

ON THE LINKS . . . The inaugural Tony Makjavich Memorial Golf Tournament will be held Sept. 11 at Moffett Field Golf Course. The event honors the former Palo Alto Oaks' baseball manager, who died last year after a memorable 45-plus years of coaching the Palo Alto-based semipro team. Proceeds from the tournament will go towards funding the Oaks, thus preserving Makjavich's legacy with the team. Cost for the tournament, which will be played as a scramble, is $150 and includes green fees, cart, prizes and a tri-top BBQ dinner. A shotgun start gets things under way at 1:30 p.m. Sponsorships also are available. For an entry forms, contact paoaks@hotmail.com or phone (650) 302-3279.

OF LOCAL NOTE . . . The Major League Soccer Camp will run its camp programs for boys and girls ages five and older at Cubberley Field between Aug. 16 and 20 from 9 a.m.-noon and 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Cost is between $100-$135. For more information visit MLScamps.com or phone 1-800-680-6272 . . . The MVLA CyberRays, a first season CYSA Girls Under-13 Class 1 soccer team, are looking for players from Menlo Park, Palo Alto and Los Altos Hills among other local cities. Coach Simon Weiss played at North Carolina. For information, call 1-650-996-0505 or e-mail soccer@albertos.com.

COACHING CORNER . . . Castilleja School is looking for coaches for the upcoming season in varsity cross country, JV water polo, JV tennis, varsity track and field in addition to an assistant coach for swimming. Interested persons should contact Athletic Director Jez McIntosh at Jez_mcIntosh@castilleja.org . . . Woodside Priory School is looking for a boys' junior varsity and girls' varsity soccer coach. Contact Athletic Director Mark Stogner 851-6107 mstogner@woodsidepriory.com . . . Menlo-Atherton High is looking for a number of coaches for the 2004-05 season: frosh-soph softball, frosh-soph volleyball, girls' JV lacrosse, girls' varsity lacrosse and cheerleading. Interested persons should contact M-A Athletic Director Pam Wimberly at 322-5311 (ext. 5706).

E-mail a friend a link to this story.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]