A young athlete stretches before a workout conducted at UCLA’s Drake Stadium.
For 35 years, Cal-Hi Sports has been equated with honoring the very best California high school athletes and teams through its state rankings, all-state teams and state record book. It has never hosted its own events before, but that is about to change.
This June, in partnership with Gold Medal Excellence Sports Training of Hollywood, the first Cal-Hi Sports/Gold Medal Excellence All-Sports Speed Camp and All-State Football Combine will be presented. The first one technically will be held on Saturday, June 14 at Wayne Schneider Stadium at Tracy High School in Tracy. The second one will take place eight days later on Sunday, June 22 at Liberty High School in Bakersfield.
“We’ve been working with Chris Asher at Gold Medal Excellence since the start of the school year and we’re fired up to join him in this endeavor,” said Cal-Hi Sports publisher and editor Mark Tennis. “This was not part of the business plan when we started the web site nearly one year ago, but we think it can be successful and I don’t think we could have found a better speed coach if we tried.”
Chris Asher of Gold Medal Excellence will be headlining the speed coaching at this year’s first Cal-Hi Sports speed camps and football combines.
Asher, who competed at Hawthorne High in the early 1990s when the school was winning CIF state titles, also currently serves as the Director of Meet Operations at UCLA and has more than 15 years collegiate experience as a coach at Cal State Fullerton, Cal State L.A., UCLA and for the Team USA as the Sprint, Hurdles and Relays Coach for the 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships in Barcelona, Spain. Asher has also served on the NCAA Track and Field Coaches Board of Directors and the prestigious NCAA Track and Field Committee as West Region Representative.
At each day of the two events, the speed camp will be offered first, followed by a break, and then would come the football combine. Participants will be able to sign up for only the speed camp or only the football combine and of course they also can sign up for both.
Asher and his staff will primarily run the speed camp, providing instruction and drills and inspiration.
Participants coming to the football combine will be tested in the 40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle run, power ball throw, vertical jump and standing broad jump. Each participant at both events will be photographed for the Cal-Hi Sports archives and some will be interviewed. All results also will be posted on the web site and each testing event winner as well as several overall campers of the day also will receive certificates.
“We’re not trying to discover the next Champ Bailey like that one day way back in 1994 in Jacksonville when I was standing there as the editor of Student Sports Magazine and watched him go up to 42 inches in the vertical leap,” Tennis said. “There are already plenty of events for that. Yes, we will welcome everyone and we want to see as many top players as we can for our own coverage, future all-state selections and more.
“But the focus of the football combine is going to be more toward the younger kids, getting them used to the tests, used to the process so when they compete at the major shoe-sponsored combines later on in their careers they’ll know what to expect.”
What: Cal-Hi Sports/Gold Medal Excellence Speed Camp & All-State Football Combine
When & Where: Saturday, June 14 at Tracy High School & Sunday, June 22 at Liberty High School in Bakersfield
Times: Speed camp 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon; combine 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Note on Times: If there is excessive heat on these days, there will be a plan in place to move up the event by as much as 90 minutes.
Testing in the 20-yard shuttle has become the norm at many football combines.
Each participant to speed camp will receive: World-class coaching instruction and inspiration from Chris Asher; camp/combine t-shirt; goodie bag; and will be part of a contest for special prize worth $50.
Each participant to the football combine will receive: warm-up drills from coach Chris Asher; testing in five events; camp/combine t-shirt; goodie bag; and will be part of a contest for special prize worth $50.
For those signing up for both the speed camp and football combine: you’ll only get one t-shirt and one goodie bag, but you would be in both contests for the prizes and you’ll be given lunch during the break.
For Tracy event on June 14: Every camper/participant will be given complimentary tickets to the 41st annual Central California Lions All-Star Football Classic that will be played on the night of June 14 at Tracy’s Wayne Schneider Stadium. Thanks to the Lions All-Star Football Game Committee for agreeing to have the speed camp/combine on the same day at the same site.
•A certified athletic trainer will be on-site for both days at both sites.
•Spectators and parents are welcome to watch at no charge and there is shade at both locations.
How much will it cost?
Early Registration For Tracy Speed Camp – $35
Late Registration for Tracy HS Speed Camp – $40 (June 1-June 7)
Day of Event Registration for Tracy Speed Camp – $45
Early Registration For Tracy Football Combine – $35
Late Registration for Tracy Football Combine – $40 (June 1-June 7)
Day of Event Registration for Tracy Football Combine – $45
Early Registration For Tracy Combined All-Sports Speed Camp/All-State Football Combine – $60
Late Registration for Tracy All-Sports Speed Camp/All-State Football Combine- $65 (June 1-June 7)
Day of Event Registration for Tracy All-Sports Speed Camp/Football Combine – $70
Early Registration For Liberty Speed Camp – $40
Late Registration for Liberty Speed Camp – $45 (June 8 – June 15)
Day of Event Registration for Liberty Speed Camp – $50
Early Registration For Liberty Football Combine – $40
Late Registration for Liberty Football Combine – $45 (June 8 – June 15)
Day of Event Registration for Liberty Football Combine – $50
Early Registration For Liberty Combined All-Sports Speed Camp/
All-State Football Combine – $70
Late Registration for Liberty All-Sports Speed Camp/All-State Football Combine- $75 (June 8– June 15)
Day of Event Registration for Liberty All-Sports Speed Camp/All-State Football Combine – $80
On-Line Registration
To check out even more info and to sign up for the first-ever Cal-Hi Sports/Gold Medal Excellence All-Sports Speed Camp and All-State Football Combine, CLICK HERE for June 14 event in Tracy or CLICK HERE for June 22 event in Bakersfield.
Age/Grade Groupings
This event is not just for high school athletes. We will welcome ages as young as eight years old for the speed camp and for as young as incoming eighth graders class of 2019 for the football combine.
Age grouping for the speed camp will go 8-11, 12-14 and 15-18 so that parents and others will know which age groups their kids will be paired with.
For more information or questions, email Cal-Hi Sports editor Mark Tennis at markjtennis@gmail.com or Gold Medal Excellence director Chris Asher at chris.asher@goldmedalexcellence.com.
For more about Chris Asher, CLICK HERE. For a video about his Gold Medal Excellence training program, CLICK HERE.[/caption]
Don’t forget to follow Mark Tennis on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports
