Friday, July 29, 2011

Extreme pogo sticking invades OC Fair



The 8th annual world championships of extreme pogo, otherwise known as 'Pogopalooza,' thrilled fans at the Action Sports Arena of the OC Fair.

Daniel Mahoney, 18, dazzled fair goers with his wide array of back flips and 360 maneuvers.

"My little sister got a pogo stick for her birthday," said Mahoney. "My older brother and I hijacked it and brought it into the back yard. After learning how to jump a couple thousand times, you get bored after awhile, so the next step was to try some tricks."

Fred Grzybowski, 22, recently broke two world records, including breaking his own pogo sticking record for most consecutive backflips in a row, with 11.

"It was pretty crazy," said Grzybowski. "We had a good crowd that pumped me up. Everyone was cheering along, and I couldn't have done it without the audience."

A world champion will be crowned in the final stage of competition tomorrow night.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

UCLA's Franklin goes off on critics



Johnathan Franklin has seen the Pac-12 preseason media poll, and he is not impressed. He looks directly into the camera, and addresses his critics with his eyes full of blue and gold fury.

Also, Rick Neuheisel seemed pretty optimistic for a guy on the proverbial “hot seat.”

USC ranked No.1 in preseason Media Day poll



The inaugural Pac-12 media day kicked off in Los Angeles earlier today, and I had a chance to interview USC head coach Lane Kiffin as well as USC quarterback Matt Barkley.

Kiffin describes how he felt when he first watched the now infamous Marc Tyler video. He also tries to put the NCAA sanctions behind him.

Meanwhile, Barkley reacts to USC being chosen as the preseason favorite to win the Pac-12 South, and he also shares his take on the highly touted OC recruiting class coming to USC.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

North rallies but South wins late



The South held off a fiendish really by the North, as the defensive player of the game Trent Mason blocked a late field attempt to give the South squad a 23-22 victory. Terrell Johnson had 2 TD for the South.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Athletes and celebrities stumped on ESPY red carpet



Jonathan Khamis hits the red carpet to find out which celebrities and athletes can pass a sports quiz.. The 19th annual ESPY awards took place at the Nokia Theatre.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

North confident and ready to break South streak



The O.C. All-Star Football Game kicks off Friday night at OCC in Costa Mesa, but the fireworks are already starting.

"We'll see what they got, and they'll see what we got," said Nick Richardson . "And we will come up with a W."

Richardson is no stranger to guarantees. Don't be fooled by his smile, as he often backs up what he says, and he looked dynamic at practice today.

"I get a lot of people who say the South is going to win," said Josh Webb. "So I want to prove them wrong."

Webb, the reigning athlete of the year, is sure to drop some jaws Friday night with his death-defying spins and somersaults showcased in this epic video:

http://ocvarsity.freedomblogging.com/2010/12/11/video-webb-scores-touchdown-of-the-year/144680/

Head coach Mike Cobleigh believes that the South may have the bigger and more talented athletes, but the North has a chance.

"The South has definitely got the better of the North in recent years," said Cobleigh. "They have more schools, bigger schools, so the talent pool is a little bit different. I think our kids are generally more tough, but they'll get more athletes, and more size."

The O.C. All-Star Football Game will air on tape-delay Friday night at 11:30 p.m. on Cox channel 3.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

NFL and NBA moms settle score for autism



The mothers of athletes of the NBA and NFL partook in a game of flag football at Tustin high school to benefit autism and at risk youth programs. Current NFL players Donovan McNabb & DeSean Jackson attended.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Weaver brilliant, while offense takes out Kershaw



The Angels evened up their home half of the Freeway Series with a resounding 7-1 victory over the Dodgers.

Jared Weaver pitched a gem, picking up eight strikeouts, while only giving up four hits and one run over eight innings.

Weaver’s teammates provided plenty of run support as Vernon Wells continued to torch the ball, with a two-run home run in the 3rd inning. Bobby Abreu also picked up two RBIs, with a single in the 4th inning.

Clayton Kershaw struggled pitching against the Angels for the second time in six days, allowing six earned runs over six innings.

The Angels will try to take the season series from the Dodgers tomorrow night as Ervin Santana takes on against Chad Billingsley.