By Cary Osborne
Signal Assistant Managing Editor
cosborne@the-signal.com
661-259-1234-529
Posted: July 11, 2009 8:27 p.m.
POSTED July 12, 2009 4:55 a.m.
Hart High graduate Joe Kapp was on the cover 29 years ago this month.
In recent years there were mentions of Hart graduate James Shields, Canyon graduate Nate Longshore and Valencia graduate Jessica Spigner.
But nothing ever like this.
Add to it, no other city in the United States can boast the same distinction.
Canyon Country residents Christian Lopes and Courtney Proctor are featured in the July 13-20 issue of Sports Illustrated - pictures and write-ups and all.
Lopes and Proctor are two of just 14 teenagers in the country to be profiled in the "Where will they be?" section, focusing on future stars.
"It's the first time I've ever been in a magazine," said Proctor, 15. "It's an honor to represent the country, my club team, the city."
Lopes, 16, said his father, Jack, ran out Wednesday night and purchased six copies of the magazine.
"I don't think it has hit me yet," Lopes said. "My close ones are all excited. Maybe one day it will be like ‘Wow' for me."
Jack said he has no idea how his son was selected for the issue.
He had a message on his answering machine saying: "This is Sports Illustrated. Can you call us back?"
Proctor's mother, Sue, managed to scrounge up 10 magazines on a late-night run Wednesday.
Sue said she didn't know how SI heard of her daughter but suspected USA Soccer recommended her.
Both athletes represent the United States in their respective sports - Lopes in baseball and Proctor in soccer.
Lopes, who will be a junior at Valencia in August, was on the U16 USA Baseball team in 2008 that won a gold medal in the Pan Am
Championship in Mexico. He was selected to try out for the U18 team this summer.
Proctor, who is home-schooled and will also be a junior, represents the U17 National soccer team.
Both have resumes that justify their spots in the nation's premiere sports magazine.
As a 10-year-old, Lopes cried when he was taken to play at William S. Hart baseball complex because he was scared to play.
Three years later, he was named the U13 Player of the Year in 2006 by National Youth Baseball.
He set a Santa Clarita Valley record in 2009 for most home runs in a season by a high school baseball player.
He hit 15 homers and it was only his sophomore year.
"I see a 16-year-old with a lot of potential," he says of himself. "I see a player who potentially could do great things. Usually I'm not a power hitter, but this year has been great."
Proctor started playing soccer for AYSO as a 6-year-old, then was invited to play for club team Santa Clarita United's U12 squad as a 9-year-old.
She then played for an Olympic Developmental team.
Last November, she was invited to play for the U17 National Team.
In January, Proctor scored her first goal in international competition in a game against Germany. In two games for the national team, she has scored twice.
She is training for the 2010 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago.
Proctor's father, Pete, said his daughter's best attributes are her speed and the force of her kicks. He said there's a different sound when her foot meets the ball than that of other girls her age.
Likewise, it's the violence from Lopes' bat that makes him stand out.
Santa Clarita Valley high school baseball coaches have overwhelmingly sung his praises, some even saying he is a future first-round Major League Baseball draft pick.
With all the attention these two are bound to receive comes a lot of pressure.
Lopes said it's not a big deal.
"I don't want to think about pressure," he said. "The expectations will get bigger as you get older. You can't look at that. It will set you back."
Proctor said the pressure drives her.
"I don't mind. I love to be pushed," she said. "It makes me work harder."
Lopes and Proctor had never heard of each other until this week.
They met for the first time Thursday afternoon.
Now the country's getting to meet them - two of the Santa Clarita Valley's own - courtesy of Sports Illustrated. ______________________________________________ Skills beyond her years Local soccer player chosen to begin training with U.S. National U-17 team
 Courtney Proctor currently plays forward for the Santa Clarita United Blazers. She has been selected to the U.S. National U-17 team and could play against Germany Feb. 4-5. The 15-year-old leaves Jan. 28 to begin training. If all goes well, she could end up playing in the 2011 World Cup.
By Kevin Damore
Signal Staff Writer
kdamore@the-signal.com
Posted: Jan. 25, 2009 8:30 p.m.
Updated: Jan. 26, 2009 4:55 a.m.
Courtney Proctor may only be 15 years old, but she already looks to be headed for success on the national level. The Santa Clarita United Blazers forward is going to Florida on Wednesday to train for a week with the U.S. Women's National U-17 soccer team before taking on the German National Team for a pair of games on Feb. 4-5. "She deserves every credit she gets," says United Blazers head coach Clint Greenwood. "She is the epitome of what it takes to be a great athlete. I'm her coach, but even I look up to her." Proctor's determination and dedication may lead to an opportunity to play in the 2011 FIFA World Cup in Germany. Even though she will only be 17 at the time, the youth movement within women's soccer makes Proctor a top candidate to make the squad if she continues to improve. "It's a great honor to play on the U.S. National Team," Proctor said. "I've put in a lot of work to get to this point, and it's so great to have this opportunity." It's an opportunity that is well deserved for the 5-foot-8-inch striker. "She's a fantastic kid," said United Blazers webmaster Deena Uythoven. "We're all awfully proud of her, not just for making the team, but because she's a great teammate and someone everyone on the team can look up to." Proctor's teammates aren't the only people who admire her. She's also an inspiration for the younger members of the United program. "I love going out and training with the little ones," Proctor said. "It brings a smile to my face to have the ability to help them learn what I know." Proctor trains with several United teams because she is home-schooled and doesn't have a high school team to play on. Along with Greenwood, she helps girls as young as 7 years old practice the drills that have helped her reach lofty status between the goals. "Courtney has a very good head on her shoulders," said Proctor's mother Sue Proctor. "She's humble, and she really enjoys working with the kids. It's exciting to think of what the girls she works with can accomplish someday." It's also exciting to think about what Proctor will accomplish someday soon. She already has her fair share of accolades, including Most Valuable Player honors at the 2007 Super Y National Championships in Tampa, Fla., where Proctor gained the attention of the national team coaches. From there it was a rapid rise for Proctor as she went from being a replacement selection on the U-15 team, to a member of the U-17 team in less than a year. "Courtney works so hard for everything she has accomplished," Greenwood said. "She's very dedicated. There's nothing she can't do. The sky is the limit for her." Proctor's work with Greenwood has been a key to her steady improvement. Greenwood has trained world-class athletes, such as U.S. national team-member and Los Angeles Galaxy forward (currently on loan to Bayern Munich in Germany) Landon Donovan, and his years of experience at the highest level have helped Proctor elevate her game beyond her years. "Training with coach Greenwood has helped me grow and really increased my passion for the game," Proctor said. "It's so much fun working with him." Proctor is already receiving letters from some of the nation's strongest soccer programs, including perennial title contender, the University of Texas, but she hopes to move on to the Pac-10 when her time with the Santa Clarita United is over. Wherever she lands, odds are Proctor will continue to enjoy the game she is passionate about. "She loves the game so much," Sue Proctor says. "If she could practice seven days a week she would. Well, actually she has. Wherever there's a practice, she'll be there." There figures to be many more practices in Proctor's future. "She is dedicated to the sport more than any person I've ever met," Greenwood said. "The sky is the limit for her. She has the potential to be the best ever." ************************************************************************************************* Proctor takes first global steps Scores goal in U-17 game against Germany for U.S. National Team  By Kevin Damore
Signal Staff Writer
kdamore@the-signal.com
Posted: Feb. 9, 2009 12:05 a.m.
Updated: Feb. 9, 2009 4:55 a.m.
Fifteen year-old Santa Clarita United Blazers striker Courtney Proctor continued playing beyond her years last week, scoring a goal for the United States U-17 team versus Germany during an exhibition in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. "This is only the beginning for her," said United Blazers head coach Clint Greenwood. "The evaluations from her coaches were very positive." Proctor's goal was the lone score for her team in a pair of games versus the Germans. She was able to put the ball in the back of the net despite the fact that she was playing a level above her age and on a national stage. "She loved the whole experience," Greenwood said. "It's good for her to be able to get away, and she really showed that she has a lot of potential." Proctor also made some new friends from both teams. "The girls got to do more than just play soccer," said Proctor's mother Sue Proctor. "Both teams went to P.F. Changs together, and she has a lot of pictures and even a couple of phone numbers from the German girls, which I hope she doesn't use." Proctor plans stay busy on the field by attending the four-day Adidas Elite Soccer Program at Cal Poly Pamona, starting on Feb. 19. The top 100 youth players are invited to the event, and U.S. U-20 coach Tony DiCicco is expected to attend. The United Blazers are also slated for a busy March with showcases in Las Vegas and La Jolla. "To have a someone playing at the level Courtney is at is great for soccer in the area," Greenwood said. "We've never had a player from this town on the national team so it would be exciting to see that happen. It's good to see soccer is alive and thriving here." ************************************************************************************************** By Amanda Branam
Signal Staff Writer
abranam@the-signal.com
Posted: Jan. 22, 2008 2:02 a.m.
Updated: March 24, 2008 2:02 a.m.
Program Fixer-Upper
By Amanda Branam
Signal Staff Writer It wasn't too long ago that the Santa Clarita United Blazers were struggling.
So much in fact, that the Blazers, a Gold team, were relegated down to the Silver division.
That was two years ago.
Now, the girls Under-15 team has earned a title few else can claim: national champions.
Under coach Clint Greenwood, the Blazers won the Super Y League North American championship in November, a tournament of the nation's top teams that took place in Tampa Bay, Fla.
"Once we got back east, they were playing well at the time. They kept riding the wave basically," Greenwood said. "It was good for them. They deserved it. They worked hard with me."
Greenwood, who is also the director of Santa Clarita United, was able to turn the team around in about a year. After being relegated to the Silver division two seasons ago in the Coast Soccer League, the Blazers were elevated back to Gold for this past club season. They lost one game the entire year.
He certainly has the experience to pull off the quick change.
The 39-year-old Newhall resident played soccer professionally in England, Canada, Wales, and the United States. He was named the CYSA-South Coach of the Year in 1998.
Greenwood has coached current men's national team member Landon Donovan and Jill Oakes, a former UCLA All-American who has also seen time with the women's national team.
He took over the Blazers after the team went through a couple of coaching changes in a short amount of time.
"We started off with an OK coach," said Courtney Proctor, who has been with the Blazers for four years. "We got a new one and he wasn't too good. Then we got Clint and it was a total turnaround."
Getting invited to the Super Y tournament and winning it all is indication enough that the Blazers were a good team.
But the way the team won the tournament is even more impressive.
In five games, against some of the top competition in the country, the Blazers out-scored their opponents 15-0. Three of those games, including the semifinal against Miami's Kendall Soccer Club, the Blazers won 4-0.
"I kind of thought they would do pretty well," Greenwood said. "At the time we went there was probably our best time. It's good for the city and the area to have a team like that."
In the finals, the Blazers edged the New Jersey Junior Stallions 1-0, completing goalkeeper Tina Hedwall's run of five straight shutouts in the tournament. Proctor scored the lone goal of the game in the first half. The assist was off a cross by Kristin Bos, who is currently playing for Valencia.
"I got a great ball from Kristin Bos and I was just there to finish it," said Proctor, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
"It was a really great experience for us. We all had a great time. We were all really happy that we won the tournament and did really good. We were sad to go home."
The Blazers will be moving up to the Premier division in the coming season, and the Santa Clarita United girls U-17 team will be in top division as well.
"Both teams will be premier 15 and 17, which is very difficult," Greenwood said. I don't think there's another club in this valley that's doing that."
abranam@the-signal.com |
