Barstow Sports Blog

This week we did a Q&A with Frank Maldonado. Here is more what he had to say during his interview that didn’t make the published version in the Desert Dispatch on July 1.

Q: Talk about the difference between winning your first championship game and your second championship game.
A: When we won the first national title, it was like you are in heaven. It’s the greatest experience in the world when you look back at everything you did to get there. When we won the second one, it was the same type of enjoyment. You get greedy, it’s just that feeling that is so amazing. We don’t like to talk about it to our players, and we don’t want to put that kind of pressure on them.
Sometimes, we joke when we look at Bill Russell on the cover of Sports Illustrated. We will hold our hands out because we want to win 11 rings.

Q: Was it weird to not win the championship game this year after winning back-to-back titles?
A: It was a sad feeling. The disappointment was for our players, especially for the new guys that came in and were all excited. The bottom line was, we were not the best team there this year.

Q: What are some of your favorite memories at BCC?
A: I coached for three years at BCC from 1998 to 2001. Developing the players and moving them up where they could be successful were some of my favorite memories.

Q: What is your favorite thing about being a battling coach?
A: I enjoy the challenge and every hitter is different. I am not going to talk about any one hitter because they all have different styles. Being the hitting instructor, I am able to work with each player, and help them develop their swing and other mental aspects. It’s a challenge, and it’s up to me to develop them to become impact players. We want to win championships. I like being able to develop that young green hitter and see the results after that.

-Jason Blasco, Staff Writer

Last week we did a Q&A with Chuck Jefferson, shown in the picture on the right with Ronnie Paddack and Ernie Smith,  and here is more of what he had to say during our interview. Click here to see some highlights of Jefferson at the Olympic trails. 

Q: Can you describe what it was like after you won the eight-man tournament bracket, knowing that you only had one man left to beat?

A: When I got the win, there was an immediate surge of emotion and you pump your fist. I knew I had to beat Ryan Reser two more times, and that made my celebration short lived. As soon as I got off the mat, I looked at my coach and said, “We have to do this two times. It’s a difficult position to be in to continue to fight with that energy.” It was a good 45-minutes to an hour before we fought, and trying to maintain that energy level and my composure and still be motivated was not easy.

Q: How did you feel at the conclusion of the tournament?

A: I just felt terrible knowing I walked out of my last match. I felt empty. Yeah, I had a pretty good day if you only watch the first three fights. The last two were the most important fights of my career and those were the ones I lost.

Q: What do you consider your biggest achievement in your Judo run?

A: I think my most memorable moment would be the first time I won the Pan Am Games in 2002. Leading up to it, half way through the year, I wouldn’t have been picked to make the team. It ended up I beat out Ryan Reser to make the Pan American games. I was behind him in points, but I passed by him at the U.S. Open and made the Pan American team. I don’t think people expected me to go out there and win because I was facing the number one Brazilian. It was a great feeling, winning a tourney that no expects you to win.

Q: Talk about your career at San Jose State. Is that where you want to remain?

A: My home is here now, and that is my home club. We have a lot of international students. It’s a great Dojo and I love being there.

Q: How much did it help you having the Dojo right up the street?

A: Just the fact that the Judo club was up the street helped when I was 5 years old, it happened to work out from day one.

-Jason Blasco, Staff Writer