Coach Gabe brings passion that is real, powerful, and contagious. We were on Coach Gabe's NJB…read morebasketball team for 3rd and 4th graders and this was our son's first time playing with NJB. He had played two seasons with Upward and was ready to move on to a more competitive league. Our son had to learn all the rules and playing his position. We started taking him to Coach Gabe's Rise Above training and our son quickly developed into a very strong player. He actually made the All Star Team. In addition, Coach Gabe took our NJB team to Championship and we won, plus we were the only undefeated team in the league. The incredible growth and improvement in playing the game of basketball individually and as a team was evident, and incredible and just amazing to watch. Our son will continue to play with Rise Above.

Coach Gabe is one of a kind! He worked with my daughter and not only did her skills improve but so…read moredid her confidence. He's really good with the kids and has exceptional coaching skills. We felt very lucky we discovered him. I highly recommend Coach Gabe!

The reason why i love almaden spirit athletics is because they have coaches who are supportive and…read morebelieves in you no matter what. im on team crystal and this gym during a performance they will cheer you on or support you. im in a class and when i first join a year and 2 months i already almost have the skills that i need. im grateful for this gym because i was in a very toxic dance company and now im here cheering. thank u asa truly and the athletes , coaches .

I have been waiting to write an official review to get my view from a personal level. Phew, what…read morecan I say.. I rated ASA five stars and I truly mean that with the company as a whole. My left our old gym due to it not being a good fit for my daughter anymore. My daughter is extremely driven and has a huge passion for cheer and tumbling. We are on the Elite Youth teams, we have two coaches who truly were a blessing for what my daughter needed. They are the perfect balance of structure and nurturing she has grown so much since we have been at this gym thanks to them and it has been it's truly amazing. Her memory is getting better and she is able to retain choreography faster as well as has been doing better in school with memory retention which she has always struggled with, She takes flexibility once a week, which has given her such beautiful tumbling form with straight legs. She loves tumbling and is always hungry to learn new skills. When we came she was a level 2 tumbler and in 7 months she is already perfecting some level 4 skills and she just turned 8 years old last week. The gym also offers open gym once a week for the students to work on their routine or tumbling, giving students always the opportunity to self improve. Privates- I believe all or mostly all coaches offer private lessons. Whenever we have choreo changed: learning a new skill or just want extra help to perfect skills we do private lessons. We have worked with many coaches at the gym. Coach Corrine is a sweet soul, shes fantastic for students who are learning new skills, she's very patient and encouraging and my daughter loved working with her. Coach Roy is perfect for high level tumblers who want to work and perfect skills, he has had many years in the business and has a huge understanding of the body mechanics that go into high-level skills! Families- Coming into a new gym the family dynamic is huge, it could be a make or break for the experience and I am saying we have some of the nicest families, we were welcomed to the team immediately. Our team has built our own little cheer family and it makes traveling for comps so enjoyable having each other to lean on, during very long comp days. Owner and management- our owner lives for her business, she truly puts her heart and soul into each and every team within her company. She takes time to get to know all the athletes in her program and spends equal attention to the senior teams as much a the novice. Her management team is ON IT! You need something, help with billing, scheduling, ordering and it is always a rapid response! We also have online apps to be able to communicate so any questions to owner or staff you can always get to who you need without stressing and guessing. When choosing a gym my main concerns were, is my daughter learning and advancing in her skills and is my daughter being taken care of emotionally, I never want to see the light in her dimmed and the love for the sport go away as well as I feel a trophy is never worth my daughters mental health. When I pick my daughter up from the studio she is motivated and hungry to come back and learn more, she would live at the gym if I let her. That is what makes ASA a wonderful healthy environment for young athletes.

Jorge is a great teacher. As a novice, I found Jorge to be skilled, patient and very knowledgeable…read more He exemplifies see one, do one, teach one. He models every technique with precision. I highly recommend Jorge and the Boxing Athlete. Cheers to good health!

From the owner: The kind of training is rigorous with the fundamentals of boxing will get you in good shape. That's…read moreif your up for the challenge.

The damn (ex) boyfriend!…read more In a two-day 16hr training session of 24 ladies 25-65 yrs, we heard time after time about how the girls got into cycling through the boyfriend, who, steered them all over the place - into the wrong seat, bad pedals, improper shoes, the wrong bike and insufficient education. The "Girls Got Skills" training with VeloGirls (Lorrie Lown) is designed to demystify cycling and break all the bad habits the boys teach us. After crashing, thrashing and bashing many of the ladies found their way to this course and left with so much confidence that "boy beater" should be the 'graduation' status. It's a course for all levels, yes even the experienced riders came back to basics. Lorri has is all set up with lessons, practice, pacing, food, fun and plenty of challenge - which we appreciated. The coaches and mentors were great supporters. Bummer is... I waited too long to hop on the Velogirls' train. It's the best way to ride safe, happy and fun in the Bay Area. Keep a look out for all kinds of rides, training/educational programs and good fun with the girls. Oh, and there is a co-ed singles ride every month too.

Velo Girls ROCKS!!!! I moved back home to the bay recently and felt like I didn't know anyone after…read morebeing away for a couple years... I picked up cycling - since that's what you do if you live in Palo Alto - and contacted the Velo Girls cycling club to find other women to ride with at my level. I have had an amazing experience with the group, everyone is so supportive a welcoming and we really have fun together! Lorri, the founder of the group is great and very knowledgeable - she has taught a ton of people to ride and has excellent communication skills that translate valuable information to even the most novice riders. More to love: 1) The club works as a valuable support network - members can reach out to one another to ask questions about anything cycling related and get answers from people with a lot of experience. I've also been able to schedule my own informal ride through the group email and meet other riders at my level. 2) They have scheduled rides (almost every day) all over the bay for road, mountain and cyclocross riders. 3) Lorri offers personal instruction --- including a race development program 4) They offer some free workshops that focus on things like basic bike handling skills and maintenance. 5) It's only $45/ year to join!

Had a great time playing with a fun crew of my friends around the Bay. This was really nice to have…read morea weekly reason to get together during the work week and reminded me of being back in college again. Would love to add flag football to the mix and longer game times/ larger fields for more team play!

I had a great time doing Play Recess! I've done two seasons now and each has been a blast! Met…read moresome awesome people and had some good laughs! I would say if your goal is to meet new people and have some fun playing different games each week, then Play Recess is for you! If your goal is to join a super competitive league, then you should join Zog or something else. I've done three types of sports leagues in SF and here is how I see it (I'm sure it varies a bit sport to sport but this is what I have experienced). Play Recess - Most social - Least competitive SF Social - Medium social - Medium competitive Zog Sports - Least social - Most competitive

I have two teenage daughters and they both are part of Mandala Beach Volleyball Club. We had been…read morelooking for a beach volleyball club in the South Bay that would provide great training with experienced coaches. When Mandala started in 2022 and noted that they would have Coach Jeff Alzina as part of their coaching staff, we were thrilled. My daughters have both worked with Coach Alzina and find him to be an amazing coach and extremely inspirational. All the coaches at Mandala are phenomenal and really understand the fundamentals of beach volleyball and have lots of experience with the sport. My daughters have learned a lot from Coach Alzina and all the Mandala coaches. The coaches will also coach you at beach tournaments, giving you great advice during the tournaments, which has helped my girls succeed and win at tournaments. Mandala offers a friendly and welcoming environment and my daughters are so happy to be a part of it.

This is an amazing beach volleyball club! My daughter has been part of the club since its inception…read moreand LOVES it. The club is very well run. It is super flexible in terms of commitment level options and very convenient locations/times. The coaching is fantastic and their focus on skill development is evident. The club has attracted top talent from all over the Bay. My daughter is happy to be part of such a competitive club. She has tried other clubs in the area but this one is like no other!

I played ZogSports volleyball for two seasons and thought the games were generally well organized…read more I enjoyed having a weekly game to look forward to, and it was a good amount of exercise and socializing. My team even got friendly enough to hit up a bar on occasion after a game and most of my original team even came to my birthday party. In the second season that I played, the organizers were starting to have some issues with facilities and also one game during which the referee didn't show. However they were otherwise quite professional. The locations tend to have convenient parking and the hours for games are reasonable. I was hoping to switch to their newly formed Sunday leagues but the most recent season of that got cancelled due to low enrollment. At this point I am looking into switching to a different sport or a local league by a different organization, but I'm glad I got my start here!

This review is purely for Zog's volleyball league. This league is extremely beginner-level. Lots of…read morework teams and new players. Occasionally you will have a couple of people who come into this league knowing how to play volleyball but are there anyways for an ego boost. If you are new to volleyball, read here. Yes, this league may be a good starting point as it's very beginner-level play, it's good for work teams and meeting new people. But you won't want to be here for long. There are the occasional try-hards that will come into the league to feel good about themselves by hitting hard and running plays on a net that's lower than women's height. Another downside is that some of these players think they can play but in fact they are very dangerous and make it very unsafe. Landing under the net and causing ankle sprains when you block is very common here. So play smart, watch out for others. If you have some volleyball experience and understand the game, read here. This league is very poorly run. You have one ref that does not understand the rules of volleyball. No calls are made, clear doubles where the ball is spiraling, crazy players who jump and land under the net, and players touching the net and lifts. You call your own lines, so in and out calls are all on you and the other team. The ref literally is there to just blow the whistle for serve and then flip the score. They dont even have anyone setting up the nets for you as well, so you need to set it up yourself. The net is literally lower than womens height. So if you're here playing with some new friends who are learning to play, have some integrity to play to the level of others and be safe. I played in this league before it became Zog (Dynamic sports) id say it has changed but not for the better. Same stuff as it was 5-6 years ago. If you are looking for some better play there are other leagues out there. Campbell Community center used to have a good one they may or may not still be running. Then there's IVL if you're looking for competitive play. Zog by far is the most expensive league and the total amount of games you play in the season is less than all these other leagues I mentioned. So if you're factoring bang for your buck. Zog is definitely not that.

I went to my first SCDG game last night. The opening bout of the 2011 season. I can say, with all…read morehonesty, that I have not had that good of a time anywhere else in a while. Not only are these women serious athletes and fearless competitors but they are beautiful, confident, intelligent, funny and individually unique. I want to be them when I grow up. Additionally, this was a very well produced event. The Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium is a great little venue. Tickets, security, music, beer and souvenir sales were all well run... and, for the novice, the game (rules, scoring etc) is explained briefly in the beginning with the teams taking a lap or two and going through the motions so as to make sure everyone in the audience understands and has a great time. I found this to be very, very helpful. This is definitely a family event, too. It is a serious game, but there is also a huge sense of fun. Kids are welcome and the theme of this bout was "mardi gras" so you saw people in costumes, masks, feather boas and beads. The announcers are funny and did a couple of giveaways before the event. Plus you saw a lot of great homemade signs made in support of favorite girls. Lastly, there were a lot of significant others and families involved by way of taking photos or otherwise volunteering. It was really a nice vibe. During halftime, the Jr. Derby Girls came out and did a short match as well. These girls are in the 10-17 age bracket and what a great thing to see. The comradery and spirit between the women of derby and the younger up and coming generation (coaching, supporting and standing by the sidelines to high five after the game) was really, truly heart warming. There is music and a lot of yelling during the match, of course, so if you're sensitive to that kind of thing you might consider bringing earplugs but I didn't find it to be a problem. It's FAR less loud than a concert that's for sure. So. There you have it. I am, from this day forward.. a HUGE fan... and I would highly recommend you check it out for yourself. I promise you that you will not be disappointed. Also, SCDG is a non-profit. If you enjoy yourself, do consider donating. :-)

Kick a$$ girls rolling around the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, with a DJ spinnin' great tunes…read more.. what better way to spend a Saturday night?! I witnessed them SPANK the Redding Angry Beavers 121 - 22. Seriously, 99 point spread. Forget the roller derby you saw in the 70's, on TV. These girls are tough, graceful, and athletic!! The halftime show were dance numbers by students (kids and teens) of a Santa Cruz dance studio. They kept the place pumped up for the 2nd half. The bout was SOLD OUT! This is the place to be... you see families, older parent/grandparent types, kids, co-eds, and everyone in between. Spend the $20 and check it out for yourself. It's general admission but there's not a bad seat in the entire place. Of course, if you get a seat up front, you may get sprayed by perspiration when the girls come flying around the turn. Don't worry if you don't know the rules or understand the game. They do a quickie run down on the rules. Emceed by the one and only Lex, of Survivor fame. They sell cute t-shirts too! Get out there and show some love for the girls!