Community Guide 2017
Sports in the Valley by Don Holmlund, John Beckerley and Dave Cort
Approximately 100 boys and girls have played each year over the past 46 years. Many players have gone on to star in high school, and some in college. In the past, games were played in various gyms throughout Marin. After ap- proximately 40 years of planning and talking about a gym in the Valley, the dream came to fruition on August 29, 2009. Thanks to the many Valley residents who contrib- uted so many hours and funds, the gym became a reality. With the San Geronimo Valley Community Gym on the Lagunitas School campus, practices and games are now played in our Valley throughout the year. Saturday Morning Basketball on the outdoor courts at Lagunitas School began in the mid-1970s when a few men began meeting every week around 10:00 to play basketball. The game is still being played every Saturday at the same time. Some players show up from over the hill. Three gen- erations of players take part in this tradition. There are also a large number of ongoing grassroots community sports activities in the Valley. These include: Sunday morning soccer game Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday pick-up basketball Ultimate frisbee Table tennis Co-ed softball Pick-up Volleyball Masters swim class Forest Knolls Freewheelers (bicycle) Numerous golf tournaments benefitting Valley groups at the San Geronimo Golf Course As you can see, there is quite a history of athletic involve- ment in the San Geronimo Valley, and that history is still being written.
Some type of sports activity has undoubtedly been played in San Geronimo Valley as long as humans have lived here. Small groups of Miwok Indians resided in the Valley, and young men played games on teams with sticks with the purpose of advancing a piece of buckskin or rock toward a goal—sort of a precursor to field hockey or soccer. Swim- ming was also enjoyed in the warm weather months. As settlers moved into the Valley, swimming continued to thrive. Popular gathering places were the Inkwells and the swimming pool at what is now the Woodacre Improve- ment Club, which was built on the site of the Mailliard Mansion, one of the first houses in the Valley. Some Valley teens joined the swim team at Drake High School. One of them, Al Giddings, was a Marin County Swim Cham- pion and went on to the California All State Meet in the early 1950s. As there were no good football fields in West Marin, a great deal of athletic energy was spent on basket- ball courts, sandlot baseball diamonds, and grass soccer fields with many ruts. Little League Baseball began in the 1960s, and still goes on today. Generations of Valley boys and girls have played baseball at Will LaFranchi Field in Nicasio, Lagunitas School Field, and, more recently, on Warner Field in Woodacre. War- ner Field was built in the early 2000s next to the Woodacre Improvement Club, thanks to generous contributions by Valley residents. Many players have gone on to play in high school and college, and some even made it to the professional level. In fact, a great baseball film, Touching Home , was written and directed by local Little Leaguers Noah and Logan Miller who played at Drake, in college, and professionally. Noah and Logan star in the film along with actor Ed Harris. Soccer has long been a popular sport in the Valley. In- formal games on Sunday mornings at the schoolyard have been played for many years and continue to this day. In the late 1960s, the West Marin Soccer League was formed, bringing together teams from the Valley, Nicasio, and West Marin. The league continues to the present time, and with approximately 130 San Geronimo Valley boys and girls participating in any given year. The teams are grouped by age level: under 6, under 8, under 10, under 12, and under 14. The soccer community, including the Sunday players, and the children and families of the league, have been very involved in upgrading the field at Lagunitas School. The first upgrade in the early 1990s was an all-volunteer effort by this community, and the second upgrade, extending and realigning the field, also involved the players and their families as volunteers. Saint Cecilia’s CYO Basketball began in the early 1970s serving the San Geronimo and Nicasio communities.
The celebrated Saturday morning basketball game is still going strong. (Photo by Jeff Lippstreu)
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SGVCC
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