This is a big weekend as nearly all Sun Devil athletic teams take the field. From cross country to football the Devils are are looking to come away with victories. Make sure you stay logged on to thesundevils.com to stay up to date with all the results from the weekend.

Football is coming off of a big weekend after beating the Washington Huskies and looks to tally another victory in the win column this weekend against Washington State. This Saturday is homecoming so I am looking forward to seeing all the alumni back in Tempe to join in on the celebration. It should be a good game and I hope to be doing a lot of push-ups against the Cougars.

Basketball officially tips off tonight for both our men and women at Wells Fargo Arena. Both teams have received an unprecedented amount of pre-season recognition, including Briann January and James Harden being featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Our men’s team is ranked number 15 in the polls while our women begin the season ranked number 17. I can’t wait to see the games tonight and I hope to be watching Sun Devil Basketball well into March!

I’m also excited for our national championship softball and track & field teams that spent this week in Washington D.C. and got to meet President Bush. What a great honor for all of our Sun Devil coaches and student-athletes!

I look forward to seeing everyone out at a Sun Devil sporting event very soon, and this weekend you have plenty to choose from. GO DEVILS!

Filed under: Football, General Thoughts, Men's Basketball by Sparky
No Comments »

I am excited to be a Sun Devil right now! It seems like as the weather cools off the action is just beginning to heat up. Football is idle this weekend, but we follow that up with a number of PAC-10 games that can get us back in the conference race. While football is off this weekend, both our soccer and volleyball teams are in action at home battling PAC-10 foes USC and UCLA. They are Southern California’s finest teams for a reason, all four teams are ranked very high nationally, but I’ll never count out the Sun Devils with a big, loud and supportive home crowd. If all that isn’t enough Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Gymnastics, and wrestling are all gearing up to start their seasons. I can’t wait to see all the games!

I have also been traveling around the Valley the past few weeks with Sparky’s Tour. The tour has been a major success with stops in Phoenix, Gilbert, Awatukee, and Fountain Hills so far. I have had the opportunity to meet some outstanding young students and would like to take this opportunity to say hello again to all of them. These students now know what it takes to be a S.P.A.R.K.Y. and why staying in school and working hard is so important. I would also like to thank all my friends that have come on the tour with me like the ASU coaches, student-athletes, staff, and spirit squad that have played a huge part in making this tour a success.

I look forward to seeing all of you very soon, and GO DEVILS!

Filed under: General Thoughts, Olympic Sports by Sparky
No Comments »

Friday, September 5, I started my tour of local valley elementary and middle schools, and what an impressive group of 4^th and 5^th graders at Kenilworth Elementary I met. I couldn’t have picked a better place to kick off my tour, Kenilworth is the oldest school in Maricopa County, and a great starting point for the tour.

I brought some of my friends from the Sun Devil Gymnastics team to help me explain what it means to be a S.P.A.R.K.Y. Being a S.P.A.R.K.Y. means being a Self-starter, Positive, Active, Responsible, Knowledgeable, and Yourself.

Coach Spini started us off by talking about the importance of being a good student and how it is the cornerstone of success in collegiate athletics and in life. Mary Atkinson spoke about being positive and how having a positive attitude has helped her and her teammates succeed in the gym and in the classroom. Tiana Jean, senior and team captain, emphasized how making good decisions in all aspects of life is an important part of being a Sun Devil and being a S.P.A.R.K.Y.

I want to thank all of my friends and helpers for all their hard work today. And I want to send a special thank you to Ms. Moncayo and all the teachers and students at Sparky’s Tour stop at Kenilworth.

Get ready Joseph Zito Elementary, Sparky’s Tour 2008-09 is heading your way. Get ready to have some fun!

Filed under: Sparky's Insights by Sparky
No Comments »

The Arizona State Soccer team kicked the season off right as they took down Northern Arizona 4-2 in the season opener on the road. The leading scorer from last team, Sophomore Karin Volpe, picked up right where she left off scoring two goals in the win. Junior goalkeeper Katie Cochran came up huge in her first career start making six saves, including one on a penalty kick that would have tied the game! I can’t wait to see Sun Devil soccer at home when they open the season Friday, September 5 at 7pm.

The Devils kickoff on the gridiron this Saturday at 7pm as they look to take down Northern Arizona too. I can’t wait to see the team take the field again, this is going to be the most exciting football season yet! With all the talent returning from last year’s team plus a top 20 recruiting class we are going to make some noise this year!

The volleyball team stars their season this weekend as well! The Devils host the ASU Sheraton Classic at Wells Fargo Arena Friday and Saturday. This is the the first time the Devils will play under the leadership of new Head Coach Jason Watson. I can’t wait to see the new look Devils defend the home court.

I’ll see you all at the games, and GO DEVILS!

Filed under: Football, Olympic Sports by Sparky
No Comments »

With the Summer Olympics now in their second week a new group of Sun Devils got the chance to shine under the Olympic flame. Current and former Devils took the track this week to represent their countries, but unfortunately all failed to advance. Former ASU Softball Coach Linda Wells also failed to advance to the medal round as Coach of the Dutch National Team. There was a silver lining for Wells, the Dutch won their final game of the tournament against Taiwan 4-2.

It wasn’t all bad news for ASU Olympians. In one of the biggest surprises of the Olympics former Devil Shawn Redhage and the Australian Men’s Basketball team destroyed a previously unbeaten Lithuania squad, which is considered to be a strong medal contender. Australia’s next game is against the USA in the quarterfinals.

In Men’s Diving former Devil and 3-time Olympian Joona Puhakka of Finland qualified fifth for the semifinal in the 3m Springboard. This could be the year he comes away with his first Olympic medal. Puhakka is the only Sun Devil in action today, so make sure you cheer him on!

To read more about how the Sun Devils have done in the Olympics Click Here.

Filed under: Men's Basketball, Olympic Sports by Sparky
No Comments »