With a major in neuroscience and Spanish, DeLeon will study in Madrid, Spain, next fall. Only 15 students are selected. And, after graduating, she plans to go on to med school. She is a graduate of Saratoga High School and the daughter of the Ross DeLeons.

The cross-country project is called Hopkins 4K for Cancer and this is its fourth year. The group expects to cross the finish line at the Golden Gate Bridge July 31. DeLeon is riding cross country in memory of her grandfather, who died of cancer, and to honor other family members and friends who continue to battle the disease.

Student bikers have to raise $3,000 each to participate. The money sustains them on the cross-country venture, but the majority goes toward Hope Lodge, a residence for out-of-towners seeking treatment at the Baltimore hospitals. The riders also perform community services in towns along the way.

Most of their overnight stays are at churches, high schools or YMCAs and often church guilds feed them dinner. Reports of the day's actions are posted on their website. People have been extraordinarily kind to them, helping them in emergencies, offering rides when they are temporarily stranded.

SOCK-LESS SALES MANAGER: Saratogan Skip Miller's newest book is Knock Your Socks Off Prospecting, published by the American Management Association. Miller is the owner of M3 Learning, a sales training and management firm in Los Gatos.

His first book in 2001 was ProActive Sales Management. It is still No. 1 on the sales management bestseller list and was just translated into Russian. His follow-up book was ProActive Selling, which also reached the bestseller lineup. Prospecting was co-authored by Ron Zemke, who died in 2004, a month into the project.

Zemke had written 14 knock-your socks-off books, and Miller was determined to make this the best of the bunch. The book offers tools for warming up cold calls by concentrating on the client, relating something you know about him or finding something or someone in common.

The key is to ask the prospect questions, rather than pitching the product. Miller is a sought-after motivational speaker in sales and training events and has a heavyweight client list. But he's discriminating about travel these days because of his three children, students at Sacred Heart School.

Miller is athletic director of the West Valley Pop Warner football league, and one of the teams, the Falcons, won the national semifinals in Florida last December. His son Kyle was the team quarterback. Miller also coaches the basketball team of his twins, Alexandra and Brianna.

"I'm where on this planet I was meant to be," he says about founding his own company nine years ago.

BOCCE TITLE: Los Gatos town fathers and mothers won first place in the Cities Association ninth annual Bocce Tournament, wresting the trophy from Monte Sereno, last year's victors. Second place went to Mountain View in a hard-fought race; the Santa Clara county team claimed third.

The bocce-savvy LG team was made up of council folks Barbara Spector, Joe Pirzynski, Steve Glickman and Mike Wasserman.

THANK YOU: A thank you party for Bonnie and Alan Aerts was held last week at Villa Vasona, initiated by Lynne Helton. Helton drives the van that provides free transportation for seniors at Villa Vasona and for those who live elsewhere, a program sponsored by the Aerts.

"We wanted to say thank you and have those benefiting from his generosity meet him," Helton says. Up to now, Aerts has been a phone voice only: he's the one who plots the van's schedule. Villa Vasona resident Sue Shiroyama assisted Helton with the party.

Property manager at VV, Candy Kelly, calls the program a godsend, an enormous help. There are 125 residents at the Villa 62 or older, or disabled.

GENEROUS BRIDE: Assistance League of Los Gatos-Saratoga was the recipient of a recent bride's generosity. The bride is Liz (Maestre) Criner, who married Ed Criner in Hawaii earlier this year.

A reception was held in May for the couple, who had both been married before, and Liz wanted to deflect any gift giving. So she suggested whatever sum guests may have earmarked for gifts be sent instead to Assistance League, of which she is a member. Of course, Chrystie DeSoto, founder of the league, did whisper in the bride's ear, aiding and abetting the proposal. Indeed, the proposition may have been hers to begin with.

The new Mrs. Criner also celebrated a hole-in-one on the second hole at Pruneridge Golf Course, using a 4 iron. The feat smacks of good karma paying off.

Got a tip for Saratoga Sampler? Send email to maryanncook@earthlink.net.