CVS in Pacific Palisades—located at 864 Swarthmore Avenue—reopened on Friday, August 15, following its closure since the Palisades fire.
“They have a new look inside and are fully staffed, including the pharmacy,” Eileen Carry told the Palisadian-Post. “Kirsten Giannelli, the district performance coordinator for CVS, is on hand to assist in the reopening process for the community. And, the community is coming. I saw several people coming into the store to shop and talk with the staff. The pharmacy team is at the ready and looking forward to serving the community again.”
A representative said the store has “soft opened”: “A grand opening and ribbon-cutting will be held on September 19 at 11 a.m.”
“The Swarthmore Avenue store is your go-to shop for vitamins, groceries, first aid supplies and cosmetics,” read the CVS website. “Its convenient location has made this Pacific Palisades pharmacy a neighborhood staple.”
In-store services include COVID-19 vaccines and testing, flu shots, immunizations, prescription delivery, an ATM, photo (including passport photos), UPS access point, OTC Health Solutions, in-store pickup, pharmacy, and Beauty IRL.
The store’s current hours, according to its website, are daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The pharmacy hours are Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The pharmacy closes for lunch from 1:30 to 2 p.m.
“We are recognized as a useful place to go for everyday products that local residents can pick up and purchase at their convenience,” read the CVS website. “The Pacific Palisades CVS Pharmacy is here to help our Pacific Palisades neighbors stay healthy by refilling prescriptions and offering low prices on over-the-counter supplements.”
“Join us for our [third] visioning charrette for the resilient rebuilding of Pacific Palisades,” PRC wrote. “Run by RAND and AIA volunteers, focused this month on the unique topography of the Castellammare/Paseo Miramar neighborhood.”
Previous visioning charrettes have focused on the Alphabet Streets and Marquez Knolls/Las Casas. The events are designed to bring “neighbors together, neighborhood by neighborhood, to conceptualize what rebuilding can look like when rooted in resilience, foresight and collective strength.”
“This area is unique in that it has delicate topography, is characterized by narrow and winding hillside streets, bullheads, unstable slopes, high water table, and an important neighbor in the Getty Villa,” read information about the forthcoming meeting
The visioning charrette will take place from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at 14224 Sunset Boulevard.
“The Palisades Recovery Coalition is the central hub of our community’s recovery effort after the devastating Palisades fire,” read its website. “We are a community-built, community-led organization—not a startup, not a temporary task force, but a dedicated coalition with the long-term expertise and trusted relationships to lead this complex recovery effort effectively.”
Photos by Rich Schmitt/Courtesy of Theatre Palisades
By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief
Tickets are on sale now for a three-weekend run of “The Wisdom of Eve,” which will be presented by Theatre Palisades at The Blue Door theater in Culver City.
“After the loss of their Pierson Playhouse in this January’s firestorm, Theatre Palisades is pleased to announce its second production of 2025, ‘The Wisdom of Eve’ by Mary Orr, the timeless tale of deception and desire that inspired the classic film ‘All About Eve,’” read information from Theatre Palisades.
Performances will take place on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., as well as Sundays at 2 p.m., September 5 through 21.
“‘The Wisdom of Eve’ pulls back the curtain on the cutthroat world of Broadway, centered around the seemingly innocent Eve Harrington,” read a synopsis. “She arrives as a devoted fan of the legendary actress Margo Crane and is hired as her personal assistant. But as Eve sets her sights on the spotlight, her relentless ambition unleashes a chain of manipulation and betrayal that threatens to destroy careers and friendships.”
The play is directed by Sherman Wayne and produced by Martha Hunter. Its cast includes Philip Bartolf, Isabella DiBernardino, Steve Frankenfield, Manfred Hofer, Hunter, Richard Johnson, Sara Kaner, Maria O’Connor, Eric Trigg and Amy Witkowski.
“This masterful play explores themes of envy, manipulation and the ruthless pursuit of success, mirroring the intense drama of its cinematic inspiration,” the synopsis concluded.
The Blue Door is located at 9617 Venice Boulevard. General admission tickets are $25, and $22 for students and seniors. A $5 early bird discount can be received with promo code WISDOM5 at checkout.
“Praised for its sharp wit and clever humor, ‘The Wisdom of Eve’ is a behind-the-scenes theatrical experience you won’t want to miss, especially those who work in the entertainment industry or ever wanted to find their way onto the stage or silver screen,” according to Theatre Palisades.
For tickets or additional information, visit theatrepalisades.org or call 310-454-1970.
“The reopening has been incredibly heartfelt,” General Manager of Brentwood and Pacific Palisades Allegra Griffin said to the Palisadian-Post. “Many of our members live in the Palisades and were directly impacted by the fire, so being able to return to the studio has provided a sense of normalcy and healing. We’ve felt overwhelming support from both long-time members and new faces, all wanting to be part of rebuilding the community together.”
As of August 18, the class schedule included Mondays and Wednesdays at 8:30, 9:30 and 10:30 a.m., as well as Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9, 10 and 11 a.m.
“We will continue to expand the schedule to include afternoon and weekend classes as more clients return to the area,” Griffin explained.
Club Pilates Pacific Palisades’ current offerings include Group Reformer-based Pilates classes for all levels, and private and semi-private training sessions. A special welcome for new clients, according to Griffin, is their first class is free (a “50-minute, full-body Pilates workout”).
“I went to one of the first classes this past Monday and can say, the members are showing up,” Eileen Carry told the Post. “And the class was fantastic … My experience in the class was positive and not affected by the outside environment. I hope the other members experienced and will experience it the way I did. A very positive experience in all of this still-being-sorted chaos.”
The studio is located at 15230 Sunset Boulevard in the back side of the building, directly above the rear entrance of Wells Fargo.
Paliskates has partnered with It’s Bigger Than Us for the sixth annual Back 2 School: Skate Classic, which will take place on Saturday, August 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Venice Beach.
“We feel grateful to be a part of this event,” Paliskates Founder and Owner Erica Simpson said. “Not having a physical store in the Palisades, our team really misses the daily interaction with our community and customers. This live event gives us a chance to connect with the Westside community in a meaningful way.”
Paliskates, which lost its Swarthmore Avenue storefront in the Palisades fire, has a 25-plus-year history in the community.
“This event is set to bring together a large number of attendees for a day of giving back and community connection,” according to a statement. “The free festival will feature school supply giveaways, youth sports, live entertainment, a vital beach clean-up effort and access to important community resources.”
The list of items that will be available include more than 1,500 backpacks, resource items and diapers. Some of the brands that will be featured are Supreme, lululemon, Pac Sun and more.
There will be skate and yoga activations, as well as games, art activities, raffles, vendors, health and dental resources, and more. Prizes include $1,000 cash, Tony Hawk-signed skateboards and posters, and a pack of four tickets to an LA Chargers game.
“This is more than just a skate comp—it’s about culture, legacy and rebuilding together,” read information about the event. “Paliskates has been holding it down for over 25 years, and we’re proud to keep that spirit alive for the next generation.”
Additional partners for the event include Councilmember Traci Park, Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, Athens Services, Metro and LA Care Health Plan. It will feature a guest performance by Grammy Award-nominated artist D Smoke.
“This year’s theme was A City United,” It’s Bigger Than Us Founder and CEO Tyrone Nance said. “Fall 2025 won’t be like any other. We’re still healing—from fires, displacement and uncertainty—but we’re showing up for one another with love, freedom and community.”
The event will take place at 1800 Ocean Front Walk in Venice. It is free to attend, but participants must RSVP in advance to secure their spot. When registering, only one ticket is needed per household.
Los Angeles Unified School District Director of Community Relations Lorena Padilla-Melendez moderated a series of design update community meetings on Zoom for Marquez Charter Elementary School on July 23, Palisades Charter Elementary School on July 24 and Palisades Charter High School on August 11, at which progress reports regarding rebuild efforts following the Palisades fire were provided.
Regarding Marquez, Carlos Torres of the Office of Environmental Health and Safety first gave an update, confirming that U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Household Hazardous Waste Removal (Phase 1) and Debris Removal (Phase 2), which includes site assessment and removal of asbestos, concrete, metal, ash surface soils (top three to six inches), have been completed. Third-party contractors for debris removal and environmental assessment of soils have also concluded their work.
“As far as the last thing—pre-occupancy testing and inspection—we’re close to saying we’re done, but not quite,” Torres said. “We didn’t find any contamination at all and we did wipe samplings in buildings that weren’t even there in the fires. Enhanced air quality monitoring will be installed in August.”
Next, Timothy Spaeth, senior design manager for Planning and Development, gave update on the interim campus (Phase 1), which is going on now, and later Phase 2. The total project budget is $202.6 million.
The project scope includes 22 new classrooms (general, TK, K, specialty, administrative spaces, multi-purpose room, library, food services and maintenance facilities); infrastructure updates, including utilities, landscape and parking improvements; and interim classrooms during the design and construction of the permanent campus. The new building construction is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2027 and be completed in the fourth quarter of 2028.
As for the interim campus, 22 portable buildings for classrooms, administration, kitchen and library and three portable restrooms have been installed; mosaic restoration work is ongoing; and there will be communication from the district to discuss the return to campus after the start of the school year. Total interim play space is 43,000 square feet.
Regarding the permanent campus, Spaeth said plans are for 15 new general classrooms (first through fifth grade), four kinder/TK classrooms, two flexible learning/maker space classrooms, and a parent center.
The library will be 2,000 square feet and hold 6,000 books. The multi-purpose room stage with theatrical lighting and built-in projector and a motorized screen will be used for indoor dining or for PE during inclement weather.
“We’re looking at three years, six months and we’re pushing toward building occupancy by the end of 2028,” he said. “There’ll be at least as many parking spaces as before and the new infrastructure will be all new water pipes.”
Saif Vagh, associate principal at NAC Architecture, went over planning and design principles.
“We’re in the final schematic design phase right now,” Vagh said. “The multi-purpose room is more than twice as big and will be in the front of campus for better access … Of the three concepts we proposed—Secret Garden, Front Porch and Village Green—the Secret Garden was the most popular.”
The Secret Garden concept is designed to be “a nurturing, inspiring and subtly enchanting learning environment that fosters curiosity, discovery and a deep connection to nature,” according to the slides. It includes facets like an enclosed communal space, learning and play integrated, and every classroom to have a green view.
For Pali Elementary, the project scope entails restoring and repairing intact buildings with upgrades for re-occupancy; 16 new classrooms; and infrastructure renewal, including utilities, landscape and parking improvements. The timetable for Pali Elementary is the same as Marquez, with a total project budget of $134.9 million.
“Fire caused significant damage but it’s all hands on deck at LAUSD,” Spaeth added. “We’re working around the clock.”
Design Principal Greg Kochanowski of Practice firm said the new design will push the multi-purpose room out closer to the street and there will be the same number of parking spaces. The permanent campus overview calls for nine new general classrooms (first through fifth grade), five kindergarten/TK classrooms and two flexible learning/maker space rooms; two resource specialist rooms; a lunch shelter; outdoor play areas; and a 3,000-square-foot multi-purpose room.
“We’re in the final schematic design phase,” Kochanowski said. “The guiding principles are to establish a framework plan promoting unity and identity for students; create an environment that supports healing and collective memory; utilize holistic design practices to create a resilient campus environment; and harmonize the new structures with the existing building.”
Community Commons, Interwoven Landscapes and Garden Courts were the three design concepts proposed, and the consensus was toward the latter two, with emphasis on the kinder yard existing location being maintained but also separate from the main yard and respect for the historic building fabric.
Samples of “collision moments” planned as part of the design at Pali High.
Regarding Pali High, Scott Singletary, deputy director of LAUSD Facilities Planning and Development, introduced the campus reconstruction project, explaining that the $266 million project would funded by bond funds, while the district pursues insurance and FEMA claims.
The scope includes to replace facilities that were destroyed in the fire, which includes 21 general classrooms and six specialty classrooms/workrooms, collaboration spaces, administrative spaces, and restrooms for students and staff. In addition, portable buildings that remained post fire will now be removed and replaced in the new construction, due to “extensive mitigation requirements.”
It also includes infrastructure, landscape, track and field, and other impacted areas. For Palisades Academy, it includes three general classrooms and three faculty/staff offices. In the athletic field areas, it includes track and field, two athletic support spaces, a ticket booth, and baseball field.
Pali High is projected to follow the same construction timeline as Marquez and Pali Elementary, with design and the bid process before construction is slated to begin in the first quarter of 2027 and building occupancy in the fourth quarter of 2028.
Education Leader Principal K-12 Jesse Miller and Project Manager Jeffrey Zolan of DLR Group presented on the project goals and guiding principles, which include belonging, resilience and sustainability. The design concept includes “interlace,” “connect” and “thrive.”
Zolan broke the project down into three main facets: the new classroom building development zone, track and field restoration, and new baseball field, which is currently where portable buildings are being placed to temporarily serve as classrooms when students return and construction is underway.
Since the previous meeting, the buildable area has expanded to the east, with the planned removal of the portable buildings that were damaged. The design is meant to be “greener, safer and smarter,” with a fire defense zone along Sunset Boulevard and sun reaching the classrooms throughout the year, due to proposed building orientation. It also works to connect existing courtyards, as well as take inspiration from existing buildings, including “brick elements.”
Miller described seven different items across the site where they are trying to create “collision moments,” “collaboration spaces,” and “opportunities for students to really learn from each other.” These include interactive stairs, an innovation courtyard, learning stairs, indoor and outdoor collaboration, an outdoor amphitheater, and landscape buffer and benches at tennis courts.
Pali High—which began the 2025-26 school year at the Sears building campus location on August 13—has a target to return to portable spaces on the Palisades campus by the spring 2026 semester.
The last design community meetings for the three schools are anticipated to be scheduled for fall 2025, where presentations of the final designs will be given, including visual representations.
The playground and small gym have reopened at Palisades Recreation Center following a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, July 31.
The small gym has reopened with several programs, Senior Facility Director Jasmine Dowlatshahi explained, including Coffee & Community on Thursdays at 11:30 a.m., Tai Chi with Guy Horton on Tuesdays at 11:30 a.m., Pickleball on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 11:30 a.m., Open Play Basketball on Tuesdays and Fridays at 4 p.m., and a Summer Ballet Camp.
Select programming is slated to continue at Palisades Recreation Center until December, with groundbreaking currently planned for January 2026 on rebuilding the property—an effort led by Steadfast LA and LA Strong Sports. Other programming, including basketball, will continue to take place at alternate locations, like Oakwood Recreation Center.
Following the Palisades fire, the tennis center and large gym were reported on the CAL FIRE Damage Inspection Map as “destroyed,” meaning they were at least 50% damaged. Debris removal work has been completed.
The recently completed new playground was funded by Los Angeles Parks Foundation, through “monetary and in-kind contributions” from FireAid, GameTime and Banc of California. It was “designed to be universally accessible and inclusive, and to offer safe and joyful spaces for children ages 2 to 12,” according to LAPF.
More than 450 attendees tuned into a special meeting co-hosted by Pacific Palisades Community Council and Councilmember Traci Park on Thursday evening, August 7, to review a “recovery vision” for what lies ahead and a presentation by AECOM.
Park addressed the “pivotal moment” for the community as it reached seven months after the Palisades fire, transitioning from “mop up and debris removal” into the “long-term construction phase” in what will be “the largest construction effort in our city’s history.” She said she took information from “hundreds of meetings,” time spent in areas that experienced disasters, like Lahaina and Paradise, and meetings with contractors, builders and beyond into a “vision document.”
“As your councilmember, I am adamant that your voices and your needs and priorities and that your decisions are at the core of every decision we make and every step that we take going forward,” Park said. “My office and I are going to be here to help provide the coordination and the policy tools and support that you need, as well as the help that you’re going to need to continue your journey through this recovery.”
Park then shared her “recovery vision,” detailing that it would be “community-led” and “government-supported,” while rebuilding “the Palisades for the victims” and preserving the character. She also addressed improving emergency preparedness and modernizing infrastructure.
She detailed recovery surveys that were administered with the help of Maryam Zar and Palisades Recovery Coalition on a “wide range of issues,” spanning “insurance challenges; rebuilding priorities, plans and timelines; and infrastructure and public amenities upgrades and changes.”
“Most respondents lived in the Palisades for over 20 years and nearly 40% had children living under the age of 18 living with them at the time of the fire,” Park said of the just-under 1,000 responses.
About 37% said they planned to live outside of the Palisades for more than two years, while 32.5% said they would be back in less than two years and 30.5% were unsure. For those who were unsure, less than 35% reported “being adequately insured for the losses or damages” suffered.
The recovery vision included land use and preservation of community character, protecting and assisting property owners and renters, supporting small business recovery, infrastructure to support fire safety and emergency preparedness, protecting and restoring the natural environment, coordinated operations and logistics for the rebuild, restoring public spaces and amenities, and governance and funding strategy for the long-term rebuilding effort.
“The Pacific Palisades is a very unique coastal community with extremely limited ingress and egress, many sub-standard, old, narrow roads … ” Park described. “It is imperative that we continue to treat the Palisades with the due care that is necessary in all of our planning as we move through the rebuilding phase. I also think that it is really important that we respect the character of the Palisades, its natural beauty, the low-density hillside neighborhoods, your walkable village center.”
When it comes to coordinated operations and logistics for the rebuild, Park said she was “very, very grateful” to have AECOM on board to take on the load of the “very heavy lift.” Mayor Karen Bass announced on June 6 that the global infrastructure firm had been selected to “support a number of long-term components in the city’s recovery effort.”
AECOM Program Manager Matt Talley, who is also a disaster survivor, presented during the PPCC meeting after Park concluded, reporting in an activity update that they had “integrated with all relevant city department working groups” in the three weeks they have been involved, having attended more than 15 meetings at the time of the meeting.
Talley detailed three main areas of focus: infrastructure, including water and power; fire protection; and logistics and traffic management, mainly during the construction phase. Within the next 120 days, Talley said, the community can expect to see “three concrete plans,” which will be “data-driven” with “community input.”
“This is going to be a roadmap,” according to AECOM. “It lays out what the next steps are to your focus on concrete, action-oriented activities, so it really is intended to be a roadmap to continue the progress moving forward.”
The infrastructure restoration plan includes an “assessment of existing damage and current status, baseline infrastructure data, restoration tiers and strategic framework for rebuild,” according to the slideshow.
The fire protection plan “outlines phased strategies for fire protection and prevention mitigation measures, firefighting water supply alternatives, emergency access, evacuation planning and community protection priorities.” This involves coordinating with agencies like Los Angeles Fire Department and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
Logistics and traffic management will include “access assessment, staging strategies, traffic control plans, protocols to support safe and efficient recovery operations.”
The meeting included after an hour Q&A session with members of the board and community.
A sample rendering Photo courtesy of Sabrina Halper
By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief
The Palisades Village Green Board hosted a virtual meeting the evening of July 31 to discuss a proposed public art installation at the site.
“Historically, the board has been very conservative in not doing anything to change the Green,” Village Green President Cindy Wilkinson Kirven explained. “It virtually looks the same as it did when it was installed.”
Now, Kirven continued, the privately owned Village Green and its all-volunteer board of community stakeholders are in an “unusual circumstance,” after the park sustained damage in the Palisades fire, including the loss of two sheds, a pear tree, all of its electric and “a lot of sprinklers [that] melted.” During reconstruction, the board will consider ideas like consolidating the sheds to clear space for something else.
“There could be space for the proposed art project, there could be space for benches,” Kirven said. “We talked about use of the Green … and whether or not the Green is laid out as the best use for now and for the next 50 years.”
Kirven said the board was approached by Sabrina Halper (granddaughter of longtime city of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Commissioner and Palisadian Joe Halper) who is working with Elad Gil, who resided in the Huntington while Covid restrictions were in place and he could work remotely.
“They have come and offered to support, pay for and create—if that’s what we decide—install and create a maintenance fund for a piece of public art as a meaningful installation to honor and memorialize this moment in the community’s history,” Kirven said.
Kirven described the meeting as a “very early discussion” of the proposed project, with input and suggestions being sought before a design is finalized.
“These are just ideas,” Sabrina said before beginning her presentation on the proposed project. “Please be completely transparent with what you like and don’t like, and we can keep iterating and working with artists.”
Sabrina detailed her history of being raised in the Palisades from the age of 4, attending Village School and spending “after school hours at the park, Garden Cafe and Fancy Feet.” Her parents still reside in the Palisades, while she moved to the Bay Area to attend Stanford.
After two years in New York, she is living in San Francisco, working with Gil—a “technology serial entrepreneur and investor” who believes “deeply in supporting public spaces and civic inspiration.”
The public art initiative, Alexandria, launched in December 2024 and is focused on four cities—LA, Washington, D.C., Miami and New York City—for site selection. It is funded by Gil and a “small number of anon donors to date.”
The principles of the proposed project, Sabrina said, are to “restore the Green in its entirety: damaged landscaping and electrical features in need of repair”; “build something long-term beautiful, inspiring, additive, that respects the tragedy of the fires but looks to the rebuilt future”; “respect and reflect the ethos of the Palisades community”; and “maintain public gathering aspects of the Green that reflect current uses while adding a work of inspiration.”
The concept—which Sabrina said is flexible—is 20 to 30 feet in height, exploring “various materials,” including marble, bronze and carbon fiber. There are “various potential locations throughout the Green,” depending on the final statue selection.
“The Palisades has a very specific feel to it,” Sabrina noted. “It’s casual, beachy, it’s a really tight-knit community. So in all of the renderings, I tried to think of feelings and images that would fit into that and not do something too modern or too different.”
Sabrina presented several concepts, designed with feedback in mind from a previous conversation with the board, beginning with a flock of birds or phoenix rising, “honoring the strength of a community forged by fire, and lifting our gaze toward a shared and soaring future.” The next concept was an arch, representing a “step into something new” as a “symbol of transition.”
Additional concepts were a tree (standing for “life, growth and starting again” while being “grounded, steady and always moving forward”) and column of hope (a “tribute to the Palisades,” “engraved with images of homes, the beach and the Village’s historic arched building”). Past ideas, that Sabrina described as having “less interest” in them, were a gazebo (a “welcoming space where people can gather”) and Eos (“the goddess of the dawn,” who “symbolizes renewal”).
Each of the concepts Sabrina presented are customizable, with a range of possibilities discussed during the meeting, including adding a mosaic crafted from pieces of items found by Palisadians from their homes.
Following her presentation, Sabrina and Kirven opened the meeting up for feedback from board members and attendees, receiving comments to focus on the scale, functional elements (including seating) and thoughts on the concepts.
“It’s really important that we bring our community and our remnants, our feelings, our ideas to it and that those are the things that really drive us,” Village Green Board Member Lou Kamer said. “I would love to see incorporation with the local artists. I would like to see Palisadians come up with these final ideas and understand the Green for what it is, in terms of scale, in terms of lighting, the specific plan, traffic, all of those other things.”
After taking notes on feedback received from the community, Sabrina said she would “make sure that everything is taken into account,” adding there were “many good ideas and really important thoughts” shared.
“Hopefully we can all come together to create something,” Sabrina concluded.
Additional renderings are posted at instagram.com/palisadesvillagegreen, where community members have been invited to comment with feedback.
The Palisadian-Post presents an homage to Will Rogers’ column, “Will Rogers Says,” with a column by Palisadian Jimmy Dunne—on life in the “greatest town in America.”
Throw It Out of Bounds
I stopped my bike looking at Pali High’s football field the other day. A hot August day.
Started dreaming about myfootball career. Peaked when I was in eighth grade.
St. Francis Falcons. Our Catholic grammar school team in La Grange, Illinois. Those autumn Sunday games would be absolutely packed.
As a little kid, you dreamed of someday running through the huge banner held out by the cutest cheerleaders. Just roaring across the field to a sea of St. Francis fans cheering on their Falcon warriors.
I played left halfback. I had one move. That’s it.
I didn’t care what play the quarterback called. If I got the ball, I was grabbing that thing and going “left.”
Heading straight to the left sideline and then doing my move. The “stiff arm.” The goal of my play was to end up still standing up.
The other end of the spectrum? What hell looked like. Running straight up the middle. Get slaughtered and end up at the bottom of a big pile of giant, goat-smelling friends.
It was a pre-season summer practice—in a record-squelching August.
Smack in the middle of the afternoon on that practice field, it felt more like the top of a barbecue grill than a park. About 250ºF, with no wind, and I’m pretty sure the Woodstock for flying bugs.
My football scouting report wasn’t exactly “peaking” after my less-than-stellar seventh-grade season. In seventh grade, they demoted me to the sixth-grade team.
That makes you feel really cool inside.
And to rub a bucket of vinegar in my wounds, my younger brother (who was in sixth grade) played on the eighth-grade team.
Didn’t help very much in the potential girlfriend department, either.
Back to that eighth-grade practice.
After a few practices, the coaches had pretty much set in stone that I (and this other kid on the team, Rick Carney) were the runts of the litter.
Carney lived right behind our house, so we were best buddies growing up. Now that I think about it, maybe Carney and I should have spent a little more time running around the block instead of on our walkie-talkie wires that ran from my house to his.
Carney and I got the hint that the coaches weren’t exactly drinking the Kool-Aid of our amazing potential—when they dished out our practice uniforms.
They ran out of football jerseys for everybody, so Carney and I just wore undershirts over our shoulder pads. When we’d run, we’d be like flapping geese with the shoulder pads bouncing and clacking around.
But the kicker was the helmets.
They didn’t have any “regular” helmets for both of us—you know, the kind with facemasks to protect you. They gave Carney and me the used, reject helmets from the old Pop Warner league in town.
Those were the kind Knute Rockne wore back in the ’30s.
No facemask. Just this decades-old, hand-me-down, brown leather thing Carney and I stuck on our heads.
But my problem was my helmet (if you’d want to call it that) didn’t really fit on my big head. I found if I wore the thing backward, it was a little snugger.
So I did that.
The only problem was sometimes the thing would flop down in front of my eyes when I was running. But you do what you gotta do.
It was the start of practice, all melting in the heat. Carney and I were standing around the coach, looking like absolute dopes in our caveman helmets. The coach told everybody to do the same thing we did at the start of every practice.
Four laps around the goalposts. Off we all went.
That’s fun.
By the end of the first lap, Carney and I were already exhausted, chugging along in our spots of last and next-to-last place. Only Carney was behind me.
I was heading down the field for lap two—now only 50 yards away from those white, wooden goalposts—where everybody else had already made the turn.
I had to stay positive, one step at a time.
Just kept picturing and dreaming about all my favorite cheerleaders who barely knew my name—wildly cheering as I’d be busting through that banner on the first game.
I wiped off the mosquitoes snacking on my face, let those shoulder pads bounce around under my Fruit of the Loom and charged down that field.
Only three yards from the goalpost. Making the turn.
I figured no point in running one extra foot if I didn’t have to. So I’d cut it close around that goal post like a downhill skier.
What I didn’t count on was the helmet flopping in front of my eyes.
Next thing I knew, I plowed right into that goalpost. And down I went. Flat on my back with my arms spread out. Out cold.
And I know this sounds like something that would happen in a cartoon, but I swear to God, my Knute Rockne helmet snapped in two—right down the middle.
The helmet looked like a cracked eggshell on the dirt next to my head, and I was like a sizzling patty on the Memorial Park griddle.
Next thing I knew, I came to, looking up at the whole team of St. Francis players.
Coach Pridmore looked down at me and asked, “Dunne, do you know what day it is?”
I looked up at my teammates.
I looked over at the two halves of my helmet. I said, “The last day of my football career.”
Fast-forward to the first game of the season. I had a new role on the team.
Announcer.
Stood on top of this two-story scaffolding with a mic and called the play-by-play.
The fans loved me. Couldn’t have been better.
Here’s the lesson I learned.
So what?
So what if I’m not a professional football player?
Last time I checked, none of those bozos on that team ever were either.
Sometimes, in football, the best move you can make is to throw it out of bounds.
Cut your losses. Take a breath.
Think of a better play—and do that.
Jimmy Dunne is a modern-day Renaissance Man; a hit songwriter (28 million hit records), screenwriter/producer of hit television series, award-winning author, an entrepreneur—and a Palisadian “Citizen of the Year.” You can reach him at j@jimmydunne.com or jimmydunne.substack.com.
By continuing to use our site, you understand that we use cookies to improve your experience and collect analytics data. To find out more, read our privacy policy here.
