Board Approves Lacrosse Teams

Thanks to several years of hard work and persistence by local parents, an effort to bring a lacrosse program to Palisades High is two small steps away from becoming a reality this spring. Since Palisadian Lori Mendez and her friend Andrea Dyke started a local club team 24 months ago, the fastest growing sport in the country has become one of the most popular games in town. “At first it was just the two of us moms,” Mendez said. “Our sons played and we got the kids together who were interested, we hired a coach and we did it. We’ve had a lot of fun.” While a dozen parents and 20 kids (all wearing lacrosse jerseys and carrying sticks) watched in eager anticipation, Andrea’s husband Rhos made a presentation before the PaliHi Board of Directors on Tuesday afternoon, January 17. Jim Suhr made the motion to approve Dyke’s proposal, Booster Club President Dick Held seconded the motion and the subsequent vote was unanimous. “When they voted it in, the kids all cheered,” Mendez said. “It was a great experience for them. It’s going to be a good thing because its another sports option for these kids.” “As far as I know, Pali is the first Los Angeles Unified school to field a lacrosse team on campus and I know for a fact it’s the only City Section team to ever do it,” said Rhos Dyke, who started the ball rolling last spring before the start of the Palisades Lacrosse Club’s second season. “The first hurdle was convincing [Athletic Director] Leo Castro, [Principal] Gloria Martinez and [Vice Principal in Charge of Athletics] Charlotte Atlas that there was enough interest and support from the community to warrant making lacrosse an official school sport.” Because lacrosse is not sanctioned by the City Section, Martinez has mailed letters to both L.A. City Section Commissioner Barbara Fiege and CIF-Southern Section Commissioner Jim Staunton requesting that Palisades’ team be allowed to play in the Southern Section for at least the 2006 season. If those two petitions are granted as expected, Pali would be allowed to start practicing in mid-February with games beginning in early March. As of January 10, the Southern Section had 27 boys teams and 16 girls teams. By rule, 80 percent of all schools must offer a given sport before playoffs can be implemented, so there will be no postseason. “This wouldn’t be possible without the support of the parents,” Dyke said. “We raised almost $20,000 ourselves. We’re not asking a dime from the school. All the money has come from the pockets of the families behind it. The reaction on campus has been very positive.” Atlas confirmed that lacrosse wasn’t on the athletic budget for this year but the feedback she got from student athletes made the sport worth pursuing. “Because there aren’t any teams in the City, I explored the possibility of playing in the Southern Section right from the start–otherwise there would be no point in going any further,” Atlas said. “The only tricky part is that we have to meet the rules and regulations of both the City and Southern Sections. Also, we may have to play all or most of our games on the road. But it’s exciting for the kids. You should’ve seen how happy they were at the meeting!” Nearby schools like Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Culver City, Harvard-Westlake, Loyola, Mira Costa and Windward all have lacrosse teams and would be logical opponents for Palisades, which could have as many as 55 boys and 30 girls sign up to play–enough to field boys and girls varsity teams and a frosh/soph boys team. Former Rutgers University player Dave Schaller, who coached Torrey Pines’ club team to the state finals in 2002 and coached Whittier College to a No. 1 national ranking in 2003, will be Pali’s program director and, at least for the first season, the boys’ varsity coach. “The parents are thrilled, I’m thrilled and I’m going to make sure that every kid who wants to play will play.” PALISADES PACESETTERS Corinne O’Brien took the gold medal on the balance beam at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy Classic last week in Dallas, Texas. The 12-year-old, competing in Level 8, won the event with a score of 9.75 and her all-around score of 37.1 was third overall in an international field that included gymnasts from Russia, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, England, Mexico and Jamaica. The Academy Classic was O’Brien’s first meet of the season. She had trained only sparingly the previous nine months due to injuries. The daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Walter O’Brien, she is now homeschooled but previously attended Calvary Christian School. Madeline Amos took first place at the Southern California Scholastic Fencing League Individual Women’s Epee tournament last weekend in San Diego. Amos was seeded No. 1 at the end of pool competition and remained undefeated in Direct Elimination. Amos also won the Division III National Women’s Epee title this past summer at the United States National Championships. Amos, a freshman at Marymount High, is the school’s first ever Individual League Champion. She is currently ranked 24th in the national point standings for her age group. A four-year starter and team captain for two years at Palisades High, D’Andre Bell is now a freshman on the Georgia Tech men’s basketball team, where he has earned starting time. Bell had six points, one block and one assist in 19 minutes in the Yellowjackets’ 73-63 loss to Atlantic Coast Conference rival Clemson last Saturday. A 6-5, 200-pound forward, Bell overcame injury to average 21.4 points and 14.5 rebounds as a senior at PaliHi, leading the Dolphins into the City playoffs. Despite being sidelined from September to December with a stress fracture in his right foot, Bell had 30 points and 17 rebounds his senior year against Westchester–the top-ranked team in the state at the time. Bell averaged 25 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three blocks as a junior and was named All-City twice.