Novels such as ‘Ask the Dust’ and ‘Dreams of Bunker Hill’ romanticized downtown Los Angeles. What they did not do is bring much money or acclaim to their author, John Fante. At least not until after his 1983 death, when his work began to receive acclaim posthumously and built on the gushing superlatives of Charles Bukowski, who idolized the Italian-American writer, to grow a steady cult of fans of his seminal L.A.-set literature. Fante finally got some love back from the city he waxed nostalgically over when on Thursday, April 8”what would have been Fante’s 101st birthday”a loyal contingent of family, friends and fans turned out at the intersection of 5th and Grand in downtown for the unveiling of John Fante Square. In his lifetime, Fante did not make money writing novels but screenplays, including 1956’s ‘Full of Life’ (his biggest commercial success, based on his book), which afforded him to raise a family in Malibu. Last year, the Palisadian-Post interviewed one of Fante’s sons, Jim Fante, and his only daughter, Victoria Fante Cohen, who, with husband Michael Cohen, is a longtime resident of Sunset Mesa (see ‘John Fante: Father of L.A. Lit,’ May 7, 2009, at the PalisadesPost.com archives). ‘He would have been thrilled to be recognized for his writing with the naming of the ‘John Fante Square,’ Fante Cohen tells the Palisadian-Post. ‘I’d like to extend a special thanks to Richard Schave and Kim Cooper of Esotouric Tours for helping to bring this recognition to fruition. This is a great honor for our family, but most importantly, for my father’s legacy.’ ‘It was a wonderful event,’ Schave tells the Post. ‘Gordon Pattison spoke about old Bunker Hill. All of the [living] Fante kids were there. There was a great show of [institutional] support [behind this dedication].’ The square’s creation came about after Schave had spent three years badgering Councilwoman Jan Perry’s office to pay tribute to the famously underrated author. ‘About a year ago,’ he says, ‘there was an article in the Los Angeles TImes which lamented the lack of a square for John Fante, and that was a great opening statement in my e-mail that day to the Perry deputy in charge of the project.’ On April 8, early birds got to see the southwest-corner sign’s installation prior to its big photo op. ‘The mood was giddy,’ Cooper says. ‘The crowd grew quickly, and all around you saw people smiling a sort of drunken ‘never thought this would happen’ smile.’ ‘It felt like a beautiful dream, from each of the moving short speeches to the ritual of family, scholars and Councilwoman Perry pulling the cord to reveal the John Fante Square sign for the big reveal.’ Some of the speakers in attendance included Fante biographer Stephen Cooper, representatives from UCLA’s Department of Special Collections library, where Fante’s letters and manuscripts are housed, and the Downtown Los Angeles Public Library. ‘Afterwards,’ Kim Cooper says, ‘a bunch of us rode the newly restored Angels Flight down to Grand Central Market, where we socialized over tacos. We ended the afternoon in the cool and welcoming King Edward Saloon, where [‘Ask the Dust’ protagonist Arturo Bandini] lost his royalty check to B-girls. Nobody wanted the day to end. It was magic.’ ‘His name is out there,’ Schave says of Fante. ‘People are thinking about him again, and thoughts have wings.’ For more on the dedication, visit archive.org/details/JohnFanteSquareCeremony
Register Early for Volleyball Camps
Palisadians and former pro beach volleyball teammates Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos once again bring their knowledge and expertise to Will Rogers State Beach this summer for their annual Beach Volleyball Camp. Early registration is underway for 2010 sessions, which run June 7 through September 3 at Lifeguard Tower 18. Campers can choose to come one day at a time, one week or multiple weeks. Camps are open to boys and girls ages 7-18 from beginner to advanced levels. The Elite camp offers more experienced volleyball players an opportunity to sharpen their skills, engage in competitive play, improve their technique and work with two of the sports living legends. Sand & Sea Recreational Camps are ideal for children. Adults looking to enhance their skills or learn the sport can sign up for the Adult Volleyball Clinic. Private lessons tailored to an individuals’ particular skills are also available. For more information, visit the Web site at www.beachvolleyballcamps.com, call Dennis Marlow at 310-940‐7166 or e‐mail Mariana Aguilar at mariana@beachvolleyballcamps.com. Middle School Mania Sunday The Palisades-Malibu YMCA is hosting an evening of fun for junior high school students this Sunday, May 16, at Simon Meadow (at the corner of Temescal and Sunset). Called “Middle School Mania,” the free event for 6th-8th graders begins at 7 p.m. and includes volleyball with Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos, an obstacle course and a community service art project. Parents can sign their kids in and out or participants can stop by the YMCA office at 821 Via de la Paz for a waiver form. Howland’s Camp Back at PaliHi UCLA men’s basketball coach Ben Howland will once again hold his summer youth camp at Palisades High for boys and girls ages 6-12. This year’s week-long session will run from June 28 to July 2 at Palisades High. The five-day camp costs $350 and offers specialized instruction with an emphasis on fundamentals. Camps run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. To enroll by mail, send checks payable to “Ben Howland, Inc.” to BCH Camps, P.O. Box 24413, Los Angeles, CA 90024-0413, fax an application via credit card payment to 310-206-3440 or register online at www.camphowland.com/camper.aspx.
FuelRx Offers Boot Camps in Malibu
Are you motivated to get in shape this summer? FuelRx Fitness is offering wellness packages specializing in body fat loss, lean body mass increase, cardiovascular strengthening, muscle conditioning, stress reduction, energetic mind/body balance, and immune system boost for increased vitality and improved health. Registration is underway for Fuel Rx’s four-week bootcamps to be held in Malibu beginning in mid June. Three packages are being offered: — DIAMOND EXCLUSIVE: includes unlimited scheduled boot camps, four 60-minute private training sessions, four 60-minute massages, two fitness assessments, a nutritional analysis and a specialized program design. — GOLD DELUXE: includes two 60-minute private training sessions, two massages, two fitness assessments, nutritional analysis and a specialized program design. — SILVER STAR: includes one 60-minute private training session, two fitness assessments, a nutritional analysis and a specialized program design. Boot camps will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-8 a.m. and 8-9 a.m. and Saturdays from 7-8 a.m. at Malibu Bluffs Park (24250 Pacific Coast Highway) beginning June 15. Sessions on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays will be available in Sherman Oaks from 7-8 a.m., 8-9 a.m. and 9-10 a.m. starting June 14 (call 818-262-1711 for details). Space will be limited to 12 people for each location in order to ensure exclusive attention and the highest quality service, so reserve a spot now. Sign up before May 31 and get 20 percent off your first month. For more information or to sign up, visit the Web site: www.fuelrxfitness.com
Schy Sets Pace for Brentwood
Savannah Schy, a 14-year-old freshman at Brentwood School won the 100 and 200-meter junior varsity races at the Olympic League finals last week. She will also be an alternate on the Eagles’ 4 x 100 relay team at the CIF Preliminaries Meet. Schy, who previously attended Village School, won the 100 in 13.95 seconds and won the 200 in 29.43 seconds. She was the California State Level 4 Gymnastics champion in 2005), led the Brentwood 4 x 100 relay to the middle school league title last year and has competed in every Optimist/YMCA Track Meet since she was 6 years old. Schy also won the Presidential Fitness Award in 7th and 8th grade, putting her in the top 15 percent of all students her age nationally. * * * * * * Palisades High sophomore John Lemoine scored in regulation and again in overtime as the Santa Monica Rugby Club’s U16 boys’ squad reached the semifinals of the Southern California playoffs two weeks ago, losing to the San Diego Young Aztecs on penalty kicks. Lemoine scored the Dolphins’ try and the sides traded scores from then on as regulation ended in a 26-26 tie. Lemoine scored again in overtime, which ended deadlocked at 31. San Diego rallied from a 3-2 deficit after four shootout rounds to win 43-40. * * * * * * Redshirt sophomore Cole Cook pitched his first shutout of the season as Pepperdine routed West Coast Conference rival St. Mary’s 12-0 last Saturday afternoon in Moraga. Cook, a former All-City pitcher at Palisades High, notched his fourth complete game of the season, throwing 109 pitches (70 of them strikes), allowing seven hits and striking out six batters. * * * * * * Four Palisadians were among the 800 runners from 16 states who participated in the XTERRA Malibu Creek Challenge Trail Run last Sunday. Tricia Baak, 41, completed the 22K course in two hours, 37 minutes and 47 seconds (ninth in her age division) while Craig Fischer, 48, finished in 2:53:07 (20th in his division). Mary Colburn of Culver City set a new women’s course record, crossing the finish line in 1:43:56 and Emilio Perez of Riverside clocked 1:38:29 to win the men’s race. In the 6K race, Cindy Suby, 37, was second in her division in 36:29 while Matt Haggenmiller, 36, was 10th in his division with a time of 37:43. Camron Shahmirzadi of Woodland Hills won the men’s 6K in 25:22 and 15-year-old Megan Huebner won the women’s race in 30:43.
Falcons Soar to Softball Finals
The St. Matthew’s softball team nearly won its seventh consecutive Pacific Basin League championship last Thursday, falling to Windward 15-5 in the finals. Still, it was yet another stellar season for the Falcons, who finished in a three-way tie for first place while posting a 9-3 overall record. In the quarterfinals, St. Matthew’s routed Willows 22-4 behind a 14-hit attack led by Jackie Carr (a home run, a double and a single) and Joe Kremer (two doubles and a single). In the semifinals, St. Matthew’s rallied from a 3-1 third-inning deficit to beat Brentwood 16-3. Elena Barberia delivered a key bases-loaded single to open the floodgates, Lauren Kearley had three hits and Carr pitched a four-hitter. Windward had lost to St. Matthew’s 11-6 in the regular season, but scored seven runs in the sixth inning to exact revenge in the championship game. Carr had three hits, including her second home run of the playoffs, and Kremer added two doubles and a single. Rounding out the Falcons’ squad were Courtney Carswell, Kristen Goldberg, Brooke Reese, Charlotte Notaras, Lindsay Kornfeind and Sarah Hurst. Tennis Cameron Schiffer and Thomas Adair won three matches to capture the Pacific Basin League doubles title. Schiffer, a 7th-grader and Adair, a 6th-grader, beat Crossroads’ Will Newirth and Ben Weisman, 6-1, in the quarterfinals, beat Wildwood’s Griffin Maduzia and Adam Gelbert, 6-3, in the semifinals and beat Ellie Konberg and Julian Albou of Wildwood, 6-4, in the finals. Track & Field St. Matthew’s tied for second place in the girls’ competition and finished fourth in the boys’ competition at the Pacific Basin League Championships at West L.A. College. The girls finished with 20 points, just two behind winner Windward thanks to three first-place finishes. Jo Kremer won the 1600 meters in 6:09.2, Claire Chapus cleared 4′ 2′ to win the high jump and the 4 x 400 relay team of Emma Sanderson, Alex Jackson, Mackenzie Howe and Kremer won in 4:41.4. Kremer took second in the long jump (13′ 10″) and third in the high jump (4′ 0′) while Howe was second in both the high jump (4′ 2″) and 400 meters (63.8 seconds) and Jackson was third in the 800 meters (2:50.2). The 4 x 100 relay team of Josephine Washburn, Mackenzie Howe, Lily Donnell and Brianna Kupfer was runner-up in 62.2 seconds. Other contributors for the Falcons included Amy Nadal, Juliette West, Milan Agnone, Pippa Thomas, Liza Wong, Jules Barlow, Libby Glenn, Hannah Bowlin. Tyler Newman led the boys team by scoring in three individual events. He won the high jump (4′ 2″) and took third in both the long jump (15′ 11′) and 400 meters (59.5 seconds). Marko Trapani was third in the high jump (3′ 10″), Matt Douglas was ran 2:24.1 in the 800 meters and the 4 x 400 relay team of Hudson Ling, Nick Moreno, Newman and Kelly Harlan won in 4:22 flat. Also competing for St. Matthew’s were Henry Prentice, Jack Newman, Michael Mapes, Hank Algert, Alec Graham and Lochlan Montgomery. Golf St. Matthew’s took third place with a team score of 231 in the Pacific Basin League Coed Championships last Saturday at The Lakes in El Segundo. Brandon Kupfer was the Falcons’ low scorer with a 36, followed by Alex Kahn (37), Peter St. John (38), Matthew Koh (39), Preston Clifford (40), Nick Moreno (41) and Clay Davis (41). Individually, Elizabeth Edel carded a 47, Alexander Brown a 51, A.J. Peyrot a 52 and Zac Christian a 54. Kupfer’s 36 earned him a tie for seventh place in the tournament. Volleyball With five 6th-graders on its 7th-grade team, St. Matthew’s reached the Delphic League finals, falling to Harvard-Westlake 25-17, 21-25, 15-11, in the championship match. Game 2 was tied 9-9 when Hunter Price made a diving dig to set up a Matt Douglas kill, giving the Falcons a lead they would not give up. The deciding third game was tied five times before the Wolverines pushed ahead. Matt Douglas, the setter, played a strong match along with Quinn McGinley, Price and Matt Kaufman. Matt Ursin-Smith, Colin Enzer, A.J. Peyrot and Hank Algert were in the back row, Kia Torab made a key serving run in the second game while Grady Miller and William Ruppenthal also contributed. The 8th-grade team lost in the semifinals to Harvard-Westlake, 25-23, 25-17. Setter Brandon Kupfer came back from a shoulder injury to lead the team. Preston Clifford, Tyler Newman and Drake Mumford were strong at net. Clay Davis, Andrew Jones, Alex Kahn, Eric Roosendahl and Kieran Sheridan also contributed to the Falcons’ success. sports@palipost.com
Spikers Win Playoff Opener
Having achieved its first goal–winning the Western League championship–the Palisades High boys’ volleyball team now has its sights set on a bigger one–the City Division I championship. The third-seeded Dolphins took their first step towards that goal Tuesday night but got a tougher match than expected from 14th-seeded South East in the second round of the playoffs. Palisades had a bye in last Thursday’s first round. The Dolphins prevailed, 25-14, 25-20, 26-24, led by senior hitter Kene Izuchukwu’s 14 kills on 26 attempts. Junior Denton Van Duzer added 11 kills and junior Isaac Margulies had 23 digs for Palisades, which swept despite committing 16 service errors. “I told our guys beforehand that every match could be our last,” Coach Chris Forrest said. “I wasn’t going to call a timeout that last set, even when it got tight. I wanted them to figure it out for themselves and luckily they did.” Next up for the Dolphins is a quarterfinal match against sixth-seeded El Camino Real of Woodland Hills on Thursday at 7 p.m. The Conquistadores swept Sun Valley Poly in the second round. The semifinals are next Tuesday night and, barring an upset, Palisades will have to travel to second-seeded Van Nuys. The Division I final will be Saturday, May 22, at Roybal Learning Center in Los Angeles.
JV Lacrosse Wins City Title
Lacrosse at Palisades High has grown in leaps and bounds the last few seasons and not just at the varsity level. A testament to the overall strength of the program was the junior varsity boys’ performance in the City Section Tournament last Saturday at Birmingham High. The Dolphins’ JV accomplished the remarkable feat of winning the City varsity title to cap an undefeated season and serve notice that Palisades could be the team to beat for many years to come. Palisades’ varsity team earned a berth in the tougher Southern Section playoffs, thus leaving the chore of defending the City title to the JV. No problem. Led by standout freshman attacker Daniel Gurvis, sophomore attackers Luke Rivera and Ryan Angelich, freshman midfielders Blake Bryant and Jack Jordan, sophomore midfielder Hunter Venturelli and freshman defenders Chris Groel and Spencer Sawaii, Palisades blanked L.A. Jordan, 14-0, in the semifinals. Then, in the finals, the Dolphins outscored host Birmingham, 13-8, to finish with 17 wins (most by lopsided margins) and zero losses. “This was a landmark year for the entire program,” said Rick Groel, who coached the JV along with Gus Campos. “I like coaching the JV because winning is not our only priority. Our goal is to get the kids ready for varsity and that means teaching fundamentals and making sure they learn how to play the game properly.” Rounding out the squad were sophomore midfielder Jack Gelber, freshman midfielder Dylan Coleman, freshman attacker Kyle Angelich, junior defender Roger Arauz, freshman midfielder Danny Bailey, sophomore defender Dylan Hellberg, sophomore midfielder Daniel Hernandez, freshman midfielder Nick Jaffe, sophomore midfielder Nick Kane, junior midfielder Julian New, freshman attacker Jack Wyman, sophomore midfielder Oliver Scott, junior goalie Bryan Maclean and freshman goalie Josh Roback. “These guys had a great year and, more importantly, each of them improved over the course of the season,” Groel said. “That’s what it’s all about to me–seeing them get better. With just a handful of seniors graduating, next year is looking pretty good too.” Just how dominant was Palisades’ JV team? Including the playoffs, the Dolphins posted seven shutouts and outscored their opposition by a staggering 230 to 31 margin. Meanwhile, Palisades’ varsity boys and girls both made their first appearance in the Southern Section playoffs and both reached the semifinals. The boys, coached by Scott Hylen, Tommy Johnson, finished 17-3 and earned the No. 6 seed in the postseason tournament. The Dolphins edged Newbury Park, 4-3, in the first round, then routed Chaminade of West Hills 9-3 in the quarterfinals before losing to second-seeded Mira Costa in the Final Four. The girls’ team, coached by Juliet Mittlemann, Alison Brittain and Kristina Villamil, had an 11-game winning streak and was unbeaten against City opponents. The Dolphins outscored host La Canada, 9-8, in the quarterfinals of the Southern Section playoffs and gave Cate of Carpinteria all it could handle before falling, 10-9, in the semifinals. sports@palipost.com
Pali Tennis Routs Granada Hills
It is no big shock that the Palisades High boys’ tennis team has advanced to the finals of the City Championship draw. The ease with which it did so, however, is a bit surprising, even as loaded in talent as the Dolphins are. Palisades dusted off eighth-seeded Marshall 28-1 1/2, nearly duplicating the 29 1/2-0 score by which they beat the Barristers in last year’s playoffs. The Dolphins then downed fourth-seeded Granada Hills 27-2 1/2 on Tuesday to move within one victory of defending their title. Palisades is the top seed and will be the heavy favorite Thursday when it faces second-seeded Eagle Rock at Balboa Sports Center in Encino. The match will begin at 1 p.m. Eagle Rock beat third-seeded Van Nuys 22 1/2-7 in Tuesday’s other semifinal. Palisades crushed Granada Hills 26 1/2-3 last spring to earn its 17th boys’ crown under current coach Bud Kling. sports@palipost.com
Baseball Seeded Seventh in City
It was not easy, but the Palisades High varsity baseball team closed out the regular season with a 4-3 victory over Hamilton to put the finishing touch on yet another Western League title. Coach Mike Voelkel crunched the numbers Tuesday night and had his team ranked seventh. He obviously did his homework because that’s just where a nine-member selection committee seeded the Dolphins the following day. “We have no control over where they place us but I do think that our tough nonleague schedule and our head-to-head results against other City teams work in our favor,” Voelkel said Tuesday. “Being a league champion should factor into the criteria also.” Palisades (17-10) will take on 10th-seeded Bell (24-7) in the first round at 3 p.m. next Wednesday at George Robert Field. Coincidentally, it is the only first-round game featuring two schools from outside the San Fernando Valley. Bell enters the playoffs having won 8 of its last 10 games. Just as Palisades posted a 11-1 mark in the Western League, the Eagles went 11-1 to win the Eastern League. They have tournament victories over three Western League opponents: Venice, Hamilton and Westchester. Regardless of how far the Dolphins advance, Voelkel is proud of what his team has accomplished to this point: “We were not the favorites going into the season but we grew a lot as a team and had some individuals who came up big for us in key situations along the way.” Freshman Sam Wasserman has played with poise all season and he did so again Monday, delivering a clutch single to left field with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning to snap a 3-3 tie after Ryan Kim drew a lead-off walk and pinch runner Adam Levin moved to second on Chase Holmes’ sacrifice bunt. For one of the few times all season, ace pitcher Julian Achez was not sharp, but he still led 1-0 when he was lifted after loading the bases with no outs in the top of the fourth inning. Thanks to some gutsy pitching by reliever Hunter Varnum, the Yankees managed only one run. In the next inning, however, Hamilton scored twice more to take a 3-1 lead. The Dolphins answered right back in their half of the frame when Dylan Jeffers’ two-out single to center scored Julian Harrison and Cary Jacobson. Last Thursday, Phillip Joseph pitched four innings of solid relief as Palisades beat Hamilton 6-3. Pali scored four times in the top of the first inning to take command. Achez hit a towering home run over the left field fence in the third inning and Josh Korn scored from third on a balk in the fifth. Should the Dolphins get past Bell they would likely travel to second-seeded Banning in the quarterfinals next Friday, unless the Pilots are upset by the winner of this week’s wildcard game between No. 18 Sun Valley Poly and No. 15 Reseda Cleveland. Last spring, Palisades drew the sixth seed but was upset 1-0 in the first round by 11th-seeded Banning. * * * * * * The junior varsity finished 15-4 and went undefeated in the Western League with Monday’s 12-0 win at Hamilton. Freshman Harrison Simon pitched a two-hitter and Jason Barnett went 3-for-3 at the plate. Last Thursday, Travis Traweek had 11 strikeouts in a one-hit shutout of the Yankees and Sage Lewis homered in the first inning. * * * * * * The Palisades High baseball program will be conducting American Legion tryouts next Saturday, May 22, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at George Robert Field. Tryouts are open to ages 15 (incoming freshmen) through 17 and players must bring their own cleats, bats and gloves. Softball Having finished fourth in the Western League, Palisades was seeded 11th out of 20 teams in the City Invitational playoffs and travels to sixth-seeded Narbonne for a first-round game today at 3 p.m. If victorious, the Dolphins would likely travel to third-seeded Fremont in the quarterfinals next Tuesday. Hannah Fagerbakke was voted first team All-Western League after batting over .600. Catcher Karina Perez and shortstop Jenna Paul made the second team. sports@palipost.com
TAG Exhibit Features Mendez’s Final Work
Tag Galley presents new works by Diane Rudnick Mann, Valerie Nielsen Mendez and Joan Vaupen through May 22. The opening reception is set for May 8 at the gallery, 2525 Michigan Ave., D3, at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica. ‘ Mann offers meticulously rendered still-life paintings of pencils, jellybeans, pimiento-stuffed olives and rusty old keys. ‘I like to paint everyday objects, something you would walk by and never notice,’ she explains.’ Painter and innovative artist Mendez worked in mixed media, producing images that are both obscured and revealing. The Pacific Palisades resident passed away on March 15 at the age of 62 while finishing her last pieces for this exhibit. The show features two forms of’Mendez’s artistic interpretation of contemplative communication. One is her traditional use of Plexiglas, and the other is her recent exploration of layers on canvas sans Plexi.’Her piece ‘Clear Signs of Life’ maintains the visual idea of layers through the use of circles. In Vaupen’s new experimental work,’the Palisadian continues pouring and’dropping watercolor and acrylic paint in and around the surface of paper, moving it with her hands and fingers. Contact: 310-829-9556.