If a store is named Happy, shoppers walk through the door with high expectations. Fortunately, Happy LA, the new women’s clothing shop located in the Highlands Plaza between Mogan’s Caf’ and Palisades Video, lives up to its name. The first retail-clothing store in the Highlands is owned by Lori Bzura and Dawn Baker and features not only clothing, but Missoni beach towels, baby gifts like flip-flop booties and a few assorted house wares. The bright and cheery 1,065-sq.-ft. space, formerly Christina of Sweden Hair Design, has been completely renovated. Ceiling tiles were removed, expanding the store’s height to 9 ft., and track lighting was installed. Capiz sea-shell chandeliers (which are for sale) were hung from the ceiling and give a light tinkling sound as afternoon breezes gently blow through the store. On a hot summer day, the store is cool and pleasant. Also, 25-year-old white tiles were removed from the floor and the cement was acid-washed and painted a light turquoise. The walls, which had been covered in textured wallpaper, were sanded and painted white. Even the dressing rooms are fun, enclosed by Missoni beach towels hung on curtain rods. The overall result of the interior design, which Bzura and Baker call ‘mod-beach,’ is that this chic store has the same feel as shopping in SoHo in New York City. Not only is the ambiance happy, so is the clothing, which is both fun and practical. Prices range from $38 Tom shoes to $200 cashmere cardigans and $400 dresses. Tom shoes, a traditional Argentine shoe, come in a variety of colors; for every pair purchased, the maker donates a pair of shoes to a child in need in South America. When Bzura and Baker planned the store, they envisioned it for women in their 20s to 40s. Although they’ve only been open since July 23 and business has been steady, they’ve had a few surprises. ‘We sold one shirt to a teenager and a 72-year-old grandmother bought the same shirt,’ said Bzura, who had not expected the crossover appeal. ‘A lot of clothes are so universal that you don’t have to be a certain age,’ said Baker, who had expected that the store would appeal to all ages. She did admit surprise that a 10-year-old purchased one of their t-shirts. ‘That’s the ease of the store,’ Baker said. ‘You should feel happy in your clothes,’ Bzura added. Both women lived in New York for about 10 years and met through their husbands. Bzura’s husband Andrew is the CEO of a hedge fund in Los Angeles. The Bzuras have two boys, Billy, 5, and Lucas, 1, and they moved from New York to the Highlands four years ago. Baker and her husband, David, who is in finance, have a daughter Elle, 3, and live in Brentwood. Baker had worked as a merchandiser for J. Crew, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan and Isaac Mizrahi, who ‘was a big mentor for me,’ she said. Baker dropped out of the fashion business just before September 11, 2001, and started working as a preschool teacher in New York City. A friend who worked as Ellen DeGeneres’ make-up artist convinced Baker to work as the star’s clothing stylist, which is what brought the Baker family to Los Angeles 18 months ago. Baker was nominated for an Emmy for dressing DeGeneres. With Bzura already in Los Angeles, the two friends reconnected and started talking about owning their own shop, which has since become a collaborative effort for both families. ‘I live in the Highlands,’ said Bzura, ‘and I thought this area needed a store like this.’ The store’s name came from Baker, who was watching a special program on happiness on CNN when an expert noted that optimistic people live longer. Baker thought ‘Happy’ would be a great name for a store because ‘the name epitomizes my attitude about life. I’m an optimistic person.’ She called Bzura and asked her how she felt about Happy for a store name. ‘Absolutely,’ Bzura said. They are already receiving good feedback from customers. ‘Everyone is happy to have us here,’ Bzura said. The store is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Contact: (310) 459-5511.
New Developments in Potrero
There is no end to movement in Potrero Canyon–no shifting earth this time, but revised plans and new discoveries. At the Potrero Canyon Citizen Advisory Committee meeting two weeks ago, members learned that the seven lots located on the canyon side of Friends Street can be included in the inventory of lots that will one day be sold, with the proceeds added to the proposed trust fund to be used exclusively to complete the landfill project. ‘The L. A. City Attorney was unable to prove that those lots have been dedicated as parkland,’ said Committee chairman George Wolfberg. ‘And so the approach of the city attorney is to draft the long-awaited Trust Fund Ordinance in a flexible manner to include those Friends lots.’ The ordinance would allow certain rim lots to be sold, with the proviso that any liability for geological problems would be the responsibility of the buyers, not the Coastal Commission or the city. City Engineer Robert Hancock reported that his department has been updating plans for completing the fill, based the most current data. Because of the instability of the Pardee property, located on Alma Real before it turns into Corona del Mar, the city will add a berm on the hillside south of the canyon mouth, which will stabilize that part of the canyon. A full geological study of the canyon must wait until the grading is complete. Wolfberg questioned whether the additional build-up at the mouth of the canyon might eliminate that area as a potential site for future parking. ‘Any parking would have to be moved west, where the fill ends,’ he said, adding that the old Occidental oil-drilling site might be a possibility. Hancock also reported that it might not be safe to establish a riparian habitat in the canyon, after all. The centerpiece of the restoration project, the proposed 7.2-acre riparian habitat as part of Phase III, is one of the Coastal Commission’s primary requirements. ‘The city has decided to ask the Coastal Commission to waive the riparian requirement,’ said Dave Card, chairman of the Recreation Subcommittee. ‘Apparently, it’s not safe to have water in that canyon, which is prone to landslides. It may jeopardize the stability of the canyon.’ Water from landscape irrigation flows into huge underground pipes that were laid as part of Phase I of the fill project. The original draft proposal called for the surface runoff to flow into a cistern located under the baseball diamond and used for the riparian area; additional rain runoff within the canyon would flow into an open streambed. The committee agreed that there must be no standing water in the canyon, but wanted a clear definition of what is riparian. According to author Milt McAuley (‘Wildflowers of the Santa Monica Mountains’), a riparian woodland is distinguished by its proximity to water and is the habitat found along the shore of a stream or a pond. The continuous source of water needed by some of the species may not always be visible on the surface since underground water available at the root zone is also important. Characteristic plants include black walnut, coast live oak, California blackberry, willow, poison oak, scarlet monkey flower and veronica. Malibu Canyon, Topanga Canyon and Santa Ynez Canyon are some examples. Another good example of a riparian habitat is Los Liones Gateway Park, which was cleaned up and replanted seven years ago and relies on intermittent rain. The next Potrero Canyon Citizen Advisory Committee is scheduled for Wednesday evening, August 15 at the Palisades Recreation Center.
Neighbors, Council Reject Shell Plans
At a standing-room-only meeting last Thursday, the Palisades Community Council unanimously supported a motion opposing a plan to replace the Shell station’s garage with an automated car wash and a 24/7 mini-mart. The Council, a nonprofit organization with representatives elected from all areas of the Palisades, has no legal authority. But its members hope to influence the Department of City Planning ahead of an August 9 hearing when a zoning administrator could award Shell station owner Jin Kwok a Conditional Use Permit (CUP). If approved, the 24-hour mini-mart would occupy 1,640 sq. ft.. The car wash, operating from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., would occupy 756 sq. ft. Increased lighting would be used. The fuel pumps would remain. The zoning administrator could have large discretion over the project because Kwok has requested a deviation from the city’s planning code, says Marina Martos, assistant planning deputy to L.A. City Councilman Bill Rosendahl. ‘I’ve been through enough of these to know that you can’t predict what will happen,’ she told the Palisadian-Post on Tuesday. ‘They could require drastic changes to the permit, or they could approve it as is, or just deny it.’ The council made its decision after hearing an outcry of opposition from neighbors of the Shell station on Sunset Boulevard at Via de la Paz. More than 25 neighbors attended the meeting to express their fears of increased noise, traffic and crime. ‘We’re very upset,’ said Helen Berman, a resident of Albright Street. ‘Most of us have paid very high prices to get away from things like this. There are more deaths on Sunset every time you pick up the paper. This is going to increase crime. And it’s going to be a place to hang out, get a beer and particularly encourage teenagers to engage in risky behavior.’ (Kwok’s application does not include a permit to sell alcohol despite rumors to the contrary.) ‘I’ve been a resident here on Charm Acres Place for over 30 years,’ Allen Dunne said. ‘I’ve seen [Albright Street] go from a sleepy street to a boulevard. I forsee a line going out the [car] wash onto Via de la Paz onto Monument.’ On a permit application completed last October under penalty of perjury, Kwok representative Juan Sandoval wrote that the property was surrounded in all four directions by ‘commercial properties.’ Also, in response to a question on the application about the possible detrimental impacts of the development, Sandoval wrote, ‘This operation does not impact any of the surrounding areas.’ Kwok’s application made no mention of an adjacent large condominium complex that sits directly behind the proposed car wash. False information on the application angered many council members and fomented their opposition to the project. ‘I’m very concerned by the answer on the application that said this was surrounded by commercial property,’ Jack Allen, who represents the area on the council, told Kwok. ‘The whole application doesn’t answer the question [about its impact on surrounding property]. How can we trust anything you say?’ ‘This is just the wrong project to bring to this neighborhood,’ said Paul Glasgall, a council member living in the Highlands. ‘This is low class. There’s no redeeming value to this project.’ Kwok, who owns multiple Shell stations throughout L.A., attended the meeting with his wife. His chief engineer, Ahmad Ghaderi, defended the project against widespread criticism at the meeting. ‘There was no intent to deceive anyone,’ Ghaderi said. ‘[Sandoval] made a mistake. Ghaderi, who has managed the construction of more than 200 car washes, said that plans would accommodate as many as five cars waiting to enter the car wash, but he expects no more than two in queue simultaneously. To assuage neighbors worried about noise, he said a ‘muffler’ would be used, and that he has ordered an acoustical study to guard against other potential noise pollution. Also, at the meeting, Ghaderi projected, ‘Our traffic flow is not going to increase from what it is now.’ ‘Yes, it will!’ retorted council members and the audience in unison. Beyond urging that City Planning reject a Conditional Use application, the council’s motion also requested that a ‘focused’ Environmental Impact Report (EIR) be mandated. City officials involved in planning say that is highly unlikely given the relatively small size of the project. The motion opposing the project does not contain specific mitigation measures. Deputy Martos told the Post that the community should be prepared with compromises in case the zoning administrator approves any part of the project. —– To contact Staff Writer Max Taves, e-mail reporter@palipost.com or call (310) 454-1321 ext. 28.
SM: Caltrans Has No Say Over Incline Work Hours
The state Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has no authority over the hours of construction of the California Incline Bridge Replacement Project, leaving Santa Monica solely in charge of a controversial decision which pits that city against Palisades residents. During an interview in late July with the Malibu Surfside News, Caltrans District 7 Director Doug Failing, who oversees all state roads in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, said that his department had authority over construction hours of the Incline if any lanes of Pacific Coast Highway were closed. In the same interview, he said he would not allow daytime-only construction. But Caltrans’ authority over construction hours–a divisive topic to Santa Monica residents along PCH and L.A. residents in Santa Monica Canyon–applies to Santa Monica only if the city plans to close lanes along PCH, said Mark Cuneo, the city’s engineer managing Incline reconstruction. ‘If we were intending to close any part of PCH, Caltrans would have say over that,’ Cuneo said. ‘But because we’re not, [construction hours] are up to the city of Santa Monica.’ Engineers consider the 60-year-old Incline structurally unsound and fear calamity in the case of another large earthquake if the three-lane Incline, which connects PCH and Ocean Avenue, is not reconstructed. At its earliest, construction would begin in spring 2009 and last at least 10 months. Santa Monica does plan on closing a lane of PCH in 1,000-foot sections next year when it works to refurbish the bluffs–a separate project from the Incline. Cuneo acknowledged that Caltrans could dictate construction hours for that project, which could mean extending work into the night. According to current yet un-finalized construction plans, work on the Incline would take place between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. But that’s not nearly long enough, say Palisades residents. They fear that traffic diverted from using the Incline will clog Santa Monica Canyon’s residential streets. And they have demanded that Santa Monica take steps to mitigate the impact on their community, which includes building around-the-clock. The news that Caltrans would not have be able to control Incline construction hours disappointed community leaders, who worry that Santa Monica will ignore the interests of residents living outside its political boundaries in Santa Monica Canyon and the Palisades. ‘I had hoped that Caltrans would bring some sanity to the construction planning process,’ said Richard G. Cohen, vice-chair of the Community Council. ‘I fear that Santa Monica will not embrace 24/7-construction unless it is forced upon them.’ ‘Personally, the possibility that Caltrans was going to get involved was an unexpected bonus,’ said George Wolfberg, president of the Santa Monica Canyon Civic Association. ‘It was not something that we thought was going to happen. But we’re back to where we were before. We’re basically apprehensive.’ In early July, Santa Monica City Manager Lamont Ewell told the Post that 24/7 construction would not be considered because it would reduce quality of life for residents of PCH living across from the construction zone. And the draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) rules out ‘continuing work into the night’ for the same reason. The same report projects that extended hours could reduce construction time by as much as 25 percent. Since then, Santa Monica has rejected calls for extended construction hours and a proposal for a joint Los Angeles-Santa Monica committee by L.A. City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who represents the Palisades and West L.A. Also, Santa Monica has not yet met with the councilman or his staff to discuss possible mitigation plans despite numerous requests made by his office. While Cuneo said Santa Monica has no plans to consider around-the-clock construction, he said that the city takes Palisades residents’ concerns seriously. ‘We understand the impacts of closing the Incline on traffic,’ he said. ‘And we’re going to do everything possible and work with Caltrans to mitigate impacts.’ Last month, Santa Monica engineers met with engineers from the L.A. Department of Public Works Bureau of Engineering and the Department of Transportation (LADOT). The meeting was used to begin coordinating between the two cities. No details of the Incline were discussed, said an LADOT engineer. Even without direct control of construction hours, Caltrans has an important role in finalizing Santa Monica’s construction plans. The department must ensure that Santa Monica meets state and federal guidelines before the project receives funding. Caltrans spokeswoman Jeanne Bonfilio said that her department is cooperating with the city as partners to find the ‘best hours for the project.’ Last week, Deputy District Director Frank Quon told the Palisadian-Post that Caltrans is committed to mitigating the impact of Santa Monica’s plans. ‘We are working with the City of Santa Monica to see what they are contemplating to do with PCH,’ Quon said. ‘We are very concerned about any projects that affect PCH. Our focus is to minimize impacts to traffic flow there.’ Last week, Councilman Rosendahl met with Doug Failing and pressed Caltrans to take seriously the impact of Santa Monica’s current plans on Palisades residents and Los Angeles commuters. ‘[Failing] made it clear that PCH is his street and that we must keep traffic flow happening,’ Rosendahl told the Post. ‘He has great relationships with the bureaucracy of Santa Monica. I basically want to say we had a very fruitful meeting, and I am more positive about the project after meeting with Doug [Failing].’ Cuneo expects that Incline planners will submit the EIR to the Santa Monica City Council for approval sometime this fall. That final EIR must address public comments that were accepted until mid-July. —– To contact Staff Writer Max Taves, e-mail reporter@palipost.com or call ext. 28.
PaliHi Hires Two Key Academic Leaders
Two candidates were hired on Tuesday afternoon to fill the top academic leadership posts at Palisades Charter High School, ending months of uncertainty and anxiety among parents, teachers and school officials. On an interim basis, Marcia Haskin will fill the post of principal that was left vacant by Gloria Martinez in June. And Nichole Williams will become the school’s first director of instruction’a position recently created to deal with day-to-day instruction at the 2,700-student school. The PaliHi board unanimously approved the recommendations of its hiring committee to hire the two, longtime educators. That 14-member committee met for months and poured over dozens of applications, sometimes with conflicting views. After one of its top candidates for director of instruction turned down the position in June, some members worried that finding the best qualified candidates before the school year began would not be possible. ‘Before, one side of the room disagreed with the other side of the room,’ said Board member Eileen Savage, describing the committee’s deliberations. ‘But these candidates [Haskin and Williams] brought everyone together.’ Visibly elated members of the board and committee described their decision and praised the two final candidates. ‘I’m very pleased,’ Executive Director Amy Held said on Tuesday at the board’s special meeting. ‘The decision [of the committee] was nearly unanimous.’ Savage said the school wanted to hire candidates that ‘could hit the ground running.’ These candidates fit that description, she said. Haskin is a recently retired administrator from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). She has been principal of International Studies Learning Center in South Gate, Fremont High School and Palms Middle School. Haskin also worked as district director supporting and supervising secondary administrators. She will serve as principal until a permanent candidate is selected. Committee members say they chose Haskin, in part, because of her role training school administrators. ‘She had a great experience moving people up higher and grooming them,’ said Marci Crestani. Held hopes that Haskin will serve as a ‘mentor to aspiring administrators.’ Before joining PaliHi, Williams will relocate from New York where she has worked as an administrator at Long Island’s Uniondale High School. She also trained new teachers at Hofstra University. ‘She has worked as a generalist, which is good because she knows how to do everything,’ Held said. ‘She has a lot of energy. And she’s very humble.’ According to a school statement, ‘At Uniondale, [Williams] followed the ninth-grade class through their four years of high school overseeing academics, counseling, discipline and student activities. She also instituted a number of creative initiatives including a partnership with local colleges to offer dual-credit courses. And she implemented college-placement testing for all juniors to identify gaps in instruction and adjust the curriculum accordingly.’ Both candidates were offered one-year contracts. The salaries for principal and director of instruction were not known when the Post went to print. This summer, the school also hired Colleen McCarthy as the director of human resources. School Approves Teachers’ Contract On Tuesday, PaliHi’s board also ratified a contract with United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), ending negotiations that began in October. As part of the contract that ends in June 2008, teachers’ salaries will increase by six percent, retroactive to July 1, 2006. Also, the high school will ‘cover any increased costs in health benefit premiums per its current plan.’ Disagreement over the school’s proposed revisions to disciplinary procedure (Article 10) stalled negotiations for months. Union officials had said it would remove important workplace protections. As part of the agreement, the school will replace Article 10 with new teacher dismissal procedures. But those procedures will lapse after this contract unless made permanent. —– To contact Staff Writer Max Taves, e-mail reporter@palipost.com or call (310) 454-1321 ext. 28.
Rasmussen Rows to Gold
She has only been rowing for a year and a half, but the way Anna Rasmussen competes she could easily be mistaken for a seasoned veteran. The 17-year-old Palisadian won a gold medal at the United States Rowing Club National Championships July 18-20 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Athletes representing 100 rowing clubs across the country competed in the annual regatta at Cooper River Park. In the Women’s Junior Double Sculls, Rasmussen and her partner Katie O’Hanlon crossed the finish line four seconds ahead of the second-place duo from Quad City Rowing in Moline, Illinois. With Rasmussen in stroke position and O’Hanlon in the bow, they finished first in a field of 28 boats. It was a significant victory for the pair from California Yacht Club in Marina del Rey who had finished fifth in the Women’s Double Sculls at the U.S. Rowing Youth National Championships in Ohio in June. Rasmussen, who lives in Palisades Highlands, will be a senior at Marlborough School in the fall and is actively looking at Division I college rowing programs starting in 2008. “Rowing has a special appeal to athletes who have competed at other sports,” said Guillermo Lemus, Head Junior Rowing Coach for the California Yacht Club. “Anna is an avid triathlete and her cross-training pays off. At our club, we train young athletes like Anna in small boats, so that they get a better feel for the stroke and improvement is quicker.”
Anthony “In the Zone”
Blake Anthony is keeping plenty busy this summer. The Sunset Mesa resident just returned from Tucson, Arizona, where he was one of four players from the Palisades Tennis Center to represent Southern California at the USTA Pacific Zone Team Championships. The six-day Zonals tournament included 12 teams featuring 72 of the best Under 12 boys and girls from Northern and Southern California, Hawaii, the Southwest and the Pacific Northwest. In June, Anthony played in the USTA 12s National Championship in Omaha, Nebraska, where he reached the round of 16 in singles before falling to the No. 1 seed. In July, he played in the USTA 12s Super National Clay Court Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina. He and partner David Hsu of San Jose advanced to the round of 16 before losing to the No. 5 seeds. Anthony trains weekly at the Palisades Tennis Center and will be a seventh-grader at Corpus Christi in the fall. Joining Anthony at the Zonals were fellow PTC trainees Robbie Bellamy, Derek Levchenko and Eduardo Nava. Anthony and Bellamy played No. 3 singles for their teams, Nava played No. 4 for his and Levchenko played No. 6.
Predators Play Long Ball
Local 12-Year-Olds Hit Home Runs at Hall of Fame Tourney in Cooperstown
The Predators, a select group of 12-year-olds representing the Palisades Pony Baseball Association, were one of 95 teams from 36 states invited to last week’s American Youth Baseball Hall of Fame Invitational in Cooperstown, New York. The complex consists of 22 fields, each with green fences eight feet high that are 200 feet from home plate’much further out than the portable fences the Predators are used to at the Field of Dreams. But neither the higher fences nor added distance could keep the balls in the park when Palisades’ power hitters connected. The Predators won their first game, 6-3, against the Oak Forest Blue Demons from Illinois when Charlie Jeffers pitched a complete game, taking a shutout into the last inning. In the second game, the By-You-Gurus from New Orleans, Louisiana, bested the Predators, 6-4, despite three hits by Sam Wasserman. In Monday’s third game, the Predators mounted a sixth-inning comeback against the Syosset Cubs from Long Island, New York and held on to win when Chad Kanoff pitched out of a bases-loaded, one out jam by inducing a double play ball to Chris Groel at second base. The Predators led 1-0 in the fourth inning against the RBI Angels of Annapolis, Maryland, behind six strikeouts by Taylor Stokes. The Angels rebounded to win the fourth game 8-1. Kanoff and Wasserman held the Thunder Ridge Grizzlies from Colorado to only one hit in the fifth game, winning 5-3 on the strength of home runs by Wasserman and Jeffers. In Game six, the Chesterfield Raptors from Michigan beat the Predators, 4-3, in extra innings. The Bingham Dodgers from Utah won the last ‘regular season” game 4-1 despite a homer by Nathan Dodson. The Predators’ 3-3 record earned them a spot in the playoffs. which are similar to NCAA Basketball’s March Madness, where only winning teams advance to the next round. The Predators’ first test was against the Cincinnati Sluggers of Ohio, but it was the Predators who did the slugging! Dodson hit a three-run homer in the second inning, then Wasserman and Jackson Nethercot hit back-to-back homers in the third. But Palisades was far from done. In the fifth, Wasserman whacked his second two-run homer of the game and Kanoff cleared the fence after smacking two balls off of it earlier in the tournament. Jeffers pitched another complete game, throwing 109 pitches in the 10-5 victory. The next round produced a rematch against the Syosset Cubs. This time, the Predators led 1-0 when the Long Islanders got a three-run round tripper in the fourth inning to take the lead. Jack Jordan lined a homer to start the sixth and final inning, pulling Pali within 3-2. Jordan had missed a home run by four inches in the third when his drive struck the top of the fence and ricocheted back onto the field. With one out, Wasserman launched a high fly ball to right field that was caught at the wall and the last out was a hard line drive to center. The next night, Hit After Hit Baseball Academy of Tennesee won the championship game, 1-0, followed by a fireworks display. Also contributing to the Predators’ success throughout the tournament were John Fracchiolla, Mike Lamb, Hagen Smith, and Kyle Warner. The squad was coached by Hugh Dodson and Rob Lamb. Several Palisades players also took part in skills competitions. Wasserman hit a home run about 260 feet in the “King of Swat” event. Jordan finished seventh in the ‘Roadrunner Race’ around the bases, just missing the final. The Predators’ trip also included a visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame, paintball and boat rides. Next year, a new crop of 12-year-olds will get its chance to experience youth baseball at its best.
Eagles Soar to National Title
Palisadian Amanda Lisberger Helps Her U-17 Club Soccer Squad to Win in Texas
Amanda Lisberger has played so many games that it’s getting hard for her to keep track of them all, but she’ll remember the one last Sunday morning for the rest of her life. The Pacific Palisades striker assisted on the winning goal in the 57th minute as her U-17 club team, Eagles SC of Camarillo, defeated the Dallas Texans Red, 3-2, to win the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championship at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. “This is definitely the most satisfying win I’ve ever been a part of,” an elated Lisberger said upon returning home to Bienveneda on Monday. “We’ve been training for this since [last] August. We really gelled and this team is just the best.” In front of what she described as a “ginormous” crowd of over 3,500–most of them cheering loudly for the hometown Texans–Lisberger fired a low, hard shot that was saved by Dallas goalkeeper Courtney Smith. UCLA-bound Nicole Sweetman was there for the rebound to give the Eagles a 3-1 lead. “I got the ball on a square pass at the edge of the 18-yard box and heard my teammates shouting ‘Shoot!,'” Lisberger said. “After the save, I saw Nicole streaking towards the goal in the corner of my eye and I was like ‘Please score!'” The South Region champion Texans pulled to within a goal three minutes later but failed to net the equalizer as the Eagles reverted from a 4-3-3 to a 4-5-1 formation late in the second half. “We knew we had to come out fast and we did,” Lisberger said. “They had one really good forward that we had to watch all the time but other than her we matched up well against them.” Lisberger was substituted for late in the game and as time whittled down, she stood in front of the Eagles’ bench waiting anxiously for the final whistle. “Nicole [Sweetman] and I were holding hands and we were watching the referee because he kept looking at his watch,” she said. “Then, when it ended, we ran onto the field and practically tackled Emily [Cressy].” Cressy scored the Eagles’ first two goals on her way to winning the Golden Boot Award as the tournament’s most outstanding player. Her second tally on a breakaway in the waning seconds of the first half gave her team a 2-1 lead. “The Dallas Texans are very talented,” Eagles Head Coach Vince Thomas said. “It was our dream to play them for the national championship. It was a special moment and the memories will last a lifetime.” Champions of the West Region, the Eagles outshot the top seeds by a 15-5 margin. In fact, the Texans did not have a shot until the 33rd minute, when Gatorade National Player of the Year Melissa Henderson scored to tie the game 1-1. The Eagles’ win avenged a 2-1 loss two days earlier in the final round of pool play, when both teams rested key players so as not to “tip their hand” for Sunday’s final. Though it ended triumphantly, the tournament did not start off well for Lisberger. She sat out the Eagles’ first game against the Michigan Hawks because of food poisoning. “That was frustrating because I really wanted to play,” she admitted. “Fortunately, the team won anyway. I would’ve felt even sicker if we had lost.” Lisberger was back on the field for the second game and scored a goal in the Eagles’ 5-2 victory over Richmond Strikers Elite of Virginia. “It ws a bouncing ball and Kelsey [Owen] headed it over to me,” Lisberger described. “I just had to wait for it to drop and half-volleyed it in.” The teams traded shirts before the game and a fond memory for Lisberger was when the Strikers showed up at the final to root the Eagles on. “I’ve never played in front of a crowd that big and almost all of them were for the home team,” Lisberger said. “Their fans were all wearing red, there was a guy in body paint running up and down the sidelines and people were blowing horns. It was pretty crazy.” As thrilling as Sunday’s victory was, the Eagles’ season is far from over. The team travels to San Diego for the Surf Cup next week and the Coast Soccer League follows that. Since winning the U-14 national championship in 2004, after which Lisberger joined the team, the Eagles have 140 wins, 17 losses and 28 ties and have won three consecutive Surf Cup “Super Group” titles. Lisberger credits not only her teammates, but also her coach for the team’s success. “He’s a great guy,” Lisberger said of Thomas. “When I first joined the team I was sort of shy, so now whenever Coach sees me he says “Hello” in this really high-pitched voice. It’s kind of our little joke. He’s that way with all the players and it keeps us relaxed.” Lisberger, who has already committed to play at the University of Texas in Austin, still has a year left at Brentwood School, where she will captain her “other” Eagles in the fall. “The great thing about this team is that everyone is so good,” Lisberger said. “The seniors are so mature and I like having older teammates to look up to. It’s been a great experience that hopefully will help me because soon I’ll be one of the seniors.” Lisberger will have plenty of company at Texas in 2008. Two of her Eagles SC teammates, goalkeeper Shaine Millheiser and fullback Courtney Goodson, are also committed to play for the Longhorns. A nationally-televised show highlighting the Eagles’ national championship, will air on Fox Soccer Channel next Tuesday, August 7, at 5 p.m. and again at 8 p.m. and features a profile on Lisberger.
The Grape Vine
ABODE?s Tasting Room Goes Beyond Wine
By Merv Hecht I love Santa Monica. Numerous restaurants and wine bars open up all the time. Usually I?m not too excited about them, but one of the best I’ve eaten at in a long time is Abode, near the corner of Ocean and Colorado. By myself I would never have seen it. Fortunately, I have friends who see every new restaurant. To find Abode you have to walk between the Il Fornio restaurant on one side and Tengu on the other. Even then you have to keep walking away from Ocean Avenue until you see their small sign. Then you see very pleasant outdoor seating, and a contemporary interior with lovely draped booths. But forget the location. The important thing is the chef. Dominique Crenn is a sweetheart. More than that, she’s a great chef. She has Moroccan ancestry, which shows up in the food, as do Asian and classical French influences. But basically she’s a French chef who?s added some of the spice of life to her food. For example, I love carrot soup. But I love her carrot soup, spiced with cumin, more than most carrot soups. And boy did I love the delicious cheese fritter on the side. Every once in a while I feel like eating chicken for dinner. Particularly when the other people at the table order California chardonnay. This chicken was amazing. The skin was crisp and sweet, and the meat was tender and juicy. There were interesting tidbits on the side. Naturally I tasted a bit of what everybody at the table ordered. Every dish I tasted was cooked to perfection and in a way that made it new and more interesting than the same dish prepared in other restaurants. But enough talk about food. As always I ordered food to match the wines we were drinking. My usual deal with my friend Harvey is that he orders the white and I bring the red. Knowing that I don’t usually drink much California chardonnay, he naturally ordered the ZD 2005 chardonnay at $65 a bottle. The fact is, it was delicious and the perfect wine with carrot soup and the first half of my chicken. I brought a bottle of pinot noir with me, and drank my share of that to finish up with the remainder of my chicken. I usually bring a bottle of wine with me because it’s difficult to find anything on the wine list that I like. But that was not true at Abode. There are 12 pinot noir wines on the list, and I could have been very happy with about half of them. This is followed on the list by a strange group of cabernet sauvignon, heavily weighted toward bottles that cost between $100 and $500, something I rarely if ever order. But there’s a fair selection in the ?other reds” list that one could choose from and be relatively happy, such as the Rosenblum zinfandel at $41 a bottle. In general, as is so often the case in new restaurants, the wine list is way too heavily weighted by overpriced wines, and it desperately needs another dozen wines in the $35-$45 category. This is perhaps the only major shortcoming of the restaurant. At the end of our dinner the chef came over and introduced herself. We talked about wines and we talked about food, particularly since Harvey’s girlfriend had trained at one of the top restaurants in France. This wonderfully pleasant chef suggested that instead of our ordering a particular dessert, she would bring us out a nice assortment ?on the house.” And she did. And they were delicious. This chef is so smart that she noticed a gleam in my wife’s eyes when she saw the chocolate on the dessert platter. She proceeded to tell us that she buys her chocolate from a producer in Hawaii. We told her that we had just been at the Valrhona chocolate factory in Tain-Hermitage, France, where they have the ?tasting room” opened to the public with several hundred samples of different kinds of chocolates. A spirited conversation ensued. The chef then excused herself for a moment to go into the kitchen and bring out a huge box of chocolate pellets from Hawaii. Each of us daintily dug a hand in and took a few out, solely for professional tasting you understand. This clearly made the meal for my wife. For me it was another sign of the sensitivity and client-oriented attitude of this great chef. What a pleasure to eat at Abode! It’s almost worth overpaying for wines. But maybe we can fix that. As for our wine, they didn’t charge us the $30 corkage fee. I suppose that’s because I’m beginning to look old and needy. For reservations, call (310) 394-3463.