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Small Budget, High Costs Limit Park Plans

Committee to Meet July 17 at Temescal Canyon Park Before Finalizing Plans

Last June, the City Council approved $250,000 in Proposition K funds to renovate the city’s park in lower Temescal Canyon. Now comes the tough part: deciding how to spend it. Since May, a Local Volunteer Neighborhood Oversight Committee (LVNOC) composed of six Palisadians has met twice to discuss how to renovate a park that many residents consider sorely in need of repair. Stuart Muller has lived above Temescal Canyon Road for 32 years. He hoped that that money could be used to reverse years of deferred maintenance, which has left concrete picnic tables crumbling, wooden pergolas dry-rotting and once-free-flowing streams stagnating. ‘The original vision was to replace all the concrete tables, the pergolas and replace the park’s trails with decomposed granite,’ said Muller, an LVNOC member. But city officials have encouraged Muller and others to pare down their goals: According to the Bureau of Engineering, which manages Prop. K projects for the Department of Recreation and Parks, only $185,000 can be used for actual construction of the original $250,000. The rest is reserved for design, permit and other miscellaneous fees. That lower amount, combined with high construction costs and spending limits imposed by the voter-approved bond, has limited members’ goals. The following priorities have tentatively emerged from the LVNOC’s last meeting on June 20: ‘ To replace the picnic tables at the three picnic areas closest to Pacific Coast Highway. City officials estimate that it will cost $3,500 to purchase and install each picnic table. That high cost makes it prohibitively expensive to replace all 53 tables throughout the park. ‘ To repair’and perhaps, replace’the pergolas at the two picnic areas closest to PCH. ‘ To remove the wooden pergolas at all picnic areas, except for the two sites closest to PCH. Members’ fear of the homeless and brush fires have also prompted recommendations to move picnic tables closer to Temescal Canyon Road, farther away from the canyon. That would leave park visitors with less privacy and more noise. But some members say that the risks to neighboring houses outweigh these concerns. Last fall, a fire that originated from a homeless encampment in the canyon scorched a home’s hillside-backyard before firefighters extinguished the dangerous blaze. And many canyon residents fear a repeat. ‘It’s politically incorrect to say that you don’t want the homeless camping out,’ Muller said. ‘But farther away from my back door is best for me. Some people wanted to move [the picnic tables] farther away from the canyon because they want to prevent nefarious activity from going on’late-night partying, boozing, barbequing. Nobody said that explicitly but that’s what people are getting at.’ LVNOC member Susan Oakley was originally surprised with the city’s estimated costs of construction. But she believes that the committee’s tentative plans could benefit the park. ‘I think we will end up with a more passive park to the north which will allow picnicking of the blanket-under-the-tree type,’ wrote Oakley by e-mail. ‘Meanwhile the southeast side of Temescal, nearest the bathrooms, play equipment and beach will be greatly improved, inviting and safe.’ Before finalizing their plans, LVNOC members will tour the park on Tuesday, July 17 at 6 p.m. They will meet at the second picnic area from the bottom of the canyon. Residents are encouraged to attend this meeting and provide their thoughts. If current plans are approved this month, construction could begin as soon as the end of August, said Cathie Santo Domingo, who is managing the project for the Bureau of Engineering. Domingo considers the project ‘surprisingly one of the simplest’ that the Bureau has. She projects that construction, which would be done by workers at the General Services Department, could be completed by December. —— To contact Staff Writer Max Taves, e-mail reporter@palipost.com or call (310) 454-1321 ext. 28.

Parade: Where Pols Meet Citizens (Or Not)

Councilman Bill Rosendahl with Deputy Andrea Epstein and Norman Kulla at last week's July 4 Parade (clockwise from upper left).
Councilman Bill Rosendahl with Deputy Andrea Epstein and Norman Kulla at last week’s July 4 Parade (clockwise from upper left).
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer

Rosendahl sent out smiles and thumb-salutes from atop a ’37 Cord. Brownley–a first-timer–waved from an orange Thunderbird (circa ’57). And repeat-parader Zev and wife grinned from a new, gray Mercedes convertible. But Antonio was a no-show. ‘Too bad,’ said Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Arnie Wishnick, who helped organize the July 4 parade. ‘He would have been riding a beautiful, two-tone Ford Fairlane convertible–a ’57, I think.’ The night before the parade–and the front-page Los Angeles Times photo/article revealing the mayor’s indiscretion with a Telemundo newscaster–a spokesperson for Mayor Villaraigosa left a message on Wishnick’s voicemail, informing him, ‘The mayor will not be riding, unfortunately,’ Wishnick recounted. The mayor’s staff did not, however, act early enough to keep the Fairlane from coming to the parade. The car, with the mayor’s name emblazoned on posters across its doors, sat motionless in queue before the parade began, frequently falling prey to bypassers’ raunchy jokes. ‘Oh, stop it!’ one woman barked to a male companion who launched into a one-liner as they passed the empty car, which lay close behind Grand Marshall Pat Boone and the Santa Monica Mounted Police. ‘But he’s a public figure,’ the man chimed back. Despite a last-minute campaign by City Councilman Bill Rosendahl to use the car for extra staff members, the Fairlane rode alone. Intrigued by the passenger-less convertible, parade-goers asked the driver all along the one-mile route, ‘Where’s your passenger?’ The driver flashed them a poster, which had by then been taken off the sides of the car, bearing the mayor’s name. ‘[The driver] said that people nodded,’ Wishnick said. ‘They understood.’ Liz Gill Brauer, a longtime Palisadian, was standing at the corner of Via and Sunset when she heard that the mayor wasn’t coming. ‘I like to see people I voted for, and I wanted to see Villaraigosa. But he probably would have been heckled,’ said Brauer, who admitted that she ‘kind of’ would have liked to have seen him get his instant karma. The Palisades July 4 parade regularly attracts local political notables, including the mayor himself last year. It is, arguably, the only event of the year that pulls Westside politicians from sometimes-inaccessible halls of power onto the streets to meet citizens’or at least wave and smile at everyone who didn’t attend the pre-parade VIP lunch. And they seemed to enjoy it. Assemblywoman Julia Brownley looked giddy after the 30-minute route. ‘It was so much fun!’ she told the Palisadian-Post. ‘The dancers behind me were great. I’m going to come back next year. I wouldn’t miss it for the world!’ Brownley, a Santa Monica resident, said she used to bring her children to watch the parade, but she never participated in it until this year. She was elected last November, replacing termed-out Assemblywoman Fran Pavley (who had planned earlier this year to walk with her dog as part of the Patriotic Pups brigade in the parade). ‘It’s my favorite parade in the entire county,’ said L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky at the end of the route. ‘I think I’ve been here 12 or 13 times in a row. It’s a great community and always a great parade.’ Rosendahl arrived in the Palisades from a Westchester parade, and he planned to attend two more Independence-Day celebrations. ‘It was amazing,’ Rosendahl said. ‘Besides expressing their patriotism, people use it as an opportunity to comment on how you’re doing your job. I found people would yell out to me. They’d say, ‘Hey, Bill. Keep up the good work!’ It’s almost like an instant report card on your performance as an elected official. For me personally, it was a good moment.’ Paul Borraccia kept his eyes peeled for passing politicians at the parade. He walked busily along the route, distributing signs to likeminded dissidents that read, ‘Impeachment Is Patriotic.’ ‘I’ve handed out dozens of these,’ Borracchia said. ‘The message is really resonating.’ Politicking didn’t keep him from enjoying the parade, though. ‘I liked the bagpipes the most,’ he said. No word yet on whether the mayor will come to next year’s parade. ‘Hopefully, the mayor gets his house in order and comes next year,’ Wishnick said. ‘He’s always welcome here.’ Even without Villaraigosa, the Palisades is almost guaranteed participation from its other ‘mayor.’ Honorary Mayor Gavin MacLeod’s two-year term ends next June, and it’s not yet clear who will replace the former ‘Love Boat’ captain. Wishnick, who helps select ‘mayors’, isn’t worried. ‘They’ve had near-perfect July 4 attendance records,’ he said. ‘Except for Martin Short, who may have been working or had other summer plans.’ —— To contact Staff Writer Max Taves, e-mail reporter@palipost.com or call (310) 454-1321 ext. 28.

Harry Potter and the Final Call

Imparting wisdom on parade spectators were Minerva McGonagall (Katie O’Laughlin) and Albus Dumbledore (Allen Eisenstock), fictional characters from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books. O’Laughlin is the owner of Village Books on Swarthmore and Eisenstock is a local author, whose most recent book, “Just a Guy” was written with popular comedian Bill Engvall.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer

Village Books announces its fourth, and probably final, Harry Potter Poster Contest. All ages are invited to participate in drawing, painting or designing a poster containing the words ‘Harry Potter & The Deathly Hollows.’ On the back of the poster, please write a name, age and phone number. Entries must be received at the store on 1049 Swarthmore Ave. by Friday, July 13th at 6 p.m. Winners will be announced at the bookstore on Friday, July 20, at 11:30 p.m. Starting with Rowling’s fourth book ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,’ the bookstore initiated a contest where residents were asked to create a poster that best illustrated their perception of the about to be released novel. Every time a new book was released, Village Books has held a poster contest. Since Rowling has said that this will be her last Harry Potter book, it also means this will be the last chance to participate in this contest. Village Books, which just celebrated its tenth anniversary, started the a tradition of selling the Harry Potter books a minute after midnight on the day of their release and have done so for the past four books. About 11 p.m. customers start to line up outside of the store, and by midnight a long line has formed winding down the sidewalk on Swarthmore Avenue, better known as Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Obtaining one of the first copies of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books at Village Books has turned into a Palisades community gathering. In 2005, with the release of ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,’ about a hundred people waited to receive one of the first copies of the book. In keeping with the evening’s festivities, many dress as characters from the book. Employees from Village Books judge the costumes while customers wait in line. This year the first-place winner of the costume contest will be escorted to the front of the line as well as receiving a Muggle prize. (In Harry Potter’s world, Muggles are non-wizards.) Yet others standing in line eat chocolate as a way of staving off the Dementors (fictional characters that suck happiness and hope out of person). Chocolate works to prevent that from happening. Once the midnight hour tolls, the store is opened and young and old alike wait patiently until it is their turn to buy a copy of the fantasy story of the ‘good’ embodied in Harry Potter versus the ‘evil’ of Lord Voldemort that is played out in the fictional wizard community and Hogwarts School, which trains wizards. Rowling, who after 17 years of writing the series has had more than 325 million copies of the first six books sold worldwide, told an interviewer with Reuters New Services that she was both ‘euphoric’ and ‘devastated’ with her final Harry Potter book. “I think that Harry’s story comes to quite a clear end in book seven,” she told the BBC over the weekend. “But I have always said that I wouldn’t say never.’ When she was asked if she would write another Harry Potter book, she said it was highly unlikely and said that some characters will die in the last book. “It’s not a bloodbath, but it’s more than two,” she told the BBC. The seven books and their release dates are: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (26 June 1997) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2 July 1998) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (8 July 1999) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (8 July 2000) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (21 June 2003) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (16 July 2005) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (21 July 2007) All are available at Village Books. For more information: (310) 454-4063.

Richard Dillon Henry, 17; Beloved Local Teen

Richard Dillon Henry
Richard Dillon Henry

Richard Dillon Henry, age 17, beloved son of Harriet Zaretsky and Stephen Henry and adored brother of Taylor, died on July 6. The reaction to Dillon’s death throughout the community has been extraordinary, reflecting the enormous impact he had on all who knew him. Dillon’s friends talk about him as the ‘go-to guy,’ who always ‘had their back’ and made everyone smile because he always had a huge smile on his face. Dillon’s friends created a page on Facebook: Rest in Paradise, Dillon Henry. More than 1,000 friends have already joined the page in Dillon’s memory, sharing stories about how much fun he was to be around and, more important, that he was a supportive, compassionate friend. What made Dillon remarkable was his love of life, the zest with which he lived it, and his infectious sense of fun. His larger-than-life personality and spirit touched everyone. An unforgettable friend to all those who shared in his life, he made each person feel a special connection with him. This was especially true with his sister Taylor. He was the consummate big brother, the source of much laughter, love and support. For a teenage boy, Dillon was able to forge a unique relationship with his parents by sharing his life and dreams and his writings and art. An honors student at Palisades High School who had completed his junior year with more than a 4.0 average, Dillon just learned that he was in the top four percent of his class and would be guaranteed admission to a University of California campus. While at PaliHi, he was honored as Student of the Month and nominated for Student of the Year in his freshman year. He co-founded the Ocean Awareness Club, an organization concerned with coastal environmental protection, beach clean-up and environmental awareness. It became the most popular community-service club, and its members earned more community service hours than any other club on campus. Dillon’s team spirit and enthusiasm were evident throughout his activities at Pali. He played on the school’s soccer team for three years, was a member of the surf club, and participated in three drama competitions sponsored by the Drama Teachers Association of Southern California. He played AYSO soccer for many years and was a member of the Santa Monica Strikers, a club soccer team. Dillon lived in Rustic Canyon his entire life. He attended Crestwood Hills Nursery School and Rustic Canyon Nursery School. After two years at Crossroads School, he attended Canyon Charter School and Wildwood Middle School. Unusual for a teenage boy was Dillon’s love of kids of all ages, and the feeling was mutual. Starting at age nine, he returned to Rustic Canyon Nursery School to work as an assistant during the summers, and continued to work there until last summer. He was also a counselor-in-training at Skylake Camp. Dillon was the pied piper’someone who all the kids admired and adored. Dillon’s passions were surfing, soccer, music, writing and travel. He was scheduled to leave July 7 for a surf trip in Nicaragua with his cousins and some friends. He earlier went to Spain with a PaliHi group, and traveled extensively, including to London, Costa Rica, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, Israel, Alaska and Hawaii. An exceptional writer, Dillon had been accepted to participate in a two-week program at the Emerging Writers Institute at UC Berkeley, shortly after returning from Nicaragua. Dillon often said his goal in life was to make the world a better place. By the force of his personality and his actions, he succeeded far beyond his years. Dillon was concerned about the world community and was involved in numerous community service projects throughout the years, including raising money for drilling water wells in Darfur and tutoring underprivileged children. An example of Dillon’s far-reaching popularity was the almost immediate response to his death. A grief counseling session was held at Kehillat Israel last Friday night. With only four hours’ notice, 200 kids came to talk about Dillon and share a candle-lighting ceremony, led by two local psychologists, Marty Nislick and Alan Yellin. On Saturday night, about 30 of Dillon’s surfing friends gathered around a fire at a Malibu beach house. They talked about Dillon, and wrote a book of letters to him. Early Sunday morning, about 50 surfers paddled out from Zuma beach through the heavy surf, and then formed the traditional surfer’s circle, with Dillon’s board in the middle. They talked about him again, and tossed flowers into the ring as dozens of friends and family watched from shore. A standing-room-only funeral was held at Mt. Sinai Memorial Park on Tuesday, attended by more than 800 people. Friends unable to attend honored Dillon through memorial services in Italy, planting trees in Israel and lighting bonfires in Yosemite. Consistent with Dillon’s goal of helping others, contributions in his memory can be made to Jewish World Watch (info@jewishworldwatch.org), an organization that mobilizes the community to combat genocide and other egregious violations of human rights in Darfur and around the world through education, advocacy and refugee relief, or Surfrider Foundation (www.surfrider.org), an environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s oceans, waves and beaches for all people, through conservation, activism, research and education. Even in death, Dillon’s sweet face and unforgettable smile will remain in our minds and hearts. He will be deeply missed by his family and hundreds of friends. Dillon, pursue your passions in paradise.

A Bang-up Fourth

Thousands of residents and numerous out-of-town guests enjoyed an $18,500 fireworks show at Palisades High, organized by the Palisades Americanism Parade Association and presented by Pyro Spectaculars.     Photo: Tom Hofer
Thousands of residents and numerous out-of-town guests enjoyed an $18,500 fireworks show at Palisades High, organized by the Palisades Americanism Parade Association and presented by Pyro Spectaculars. Photo: Tom Hofer

‘Seventy-six trombones led the big parade, with a hundred and ten cornets close at hand,’ goes Meredith Willson’s song from ‘The Music Man,’ and although there weren’t 76 trombones at the Pacific Palisades Fourth of July Parade, there were bands, floats, dignitaries, pups, bikes and banners. Promptly at 2 p.m. all eyes went up to the sky, where five skydivers appeared as small black dots after jumping from a plane at 3,500 feet. Anne Helliwell landed first at the intersection of Swarthmore Avenue and Sunset Boulevard followed by Tom Falzone, Scott Smith, Carey Peck (carrying the American flag) and Rich Piccarilli. The landings are usually smooth, but this year, there were some hard hits and a few stumbles. ‘The heat off the tarmac [street] mixed with the cool air and made it bumpy the last couple of hundred feet,’ Helliwell said. The last diver, Piccarilli, did a controlled somersault on the ground, just three days after he was badly beaten by intruders who had broke into his home. Piccarilli fought them off, but received a four-inch gash on his head, as well as massive bruises on his shoulders and neck. ‘I rode my bike this morning, so I knew I could do it,’ Piccarilli said, ‘If I didn’t make this jump, those guys would’ve won.’ Falzone, who grew up in the Palisades and graduated from Palisades High School in 1979, has a following among the spectators. As he walked toward the reviewing stand, friends and admirers greeted him. ‘My friends stay here and get rich and famous,’ he joked, ‘but I jump.’ He has made 9,000 jumps in the 20 years he has been skydiving. Although he’s not in the army, he jumps for the Army Golden Knights, a team that competes throughout the world. After starting the Palisades parade, the divers headed to five different locations to do additional jumps that afternoon and evening. Another parade favorite, the Patriotic Pups brigade, returned for its 13th year. Seventy dogs entertained the crowd, including Jeter, a three-month-old Portuguese waterdog, accompanied by owner Louie Greenwald. Lucky, a golden retriever, was marching in her fourth parade and wearing a sleeveless tank top. ‘My son’s girlfriend was planning to walk in the parade, but she had to study for calculus at USC, so she sent the top, as she wanted to be here in spirit,’ said Maryanne Horowitz who moved here with her husband Ellis in 2001. Although Yardley, a chow-Shepherd mix, has only three legs and must hop along, he has walked the parade’s one-mile course four times with his owner, Marilyn Hamilton. Bootsie, owned by Bill Highberger, and Timothy, Marilyn Haaker’s bichon fries, share the distinction of having walked in every parade since Patriotic Pups made its debut. Perhaps the most popular dog in Pacific Palisades is Buddy, Fire Station 69’s mascot, who had accompanied a fire truck every year since 1996. This year, because retirement was imminent, he had a special ‘chariot,’ riding in a back of a little four-wheeler. Even though cloud cover made this a cooler afternoon than past Fourth of Julys, the Kids on Bikes group still assembled in the shade of the trees at Palisades Elementary. ‘We have about 30 kids this year,’ said organizer Paula Leonhauser. ‘The shade keeps them cool and they can watch the parade go by, so they don’t get bored.’ There were several Razor scooters in the group. ‘We told kids to ride whatever they were most comfortable with,’ said co-organizer Nina Madok. The youngest rider on a two-wheel bicycle was Aaron Simon, 5. Caleb Crain, 5, rode his bike with training wheels. ‘Last year was my first year,’ said Jack Miller, 8. ‘I did it again because it was fun.’ None of the winners from the morning Will Rogers Run showed up to ride in a nifty convertible reserved for them, but an unidentified woman climbed in the back seat and waved at her friends until the car turned off the parade route. This reporter begged to hitch a ride by promising to cross out winner and writing NOT, but the plea fell on deaf ears. Players on the Orioles PPBA Bronco World Series championship team rode on a beautifully decorated float, donated by Palisades Patrol, their team sponsor. Directly behind them was a float containing the Yankee Pinto and Mustang teams and the Palisades Blue Pony team, riding on bales of hay. Members of Theatre Palisades’ cast of ‘The Boy Friend’ danced the Charleston the entire parade route to publicize their upcoming musical at Pierson Playhouse. Renee Fry, who works for ‘Girls on Stilts,’ was hired by the staff at Sotheby’s International Realty to walk in the parade as a novelty. ‘About five years ago, a manager asked me to take stilt lessons and I did,’ said Fry, who easily walked the one-mile route. A longer march could have presented a problem. ‘After a couple of hours my legs are done,’ she admitted. Speaking of legs, members of the Palisades Optimist Club once again dazzled the crowd with their razor-sharp precision drill’or maybe not so sharp. The crowd didn’t notice the missed steps and briefcases thrown over a shoulder the wrong way, because they were focused on the shapely legs exposed by the group’s uniform: white dress shirts, black top hats, garters and white boxer shorts. The group hadn’t marched the past two years, but responded to popular demand by once again donning their no-pants uniform. A horse-drawn cart followed the walkers with five additional members, who got out at various locations and performed with the group. Club member Arnie Wishnick, a non-marcher, noted that the passing marchers ‘had a lot of rehearsals this year. They look good, but not their legs. I see a few more varicose veins than a few years back. It looks like a map of Las Vegas on some of those legs.’

Library Hosts Expeditioner

Palisadian John Haslett led two expeditions on his self-built balsa raft. His adventures are detailed in his new book, “Voyage of the Manteno: The Education of a Modern Day Expeditioner.”

Join John Haslett at the Palisades Branch Library on Wednesday, July 18 at 7:30 p.m. for an evening filled with images and adventure tales highlighting two expeditions he led in the late 1990s. In his new book, ‘Voyage of the Mante’o: The Education of a Modern-Day Expeditioner’ (St. Martin’s Press), Haslett recounts how he built a series of giant rafts, similar in design to Thor Heyerdahl’s famed ‘Kon-Tiki,’ and then sailed them on the open sea. He and his crews journeyed through a surreal odyssey of “madness, mutiny, obsession, and survival.” From 1993 to 1999, Haslett designed, built and sailed more than 1,500 miles on four replicas of the vessels described by the Spaniards. In 1998, working with archaeologist Cameron M. Smith and a crew including an Ecuadorian mariner, Haslett made his most successful voyage, over 700 miles from Ecuador to Southern Panama. Inspired by Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl, who became famous for his Kon-Tiki expedition in which he sailed by raft 4,300 miles from South America to French Polynesia, and buoyed by his childhood taste for adventure, Haslett has spent the last decade trying to prove the seaworthiness of the balsa wood rafts that the Ecuadorian traders, the Mante’o, sailed as far as Mexico before the Spanish conquest. A Pacific Palisades resident, when he is not on an expedition, Haslett has detailed such journeys in “Voyage of the Mante’o,’ drawing from personal experiences, diaries, ship’s logs and Ham radio contacts. Part adventure and part science, Haslett’s expeditions began in a small fishing village on the southern coast of Ecuador in the early 1990s. There he built a 35,000-lb raft made of balsa wood logs, bamboo decking and manila rope. In 2000 Haslett sat down to write his book, but it took two failed attempts before his book was written. In that time an agent who had read his article in Archeology called from New York City and signed him with St. Martin’s Press. Haslett promised he’d finish the book in six months, but like his first adventure, he was be stilled. “The reader was not on the raft,” he explains. “I wanted this to be an amusement park. You pay your $26 and you get to be right here sailing in this raft.” Two years after deadline, he finished the book and it was published in the December 2006.

PALISADES-WILL ROGERS 5/10K

Runners Feel Heat at Fourth of July Race

Starting gun in hand, Carl Lewis watches the first wave of runners pass by at the beginning of the 30th annual Palisades-Will Rogers race July 4.
Starting gun in hand, Carl Lewis watches the first wave of runners pass by at the beginning of the 30th annual Palisades-Will Rogers race July 4.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer

It was so hot by 8 o’clock on the morning of July 4 that even those people who were not running the Palisades-Will Rogers 5/10K had begun to sweat. And while the temperature was not quite ideal for breaking records, the bright sun and clear skies were welcome for the 30th anniversary of one of the community’s proudest traditions. “It’s fitting that we have such a beautiful day to celebrate the Fourth of July,” Honorary Mayor Gavin MacLeod said before the start. “Let’s give a big hand to our corporate sponsors [Coldwell Banker and William E. Simon & Sons], without whom this race wouldn’t be possible.” After applause died down for Athena Greco’s stirring rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner,” official race starter Carl Lewis stepped up to the stage and took the microphone. “How does everyone feel this morning?” he asked. “It’s great to see all the kids out here. I’m a sprinter and [distance] races like this have too many zeros at the end for me. But I can definitely start things off and I’m thrilled to be here.” A nine-time Olympic gold medalist in track and field, Lewis moved to Pacific Palisades eight years ago and celebrated his 46th birthday last Sunday. He offered advice to the throng of runners packed like sardines at the starting line: “Do not go out to fast,” he said. “So that you can finish fast enough.” With that, Lewis raised the starting gun above his head, pulled the trigger and the race was underway. The absence of local favorite and eight-time winner Peter Gilmore made the 5K field wide open and it was anyone’s guess who would break the tape. The answer came just over 15 minutes later’ or so it seemed. Mark Matusak of Torrance actually finished the race first in 15:02 but he was not recognized as the “official” winner because he didn’t register beforehand. Of course, that didn’t seem to bother the 21-year-old from UC Berkeley, whose time was well off the 5K record of 14:10 set by Gilmore in 2003. “I didn’t get here in time to pay so I just did it for fun,” said Matusak, who was not assigned a bib number and therefore wore no electronic chip on his shoe’a device used to record runners’ times as they cross the finish line. “I actually ran the 10K last year.” The official 5K winner was Andy Atkeson, a 46-year-old from Mar Vista, who completed the 3.1-mile run through the streets of Huntington Palisades in 16:22. “This is a great course, even though it was a little hot today,” said Atkeson, who runs for the “Fluffy Bunnies,” a Santa Monica-based track club sponsored by Nike. “It’s basically made up of post-collegiate runner and we have a great time coming to these things and competing together. You’ll recognize us in the bright orange shirts.” Repeating as the 5K women’s champion was 33-year-old Jenna Dee, who was hardly challenged on her way to clocking 17:54’12 seconds off her personal best time. Despite the oppressive heat, Dee dropped 53 seconds from her winning time last year but did not approach Annetta Luevano’s record time of 16:29 in 1995. “Yeah, I felt pretty good,” Dee said after taking a moment to catch her breath. “My goal was to break 18 minutes and I did that. I learned from last time not to go too fast in the beginning.” Dee, who recently moved to Venice, trains with “See Jane Run,” an elite women’s racing team. The Palisades 5K was her second this spring, following an 18:32 effort at a race in Lomita. “I could’ve sacrificed a few degrees,” Dee said, referring to the weather. “Other than that, this kind of race is fun for our team and the crowd support was great.” This year’s 5/10K drew a combined 2,363 registered runners–19 more than the 2006 race. The 5K field included 1,373 runners and the 10K had 990 participants. “It’s great to see so many people running year after year,” said coordinator Brian Shea, who founded the race in 1978 along with fellow Ridgerunners Chris Carslon and Bill Klein. “Thirty years later and it’s still going strong.” Ethan Meyers was the first Palisades finisher in the 5K, coming in fifth overall and winning the 19-29 age division in 17:08. World kickboxing champion Baxter Humby, who trains at Gerry Blanck’s Martial Arts Center, ran the race for the fifth time in six years and was third in the 30-34 age category with a time of 19:56. “I missed it one year when I was out of town but otherwise I’ve run it every year,” said Humby, who scored a unanimous decision in his first mixed martial arts fight at the Maywood Civic Center in June. “It’s great because you pass so many people you know along the course. It’s nice to have people cheering me on.” Raymond Meyers and Thomas Farnham were first and second, respectively, in the 50-54 age group and fellow Palisadian Bob Gold won the men’s 70-74 division in 30:53. Local runners swept the top three places in the 75-79 category, with longtime participant Ted Mackie finishing first in 31:13. Palisadian Joseph Rossi won the 80-and-over division in 41:38, more than 20 minutes faster than his closest competitor. Ali Riley was the first local female in the 5K, finishing third overall and second in the 19-29 age group in 18:59. Thirteen-year-old Cami Chapus of St. Matthew’s School was eighth overall and first in her age group with a time of 20:36 and fellow Palisadian Kathryn Turner won the women’s 16-18 age group in 21:56. Palisadians Jill Fischer, Carol Gordon and Diane Elander went 1-2-3 out of 71 entrants in the 45-49 age division and local Penny Perez topped the 65-69 division. Palisadian Margie Werker, the only woman in the 75-79 age group, completed the 5K in 46:06. While Atkeson rested in the shade, “Bunnies” teammate Nate Bowen won the 10K race for the fourth time in 33:33. His other wins were in 2000, 2002 and 2003. His best winning time was 31:32. He finished second to Palisadian Brad Becken in 2004. “It was warm today so I took it easy with the exception of a few test moves I put in early on,” said Bowen, a former Crossroads High and UC Davis cross country runner who lives in Menlo Park. “I didn’t pick up my pace until the switchbacks and I tried to hold it the rest of the way.” Bowen, 31, knows Gilmore from their college days and called him a week before last Wednesday’s race to see if he’d be running his hometown race. Gilmore is currently in Flagstaff, Arizona, vying for a spot on the 2008 Olympic team. The first time was a charm for Nancy MacDonald, who won the women’s 10K in 41:29 in her first competitive race at the 6.2-mile distance. “I’m shocked,” the 44-year-old from Santa Monica admitted. “I was hoping to place in my age group and maybe finish in the top 15 overall. I still can’t believe I won.” Primarily a 5K runner, MacDonald and her friend Monica Corrigan (who finished ninth in the 5K) had run the longer course a few times in the weeks leading up to the race and the extra mileage proved beneficial. “I thought for sure there was someone ahead of me but it must have been all 5K runners,” said MacDonald, who is motivated to defend her crown next year. “I guess I’ll have to come back now. The pressure is on.” Local residents John Stapke and Tommy Collins were first and third in the 1-12 age group and fellow Palisadian Gunnar Kohl won the male 13-15 division in 49:02. A notable effort was turned in by lifelong Palisadian David Greifinger, who was 22 years old when he became the first local runner to win the 10k back in 1979. Last Wednesday, Greifinger finished first out of 91 men in the 50-54 age group with a strong time of 38:05, which equates to a 6:08 mile pace. Ted Craver won the 55-59 division in 42:24 and fellow Palisadian Bob Olds was first in the 65-69 category with a 10K time of 53:32. Local girls Claire Meylan (9) and Maddie Zaloom (8) were first and second in the female 1-12 category and Allison Kappeyne and Anna Highberger took the top two places in the 16-18s age group. In the women’s 50-54 division, Palisadians Maria Marrone, Aeri Lee and Catherine Coleman finished 1-2-3, with Marrone running the winding course through Will Rogers State Park in 47:13. * * * The heat took its toll in more ways than one. Not only did it lead to slower times across the board, it also caused several runners to quit before the finish. An unsung hero of this year’s July 4 race was Palisadian Jimmy DeMayo, one of four participants who stopped to assist a 10K runner who collapsed from heat exhaustion at the bottom of the Sunset incline. DeMayo, who swims for the Palisades-Malibu YMCA team, tried to give the man water and keep him from losing consciousness while spectators rushed to call emergency. DeMayo and three others stayed with the man until medical help arrived. Paramedics were quick to the scene and gave the man oxygen until he recovered. DeMayo went on to finish the race in 50:52, placing eighth out of 22 runners in his age group.

Records Set at Youth Triathlon

Kyle Headrick (foreground) swims his final lap at the YMCA pool, followed closely by his sister Cristina, during the Youth Triathlon.
Kyle Headrick (foreground) swims his final lap at the YMCA pool, followed closely by his sister Cristina, during the Youth Triathlon.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer

It was hardly a surprise that David Hafford was the first to finish last Wednesday’s YMCA Youth Triathlon. After all, event founder and organizer Deborah Hafford is a triathlete and passed on her competitive genes to her son. So far, 14-year-old David is making the most of his pedigree. He won the boys competition in 19 minutes, 37 seconds, eclipsing the previous record of 19:43 set by Willy MacMiller last July. Hafford and MacMiller are both runners. MacMiller attends Crespi High School in Encino and runs for the West Valley Eagle Track Club while Hafford runs track and cross country at Palisades High. They entered the pool at the same time and stayed side by side for the first 125 yards of the six-lap swim. ‘Willie was swimming smart,’ said Doug Hafford, David’s father, who times the event every year. ‘I tried to remain impartial. David got a good push-off on the last 25. It was an amazing moment to watch him. He won by heart.’ New records have been set in each of the first five years of the event. This year, MacMiller 10 seconds behind Hafford in 19:47. ‘It was very exciting,’ Hafford said. ‘I don’t know how I got through the announcements.’ Finishing third in the boys’ 13- to 15-year-old age group was Neil Martin, who completed the event in 20:41. Thirteen-year-old Mara Silka was the first female finisher, setting a blistering pace to win in 20:53, shattering the previous girls’ mark by nearly three minutes and finishing fourth overall. ‘It was fun,’ said Silka, an eighth-grader at Paul Revere Middle School. ‘It wasn’t that bad.’ The triathlon course starts with a three-mile bike ride through the streets of Huntington Palisades’the same route used for the early morning Will Rogers 5K race. The athletes then run a mile up Sunset to the swimming pool in Temescal Canyon, where they complete the event with a 150-yard swim. Deborah Hafford reported a record turnout this year, with 160 athletes completing the race. Silka, also a standout on the Palisades-Malibu YMCA swim team, was challenged most of the way by 12-year-old Emily Berkin, who is strongest at the running phase of the event. The two went head-to-head last year in the 11- and 12-year-old category and finished first and second, respectively. They were in different age categories this year but still battled to be the top female finisher. Berkin arrived at the pool first but Silka, who excels at the swimming phase, made up the difference in the water and beat Berkin by 25 seconds. ‘Swimming is easy,’ Silka said. ‘That’s where I catch up to everyone.’ Two-time girls’ champion Natalie Farnham was runner-up in the 13-15 division with a time of 22:52’one second faster than her winning time last year. Third in that category was Olivia Kirkpatrick, also a YMCA swimmer. Berkin took first in the girls’ 11- and 12-year-old division with a time of 21:18. Kennedy Corrin, 11, was second and third place went to Isi Ibarra of Cathedral City. There were 27 entries in the 6- to 8-year-old boys division, with eight-year-old Jack Brew winning and smashing last year’s record of 31.22 with a new clocking of 27.43. Second place went to Addison Button and Patrick McNamara was third. Nine-year-old David Grinsfelder was eighth best overall and won the 9- and 10-year-old division with a time of 21.45. Second out of 21 competitors in the division was Alex Wilimovsky, who chopped three minutes off his time last year with a sparkling 24.26. Third place went to Spencer Nichols. The largest division this year was the 11- to 12-year-old boys with a field of 34 registered competitors. Josh Rodriquez-Irons took first place in 21:43, Chad Kanoff was second Wyatt Reed was third. In the 6- to 8-year-old girls division Leah Timmerman, Clara Saab and Elena Saab took the top three spots. The 2006 triathlon had 15 contestants in that division while this year’s event drew a total of eight. Courtney Corrin, who was the top finisher among 6-8-year-olds last year, moved up to the 9- and 10-year-olds division and won it in 26:18, breaking last year’s record of 27:39. Rachel Martin, who finished third last year, was second in 28:05. Mara Muslea nabbed third out of 22 athletes in the girls’ largest age group this year. The last person to finish the race was six-year-old Kaitlyn Betancourt, whose father Jose helps Deborah Hafford bring a group of students from Ninth Street Elementary to Pacific Palisades every Saturday morning in June to train for the triathlon. This year, 21 students ages 6-11 (and one 14-year-old) competed. On July 4, each child was allowed to bring a guest or family member with them on a bus, which was paid for by the USA Triathlon organization. Hafford arranged for the participants to stay at the pool after the event for a picnic that she also organized. That afternoon, the young triathletes were invited to ride on the YMCA float in the parade. Once again, Cherie Gruenfeld, a six-time division world champion in the Ironman Triathlon, brought eight athletes from the San Bernardino area, where she trains disadvantaged youth. One of her trainees, Rodriquez-Irons, ran the Palisades-Will Rogers 5K less than two hours before the triathlon and finished second in his age group by three seconds, covering the 3.1 miles in 21:35. ‘Watching him run is a thing of beauty,’ Gruenfeld said of her star pupil, who plays AYSO soccer at Loma Linda and likes third base in baseball. As far as the triathlon? ‘Running is the best,’ Rodriguez-Irons said. It is hard for the kids to train on their own for the first portion of the triathlon because they don’t have bikes at home. ‘We can’t give the kids bikes,’ Gruenfeld said. ‘If we do, they’re stolen or someone sells the bikes for drug money.’ Doug Hafford praised Gruenfeld for getting her kids to the athletes. ‘We pick up people at the school to bring them here but Cherie has to go door-to-door.’ Looking for a way to get more kids involved in the Fourth of July festivities, Deborah Hafford, a 15-year resident of Pacific Palisades, founded the Youth Triathlon in 2003 and the inaugural event attracted 50 kids. Her efforts earned Hafford a Sparkplug Award in May 2006. Participation has grown every year, making the triathlon a ‘cool’ alternative to the 5/10K races and Kids’ Fun Run. As Mary Elizabeth Lutz watched her 10-year-old son Tommy finish the race at the Y pool, which was packed with swimmers, she was amazed at how much the triathlon has grown in its short history. ‘Look what she [Deborah] has turned this into,’ Lutz said.

Locals Win PTC Open

Hundreds of kids from as far away as Florida, New York and Colorado competed in the third annual Palisades Tennis Center Junior Open last week, a USTA-sanctioned tournament at the Palisades and Westwood Tennis Centers. “It was a great week for tennis in the Palisades,” PTC Director of Tennis Ivan Lauzon said. “It was neat to see how well our kids did against players from all over California and across the nation. You get a better understanding of the magic that takes place here on a daily basis by seeing our kids mixed up with so many kids visiting from afar.” An example of Palisades’ success was in the Boys 10s division, where Corpus Christi fifth-grader Brandon Michaels upset top-seeded Reid Shumway in the semifinals, then beat Gabriel Rapoport of Malibu 6-4, 7-5 in the finals. “I was down 5-3 in the second set and won four straight games,” said Michaels, who entered the tournament as the No. 4 seed. Michaels is on a roll, having won the Seal Beach Open two weeks ago. Another PTC standout took the Boys 12s title as Alex Giannini knocked off Joseph Silvers in the semifinals and beat Victor Cheng, 6-0, 6-1, in the finals. The Girls 10s was won by PTC’s Ilana Oleynik, who beat Lily Wu of San Marino, 6-1, 6-2, in the finals after a tough semifinal victory over Cara Kemp of Bakersfield, 6-1, 7-5. In the Boys 18s, Palisadian Chase Pekar lost to eventual champion Ethan Bond of Beverly Hills a three-set semifinal. Playing up in the Girls 16s, PTC’s Krystal Hansard knocked off the No. 4 seed Hazuki Onaga of El Segundo in three sets in the quarterfinals and routed Michelle Grogin of Hidden Hills, 6-0, 6-1, in the semifinals before losing to No. 1-seeded Jordan Brewer of Woodland Hills in the finals. “We don’t do what we do at the PTC to make Wimbledon champions,” Lauzon said. “The weekly summer camps and after-school clinics are geared towards making tennis a lifetime sport for a child and this is the best place for a kid to learn tennis. It’s really rewarding to see so many young kids playing tough competitive tennis.”

CTY Honors Palisadian Students

From left: Trevor Hanken, Natalie Diehl, Kathryn Clark and Matthew Mazzarella attended the awards ceremony for Grades 2-6.
From left: Trevor Hanken, Natalie Diehl, Kathryn Clark and Matthew Mazzarella attended the awards ceremony for Grades 2-6.

On June 3, several Pacific Palisades students were honored at an awards ceremony at Occidental College for achieving among the highest scores on tests sponsored by the Center for Talented Youth of Johns Hopkins University. For the first time, awards were given to second through fourth grade students in addition to the fifth through eighth-grade students. Second through sixth graders Dylan Beck, Benjamin Bronstein, Sydney Bub, Mitch Burdorf, Rachel Burdorf, Kathryn Clark, Thomas Collins, Natalie Diehl, Charles DuManoir, David Gordon, David Grinsfelder, Matthew Gross, Trevor Hanken, Maxwell Howard, Rachel Hsu, Gavin Kelley, Matthew Koh, Gregory Lehrhoff, Eric Lin, Sacha Lin, Robbie Lowe, Matthew Mazzarella, Brendan Rose, Justin Rose, Sydney Shannon, James Stuart III, Jonah Ullendorff, Marianne Verrone, Claire Whitesell and Savan Whitworth received awards for exceptional achievement on the School and College Ability Test. Seventh and eighth graders Taylor Hanken, Chelsea Shannon, Sajjan Sri-Kumar, Patrick Sullivan and Steven Wrigh received awards for exceptional achievement on the SAT or ACT tests. The SCAT is designed for students two to three grades higher than the students to whom it is given in the CTY program. It measures verbal and mathematical reasoning ability. To receive CTY awards for their SCAT scores, the second through sixth grade students had to achieve scores near or above the 85th percentile for students two or three grade levels above their own. The SAT and ACT tests are college admissions tests normally given to high school juniors or seniors. To receive CTY awards for their SAT or ACT scores, the seventh and eighth grade students had to achieve scores near or above those for the 60th and 75th percentiles, respectively, of college-bound high school seniors. Four Palisadian students (Trevor Hanken, Eric Lin, Matthew Mazzarella and Taylor Hanken) were also honored for exceptional achievement on the Spatial Test Battery (STB). The STB is a test designed by the Center for Talented Youth to identify students with exceptional spatial abilities.