The Palisades Pirates, a local Under-10 travel baseball team, opened their season by sweeping a doubleheader against the Mission Viejo Halos on September 3. The Pirates won the first game 19-2 and the second game 11-0. In the first game, the Pirates pounded out 22 hits, including three each by Palisadians Jackson Kogan, Matt Douglas and Sam Cohen (who also homered). The nightcap was highlighted by triples in the third inning by Ezra Steinberg, Jed Moscot and Kogan. Pirate pitchers combined for 16 strikeouts in the two games. The staff includes Kogan, Cohen, Jed Moscot, Cameron Kao, Matt McGeagh and Zack Dufour. The Pirates hosted the San Gabriel Valley Cobras last Sunday at the Field of Dreams.
Irvin and Lee Finish Ninth at World Beach Volleyball Finals
Palisadian Kelly Irvin and her partner Ashley Lee tied for ninth in the Under-19 division at the FIVB World Beach Volleyball Championships last weekend in Horseshoe Bay, Bermuda. In their first pool play match, Irvin and Lee lost to the eventual champions, Beccharra Palmer and Alice Rohkamper of Australia. They bounced back in their second match to outlast a duo from Austria, 16-21, 21-10, 15-13, and won the first game against a team from Italy in their third match before being edged 18-16 in the decisive third game. Irvin and Lee then fell to France in Friday’s elimination round. Seeded seventh out of 24 teams, Irvin and Lee qualified for the international competition by defeating Devon Dykstra (Hermosa Beach) and Megan Saraceno (Redondo Beach) in the U-18 final at the USAV Beach Junior Olympics in July.
Marymount Volleyball Topped by Mira Costa
An anticipated showdown between top-ranked girls volleyball teams turned into the Alix Klineman show. The 6-4 senior outside hitter pounded 22 kills and added four blocks to lead Manhattan Beach Mira Costa High past host Los Angeles Marymount, 25-23, 25-22, 25-23, Friday night in a match between reigning CIF champions. “She could start for any Division I [college] right now–she’s that good,” Marymount Head Coach Cari Klein said of Klineman. “I didn’t know that she would terminate points at will like that.” Senior middle blocker Lauren Bledsoe added nine kills and junior outside hitter Falyn Fonoimoana had seven kills for the Mustangs (2-0), ranked No. 1 in Division I-AA, who won both the CIF Division I Southern Section title and the state championship last year. “We played a lot better tonight than we did in our scrimmage [against Redondo] the other day,” Klein said. “Their coach told me this is the first time she didn’t sub her starters out. She had to keep them all in to win the games.” Klein, who lives in the Palisades, has built a dynasty at Marymount, coaching the Sailors to five consecutive Southern Section titles. Many of her players come from the Palisades and Sunshine Volleyball, her club program. The Palisadians on this year’s varsity roster are senior right side hitter Kelly Irvin, who had 10 kills and 15 digs against Mira Costa, and senior defensive specialists Ali Hoffman, Michelle Barrett, Kendall Bird and Madison Wojchiechowski. Junior Alex Ayers had 15 kills for the Sailors (0-1), who won the Division IV-AA Southern Section title last year and advanced to the SoCal Regional finals. Marymount entered Friday’s match ranked No. 1 in Division I-A. Senior Megan Tryon had 11 kills and junior setter Samantha Selsky contributed with nine kills and 35 assists for the Sailors. The Sailors could meet Mira Costa again at this weekend’s Las Vegas Durango tournament.
Pali Tennis Serves Up Aces in Fresno
Everything seemed to fall into place at just the right time for the Palisades High tennis team. Admittedly, Head Coach Bud Kling did not know what to expect when he took his team north to Fresno for the Peachtree Classic last weekend. “I was hoping we could just win two matches,” he said. “Turns out, we reached the finals of our division and could have won it.” After an opening 5-2 loss to Silicon Valley Saratoga, one of the toughest teams in the tournament, Palisades beat Sacramento Rio Americano, 6-1, and Pebble Beach Robert Louis Stevenson, 5-2, to advance to the finals of Division 1B. There, Palisades took a 3-1 lead before losing, 4-3, to Sacramento Loretto. Katy Nikolova, the Dolphins’ No. 1 player, won all of her matches. She beat Saratoga’s top player, 6-4, 6-1, beat Rio Americano’s top player, 6-1, 6-1, and rallied to beat Stevenson’s Katherine Dicconson, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (8). Against Loretto, Nikolova notched Pali’s first point with a 6-4, 6-2 win. Kathryn Cullen was the other player to score against Saratoga, winning 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7) at No. 4 singles. She, too, won her matches against Rio Americano ( 6-1, 6-2) and Stevenson (7-5, 6-2). She lost a close match at No. 4 singles against Loretto, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1. Playing No. 2 singles, freshman Krystal Hansard won 6-1, 6-2 against Rio Americano and beat Loretto’s Mackenzie Clark 6-2, 7-5 in the finals. “All of our singles players did well up there,” Kling said. “I was surprised at how well we competed.” In doubles, Lauren Pugatch and Audrey Ashraf proved a formidable duo at No. 1, blanking Rio Americano’s top tandem, 6-0, 6-0 and beating Stevenson’s top team, 6-1, 6-3. They also beat Loretto’s top team in straight sets. Erika Lee and Rose Schlaff partnered at No. 2 doubles and won two out of four matches, as did Alex Kling and Marina Sterngold at No. 3 doubles. “It was great experience for the girls and the team really bonded,” Kling said. “This is a young team, so it was good to get some matches in against quality competition before we start league.” On Monday, Palisades hosted Marymount in an intersectional match at the Palisades Tennis Center and the Dolphins won 5-1. The best match was at No. 1 singles, where Nikolova matched Palisadian Madison Akerblom shot for shot before prevailing 8-6 in a pro set. Akerblom was named most valuable player in the Sunshine League last season. “It was a good match,” Nikolova said. “I was really tired because I’ve played a lot of tennis over the last four days and she made me work for every point.” At No. 2 singles Hansard beat Michelle Greene, 8-1, and Cullen beat Kirsten Crowe 8-4 at No. 3 singles. In doubles, Pugatch and Ashraf beat Palisadian Ani Mardirossian and her partner, Caroline Jensen at the No. 1 spot. Mardirossian trains at the PTC. Pali’s Lee and Schlaff beat Kate Lasater and Morgan Halsay at No. 2. The Palisadian duo of Breanna Baraff and Margy Slattery notched the Sailors’ lone point, beating Kling and Sterngold at No. 3 doubles, 8-5. “It was quality tennis today–a lot of long points and winners,” said Marymount Head Coach Ty Metcalfe, whose team lost its season opener to Brentwood, 15-3. “I was impressed with Palisades. They are solid all the way through their lineup.” On Wednesday, Palisades hosted Beverly Hills at Riviera Tennis Club in the opening round of the Bay Area Classic. On Friday, the Dolphins travel to Manhattan beach to play Southern Section powerhouse Mira Costa.
Save Our Earth: Say No to Plastic Bags
Compiled by MARIE STECKMEST Palisadian-Post Contributor Disposable plastic bags came into use 29 years ago. Californians Against Waste estimates that Americans now use 84 billion plastic bags annually.’Think of how many you get in a week, especially if you “double bag it” at the grocery store, and extrapolate for a year. Plastic bags may be convenient, but they are bad for the environment. Today, this column will address some of the issues involved and also highlight things that other cities and countries are doing about plastic bags. Made from polyethylene, plastic bags are not biodegradable. They photodegrade and break down into smaller and smaller toxic bits and finally into a toxic dust, contaminating soil and waterways, and entering the food chain. Plastic bags are a major contributor to litter both on land and in the ocean. If not thrown away in the trash, they litter our landscape and can eventually go down storm drains directly into the ocean, where many animals mistakenly eat them. At least 100,000 whales, seals, turtles and other marine animals and an estimated one million birds are killed every year by ingesting plastic bags. You can easily help reduce the amount of plastic bags. How? Put cloth bags in your car so they are always there.’Take your own bag to the grocery store so you can say, “No thank you” when offered a plastic (or paper) bag.’Cloth bags can hold the amount of three or four plastic bags.’Local grocery stores including Gelson’s, Ralphs, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s all sell cloth bags ranging in price from 20 cents to $5.99.’If you have used plastic bags at home, take them to grocery stores that recycle them.’Also, when someone offers you a bag for one or two items, consider saying, “No, thank you” and carrying these items in your hands. The other day, by using my Gelson’s and Trader Joe’s bags, I avoided getting 12 plastic bags! My daughter carries a large purse and uses it to carry small purchases.’If your kids attend a local school, encourage the school to sell cloth bags with the school logo and market this as a way to help the environment. Many countries have enacted measures to reduce the impact of plastic bags on the environment including taxing each bag, requiring the providers of bags to recycle them, or totally banning them.’Charging for each bag greatly reduces the amount used (www.banthebag.org). Grocery store shoppers in Ireland have been required to pay a 15-cent tax per new plastic bag since March 2002. This resulted in an estimated 90- percent reduction in plastic bag use in the first year.’ What do you think we could do in Pacific Palisades? What if the Palisades held a no plastic-bag day, for example on Earth Day? Think of the impact! Remember: Just do a little bit every day and you can make a difference. (For further information and to learn about the author’s local organization, visit www.palisadescares.org.)
Gary ‘Buddy’ Busey Sings for Holly’s B-Day
By JOHN WIRTH Special to the Palisadian-Post Theatergoers at Saturday night’s sold-out performance of “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story” at the Pierson Playhouse were delighted when producer Gail Matthius took the stage moments after the rousing last number and introduced a surprise guest. The audience gasped as Gary Busey emerged from backstage and strapped on a guitar–not just any guitar, but Buddy Holly’s 1957 Fender Stratocaster that was given to Busey by Buddy’s widow, Maria Elena Holly. Busey, the charismatic actor who received an Oscar and Golden Globe nomination for his performance as Buddy Holly in the 1978 film “The Buddy Holly Story,” delighted the audience first by wishing Buddy happy birthday on what would have been the singer/songwriter’s 70th (on September 7), and then by donning the distinctive black-framed glasses he wore in the movie and singing Holly’s hit “Maybe Baby” in his soulful, Texas-accented voice. After complimenting the “Buddy” cast for “a great performance,” Busey briefly joined the audience for a wine and birthday-cake reception in the lobby and then carried his precious guitar to the safety of his car. Buddy Holly, whose real name was Charles Hardin Holley, was killed in a plane crash in Iowa on February 3, 1959 that also took the lives of J.P. Richardson (aka The Big Bopper) and Richie Valens. The three were later immortalized by Don McLean in his classic song “American Pie.” “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story,” a musical chronicling his all-too-brief career, has been selling out. The Theatre Palisades production represents a new direction for the theater, which Matthius describes as “a cherished community resource on the rise.” Very family-friendly, the show features many of Holly’s hit songs played live on stage by Joshua Brandenburg and a band cheerfully led by nimble guitarist Bray Ghiglia. Directed by Paula LaBrot, the show runs Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., through October 8. Tickets: 454-1970.
Calendar for the Week of September 14, 2006
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 Pacific Palisades Community Council meeting, 7 p.m., Palisades Branch Library community room, 861 Alma Real. Public invited. Tanyo Ravicz signs “A Man of His Village,” an epic novel that ranges from the borderlands of California to the strawberry fields of Oregon, from urban Seattle to rural Mexico, from the crowded slums of Tijuana to the isolation of the Alaskan bush, 7:30 p.m. at Village Books on Swarthmore. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 Palisades Beautiful meets at 10 a.m. in the Palisades Branch Library community room, 861 Alma Real. Upcoming neighborhood tree planting and tree maintenance issues will be discussed. Members, friends and the general public are welcome. Contact: www.palisadesbeautiful@earthlink.net. Monthly movie at the library, featuring Palisadian Nanette Fabray, Fred Astire, Oscar Levant and Cyd Charissee in “The Band Wagon,” directed by Vincente Minnelli, 2 p.m., Palisades Branch Library. Free admission, courtesy Friends of the Library. Please bring a sweater, as the room can be cool. ‘‘Snap Shots Literary Troupe presents “The Story of Hollywoodland,” 7:30 p.m. at Village Books on Swarthmore. Readings include Groucho Marx’s letter to Warner Bros. “Re: A Night in Casablanca,” a Woody Allen pastiche of Dashiell Hammett, and the mean streets of noir L.A. in Raymond Chandler’s “The Big Sleep.” Produced and hosted by Eric Vollmer. “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story,” a Theatre Palisades production directed by Paula LaBrot and starring Joshua Brandenburg, 8 p.m. at Pierson Playhouse, corner of Haverford and Temescal Canyon Rd. Plays every Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., through October 8. Ticket reservations: 454-1970. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 A musical production of Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf,” featuring Chamber Music Palisades co-artistic director Delores Stevens and musicians from the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, will be presented free of charge for Palisades families at 2 p.m. in the Palisades Branch Library patio, 861 Alma Real. (See story, page 16.) TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 Chautauqua Series program, “Butterflies of the Santa Monica Mountains,” by Palisades resident Margaret Huffman, 7:30 p.m. at the campfire center in Temescal Gateway Park. The program and parking (near the dining hall) are free. (See story, page 15.) Doug Conkin, orchid lecturer, cultivator and consultant, will speak on cattleyas to members and guests of the Malibu Orchid Society, 7 p.m. at the Woman’s Club, 901 Haverford. (See story, page 16.) WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 Potrero Canyon Community Advisory Committee meeting, 7:15 p.m. in the old gym at the Palisades Recreation Center, 851 Alma Real. Public invited. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 The Chamber of Commerce marketing series features local business owners Elyse Walker, Dave Licht (Kay ‘n’ Dave’s) and Dr. Luke Cohen (Innate Chiropractic), 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Mort’s Oak Room on Swarthmore. Free to Chamber members; $20 for non-members. RSVP: 459-7963. Check-in and reception is 6 p.m. Palisadian Alan Eisenstock signs “Kindergarten Wars: The Battle to Get Into America’s Best Private Schools,” 7:30 p.m. at Village Books on Swarthmore. The author, a former screenwriter and seven-year board member of a private elementary school, provides startling insights into the private-school application process.
PaliHi Debates Calendar Change
The Policy Committee at Palisades Charter High has proposed changing the school-year calendar in an attempt to raise Advanced Placement (AP) scores and lower class sizes. But the proposed changes have already sparked an intense debate among local parents and teachers. If the changes are approved, the first semester of next school year would begin August 13, about three weeks earlier than usual. That semester would end before a two-week winter break on December 21. The second semester would begin January 7 and end June 6, two weeks earlier than normal. Spring break would last for two weeks, one week longer than usual. The number of instructional days would stay the same. Because PaliHi is the only local school seriously considering the calendar change, many parents fear that the school’s calendar would conflict with local elementary and middle school schedules. Early this month, PaliHi sent parents the proposed changes and asked for their input. The deadline for submitting suggestions to the Policy Committee was September 12. There will also be an open forum for parents on October 6 at 6 p.m. in Mercer Hall, and parents present at that forum will be polled on the proposal. Policy Committee Chair Cheryl Onoye said one source of the proposed change came from the school’s Academic Watch Committee, which searches for ways to raise student achievement. Academic Watch members, she said, identified the timing of winter break as a consistent source of student hardship. Because the first semester does not end until after winter break, students return after weeks of vacation to final exams. And some teachers argue that student performance on final exams suffers unnecessarily because of awkward timing of exams and vacation. For Eileen Savage, a parent of students at PaliHi and Paul Revere Middle School, a winter vacation without school stress is the most convincing reason to support the changes. “Vacations have really suffered when my kids have papers and tests waiting for them when they get back from break,” she said. The Policy Committee has also endorsed the changes to provide an additional three weeks of instruction before students take AP exams. With this extra time, the Committee predicts better student preparation for the exams. Mary Redclay, an honors and AP English teacher, downplayed the benefit of an extra three weeks of instruction before the AP exams. “I don’t think three extra weeks will help them pass the AP test. If they have analytical skills, then they’ll pass. Three weeks here or there won’t make a difference,” she said. Redclay acknowledged that for more fact-sensitive subjects, an extra three weeks might be more helpful. Among the calendar change’s other alleged benefits, the Policy Committee hopes that dual enrollment of students at local community colleges would be facilitated. Onoye said that by starting the school year earlier, PaliHi’s schedule would be more compatible with community colleges. Students could take classes at community colleges for high school credit, and class sizes at PaliHi could decrease, Onoye said. It is unknown how many students would take classes at local community colleges, notably Santa Monica College and West Los Angeles College. At these schools, classes do not begin until late August and early September. Because PaliHi’s classes would end two to three weeks earlier than most local high schools, the Policy Committee argues that students would have an advantage in acquiring summer jobs. Despite these proposed advantages, several parents who spoke with the Palisadian-Post disputed the need for change. The most common anxiety among parents was the prospect of conflicting school schedules. Because most schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District, including local elementary and middle schools, show no sign of changing their schedules, parents with children at PaliHi and other public schools might have to juggle incompatible school calendars. One PaliHi mother, who requested to have her name withheld, said that starting school in early to mid-August would keep students from taking summer school and summer programs. She added that because most summer jobs (such as youth camps) last until Labor Day, the earlier school date would disqualify them. For Bud Kling, a PaliHi board member and faculty president, the reasons for approving the calendar change are less compelling now than they were the last time the same change was proposed more than a year ago. Kling said that the earlier proposal was conditional on other Palisades public schools also changing. These local schools have not indicated that they plan to change their calendars. Kling, a longtime tennis coach, also worries that the proposed calendar would cause significant schedule conflicts for student athletes. Because most local high school sports are based on LAUSD schedules, sports finals and final exams would likely occur on the same days, he said.
Car Shears Hydrant, But No One Injured
The town’s recent rash of traffic accidents continued last Sunday afternoon when a 16-year-old female driving north on Palisades Drive veered off the road, hit a fire hydrant and knocked over a street light. This sent a geyser of water soaring higher than nearby palm trees for several hours. West Traffic detectives blamed the accident on excessive speed and cell-phone use. The driver’s Toyota Corolla suffered major damage, but her airbag deployed. A witness told the Palisadian-Post that although the driver appeared uninjured, “She seemed to be quite shaken up and was crying continuously for about an hour afterward.” Fire Station 23 responded to the call at 5:57 p.m. After determining that the driver had no injuries, firemen surveyed the scene. “A light pole had been knocked down next to the fire hydrant,” Captain Dan Thompson said. “Before we approached the hydrant, we called DWP to verify that the power was shut off.” DWP received the call at 6:07 p.m. and arrived on scene at 6:47 p.m. The crew removed a fuse from the hand hole, a little box on the sidewalk that contains fuses and electrical wires . “The street light was defused for safety purposes,” said DWP public affairs officer Carol Tucker. The geyser of water shooting out of the hydrant reached spectacular heights because the hydrants along Palisades Drive are fed by a high-pressure main. Thompson estimated that 2,000 gallons per minute were going into the air. DWP workers who handle water issues arrived at the scene at about the same time as their power counterparts. When they tried to shut off the water flowing to the hydrant, they discovered it wasn’t a standard valve found on most hydrants. In order to reach the valve (located six feet under the sidewalk), they needed a tool with a special extension, which is not normally carried on emergency calls. A call was made to procure the specific tool, and water was finally shut off at 8:20. Meanwhile, firefighters from Station 23 closed down traffic lanes going north, and at about 6:20 set up a reverse-flow lane in the south side fast lane, so that cars could access the Highlands. They continued to help with traffic until parking enforcement arrived around 7:30 p.m. The northbound road remained closed for several hours and DWP workers remained on site until 9:53 p.m.
