LO C A L
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May 8-14, 2014 C A N
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San Clemente Deputy Honored for Life Saving Assist SC LIVING/ PAGE 16 VOLUME 9, ISSUE 19
A Classroom at Sea
Gray Whale Foundation provides students with lessons, opportunities to study the world’s largest mammals EYE ON SC/PAGE 8
Fourth- and fifth-grade students from Wood Canyon Elementary observe sea lions resting on a buoy off the coast of Dana Point. The students are a part of a Capistrano Unified School District program that aims to prepare them for the future using a new, gray whale-focused curriculum. Photo: Brian Park
Edison Panel Discusses Spent Fuel Safety Issues at SONGS EYE ON SC/PAGE 3
San Clemente Wrestling Coach to be Inducted Into Hall of Fame SPORTS/PAGE 30
Inside: Special Mother’s Day Gift Guide PAGE 18
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SC EYE ON SC San Clemente
LOCAL NEWS & IN-DEPTH REPORTING
What’s Up With... Five things San Clemente should know this week City Council Votes Unanimously to Appeal Beach Parking Fund Decision THE LATEST: Deputy City Attorney Ajit Thind announced Tuesday that the San Clemente City Council had voted unanimously in closed session to appeal Judge Thierry Colaw’s January ruling that the city must return more than $10 million in developer fees to residents who paid into a fund to build more beach parking. Colaw has still not formally signed the judgment in the case, as he must still determine which residents might receive refunds from the Beach Parking Impact Fund and in what amount, among other issues. The council voted to appeal as soon as the judgment was formally signed. The city collected the funds from those building new homes east of Interstate 5 after 1989, in order to build additional beach parking space in anticipation of higher demands. WHAT’S NEXT: Brad Malamud, an attorney and the public face of the lawsuit’s plaintiffs, has said he welcomed the opportunity to have Colaw’s ruling potentially set a standard for other cities. Malamud said Wednesday the appeal meant the city was essentially taking action against the residents the city would ultimately be returning money to. “This whole case is an exercise in futility for the city,” Malamud said. “You have to question what they’re doing.” Malamud said a hearing on the suit will be held Friday, May 23 at Central Court in Santa Ana at 10 a.m. – Jim Shilander
New City Budget Balanced, But Challenges Remain THE LATEST: Assistant City Manager Erik Sund told the San Clemente City Council Tuesday the city is entering a “transition period” in terms of its finances, as the expense of maintaining city services is beginning to outpace the city’s current revenue sources. While the city maintains a small budget surplus for the fiscal year 2015, which begins July 1, increases in city contracts with San Clemente Times May 8-14, 2014
The newest San Clemente city budget focuses provides a financial outlook of a city in a financial transition period, according to Assistant City Manager Erik Sund. Photo: Jim Shilander
the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and Orange County Fire Authority, as well as upcoming increases in the city’s costs to maintain Vista Hermosa Sports Park, bring financial challenges. The city can also not expect to receive increased sales and property tax revenue from The Outlets at San Clemente Plaza until at least the fall of 2015. The city has maintained a hiring freeze for several years that calls for the review of positions as they became vacant. That will be maintained. The budget also includes $6 million in new capital improvement projects, including upgrades to Avenida La Pata and Calle Frontera, though those are paid for, in part, with other city funds. WHAT’S NEXT: The council will have a budget workshop Thursday, May 15 to discuss the proposed budget. That discussion will also include several decision items, including the sponsorships of summer concerts and movies at city parks. The city is also considering hosting “Symphony in the City,” a performance of the Pacific Symphony at Vista Hermosa Sports Park that would potentially cost $58,000. The council will also consider $10,000 in support of the Wellness & Prevention Program at San Clemente High School. The Downtown Business Association also asked for an additional $25,880 in city support, mostly to help pay for the Landmarks on Del Mar program, a partnership to beautify the area between the DBA and San Clemente Historical Society. The largest item, however, would be a $1.1 million expenditure to explore designs and costs for extending the Beach Trail from Calafia State Beach to San
Clemente State Park. Design would cost $200,000 in FY 2015, with $900,000 in construction being spent the next year. Final approval of the budget is slated for June. FIND OUT MORE: An electronic version of the budget is available for viewing at www.san-clemente.org. – JS
Panelists Question Nuclear Fuel Storage Options THE LATEST: Since the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station shutdown in June 2013, one question has been at the forefront of discussion: what happens to used, or spent, nuclear fuel. With the plant’s decades-long decommissioning process started, fuel from its two nuclear reactors was removed. Now, spent fuel sits in wet storage, lowering in temperature for five to seven years, before being placed into dry storage—where it could stay indefinitely. Tuesday night, the community engagement panel spearheaded by the plant’s majority owner and operator, Southern California Edison, heard from a nuclear energy expert, federal regulator and storage professional about safety regulations, storage options and the future of the nation’s nuclear waste. The panel includes representatives from across Orange and San Diego counties and was created to give the public input into the ongoing decommissioning process. The public did not have a chance to comment Tuesday as the meeting was focused on experts giving their opinions and panelists asking questions. “We need to recognize that ultimately the waste and management is a federal responsibility,” said UC Berkeley profesPage 3
sor Per Peterson, who studies the safety, security and management of nuclear waste. Peterson served on a federal advisory committee regarding America’s nuclear future. The 15-member commission was tasked with reviewing federal policies on nuclear fuel’s back-end cycle and with recommending a new plan. A final report was submitted to the Secretary of Energy in January 2012. Recommendations included utilizing a public-based open approach to nuclear energy, establishing an organization dedicated solely to the management of waste, starting to consolidate the storage of such waste and continuing education and innovation programs for nuclear energy. The committee also found that the Department of Energy mishandled funds gathered for nuclear waste, Peterson said. “There are areas where this is a national consensus,” Peterson told the panel. “We have just lost the ability to build off of what we agree on and rather focus on what we disagree on.” WHAT’S NEXT: Four U.S. senators, including Sen. Dianne Feinstien (D-Calif.), introduced a bill last year encompassing the committee’s recommendations that would enable the federal government to fulfill its commitment to managing spent nuclear fuel. The bill was referred to committee in June. According to the government transparency website Govtrack.us, the bill has a 10 percent chance of being enacted. The community panel asked for guidance in finding a solution for storage at the national level. After hearing from the manufacturer of dry-storage containers at SONGS, Orange County Supervisor Pat Bates applauded the presenter for his convincing argument on the safety of long-term storage, but also raised issue. “If you put this in the political arena, where I happen to spend a lot of my time,” Bates said, “I would ask you to think for us why this may be safe, but policy wise we should not be living with.” FIND OUT MORE: Visit www.songscommunity.com.—Andrea Papagianis
Council Narrowly Approves New Striping Proposal for Vaquero THE LATEST: San Clemente bicycle advocates claimed a narrow victory Tuesday as the City Council voted 3-2 to authorize the restriping of Avenida Vaquero. The street connects the east side of the city to Camino Capistrano and Pacific Coast Highway. The restriping would allow for larger bike lanes and largely (Cont. on page 5) www.sanclementetimes.com
EYE ON SC What’s Up With... (Cont. from page 3) eliminate, except at intersections, a center turn lane residents of the street said was necessary to protect their safety. The issue, which was originally brought before the board in February, divided residents who said that fast moving traffic on the street forced them to back into the center turn lane in order to join traffic or turn into their homes. Bicyclists, who said the road is an important connector between different areas of the city, is not well travelled because it is unsafe. The striping would provide cyclists with an 8-foot lane and 2-foot buffer area with traffic. Currently, the street has a 12-foot area reserved for on-street parking and bicyclists. City Traffic Engineer Tom Frank said the city conducted a study for that street and discovered an approximately 17 percent drop in traffic from a study done in 2006, with between 4,200 and 5,000 vehicle trips per day. About 90 bicyclists per day were recorded using the street, with more on the weekends. Both options had the goal of reducing speed on the street. Resident Tom Marier said he spoke for the residents of the street who said they
preferred a second option that kept the center lane and gave bicyclists a 5.75-foot lane. He said the proposal was a “fair compromise” in that both sides, bicyclists and residents, would be giving up something. He called the center lane “vital” for residents to enter their homes. He noted he and other residents did not feel it fair to radically change the rules for approximately 90 bicycle trips per day when thousands traversed the area by car. Bicycle advocates countered, saying that the current layout’s lack of safety prevented it from being used more often. Pete van Nuys, the owner of Bicycles San Clemente, said the current street layout “looks dangerous as hell,” and called the road a “major backbone for active transportation” in the area. Bicyclist Michael Metcalf said the city could also find another solution if it found the proposal unworkable. WHAT’S NEXT: Mayor Tim Brown said he favored the bicyclist’s preferred option, noting the lack of residences on large portions of the street as well as the increase in space provided to residents in order to back out of their driveways, though he admitted the lack of a turn lane would take some getting used to.
Councilman Bob Baker countered that he, and many others, instinctively moved into the center lane to avoid cyclists on the road and that eliminating that divider might cause a problem. Councilman Chris Hamm said he felt the route provided safety, as well as a “gateway” for residents on the east side of the city to get to the beach by bicycle. – JS
City Looks to Make Sidewalk Improvements Near Schools THE LATEST: San Clemente will be applying for three different safe routes to school projects through the state’s active transportation program grants. Traffic Engineer Tom Frank said the three projects would add additional sidewalks and other improvements at Shorecliffs Middle School and Concordia and Las Palmas elementary schools. The Concordia improvements would add sidewalks and create curb extensions near the school, with the goal of shortening the distance needed to cross Avenida del Presidente, which Frank said was one
Young SC Artists Celebrated at the Casa PHOTOS AND TEXT BY JIM SHILANDER, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES
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ozens of San Clemente’s top young artists got a chance to show off their work at Casa Romantica Friday as part of the annual county-wide Imagination Celebration event. San Clemente students have now had the opportunity to have their work displayed at the Casa for the last 11 years. Former San Clemente High School art teacher Rick Delanty, a practicing artist who has exhibited at the Casa, said the progress made by students in the last 11 years has been “unbelievable.” “When I came to the Casa in 2003 (with the idea) it was because I thought we had excellent quality and wanted to have an appropriate avenue to have their work shown to the community,” Delanty said. “It’s really the best of what the kids are doing at the high school and at Shorecliffs and Bernice Ayer.” SCHS senior Devon Rush was one of the big winners of the night, taking first place in the high school ceramics category and receiving a $1,000 scholarship from the San Clemente Art Association. While he won for ceramics, Rush said he hopes to find a career elsewhere in art. “I’m really more into painting and drawing,” Rush said. “This is more of a leisure activity for me. I want to pursue illustration and become a freelance artist.” The work of SCHS artists will remain on display at the Casa through June 1. SC
San Clemente Times May 8-14, 2014
of the largest in the city. Curb extensions would also be added near Shorecliffs. Near Las Palmas, the city is hoping to add new sidewalks on West El Portal. WHAT’S NEXT: Frank said the three projects, which totaled $3.67 million, would not require a local match if they received state Safe Routes to School funding. While it is unlikely the city would receive state funding for all three projects, Frank said the city could also go before a regional board which has its own funds to disperse. Councilwoman Lori Donchak, who had previously helped to write similar grants for the city, told Frank it is important for the city to update its economic profile for the state, in order to overcome stereotypes about the city as a lazy beach town populated by a few wealthy people, as it was perceived to be in the Nixon era. – JS
Have a story idea or topic you would like to read about? ••• Send your suggestions to editorial@sanclementetimes.com.
SAN CLEMENTE HIGH SCHOOL Painting and Drawing Category First Place: Delaina Engberg Second Place: Davis Baker Third Place: Jason McBride Honorable Mentions: Cameron McDonald, Sandra Luna, Sabrina Laub, Alexandra May, Jonathan Crawford, Emily Crawford, Melissa Newell, Rene Repaire, Alexis Savopoulos, Kaylin van Waus, Otis Babski and James Whelan. Ceramics Category First Place: Devon Rush Second Place: Sabina Tehrani Third Place: Lucee Fitzgerald Honorable Mentions: Brian Mew, Rene Repaire and Brooke Browning.
Jocelyn Hales took first place in the photography category.
Photography Category First Place: Jocelyn Hales Second Place: Kevin Kruse Third Place: Dylan Hollrigel Honorable Mentions: Christian Chapin, Colin Hurlbut, Eugene Krug and Amanda Hull.
MIDDLE SCHOOLS: SHORECLIFFS AND BERNICE AYER 2-D Art Category First Place: Star Padilla Second Place: Andrew Cardoso Third Place: Kennedy Barnes Honorable Mentions: Will Kurtzer, Iris Anderson and Daisie Osorlo.
Left: San Clemente High School Senior Devon Rush won first place for ceramics at the student art show Friday at Casa Romantica. Right: Ceramics from SCHS and Shorecliffs and Bernice Ayer middle schools are on display.
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3-D Art Category First Place: Tanlee Gaspar, Second Place: Ryan Leff, Third Place: Cade Mills. San Clemente Art Association- $1,000 scholarship winners: Devon Rush, Brooke Browning, Jonathan Crawford and Emily Crawford. www.sanclementetimes.com
EYE ON SC
Community NEWS BITES Meetings Saddleback Theatre COMPILED BY JIM SHILANDER
FRIDAY, MAY 5
Summer Preview Day 3 p.m.-6 p.m. Preview of upcoming city program offerings. Registration available on-site. San Clemente Aquatics Center, 987 Avenida Vista Hermosa, 949.429.8797, www.san-clemente.org/recreation. MONDAY, MAY 12
Spanish Conversation 11 a.m. Meet at Café Calypso for coffee and conversation. 114 Avenida Del Mar, 949.492.9803. TUESDAY, MAY 13
Beaches, Parks & Recreation Commission 6 p.m. Regular meeting. San
Clemente Community Center, 100 N. Calle Seville.
News Next Door
WHAT’S GOING ON IN OUR NEIGHBORING TOWNS
DANA POINT Drivers traveling Pacific Coast Highway and Del Prado Avenue have been treated to more than just construction update messages as the city works to revamp downtown streets. Messages reading, “You’re beautiful” and “Mama said there’d be days like this” accompany traffic alerts and construction updates as crews move to turn the roads into twoway streets, add medians, bus pullouts and more. When the signs came back online after being off for a few days, one read “Did you miss us.” Staff suggested including humorous messages as a way of bringing some levity to a potentially frustrating situation, said Brad Fowler, the city’s director of public works and engineering. The messages have been an effective way to get people to pay attention to the messages supplying information about the closures, he said.
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO Lehman Bros., the owner of the unfinished Pacifica San Juan housing development, has been given 30 more months to prepare the land for sale last month but the San Juan Capistrano City Council asked that stockpiled dirt on the property be cleaned up. Nearby residents have long complained about mounds of dirt on the 9-acre site off Camino Las Ramblas.“We were told this was only temporary,” wrote resident Bree Gallery in a letter to the city. “Temporary has been many dusty years now.” Lehman acquired the land, part of a larger 292-acre site, in 2012, after the developer, SunCal, declared bankruptcy in 2008. Lehman, which also went bankrupt in 2008, now plans on selling the project to another developer. San Clemente Times May 8–14, 2014
Department Seeking Young Actors for ‘Godspell Jr.’
The Department of Theatre Arts and Community Education at Saddleback College will present a production of “Godspell, Jr.” this summer. Students in third through ninth grades will have the opportunity to participate in a four-week workshop culminating with the performance. An orientation for registered students and their parents will be held on Thursday, July 10, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Studio Theatre at Saddleback College. There will also be opportunities for students to be a part of the crew. Classes and rehearsals run Monday through Thursday, from July 14 to Aug. 7, from 9 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Performance dates are Friday, Aug. 8 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 9, at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The class fee is $395. For further information, contact MainStage Kids at 949.348.6884. Tickets for the performances can be purchased by calling 949.582.4656 or online at www.saddleback.edu/arts. Tickets are $10. MainStage Kids is a Children’s Theatre Company working in connection with the Department of Theatre Arts and Community Education at Saddleback College to expand Children’s Theatre in Orange County.
Scouts Tour SC Sheriff’s Department Offices A group of San Clemente Cub Scouts recently had the opportunity to tour the city’s law enforcement offices. Janet Dunford, Crime Prevention Specialist from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, led a tour of the department’s San Clemente facility Tuesday, April 22 and taught the members of Wolf Scout Den 16, Pack No. 112 about keeping themselves safe and making good choices. The scouts visited the department’s offices, holding cell and a police car where an officer showed them all of the features of the vehicle.
Sports Hall of Fame, Friend-Raiser May 17 The Friends of San Clemente Foundation’s third annual “Friend-Raiser” event will be held Saturday, May 17, beginning at 6 p.m. The event, at the San Clemente Aquatics Center, will include the announcement of the newest members of the San Clemente Sports Hall of Fame. The event serves as both a fundraiser and membership drive. The cost is $35
Cub Scouts from San Clemente Pack No. 112 recently toured the San Clemente offices of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Courtesy photo
per person or $60 per family and includes dinner, a beverage and membership in the organization. An awards ceremony will be held at 7:30 p.m.
St. Clement’s Organist Will Host Concert May 18 St. Clement’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in San Clemente will host a performance of classical organ and piano music by music director and organist Stephen Karr Sunday, May 8. In addition to his duties at the church, Karr is a co-founder, music director and principle conductor with Pacific Opera Project in Los Angeles and an accomplished and acclaimed solo organist. The program will include organ variations on “America,” by Charles Ives; “Prelude and Fugue in G minor”, by Marcel Dupré and “Sonata in A Major” on piano by Mozart. A $15 donation is suggested. The church is located at 202 Avenida Aragon.
Rock the Autism Fundraiser Raises $470 Rock the Autism raised $470 at a fundraising event Sunday, April 27 at the San Clemente Community Center. Students in the program, which meets regularly at the Boys & Girls Club of the South Coast Area, performed as part of the event. The event was also supported by SC United Soccer Club. Rock the Autism provides students with autism the opportunity to play instruments and perform music, in order to provide a creative outlet for children with the diagnosis.
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City Begins Seasonal Ambulance Service The city of San Clemente has contracted with the Orange County Fire Authority for additional ambulance services for the summer months, which began Friday, May 2. The OCFA’s amended contract allows for a second city ambulance from May through October, the months in which public demand is highest for emergency services. The seasonal ambulance, to be stationed at Fire Station 50 at 670 Camino Los Mares, will be in service from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily during these months. The city will pay $152,000 for the additional six months of ambulance service. However, the ambulance transport fees will help the city offset the cost of the additional service, which is designed to reduce response times.
San Clemente Student Makes Math Olympics as Freshman Thomas Kwa, a freshman at St. Margaret’s Episcopal High School from San Clemente, recently qualified for the United States of America Math Olympiad. Approximately 70,000 high schoolers in North America competed to be a part of the event, of which 266 qualified for the USAMO. Only 10 were freshmen. Have something interesting for the community? Send your information to editorial@sanclementetimes.com. www.sanclementetimes.com
EYE ON SC
A Classroom at Sea
Developing CUSD program aims to prepare students through lessons on gray whales and their ecosystem BY BRIAN PARK, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES
I
n the waters just outside of Dana Point Harbor, aboard the OCean Adventures catamaran, fourth- and fifth-grade students from a combination class at Wood Canyon Elementary School in Aliso Viejo were on the lookout for gray whales. “Thar she blows!” one girl yelled. “No, that’s nothing,” her observant classmate replied. For months, the students had been preparing for their ocean excursion, a capstone reward and an opportunity to apply what they had learned about gray whales and their ecosystem in a fun ocean expedition. But on this day, there were no gray whales sighted. Capt. Todd Mansur, lead naturalist for Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching, suspects they may have been avoiding boats or a few might have slipped past them into shallower waters. “This isn’t SeaWorld,” Mansur said. “Nothing is penned in. We’re sponsored by Earth.” The kids, though, were not taken back ashore without a show. They were told to remain quiet so as to not scare away sea lions basking on a buoy. Later, they screamed to their hearts’ content as a pod of dolphins swam beside their boat. “The cuteness is killing me!” said the girl, who had earlier envisioned a whale. Had they spotted a gray whale, the students would have been prepared. With binoculars, stopwatches to time breathing patterns and clipboards to mark down their observations, they were ready to contribute their part to an ongoing study of the whales’ annual migration, from cold Alaskan waters, past the California coastline and to warmer bays and lagoons off the Mexican coast. The group was the last of 23 trips taken
this migratory season by 52 participating classes from several schools in the Capistrano Unified School District. All of them took part in a program, launched last spring, that aims to apply new Common Core standards and STEM education (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) in classrooms. By going deeper into subject matter—in this case, gray whales and their ecosystem—and drawing from those four disciplines, school officials hope to mold students into more creative problem solvers and prepare them for futures that will be more dependent on technology. “Every learner remembers something more if they’ve actually done it,” said Elisa Slee, a teacher on special assignment, or TOSA, tasked to find new ways to implement STEM curriculum into CUSD classrooms. “It’s the vehicle for learning everything better because children are naturally curious.” CUSD’s gray whale unit is not the only STEM-focused program that teachers have adopted. As part of a program Slee helped organize, Advanced Placement environmental science students from Dana Hills High School take what they have learned during the school year, organize the material into lesson plans and present them to fourth-graders from Kinoshita Elementary School during a field trip at The Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano. The older students, in teaching others, become experts in local environmental issues while the younger scholars learn practical, science-based lessons and solutions about their surrounding environment. Many of the programs rely on support from local businesses and community organizations, like The Ecology Center.
Wood Canyon Elementary School students try to spot gray whales. Photo: Brian Park
San Clemente Times May 8-14, 2014
Capt. Todd Mansur, lead naturalist for Dana Wharf Whale Watching and board member of the Gray Whale Foundation, prepares students for their trip aboard the OCean Adventures catamaran. Photo: Brian Park
The gray whale unit would not be if it were not for The Gulf of Catalina Gray Whale Preservation and Education Foundation, a nonprofit founded by Dana Wharf co-owner Michael Hansen, Mansur and their staff. Since the early ‘90s, Dana Wharf has welcomed CUSD students on field trips, but Hansen, Mansur and company recognized that students did not have the foundational knowledge to understand why they were looking for whales. “Any time you can study an animal that’s coastal, that swims near your shoreline, you’re going to know how well you’re treating the local ecosystem,” Mansur said. “These animals are going to have the biggest impact from anything we do here because of our proximity.” Mansur and the Gray Whale Foundation began going to classrooms, in CUSD and all over Southern California, to give presentations on why the students would be visiting Dana Point Harbor and what they should expect from their trip. In 2007, the foundation began developing a more formal curriculum, which would later spawn the district’s gray whale unit. “(The trip) had to be an award. It had to be earned, first and foremost, by the teachers,” Mansur said. “If the teachers weren’t willing to teach the curriculum, it wasn’t going to work.” The foundation reached out to CUSD, and district officials connected them with Slee, along with Nona Reimer and Paola Paz Soldan, teachers at Malcolm and Las Palmas elementary schools, respectively. The trio, working with the foundation, created a curriculum, complete with lesson plans and activities, for other willing teachers to adopt. “If the teachers were doing the unit and were willing to attend the training, they could ask to have a free or subsidized field trip, funded by the Gray Whale Foundation,” Slee said. The entire unit, including the trip, costs about $60 per student, according to Mansur. Using gray whales as the “flagship
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species,” the unit was designed to satisfy the goals of Common Core, known as the “4 C’s:” collaboration, critical thinking, communication and creativity. Activities also hit on the four elements of STEM and incorporate them across different subject matter. One lesson on feeding adaptions uses all four STEM elements by teaching students about baleen, the hair-like bristle gray whales and other toothless whales use to filter food from ocean water. Students designed and engineered their own baleen from materials, such as metal wands banded by rubber bands, to filter rice out of water. After testing their creations, students noted the results and improved on their designs. “It’s a different way to integrate engineering, technology, science and mathematics,” Paz Soldan said. “The moment they get their hands on it, the depth of their understanding is much greater.” The goal of STEM education, and Common Core, is to prepare students for higher education opportunities and a future workforce with ever-changing demands. “Ten years ago, the technology we have today we never would have imagined. What’s down the line we don’t even know yet,” Paz Soldan said. “But if we get these kids interested today, to have a strong base, they’ll have a better concept … Just the fact that they’re exposed to new ways of thinking allows them to solve problems in new ways. They’re going to have to solve the problems we’re leaving them.” For the foundation, the unit helps to meet their goal to foster “ocean-minded” citizens. Mansur said, eventually, he would like to see it fully adopted across CUSD and to other districts as well. “I am positive as they see the success rate of this and the happiness of students, it’ll continue to grow,” Mansur said. “Passion is contagious. When you speak the word of ocean awareness, you have to remember the vast ocean. These kids are the stewards of our future.” SC www.sanclementetimes.com
EYE ON SC
SC Sheriff’s Blotter COMPILED BY CATHERINE MANSO
All information below is obtained from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department website. The calls represent what was told to the deputy in the field by the radio dispatcher. The true nature of an incident often differs from what is initially reported. No assumption of criminal guilt or affiliation should be drawn from the content of the information provided. An arrest doesn’t represent guilt. The items below are just a sampling of the entries listed on the OCSD website.
Tuesday, May 6 DISTURBANCE El Camino Real, 1800 Block (5:06 a.m.) A man wearing a blue shirt kept talking inside a store and would not leave. DISTURBANCE El Camino Real, 500 Block (12:35 a.m.) A homeless caller told authorities that people were bothering him. When the dispatcher asked for more details the caller could not answer the questions.
Monday, May 5 SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCE Avenida Del Presidente, 3200 Block (9:13 p.m.) A man was found sleeping in the laundry room of Baha Park Apartments. SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCE East Avenida Pico/El Camino Real (6:57 p.m.) A caller reported that an 18-year-old man was using a Razor scooter to hit the side of the Miramar theater. The caller was concerned he was leaving vis-
ible scratches on the historic building. WELFARE CHECK El Camino Real, 2400 Block (6:18 p.m.) A woman in a wheelchair had stayed in the same spot behind the Hampton Inn for 12 hours. NARCOTIC VIOLATION Avenida Granada, 200 Block (2:48 p.m.) A man wearing gray shorts, a plaid jacket and a hat was seen “shooting up.” CITIZEN ASSIST East Avenida Pico/Avenida Vista Hermosa (1:34 p.m.) A homeless man called requesting help getting his luggage to the train station. RECKLESS DRIVING East Avenida Pico/Avenida La Pata (12:56 p.m.) A patrol check was requested near the construction at the top of Avenida La Pata due to speeding vehicles. ABANDONED VEHICLE Avenida Salvador, 900 Block (10:38 a.m.) A covered vehicle had been left unattended for two weeks. ASSIST OUTSIDE AGENCY El Camino Real, 2900 Block (8:37 a.m.) Dispatch received notice of a 50-year-old woman having trouble breathing.
Sunday, May 4
Saturday, May 3
SUSPICIOUS VEHICLE East Avenida Pico/Avenida Navarro (10:38 p.m.) An unattended silver Jeep in the Denny’s parking lot had its back door open.
SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCE Avenida Pico, 500 Block (11:18 p.m.) Three teenagers with skateboards jumped the locked fence of the post office and “messed with” the postal equipment.
VANDALISM REPORT Camino De Los Mares, 600 Block (8:21 p.m.) A car owner reported the rear window of his vehicle had been broken.
SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCE Avenida Vaquero, 500 Block (9:59 p.m.) A woman reported a buggy driving around on the golf course. The woman said the buggy could destroy the grass.
DISTURBANCE Avenida La Pata, 200 Block (4:34 p.m.) Officials were alerted to juveniles riding BMX bikes in the skate park.
DRUNK IN PUBLIC Avenida Victoria, 600 Block (9:39 p.m.) A drunken woman in her 50s, who was wearing an orange hat, was having difficulty walking in front of the Pier and then vomited.
SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCE Calle Del Comercio, 2700 Block (2:21 p.m.) A man found drug paraphernalia on his property. WELFARE CHECK Avenida Victoria, 200 Block (2:24 a.m.) A man told officials a dog in a nearby yard had been barking for over an hour. He heard a fight in the residence earlier and believed the dog’s barking meant something bad occurred.
DISTURBANCE Ola Vista, 2400 Block (5:50 p.m.) A man reported an ongoing issue of juveniles throwing dog feces on his property.
Friday, May 2
INDECENT EXPOSURE El Camino Real, 100 Block (6:34 a.m.) Authorities were notified of a man driving without pants on.
DISTURBANCE- MUSIC OR PARTY Buena Vista, 1500 Block (12:11 a.m.) Authorities were informed of four to five people drinking outside, watching a loud television and “keeping the neighborhood dogs barking.”
DISTURBANCE Plaza Estival, 300 Block (11:56 p.m.) Dispatch received notice of kids playing “ding-dong ditch” in the neighborhood.
SUSPICIOUS PERSON IN VEHICLE El Camino Real, 2300 Block (1:58 a.m.) Three people were seen smoking drugs in a black taxi cab.
ASSIST OUTSIDE AGENCY Camino De Los Mares, 600 Block (1:04 a.m.) A man was reported “down” on the sidewalk near a liquor store.
DISTURBANCE Calle Quieto, 3300 Block (10:38 p.m.) Officials were alerted of 10 to 12 kids urinating on mailboxes.
FAM Looking for Food Donations
Cub Scout { IN S AN CLE ME NTE } Pack No. 12, made up of scouts from San Clemente, Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano, raced their creations in the pack’s second annual Recycled Regatta at the San Clemente Aquatic Center on Saturday. The pack’s different dens each created vessels out of recycled materials, as an environmental awareness project.
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amily Assistance Ministries is looking for donations of various food items due to stocks running low. The organization said in its appeal that its stocks typically run low in the summer months, but that this year, the slump has come early. Food items needed include: Peanut butter, jelly, canned fruit, canned pasta sauce, cold cereal, canned tomatoes, tuna, canned beans and rice. FAM employees and volunteers are available to receive donations from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday at the back door of its location at 1030 Calle Negocio in San Clemente. SC
Photo: Jim Shilander
San Clemente Times May 8–14, 2014
SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCE South El Camino Real/Avenida Presidio (8:11 p.m.) Two people were seen getting out of an older gray Mustang with beer bottles in their hands.
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SC SOAPBOX San Clemente
VIEWS, OPINIONS AND INSIGHTS
Letters to the Editor SAN CLEMENTE HAS GONE TO THE DOGS WILLIAM HUBBARD, San Clemente
Do any of the “old San Clementeans” remember Ole Hanson? Does anyone remember the city code “No Dogs on Beaches, Parks or Pier?” Perhaps our old city founder, whom we hold in high regard, is turning over in his grave. Can any of you people do anything or go anywhere without your dog? You drive everywhere with your dog on your lap, you shop in stores and expect restaurants to allow you to have your dog at your side. You have already taken over the streets, the beach trail, the greenbelts, the beach and the parks. Dog feces has inundated the whole city thanks to everyone who thinks dogs have as many rights as humans. Whatever happened to the days of dogs staying at home, in their own yards or walking around their own neighborhood? The dog people have gotten too pathetic.
Join the San Clemente Times for Beachside Chat, Friday at 8 a.m. at Café Calypso.
Find some human friends or at least think of other people. Poor Ole would be disheartened to be walking in San Clemente and stepping in dog feces. Ole had good reason for not allowing pets in public areas. This city has gone to the dogs and I am disgusted.
San Clemente City Manager Pall Gudgeirsson will be this week’s guest. He will discuss the new city budget and the long term financial picture for the city. Beachside Chat is a spirited, town hall forum on community issues, hosted by SC Times editor Jim Shilander. All are welcome. Beachside Chat is held every Friday at Café Calypso.
BEACH REPLENISHMENT TRULY NECESSARY DAVID BRANT, San Clemente
Good news was reported in the April 17 edition of the SC Times regarding a possible source of sand for the replenishment project for our severely eroded beaches. If the quality of the designated Oceanside sand is up to standard, the project should be started as soon as possible. If the quality is subpar, then a new search should be conducted and a high-quality sand source identified so that work can be started in a timely fashion. I applaud Mayor Tim Brown’s sugges-
tion that a fee be put before the voters, similar to the clean ocean fee, to provide funding for ongoing work on this project. I feel that a vast majority of San Clementeans would support this project to restore our once beautiful beaches. To submit a letter to the editor for possible inclusion in the paper, e-mail us at letters@sanclementetimes.com. San Clemente Times reserves the right to edit readersubmitted letters for length and is not responsible for the claims made or the information written by the writers. Please limit your letters to 350 words.
A trip through San Clemente’s past comes through the phone book
San Clemente Times May 8-14, 2014
HOW TO REACH US CITY EDITOR Jim Shilander, 949.388.7700, x109 jshilander@sanclementetimes.com
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ADVERTISING
GUEST OPINION: by Fred Divel
appy “National Preservation Week” San Clemente. Wait. What? That was last week? Well, it’s no wonder it passed quietly. The San Clemente Historical Society doesn’t perk up its dedication to preserving and protecting your hometown on just some random week each year. They are vigilant to the mission of protecting and preserving year round, as it has since 1973. But, the Historical Society can do only so much. Memories of my hometown are the intangibles no historical group can save for me. They can only save the touchstones that spark my personal history. For example: Who would have thought the simple telephone book could be a history book, as well? Among the boxes of local history that my family wisely squirreled away, over their 80 years of living in the Spanish Village, I found a 1949 San Clemente telephone book; the year of my birth. Thumbing through that tattered pamphlet-like telephone book, I rediscovered my youth and how San Clemente is all tangled up in it. Each page held a key to a memory that took me back to a time that was all too quickly overcome by all manner of cultural changes. But I was gratified to find my memories right there for the tapping. So, I’m thumbing through this 1949 phone book and thinking how today phone books are a dying breed. In the
34932 Calle del Sol, Suite B, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624
olden days most San Clemente homes had only one telephone with a three-digit phone number, party lines and you went to it when it rang. Yes, rang. Many businesses didn’t even Fred Divel list their address, so familiar were they to the locals. The milkman marched right in the back door and deposited your dairy directly into your Frigidaire and took stock of your next morning’s needs. The Helm’s Bakery man used his distinctive train whistle to bring us out to his bakery truck for the donuts and fresh bread, just like the Good Humor ice cream man did with the Popsicles and sundae cups. Most stores were open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and were closed on weekends unless someone local needed something desperately and the owner would open up. Many times they lived above their shop. Door-to-door salesmen wore suits and ties and peddled brushes, vacuum cleaners and encyclopedias, not solar panels, bogus magazine subscriptions and cheap cell phone plans. The corner drugstore had a soda fountain where you could sit at a counter for a cherry Coke with real cherry syrup. Just about everything was within walking distance. Of course you didn’t
have to stick to the sidewalks, trekking across the pounded dirt or brush thoroughfares carved into vacant lots could get you anywhere faster. If you were a kid on a mission to the Plunge for a swim or a Saturday matinee at the theater, you would cut through the canyons, washes and gullies and slide down the dry grassy hill on a cardboard box, right up to the box office. And we didn’t come home until the streetlights came on. Yep, all of this was in my own backyard. That telephone “history” book brought all those memories and more back to me in waves. Do you remember leaving the keys in the car and the front door unlocked? I can only wonder what memories kids today will take with them when or if they leave San Clemente. I’ve made the best of my stay in my hometown. Fred Divel was born and raised in San Clemente and co-founded the San Clemente Historical Society. His mother, Lois Divel, is the City’s Matriarch. He convinced Richard Nixon to move to San Clemente. He spent 20 years an Imagineer for Walt Disney and retired as Entertainment Manager for Crystal Cruises. SC
PUBLISHER Norb Garrett
> Lisa Cosenza ( San Clemente)
EDITORIAL
> Michele Reddick (San Clemente)
Group Senior Editor > Andrea Swayne
> Debra Wells (San Juan Capistrano)
City Editor, SC Times > Jim Shilander
OPERATIONS
Sports Editor > Steve Breazeale
Finance Director > Mike Reed
City Editor, DP Times > Andrea Papagianis
Business Operations Manager > Alyssa Garrett
City Editor, The Capistrano Dispatch > Brian Park ART/DESIGN
SPECIAL THANKS Robert Miller, Jonathan Volzke
Senior Designer > Jasmine Smith ADVERTISING/MULTIMEDIA MARKETING Associate Publisher > Lauralyn Loynes (Dana Point)
Accounting & Distribution Manager > Tricia Zines
CONTRIBUTORS Megan Bianco, Victor Carno, Kevin Dahlgren, Catherine Manso, Shelley Murphy, Dana Schnell, Tim Trent
San Clemente Times, Vol. 9, Issue 19. The SC Times (www. sanclementetimes.com ) is published weekly by Picket Fence Media, publishers of the DP Times (www.danapointtimes. com) and The Capistrano Dispatch (www.thecapistranodispatch.com). Copyright: No articles, illustrations, photographs or other editorial matter or advertisements herein may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited manuscripts, art, photos or negatives. Copyright 2014. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.
FOLLOW THE SAN CLEMENTE TIMES
PLEASE NOTE: In an effort to provide our readers with a wide variety of opinions from our community, the SC Times provides Guest Opinion opportunities in which selected columnists’ opinions are shared. The opinions expressed in these columns are entirely those of the columnist alone and do not reflect those of the SC Times or Picket Fence Media. If you would like to respond to this column, please email us at editorial@sanclementetimes.com
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SC GETTING OUT San Clemente
YOUR SEVEN-DAY EVENT PLANNER
The List
EDITOR’S PICK
What’s going on in and around town this week COMPILED BY STAFF Courtesy photo
At the Movies: ‘Locke’ is All Alone
Thursday | 08 IMAGINATION CELEBRATION Each day during library hours. Children are invited to create art at the Dana Point Library. Creativity will be highlighted and works will be displayed. Teens are also invited to participate in a special Post-It art project. Runs through Sunday, May 25. 33841 Niguel Road, Dana Point, 949.496.5517, www.ocpl.org/libloc/dana. APERITIVO EVENING AND BOCCE BALL TOURNAMENT 5 p.m. Celebrate all things Italian at Marbella Country Club. San Juan Capistrano Mayor Sam Allevato will judge a bocce ball tournament from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Admission $30. Cash bar available until closing. For more info, call 949.248.3700 or email Vicky Carabini, the city’s ambassador to San Juan’s sister city, Capestrano, Italy, at vcarabini@cox.net. CASA THROUGH THE YEARS 7 p.m. Key members of the community and the San Clemente Historical Society present a panel discussion on the history of Casa Romantica. Admission is $10 for members, $15 for non-members and $5 for students. Purchase tickets online. 415 Avenida Granada, San Clemente, 949.498.2139, www.casaromantica.org.
Friday | 09 SC CHAMBER RIBBON CUTTING— MASSAGE ALMA 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Event will include complimentary chair massages. Refreshments will be served. 111 Avenida Palizada, 15B. 949.391.3521. www.massage-alma.massagetherapy.com. GEM FAIRE Noon-6 p.m. Around 200 exhibitors will display fine jewelry, precious and semiprecious gemstones, minerals and more at the OC Fair & Event Center. Shows through May 11. Weekend admission $7. For more info including weekend hours, visit www.gemfaire.com. 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, 503.252.8300. DANCING FOR A CAUSE 6 p.m. Dance contest modeled on “Dancing With the Stars,” to benefit San Clemente charities. $125 includes dinner. Casino San Clemente, 140 Avenida Pico. www.facebook.com/scsunriserotaryclub. San Clemente Times May 8-14, 2014
Courtesy photo
Doheny Blues Festival • saturDay, May 17 anD sunDay, May 18 11 a.m. Surf melds with blues as The Doobie Brothers, Gregg Allman, Buddy Guy and more take the stage at this two-day music festival at Doheny State Beach. Performances are spread across three stages with food, beer and wine vendors throughout. A $5 shuttle service from Dana Hills High School will run during the festival. General admission is $60 for a single day pass or $110 for both days. 25300 Dana Point Harbor Drive, Dana Point, 949.360.7800, www.dohenybluesfestival.com.
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produce and much more every Sunday on Avenida Del Mar. Rain or shine.
NATIVE PLANT AND WILDLIFE HIKE 9 a.m.-noon. Learn to identify native plants with volunteer naturalists on a moderate but fast-paced, steep and rocky, 3.5-mile hike at Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. $2 donation per person, $3 parking. Reservations required. Sign up at www.lagunacanyon.org/activities. 18751 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, 949.497.8324.
MOTHER’S DAY CRUISE 10 a.m. Dana Wharf Sportfishing &Whale Watching hosts a special two-hour cruise celebrating moms. Cruise aboard the OCean Adventures catamaran and enjoy champagne, fresh fruit, juices and pastries while viewing the sights and sounds of the Pacific. $45 for adults, $30 for children. 34675 Golden Lantern, Dana Point, 949.496.5794, www.danawharf.com.
BELLY DANCING WORKSHOP 4 p.m.-6 p.m. Experience the ancient dance form and celebrate the body and soul in a supportive atmosphere. Wear workout or yoga clothes. All ability levels welcome. Free. Donations accepted. RSVP to 949.842.5989. Sun Salute Yoga, 24582 Del Prado Ave., Suite G, Dana Point, www.bellydanceorangecounty.com. SECOND STAGE STAND-UP 7:30 p.m. The Camino Real Playhouse hosts a lineup of four comedians on the second Saturday of each month. Admission $15. To purchase, call 949.489.8082 or visit www.comedyintheoc.com. 31776 El Camino Real, San Juan Capistrano, www.caminorealplayhouse.org. CLIFFHANGER 8 p.m. Tickets $20, $15 for students. Cabrillo Playhouse, 202 Avenida Cabrillo, San Clemente, 949.492.0465, www.cabrilloplayhouse.org.
Sunday | 11 SAN CLEMENTE FARMERS MARKET 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Bundles of flowers, fresh
Tuesday | 13 CURIOSITY CARTS 10 a.m.-noon. Educational carts offer visitors a close-up view of historical artifacts, including objects used by the Juaneno Mission Indians. Free with admission $6$9. Occurs every Tuesday and Thursday. 26801 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano, 949.234.1300, www.missionsjc.com. PANEL: UNDERSTANDING YOUTH DRUG TRENDS 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m. Panelists from the sheriff’s department, county health care agency and local courts will discuss alcohol and drug trends among teens both locally and nationwide. Dana Hills High School, Porthole Theatre, 33333 Golden Lantern, Dana Point.
Wednesday | 14 CHRIS CRAM 7:30 p.m.-11 p.m. Live music at Iva Lee’s. 555 N. El Camino Real, San Clemente, 949.361.2855, www.ivalees.com. Page 14
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new trend in the last year of movies has characters stuck in one location the entire film, trying to get out of a predicament. And Steven Knight’s Locke is the latest attempt. Much like how Gravity and All is Lost were tour-de-forces for Sandra Bullock and Robert Redford, respectively, Locke a chance Tom Hardy time to shine. It’s the English character actor’s first film since The Dark Knight Rises two years ago and screenwriter Knight’s second directorial effort. On the eve of a major business deal for his construction company, manager Ivan Locke (Hardy) skips a job obligation to drive across England to be with a former one-night stand, Bethan (Olivia Colman), while she gives birth to his child. Throughout the long drive, Ivan makes a number of calls to his son Eddie (Tom Holland), wife Katrina (Ruth Wilson) and co-workers Donal (Andrew Scott) and Gareth (Ben Daniels). Primarily a screenwriter for most of his career, most famously with Dirty Pretty Things (2002) and Eastern Promises (2007), Knight’s first directed feature, Redemption, was underwhelming last year. But Locke is a step in the right direction, with the intriguing plot device of keeping Hardy in his moving vehicle the entire 85 minutes of the film and dealing with his problems all through his cellphone. But what could have been suspenseful falls flat with some basic dialogue and a tired relationship trope for the protagonist. But those who are fans of Hardy will appreciate his one man show. —Megan Bianco
LUNCHTIME LEVITATION Noon-12:45 p.m. Take a break with this classic Indian yoga course focusing on your breath and mediation. All levels welcome. Contact instructor Deborah Nadell for more: 630.240.3161, Deborah@ sacredhealing.com. The Coastal Arcadian, 24471 Del Prado Ave., Dana Point. For our full calendar, visit the “Event Calendar” at www.sanclementetimes.com. Have an event? Send your listing to events@sanclementetimes.com www.sanclementetimes.com
SC SC LIVING San Clemente
PROFILES OF OUR COMMUNITY
SC Deputy Honored for Lifesaving Actions Capo Beach man also feted for role in August resuscitation BY JIM SHILANDER, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES
J
eremiah Prescott didn’t see the collision that led to his helping save the life of a young Florida man last year. But the quick work of the San Clemente Police Services deputy and retired Los Angeles firefighter Gary Clark, a resident of Capistrano Beach, gave the young man a second chance at life. Clark was first on scene Aug. 9. He was traveling on El Camino Real, following two men on motorcycles. As they approached the Rite Aid Pharmacy, Clark was approximately a block behind the men when one, identified as Andrew Dykes, hit a vehicle that was turning left. “The motorcyclist flew over the car and disappeared,” Clark recalled. Clark pulled his vehicle over and walked towhere the man was lying. “He was on his back,” Clark said. “One guy looked in his helmet and said, ‘He’s dead.’” At the time, Prescott and his partner, Deputy Richard Covington, were parked in an unmarked vehicle a short distance away. They were doing surveillance. “I heard a loud noise,” Prescott said. “It sounded to me like a pallet had snapped down to the ground from a semi-truck,” he said. “I thought maybe the sound had come from the Rite Aid. I didn’t think anything of it until I saw a bunch of people running to the location.” Clark, an experienced EMT, assessed the man. He was not breathing. Clark could also find no sign of a pulse. He and a bystander removed the man’s helmet. Soon, Prescott arrived, and he, too, could not find a pulse. The two men then began CPR. “Being old-school, my feelings are that if you breathe into someone mouth-tomouth, you’re going to get an exchange of air and fill the lungs, rather than the new method, which just calls for chest compressions,” Clark said. A 15-year veteran of the force, Prescott had taken a number of CPR courses and performed the emergency procedure in the field. “I’ve just never had it work,” Prescott San Clemente Times May 8-14, 2014
San Clemente Sheriff’s Deputy Jeremiah Prescott accepts congratulations from Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens on his receipt of his life saving medal. Courtesy photo
Prescott and other deputies from across the county were honored for extraordinary efforts in law enforcement last month. Courtesy photo
said. “We did three sets of chest compressions and I’ll be damned if he didn’t just gasp for air. It caught me off-guard, to be honest with you.” Clark said he worked to maintain a clean airway for the paramedics before they arrived. “I looked around and asked ‘Who did chest compression,’” Clark said. Prescott responded, ‘I did.’ And I told him, ‘We just saved this man’s life.’” Prescott and Clark were both honored for their actions last month. Prescott received the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s Medal of Lifesaving, along with 14 other officers. Clark received a certificate of recognition for his efforts as well.
We did three sets of “chest compressions and
I’ll be damned if he didn’t just gasp for air. It caught me off-guard, to be honest with you. —Jeremiah Prescott
”
“It’s the first award that I’ve won,” Prescott said. “I don’t think my actions were heroic or courageous in any way. I did something I’ve done several times before and that other deputies have done countless times over the years.” Page 16
Clark checked on Dykes in the days after the accident. He spoke with the paramedics who’d transported him to Mission Hospital. They told him Dykes had gone into arrest on the way to the hospital, but was again revived. Clark visited Dykes at the hospital, where he said he “looked like a mummy” after breaking “nearly every bone in his body.” According to his nurse, Dykes also suffered a dissected aorta, where blood flows between the layers of the aorta, which is typically fatal, Clark said. After a few weeks, Dykes stabilized and was transported home. “I did mention to him that he was very careless with the life his mother and God gave him, and that hopefully he would be a little more careful with the life we all had given him back,” Clark said. Both men had similar feelings about what really happened last year. “I’ve probably performed CPR over 200 times in my 34 years,” Clark said of his time with the LAFD. “It think it general knowledge that when you have an arrest from a trauma, it’s very difficult to bring someone back from it. It was just remarkable. In my opinion, it was a miracle. I was blown away by it.” Prescott said he knew he wasn’t the one who made it happen. “That kid is alive because God has something in store for him.” Prescott said. “The only way that I can possibly explain his survival is not because of anything miraculous with my hands but because there was some divine intervention involved.” Prescott said while he appreciated the recognition, he wasn’t really one to seek it out. “The people who really deserve medals in my line of work are spouses who have to put up with the crap we have to deal with and bring home. But there were definitely some heroes up on that podium that day, that’s for sure,” he said. Clark said he hoped his experience would understand the importance of rapid intervention in such situations. The state’s Good Samaritan statute, he said, protects bystanders from being sued for their actions in a medical emergency so long as they try to intervene to the best of their ability. “You can get involved and you can make a difference,” Clark said. Prescott said any of the other people at the site of the crash could have made the same life saving maneuver. “Most of the time, it doesn’t work,” Prescott said. “The only unique thing about this is that he (Mr. Dykes) lived. There were maybe 10 people standing around when I pulled up in the car who weren’t doing anything. Any one of those 10 could have done something and come to the exact same result I did.” SC www.sanclementetimes.com
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SC LIVING
Rope trick artist Miguel Batista jumps through a lasso.
Young singer Daniella Maldonado sang traditional Mexican folk songs before the rope and horse show.
San Clemente Celebrates Cinco PHOTOS AND TEXT BY JIM SHILANDER
San Clemente celebrated its Mexican community Saturday at Max Berg Plaza Park for its 24th annual Cinco de Mayo observance. Approximately 4,000 people Christina Gomez takes a ride on a pony. came out for the event, which featured performances by various local groups such as the Ballet Folklorico Capistrano, which gathers at Las Palmas Elementary School for rehearsals, as well as mariachi bands and a rope and horse show. The event, which is sponsored by the city, also included an art show for students from city schools.
Students from schools in San Clemente created these masks as part of a Cinco de Mayo Art Show.
Javier Maldonado performs with his dancing horse.
Members of the Carlos Santana tribute band Soul Survivor performed hits by the Mexican-American guitarist at the event.
Young members of the Ballet Folklorico Capistrano from Las Palmas Elementary School perform.
San Clemente Times May 8-14, 2014
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SC LIVING
Remembering the Fallen
VFW pays tribute to nation’s fallen servicemen and women A traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. will come to Dana Point Wednesday. The memorial will be on display at Sea Terrace Park until Sunday and open 24 hours a day. Photo: Andrea Swayne BY ANDREA PAPAGIANIS, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES
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young soldier arrives at Newark Airport. With a change of clothes, his uniform goes into the trash. It’s 1969. Returning home after 18 months in the jungles of Southeast Asia, he stops at an area bar. It’s too hard to walk the few blocks home. Twenty-seven young men from the New Jersey town of Bayonne, situated just southwest of New York City, didn’t make it home. Bob Fowler grew up with them. They went to grammar school together, got in trouble in high school together and volunteered to serve their country together. But as Fowler came home from Viet-
nam, his longtime friends and combat comrades didn’t. Survivor’s guilt is something he knows well—he’s battled with it for years. Members of Dana Point’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9934 represent the nation’s servicemen and women dating back to the beginning of modern warfare. Living members served in World War II and each of America’s wars since. They’ve dedicated their lives to service, to remembering those who have gone before while not forgetting those who are still to come. For Fowler, who for years tried to forget his service, it’s therapy for the wounds, both mental and physical, that he
sustained. It’s a sentiment echoed by his foreign war comrades. “It’s a powerful thing,” said post commander Maurice Hansen, an 83-year-old Korean War veteran, who didn’t start reaching out for help until 10 years ago, some 60 years after the war. “How come I made it home and he didn’t … That’s the biggest guilt trip.” It’s their survival, and commitment to service, that fuels their passion and work. Through their own experiences navigating Veterans Affairs channels, post members have become experts in helping others, including their families, receive the services they are due. Members also sponsor barbecues for active service members, donate diapers to budding families and salute their fallen comrades. They are military personnel advocates, helping to right wrongs and shortcomings of the past. Next week, they will welcome a traveling Vietnam memorial to commemorate the more than 58,000 men and women who served, fought and died in the Vietnam War. The memorial, an 80 percent-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C., will be on display at Dana Point’s Sea Terrace Park from Wednesday through Sunday. A parade down Pacific Coast Highway at 3 p.m. Wednesday will be led by hundreds of riders on the backs of motorcycles. Over the next days, area leaders and military personnel will honor those fallen in conflicts since the Civil War.
Walls from each war since, bearing the names of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, will also be on display. Volunteers will man the displays throughout the day and night, providing security along with support for visitors who are welcome 24 hours a day. Hansen and Fowler hope the memorial, which was also on display three years ago, will help military members, families and visitors find closure. “We would never talk to each other about Vietnam,” Fowler said. Now, the post hopes to facilitate discussions about what can be done to remember the dead and honor their and other’s service, while continuing to assist the surviving population of troops. Ceremonies will be held each day at noon where visitors are encouraged to share their memories. Volunteers will help visitors locate names, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., on the Vietnam memorial and a rifle squad and a playing of “Taps” will close each day at 7 p.m. Free parking is available at the Salt Creek Beach lot. The city of Dana Point, who is cosponsoring the exhibit, will have golf carts and wheelchairs available to help transport those in need from the parking lot. On Saturday, the city will recognize local fire and police officials and the Dana Point 5th Marine Regiment Support Group will host the opening ceremonies on Sunday. For more on the memorial wall, visit www.vfwpost9934.org. SC
SC LIVING GUEST OPINION: On Life and Love After 50 by Tom Blake
Woman, Age 60, Too Desperate for Love Some Words of Advice: Focus on yourself, get to know someone and don’t fall too quickly
L
inda, 60, emailed, “I am trying to find a man I can love and who loves me. “I have been on dating sites and have no problem getting dates. But they all tell me they love me within a week or two. They don’t even know me let alone love me. They want to push for a long-term relationship very soon and act very needy. “This is not working for me because I don’t even get a chance to get to know them and maybe let something grow. I am honest from the beginning and try to tell them in a nice way that they need to slow down but they don’t. I start to feel stressed and end up leaving what may have been a nice relationship. “I want so much to fall in love with someone but until recently, I’m not having any luck.” My response: “These men sound desperate and needy and they are trying too hard, which isn’t appealing to you. They must, however, find you attractive. Where do you find these guys? What does ‘until recently’ mean?” Linda said, “I just met a man I was attracted to so much that I felt 16 again. I was swept off my feet just talking to him for two weeks before we met in person, and when we met, it was as if I had known him forever. “For eight days we saw each other every day. He wrote me poetry, played guitar and sang to me, took me on a motorcycle ride and cooked for me. He was charming and funny and I fell for him hook, line and sinker. “He told me on the eighth day he needed space and that it wasn’t me, although he felt every bit the way he told me in the beginning. He didn’t know why but he lost all those feelings. He said he was this way with every woman he met and felt there was something wrong with him. “I was devastated, I feel like my heart has been broken into pieces and my
stomach is a tight knot of agony. I cannot eat or sleep and turn to tears at the drop of a hat. I never want to go through this again. I now wonder if this is what I do to the other guys I have dated and feel like a heel for ON LIFE AND LOVE AFTER 50 hurting them. I’m wonBy Tom Blake dering if I should look the last guy up and just settle for him and maybe grow to love him. “I am heart sick with the thought of never being truly loved and giving love for the rest of my life, and it seems more urgent since I met the guy who broke my heart. I want to feel that alive again and be wanted. How do I accomplish getting someone I love with all of my heart and have them love me the same way? What do guys want?” My response: “You turned the tables on yourself. You were too needy, too available and perhaps too easy. You were swept off your feet by someone you hadn’t even met in person. “You dated him for only eight days. Get over him. You remind me of the Patsy Cline song, I Fall to Pieces. And now you feel more urgent. Develop some other life interests besides seeking a man. Find a good therapist to help you focus on becoming a more self-sufficient woman. “And no, don’t settle for a man you don’t love, that’s being desperate as well.” For more dating advice and stories visit, www.findingloveafter60.com and to comment, email Tom at tompblake@gmail.com. SC PLEASE NOTE: In an effort to provide our readers with a wide variety of opinions from our community, the SC Times provides Guest Opinion opportunities in which selected columnists’ opinions are shared. The opinions expressed in these columns are entirely those of the columnist alone and do not reflect those of the SC Times or Picket Fence Media. If you would like to respond to this column, please email us at editorial@sanclementetimes.com
Sudoku BY MYLES MELLOR
Last week’s solution:
Each Sudoku puzzle consists of a 9x9 grid that has been subdivided into nine smaller grids of 3x3 squares. To solve the puzzle, each row, column and box must contain each of the numbers 1 to 9. Puzzles come in three grades: easy, medium and difficult. Level: Medium San Clemente Times May 8-14, 2014
See today’s solution in next week’s issue.
Page 25
Locals Only
BUSINESS DIRECTORY AIR CONDITIONING
Oasis Heating & Air
31648 Rancho Viejo Rd. Ste. A, 949.420.1321, www.oasisair.com
APPLIANCES
South Coast Furniture & Mattress
109 Calle de los Molinos, 949.492.5589, www.southcoastfurniture.com
APPLIANCE SERVICES & REPAIRS
ASAP Appliance Service
3200 Legendario, 949.361.7713, www.asapapplianceservice.com
ART GALLERIES
San Clemente Art Association 100 N. Calle Seville, 949.492.7175, www.scartgallery.com
BOOKS
Village Books
99 Avenida Serra, 949.492.1114, www.DowntownSanClemente.com
CHOCOLATE/CANDY
Lure of Chocolate, Gourmet Foods & Gift
949.439.1773, www.LureofChocolate.com
Schmid’s Fine Chocolate
99 Avenida Del Mar, 949.369.1052, www.schmidschocolate.com
FURNITURE
South Coast Furniture & Mattress
109 Calle de los Molinos, 949.492.5589, www.southcoastfurniture.com
GRAPHIC DESIGN
IMAGES/Creative Solutions
117 Del Gado Road, 949.366.2488, www.imgs.com
HAIR SALONS
Kreative Hair Design
173 Avenida Serra, 949.498.6245
HEATING
Oasis Heating & Air
31648 Rancho Viejo Rd. Ste. A, 949.420.1321, www.oasisair.com
HOME DÉCOR
South Coast Furniture & Mattress
109 Calle de los Molinos, 949.492.5589, www.southcoastfurniture.com
LANDSCAPING
Costa Verde Landscape
License: 744797 (C-8 & C-27) 949.361.9656, www.costaverdelandscaping.com
MANAGEMENT - HOA
AMMCOR
910 Calle Negocio, Ste. 200, 949.661.7767, www.AMMCOR.com
CONCRETE
Costa Verde Landscape
License: 744797 (C-8 & C-27) 949.361.9656, www.costaverdelandscaping.com
DENTISTS
Eric Johnson, D.D.S.
647 Camino de los Mares, Ste. 209, 949.493.9311, www.drericjohnson.com
Kristen Ritzau DDS
122 Avenida Cabrillo, 949.498.4110, www.KristenRitzauDDS.com
EDIBLE LANDSCAPING
Organics Out Back
949.354.2258, www.organicsoutback.com
ELECTRICAL
Arcadia Electric
949.361.1045, www.arcadiaelectric.com
ESTATE PLANNING, PROBATE, TRUST
Lange & Minnott
1201 Puerta Del Sol, Ste. 203, 949.492.3459
MATTRESSES
South Coast Furniture & Mattress
109 Calle de los Molinos, 949.492.5589, www.southcoastfurniture.com
MORTGAGES
Brian Wiechman, Equity Coast Mortgage, a division of Pinnacle Capital Mortgage 949.533.9209, www.equitycoastmortgage.com
MOTORCYLE PARTS & SERVICE
SC Rider Supply
520 S. El Camino Real, 949.388.0521, www.scridersupply.com
MUSIC LESSONS
Danman’s Music School
949.496.6556, www.danmans.com
Janet Poth - Violin & Viola
413 Calle Pueblo, 949.922.6388, janpoth@aol.com
OFFICE FURNITURE
South Coast Furniture & Mattress
109 Calle de los Molinos, 949.492.5589, www.southcoastfurniture.com
BUSINESS • SPOTLIGHT
YOUR BUSINESS HERE! Sign up to be featured as our monthly Locals Only Business Spotlight for only $100! Write-up of 50 words with logo. Four weeks in print and online. Contact Debra Wells at 949.589.0892 or email dwells@thecapistranodispatch.com
PAINTING
KC Painting & Decorating
3349 Paseo Halcon, 949.388.6829, www.bringcolorintoyourlife.com
PERIODONTICS & DENTAL IMPLANTS
Dr. Alice P. Moran, DMD
1001 Avenida Pico, Ste. K, 949.361.4867 (GUMS), www.moranperio.com
PEST CONTROL
Colony Termite Control
1402 Calle Alcazar, 949.361.2500, www.colonytermite.com
PHARMACIES
Sea View Pharmacy
665 Camino De Los Mares, #101, 949.496.0123, www.seaviewpharmacy.com
PLUMBING
Bill Metzger Plumbing
1218 Puerta del Sol, 949.492.3558, www.billmetzgerplumbing.com
Chick’s Plumbing
949.496.9731, www.chicks-plumbing.com
“Sandy & Rich” - ReMax
949.293.3236, www.sandyandrich.com
RESTAURANTS
Café Calypso
114 Avenida Del Mar #4, 949.366.9386
ROOFING CONTRACTORS
Jim Thomas Roofing
162 Calle de Industrias, 949.498.6204
SALONS
Salon Bamboo
150 Avenida Del Mar, Ste. A, 949.361.3348, www.salonbamboo.com
Salon Bleu
207 S. El Camino Real, 949.366.2060, www.scsalonbleu.com
Sanctuary Salon & Spa
1041 Avenida Pico, Ste. B, 949.429.5802, www.sanctuarytalega.com
SECONDHAND/ CONSIGNMENT SHOPS
South Coast Furniture & Mattress
109 Calle de los Molinos, 949.492.5589, www.southcoastfurniture.com
TERMITES
Colony Termite Control
1402 Calle Alcazar, 949.361.2500, www.colonytermite.com
WEBSITE DESIGN
San Clemente Website Design
949.246.8345, www.sanclementewebsitedesign.com
WINDOW & DOOR INSTALLATION
Offshore Construction
949.444.6323, www.offshoreconstruction.org
POOL SERVICE, REPAIR, REMODEL
PRINTING
Printing OC
27134 Paseo Espada #B 203, 949.388.4888, www.printingoc.com
REAL ESTATE
Antonio Fiorello, Forté Realty Group San Clemente, 949.842.3631, www.forterealtygroup.com
Marcie George Star Real Estate South County
949.690.5410, marciegeorge@cox.net
Submit your classified ad at www.sanclementetimes.com FOR SALE QUEEN SIZE PILLOWTOP MATTRESS - NEW - NEVER OPENED! $150 Selling a brand name, Queen, pillowtop mattress; still sealed in the MFRs original factory plastic; Not refurbished, Not used. 949-842-9994
GARAGE SALES DANA POINT - 13TH ANNUAL DANA KNOLLS COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE! Saturday, May 10th, 7:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Dana Knolls Tract, Cross Streets: Del Obispo & Blue Fin Drive, follow the signs & shop till you drop! Sponsored by: Gary Macrides, REALTOR, 01267654. Surterre Properties 949-370-6827 DOWNSIZING SATURDAY MAY 10TH, 8AM-2PM 1702 Avenida Crescenta, San Clemente. Great selection (some new): family room furniture/rug, Trotter treadmill, twin bed, books, small appliances, artificial plants, builtin bookshelves/desk. Lots more! PLANT SALE - SAN CLEMENTE 5/10/14 (SATURDAY) 8AM – 2PM Lots of house plants 50 cents & up (including bromeliads, succulents & assorted house plants), just in time for spring planting. 221 West Paseo De Cristobal, San Clemente, CA 92672 GARAGE SALE LISTINGS ARE FREE!
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1311 N. El Camino Real, 949.498.7665, www.scpoolworks.com
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Deadline 5pm Monday. No phone calls.
OTHER INTERESTING STUFF $100 FOR A PICTURE OF SHERRY DAVIS, high school grad of 1965. Born on 08/15/1947 in Des Moines, Iowa. Left with family in 1962 to San Clemente, CA. Please contact Gary Templeton at (515)528-0752
SERVICES LOCAL HOUSEKEEPER OR OFFICE CLEANING Reliable, affordable, meticulous. Excellent references. 949-573-8733
SC n te S a n C le m e
BUSINESS DIRECTORY
San Clemente Times May 8–14, 2014
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www.sanclementetimes.com
SC SPORTS & OUTDOORS San Clemente
STORIES, SCORES, SCHEDULES AND MORE
Triton Report BY STEVE BREAZEALE, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES
For in-game updates, news and more for all the San Clemente High School spring sports teams, follow us on Twitter @SouthOCsports.
Tritons Defense Shuts Down Monarchs in Lacrosse Playoffs It’s no secret that the San Clemente boys lacrosse team can score goals in a hurry. Heading into the first round of the US Lacrosse Southern Section Championships on May 6 against No. 13 Mater Dei, the No. 4 Tritons had scored double digit goal counts in four out of their previous five games. The offense was firing against the Monarchs, like it has all season, but the defense, especially the penalty kill unit, showed they can match the offense in efficiency in a convincing 15-3 victory. The Tritons will now host No. 5 Santa Margarita in the second round on May 8. The Tritons (15-5) defense killed off 10 out of 10 penalties on the night, denying Mater Dei a chance to score when they had one and even two-man advantages. San Clemente held a 10-2 lead in the third quarter when Mater Dei benefitted from back to back Tritons penalties, giving them a two-man advantage. The Tritons did not allow the Monarchs to get a shot off and, once the penalty was killed, senior Jack Renard scored to put San Clemente up 11-1. “The game was never in question. Our man down unit is pretty good and our defense is good in general,” San Clemente head coach Mike Hutnick said. “We have a couple interchangeable parts that all fit in there really well and they know what they’re doing. They get it done.” Tritons senior Peyton Garrett scored four goals and tallied an assist and the Tritons got one goal each from Jack Renard, Austin Lickley, Austin Streeter and Collin Zines to take a 9-1 lead into halftime. The Tritons outshot the Monarchs 25-5 in the first half. Streeter led the way with four goals in the second half as the Tritons breezed their way into the second round. The Tritons have now won eight games in a row and have momentum heading into their match with the Eagles, who placed second in the Trinity League. “We are definitely peaking at the right time right now. It’s good to see. We still have not seen a complete game and when we do, good luck to whoever we face,” Hutnick said. San Clemente Times May 8-14, 2014
Jack Renard, 23, and the San Clemente boys lacrosse team will play Santa Margarita in the second round of the US Lacrosse Southern Section Championships on May 8. Photo: Kathy Renar
The Tritons capped off league play with a 3-1 win over Capistrano Valley on May 6.
Boys Volleyball Retains League Title, Finishes Second in Redondo Being down two games to one in a volleyball match is not a comfortable spot to be in. But on May 1 the San Clemente boys volleyball team proved again that they are good at rallying out of early deficits. The Tritons dropped the first two games against Dana Hills in front of their home crowd, but roared back to win three games in a row to take the match 19-25, 23-25, 25-18, 25-14, 15-10. The win secured an outright league title for San Clemente. When the two teams first met in league play on April 15 at Dana Hills, the Dolphins got out to a 2-0 lead and the Tritons came back to win. On senior night, San Clemente (24-6, 6-1) was led by their upperclassmen Shawn Stephens and Peter Van Liefde, who recorded 21 and 17 kills, respectively. Junior Brandon Hopper had 11. Senior setter Nick Goldstone had a standout night, tallying 62 assists in the victory. If the Dolphins could have held on for the win, it would have resulted in a twoway tie at the top of the standings with both teams having one game left to play. Instead, the Tritons claimed a second
Girls Lacrosse Falls to Beckman in First Round
San Clemente’s Aaron Strange hits a ball past the Dana Hills boys volleyball defense during a match on May 1. Photo: Lynn Hopper
consecutive league title, their 10th in 14 years. Following the win, San Clemente competed at the Redondo Classic Tournament from May 2-3, rattling off six wins en route to playing in the tournament finals. The Tritons faced No. 1 Huntington Beach in the championship match and lost in two sets. The Tritons swept all of their opponents in two sets to reach the finals, earning wins over Palos Verdes, Oaks Christian, Carlsbad, Peninsula, Oak Park and Redondo Union.
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The No. 13 San Clemente girls lacrosse team reached the US Lacrosse Southern Section Championships for the second time in the program’s history this season. The team traveled to play No. 4 Beckman on May 6 and lost 11-5. Although the loss ended their season, head coach Josh Cain saw his team make strides following a two-win season in 2013. “This year was a major stepping stone for the team and the program. The girls were able to experience what a playoff match was like and what it is going to take to go further next year,” Cain said in an email
Baseball Set for Tough Finish The San Clemente baseball team was set to play a Sea View League game against first-place Dana Hills on May 7. Results were not available at press time. The second-place Tritons will play one more game against the Dolphins on May 9 before playing back to back games against second-place Aliso Niguel on May 13 and May 15. www.sanclementetimes.com
SPORTS & OUTDOORS
Q&A With National Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductee John Owens
Longtime San Clemente High School coach will be enshrined among wrestling greats
JO: When I got there the program was not very good. It took me quite a while to an Clemente High School assistant build it up. I eventually managed to get wrestling coach John Owens arrived someone like Mark Calentino. Once he on campus in 1975. The school’s became head coach I was going to assist wrestling program was more of an afterhim for one year and here I am still doing thought in the grand scheme of the sports it (laughs). world back then. Owens, a Wyoming SCT: What keeps you coming back after transplant who had a college wrestling all these years? background, wanted to change that. JO: The kids. When you get somebody He served as head coach for the Tritons that’s a nice kid, has some talent and for 20 years before stepping back and really wants to work and asks taking on an assistant role. The you to come back, it’s hard Tritons have grown to become to say no. It’s fun to take the one of the premier programs in kid who knows nothing about Orange County. wrestling and develop them In all, Owens has coached at into an excellent wrestler and the high school and collegiate also teach him how to be a level for over 50 years and on man. May 17, in a ceremony at the SCT: Why is wrestling a good Laguna Hills Community Centool to teach lessons like that? ter & Sports Complex, he will JO: First of all it’s a very be inducted into the National John Owen. Photo: Steve Breazeale strong discipline and some of Wrestling Hall of Fame. the kids that have no disciWe caught up with Owens to pline, it’s really good for. Second, it’s a talk about his accomplishment and a life one on one competition. A kid can do spent teaching on the mat. poorly but a team can do well and he still San Clemente Times: So how does it feel has a sense of pride. Or he can be meto be inducted into the hall of fame? diocre and have the same sense because John Owens: It’s great, because it’s recthe team does well. You’re also not going ognition by my peers that I respect. to have success unless you know how to SCT: What was the state of the wrestling work, which is what we try to instill. SC program when you first got to San Clemente? BY STEVE BREAZEALE, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES
S
Jack Madrid won the Super Late Models 40-lap race at Irwindale Speedway on May 3 as part of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. Photo: Marv Keller
Jack Madrid Races to Win in Irwindale SAN CLEMENTE TIMES
J
ack Madrid has a history on the race track at the Irwindale Speedway, located roughly 60 miles north of his hometown of San Clemente. The 19-year-old racer began his professional career on the Irwindale track, competing in the Bandoleros, Legends, Super Trucks and Super Late Models classes, always coming up short of a win. But on May 3, racing in the Super Late Model 40-lap, Madrid cast aside his past results and finished 5.7 seconds ahead of the field to claim his first victory of the season on the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. Madrid started the race in fourth posi-
tion and was in second by the end of the opening lap. He would overtake the leader and stay in first place for the race’s final 35 laps. “Oh, man, I’ve been trying for (a win) for a long time,” Madrid said in a press release issued by Lucas Oil Racing. “It seemed like nothing went right. We had fast cars, but we couldn’t get the finishes. We just couldn’t put the pieces together and tonight we finally put it together and to be back home, it means a lot.” Madrid spent last season racing in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program in North Carolina and Virginia. Up next on his racing schedule is a return to Irwindale Speedway on May 31. SC
Grand Prix Races into Dana Point Local cycling race draws professionals and amateurs alike SAN CLEMENTE TIMES
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Daniel Holloway of Mike’s Bikes, left, won the USA Cycling’s National Criterium Calendar Dana Point Grand Prix on May 3. Photo: Andrea Papagianis
San Clemente Times May 8-14, 2014
he 8th Annual Dana Point Grand Prix of Cycling took place on Pacific Coast Highway in Dana Point on May 3, drawing hundreds of the best amateur and professional cyclists from Southern California and beyond. The event, which started in 2007, has grown exponentially in recent years and now features a USA Cycling-sanctioned National Criterium Calendar race. The event is among the more popular venues on the professional racing circuit, given its scenic location near the beach and the fast-paced 0.8-mile circuit that winds its way through downtown Dana Point. Several San Clemente residents were in the field, which ranged from professional to amateur category 5 classes. Here is a list of the San Clemente athletes who competed at the event, along with their respective class and placement.
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Men-Master 55+ Jim Parkhurst (10th); Bob Pellkofer (34th). Men- Category 5 Anthony Solliday (8th); Keith Schwanemann (22nd). Men-Pro/Category 1- NCC 2 Eric Losak (83rd). Men- Category 1/2/3- Master 35+ Shane Lawlor (51st) Men- Category 2 Christian Cognigni (22nd); Daniel Willett (33rd) Men- Category 3- Senior Open Brandon Hagy (59th) Men- Category 4/5- Master 30+ Mark Woodward (17th); Michael Sherritt (23rd) Women- Category 1/2/3- Senior Open Bonnie Breeze (32nd) Women- Category 3/4- Senior Open Leah Rodarti (6th) www.sanclementetimes.com
SC SC SURF San Clemente
SC SURF IS PRESENTED BY:
SCOOP ON THE LOCAL SURF COMMUNITY
GROMS OF THE WEEK
Alexxa Elseewi and Gus Day
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alented surfers and the best of friends, Alexxa Elseewi, 13, and Gus Day, 12, both became Scholastic Surf Series middle school state longboard champions last weekend. The SSS Middle School State Championships, May 3-4 at the Oceanside Harbor South Jetty would see Gus’ team, Shorecliffs Middle School, take the overall team title and Alexxa’s, Bernice Ayer Middle School, in fourth place. Alexxa was a double finalist, also earning a second-place finish in the girls shortboard division. We talked to both of them about the contest, surfing, their plans for the future and each other. Here’s some of what they had to say: What did it feel like to become the SSS middle school state champ? Alexxa: “It always feels good to win. I really wanted to take first place in short boarding though.” Gus: “It was cool to win. The waves were fun.” Why do you think your friend won his/ her title? Alexxa: “We didn’t get a chance to watch each other’s final because we were surfing at the same exact time but I’m sure Gus won because he rips and has great style. He’s a beast.” Gus: “Alexxa won because she surfs really well and has amazing style. She intimidates.” What was your strategy? Alexxa: “My strategy was to be patient and try to pick the best waves possible and have fun on them.”
RESULTS Scholastic Surf Series Middle School State Championships, May 3-4, Oceanside Harbor, South Jetty TEAM RESULTS OVERALL TEAM: 1. Shorecliffs, San Clemente, 295; 2. Muirlands, La Jolla, 244; 3. Thurston, Laguna Beach, 203; 4. Bernice Ayer, San Clemente, 192; 5. Valley, Carlsbad, 176. BOYS SHORTBOARD TEAM: 1. Shorecliffs, San Clemente, 160; 2. Thurston, Laguna Beach, 121; 3. Muirlands, La Jolla, 112; 4. Bernice Ayer, San Clemente, 85; 5. Oak Crest, Encinitas, 80. BOYS LONGBOARD TEAM: 1. Oak Crest, Encinitas, 48; 2. Shorecliffs, San Clemente, 47; 3. Muirlands, La Jolla, 41; 4. Mission Hill, Santa Cruz, 35; 5. Thurston, Laguna Beach,31. GIRLS SHORTBOARD TEAM: =1. Muirlands, La Jolla, 45; =1. Shorecliffs, San Clemente, 45; 3. Aviara Oaks, Carlsbad, 37; =4. Marco Forster, San Juan Capistrano, 31; =4. Thurston, Laguna Beach, 31. GIRLS LONGBOARD TEAM: 1. Marco Forster, San Juan Capistrano, 33; 2. Valley, Carlsbad, 31; 3. Lincoln, Santa Monica, 30; 4. Bernice Ayer, San Clemente, 27; 5. Muirlands, La Jolla, 26. COED BODYBOARD TEAM: 1. Niguel Hills, Laguna Niguel, 42; 2. Bernice Ayer, San Clemente, 38; 3. Shorecliffs, San Clemente, 30; 4. Valley, Carlsbad, 29; 5. Muirlands, La Jolla, 20.
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Gus Day and Alexxa Elseewi have some fun showing off their trophies at the SSS Middle School State Championships, May 3-4 in Oceanside. Both won state titles in longboarding and Alexxa was also runner-up in shortboarding. Photo: Rob Elseewi
Gus: “Simple, catch the best waves and surf them better than anyone else.” Are you chasing a pro surfing career? Alexxa: “That’s my goal. I’m training hard and always trying to get better.” Gus: “If I feel like I have a good chance at a pro career and a good opportunity comes my way, I’ll go for it.” What’s the best thing about surfing? Alexxa: “Being with nature and having fun in the water with friends.” Gus: “It’s really fun and you meet a lot of new friends.” Would you like to congratulate your friend on his/her win? Alexxa: “Congratulations Gus. You’re my favorite barn! Ha ha. That’s an inside joke.” Gus: “Good job Alexxa. I was rooting for you, you barn.” Any last words?: Alexxa: “I love Gus.” Gus: “I love Alexxa sooo much.” —Andrea Swayne INDIVIDUAL RESULTS BOYS SHORTBOARD: 1. Liam Gloyd, Valley; 2. Crosby Colapinto, Bernice Ayer; 3. Jaric Fink, Bernice Ayer; 4. Gunner Day, Shorecliffs; 5. Tanner Ford, Muirlands; 6. Noah Atwood, Shorecliffs. BOYS LONGBOARD: 1. Gus Day, Shorecliffs; 2. Sam Coffey, Mission Hill; 3. Koby Gilchrist, Oak Crest; 4. Noah Atwood, Shorecliffs; 5. Noah Slawson, Oak Crest; 6. Matt Perrault, Muirlands. GIRLS SHORTBOARD: 1. Tiare Thompson, Muirlands; 2. Alexxa Elseewi, Bernice Ayer; 3. Bethany Zelasko, Shorecliffs; 4. Sydney Tisdel, Aviara Oaks; 5. Samantha Sibley, Shorecliffs; 6. Gracie George, Lincoln. GIRLS LONGBOARD: 1. Alexxa Elseewi, Bernice Ayer; 2. Tiare Thompson, Muirlands; 3. Cameron Duby, Marco Forster; 4. Sophie Major, Lincoln; 5. Hana McEvilly, Valley; 6. Mikya Farner, Valley. COED BODYBOARD: 1. Tommy Rinaldini, Niguel Hills; 2. Sabino Lopez, Bernice Ayer; 3. Nick Furlotte, Shorecliffs; 4. Nathan Elsner, Niguel Hills; 5. Tommy Capps, Valley; 6. Boston Stenlake, Bernice Ayer. COACHES SHORTBOARD: 1. Jeff Booth, Thurston; 2. Bob Chalfant, Muirlands; 3. Giancarlo Uraia, Diegueno; 4. Rusty Gibson, Half Moon Bay; 5. Dan Green, Correia; 6. Tom Sanford, Oak Crest. COACHES LONGBOARD: 1. Brian McEvilly, Valley; 2. Giancarlo Uraia, Diegueno; 3. Jon Peterson, Aviara Oaks; 4. Mitch Colapinto, Bernice Ayer; 5. Kahuna Bob Edwards, Valley; 6. Tom Sanford, Oak Crest; 7. Foster Thompson, Muirlands.
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SC San Clemente
SC SURF
SC SURF IS PRESENTED BY:
SCOOP ON THE LOCAL SURF COMMUNITY
Greg Long of San Clemente takes his place at the podium to accept his $50,000 Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards Ride of the Year.
Long Wins XXL Ride of the Year San Clemente-based big wave surfer Greg Long wins Billabong XXL Ride of the Year Award STORY AND PHOTOS BY ANDREA SWAYNE, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES
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ne of the winningest surfers in the sport, Greg Long, from San Clemente, added another top honor to his resume May 2 at the annual Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards. The evening’s biggest prize, the $50,000 Ride of the Year award, is saved for last, excitement building with the showing of
videos of the five nominated surfers’ rides interspersed between presentations. Long, last year’s Big Wave World Tour champion who early in the evening handed over that title to friend and fellow big wave star Grant “Twiggy” Baker of South Africa, returned to the stage with the other four Ride of the Year nominees. Long took the top prize for paddling into a massive wave at Puerto Escondido.
Hawaiian Shawn Walsh, Baker, and Hawaiians Shane Dorian and Billy Kemper came in second through fifth, respectively. “I am happier than ever just to be here. At the end of the year getting together with everyone, whether you win or you don’t, everyone is all smiles and enjoying it,” Long said. “That’s what it’s all about—celebrating our friendship, respect, camaraderie and being part of such a beautiful sport.” The XXLs, often referred to as the Grammy Awards of surfing, draws hundreds of surf industry folks, surfing enthusiasts, as well as every level of athletes, from unsponsored groms to big name professional surfers. It has the reputation as one of the biggest and best parties of the year for the surf industry as it celebrates the men and women who dare to test their mettle against the world’s largest and most daunting waves. Anastasia Ashley, a pro surfer from San Clemente who was nominated last year, was on hand to present the award for Worst Wipeout of the Year. That award went to Hawaii’s Koa Rothman who also won Best Tube of the Year honors. “I’m really excited to be presenting an award tonight. I’ll admit I’m a little bummed I didn’t get nominated, but I didn’t really get any good swells this year,” Ashley said. “It’s such an honor. This is the funnest night in surfing. Last year I was nominated and I hope to be back next year.” Also nominated for an award this year was former Dana Point resident Bianca Valenti who was up for a Women’s Best Performance Award. As usual, Long said he doesn’t plan to
rest on his laurels and is ready to get the new season of his daring sport going as soon as Mother Nature cooperates. “We’re now waiting for the southern hemisphere winter to get underway. We’ve got Chile, Peru and Dungeons, the South Africa contest all on hold. And obviously I’m looking forward to my other favorite waves—Fiji, Puerto Escondido. The more big waves we can get out there and surf, the more fun. I am really looking forward to it.” For full results and more event photos, log on to www.sanclementetimes.com. SC
Jacqueline Miller (left) and pro surfer and award presenter Anastasia Ashley, both of San Clemente, take their turn on the red carpet.
Merrill is Golden Again San Clemente’s Emmy Merrill wins gold medal at SUP Surf World Championship in Nicaragua BY ANDREA SWAYNE, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES
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mmy Merrill of San Clemente became the 2014 SUP Surf women’s world champion Tuesday at the International Surfing Association World Stand-up Paddle and Paddleboard Championship in Nicaragua. Merrill turned in a string of strong performances in early rounds including posting the highest heat score of Round 2 with a two-wave combined total 11.27 points (out of 20) to advance to the finals. In the finals she claimed the gold medal with a convincing 4.23-point lead, defeating runner-up Caroline Angibaud of France, 13.50 to 9.27, respectively. Australian Shakira Westdorp came in third place with 9.23 points and Iballa Ruano of Spain took fourth with 5.28. This was a second title win for Merrill, who was also the 2012 ISA WSUPPC gold
San Clemente Times May 8-14, 2014
medalist. In men’s SUP Surf competition, San Clemente’s Colin McPhillips was eliminated in the Repechage rounds but fellow Team USA member Sean Poynter of Florida earned a copper medal. The gold medal in the men’s division went to Poenaiki Raioha of Tahiti. The SUP Surf division kicked off the event which is scheduled to run May 3 through 11. Competition continues on Thursday, after a lay day on Wednesday, with prone paddling and SUP racing divisions. Team USA is now in second place behind Team Australia going into the final days of the contest. For more information including heatby-heat scores, photos, videos and a live webcast, visit www.isawsuppc.com. SC
Emmy Merrill of San Clemente celebrates her gold medal win Tuesday at the 2014 ISA World Stand-up Paddle and Paddleboard Championship in Nicaragua. Photo: ISA/Rommel Gonzales
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