Tuesday, December 2, 2014

North Western san pedro neighborhood council meeting

The Northwestern San Pedro Neighborhood Council, Land Use Planning and Public Works Committee held a meeting at Peck Park on Nov. 17. The meeting had discussions involving the new foods with genetically modified organisms testing and labeling state assembly bill that was recently proposed by state legislatures and how to solve leakage at the Rancho LPG  facility.

The new bill involving gmo testing is garnering much attention after its initial attempt on the ballot in 2012 resulted in a failure. This time, the bill has received backing from all state legislatures, except one. That one is our very own Joe Buscaino, who represents district 15 which San Pedro is a part of.

Those in attendance were somewhat perplexed and would like to know why Buscaino voted against the measure that would prohibit the growth and sale of plants or seeds which contain GMO's within the Los Angeles city  limits. According to a LA Times article, Buscaino stated that he thought this type of issue should be dealt with on a federal level and that his job was to assure that things on the streets of his district was taken care of.

“Let’s focus on streets and sidewalks," Buscaino told LA Times. "[The city] is not equipped to investigate or enforce this ordinance.”

The Rancho LPG  facility  came up again, as those at the meeting discussed the multiple leaks and minor accidents that have occurred  during the 42 years that residents have been fighting the facility's existence and location. Everyone also, with an astonished look wondered how they miraculously haven't been of a higher magnitude.

A lot has been done locally to contest the facility, such as letters from neighboring residents and organizations like Earth Justice, to the Environmental Protection Agency, the mayor  and city attorney. The council would love for the youth to become involved in the battle as well, giving the people any extra edge that it can get.

Once again, Buscaino says that this issue should be deferred to a federal level  and that there is nothing he can do about it. Still, this issue remains highly imminent  due to assumptions that the Pacific Rail line which is involved in a lot of transportations from the facility doesn't have enough insurance to cover a major accident.

These issues will be delved into more deeply at the Board and Stakeholders meeting on Dec. 9.

Visit www.nwsanpedro.org for more details, agendas and minutes from previous meetings.

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Did kobe take too much or are we whining too much?

I'm still hearing talk among the media in an accusatory tone about the contract extension Kobe Bryant signed last season, which spans two years and is worth $48,5 million. 

And, as the Lakers were in Dallas to take on the Mavericks the talk arose once again, because of  hometown star Dirk Nowitzki's decision to take significantly less money than did Bryant in order to allow his team to field a competitive roster and the Lakers' continuing struggles.

Nowitzki, who has brought his owner Mark Cuban a Larry O'Brien trophy, signed a three-year extension valued at $25 million during the prior summer. The Mavericks were able to make acquisitions, such as bringing in Chandler Parsons and bringing back Tyson Chandler, who was a crucial part of the 2011 championship team.

"If you look at our ticket prices, how many times have we lowered them?" Cuban asked ESPN.com. "How many times have we paid the luxury tax? How many times have I told you guys 'I don't care if we lose money, I want to win? You know my motivations and I think Dirk's motivations are similar."

So, does that mean Bryant's motivation isn't similar? Does that mean Bryant doesn't care whether the Lakers are contenders, only that he receives a fat pay day? Let's slow down for a second here. I highly doubt that Bryant doesn't care about winning.

Even with his annual salary the Lakers had the cap space to field a competitive team. They tried signing high priced superstars to play alongside Bryant and they deferred because they simply had better options elsewhere.

So Bryant didn't obstruct the Lakers' chances of being good because he commanded and accepted his contract.

Still, many in the media and fans abroad have no problem pointing the finger at Bryant and blaming him for the Lakers' woes so far this season. But, it is basically a fabricated sense of perspective and management are the ones that should take blame if any responsibility must be claimed. 

Or, we could just accept the fact that things just didn't roll the Lakers' way this year and that just proves that perfection in this world isn't guaranteed.They lost their first-round pick early for the year, they have a new coach and a new roster aside three players from the previous year. 

Besides, for Bryant this is a business. The owners just want to milk their players for as much as they can, so why should the players mirror that mentality? It's only capitalism. 

This is what Bryant told ESPN regarding his decision to take $45.5 million for two years, which I guess is filling the salary cap so much that the Lakers can't sign a high profile player. Which is complete bullshit.

"I think you need to look at the business of basketball," Bryant told ESPN.com. "I think for a lot of writers, for a lot of fans, they have a very hard time distinguishing the two. This is a business and you have to look at individuals and what they generate and the market that they're generating revenue in. 

"And you can't separate those. People have a hard time separating that stuff. So, did I take a discount?  Yeah. Did I take as big a discount as some of you fans would want me to? No. Is it a big enough discount to help us be a contender? Yeah. "

Enough said. The Lakers' annual revenue is $295 million and are valued at $1.35 billion according to forbes.com. The Mavericks' annual revenue is $162 million and are valued at $765 million.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Lakers Recent Improvements

With Nick Young coming back to the lineup for the decimated and already beat-up Lakers, they have strung together consecutive respectable performances and victories.

In Nick Young's first game in the lineup he put up 17 points on an efficient 6 for 10 from the floor, adding five rebounds and a couple from behind the arc in 27 minutes. With an added offensive spark more importantly, Kobe Bryant only attempted 18 shots and put up 28 points on 10 makes.

The whole light at the end of the tunnel point of view to this turnaround is that contrarily, before Young's return, Bryant had shot only 38 percent from the field on 24 attempts, but 27.5 points per game. At 36, Kobe is also averaging 36.5 minutes a game, which especially coming off of a major Achilles tear, constitutes an endangerment to his health.

Bryant still did play 36 minutes in the Lakers' victory over Atlanta and 39 minutes against Houston, Young's return is only meant to soften the blow. The roster is decimated with injuries. Jordan Clarkson, Wayne Ellington, Ryan Clark and Xavier Henry did not play last night and Julius Randle is done for the season.

It is only one player, but this one has some swag about him that the Lakers whom are in a deep, miserable funk right now desperately needs. And his return equated into consecutive victories.

"Nick ! Having another player on the floor that can create and score puts pressure on the defense," Kobe Bryant told ESPN.com. "It makes a huge difference."

In Young's second game back he put up 16 points on 6 for 15 shooting, 4 rebounds and another 2 makes from behind the arc (only this time out of 8 attempts) in 28 minutes. Bryant had to put up 28 shots and made only 10, but he did manage 29 points going 8 for 10 from the charity stripe to help that case.

Wait a minute, 18 shots to 28 shots in a one-game turnaround. What gives? Well Jermey Lin only gave them 3 points and Carlos Boozer 12, both of which are capable of and should be contributing close to 20 points a game. And the Lakers only got 13 points out of reserves not named Swaggy P.

But they still managed the 98-92 victory with some clutch free-throw shooting near the end of the game and a where did this come from, but should of been here, explosion out of Wes Johnson defensively and in transition to put the icing on the cake,

"Defensively, we've been doing  a much better job," Bryant told ESPN.com. "Transition [defense] was a big Achilles heel for us. We've been doing a better job getting back on defense."

And when ESPN asked Bryant about how it felt to be so close to nearing that 32,000-point milestone he said, "I've been very fortunate and blessed. I've had some injuries, but not until a few years ago have been career threatening.

"I've had some great mentors in my career that have really taught me a lot, so I'm just very blessed and very fortunate."

I think a little mamba might have helped too.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

More is Better, but is it in this Case?

Lebron James hinted at a recent post-game press conference that maybe it was time to shave some of his and starters Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love's playing time.

James is averaging 39.1 minutes per game, according to an ESPN article from their website. His 39.1 minutes ranks him only behind Oklahoma City's Reggie Jackson,(40.1) and Chicago's Jimmy Butler,(40.3.) Both Jackson and Butler are much younger players with significantly less mileage on their legs than James does. They are also both in situations where their respective teams are battling injuries to key players, that have forced them to stay on the floor longer than their coaches would like to see.

The Cavaliers' situation is different than of those two teams aforementioned battling injuries. Their roster have barely come together, and first-year coach David Blatt knows that he needs to give the new players time to mesh well together. Blatt is also taking advantage of it being so early in the season, and once their roster has showed that they're gelling well he will have plenty of time to rest his players up for the postseason.

"For me, I don't want to do that all year," James told ESPN.com reporter Dave McMenamin."Obviously right now it's difficult because we're trying to find a groove, we're trying to find a rhythm and we're trying to implement something that you don't want to shortcut it, but at the same time you're tying to be smart at it.

"So, I don't mind giving a few of my minutes up, just to help the team, to help my minutes go down. I think it would be for the best."

James seems to be a little conflicted in wanting to give up some time, first being, he said we need to stay on the floor because of the need to coalesce, but he also stated that he wouldn't mind giving up some time.

He doesn't need to please anybody, especially the media or fans. James should just do what is best for the team and himself, whether that is playing a lot of minutes in an effort to get better together, or deduct minutes, and rest up for the remainder of the season.Or they can do both, which James seems comfortable with, taking a subjective approach to things rather than a black and white perspective.

"For me, its however the game is going because I've kind of played the whole third quarter sometimes and it's been a long stretch," James said to McMenamin. "So that allows me to get the first couple of minutes (of the fourth quarter) off.

"And like a few games ago I asked to come out early in the third. I got tired, then I can come back and start the fourth. So it all depends. But seeing how the first half goes and watching my minutes throughout that course and being able to gauge it from there helps."

According to NBA.com Kevin Love played at least 39 minutes 11 times last year. In those 11 games, he averaged; 29.2 ppg., and 11.7 rpg. Irving played in 19 games last year in where he exceeded the 38-minute mark. His performance garnered him 27.8 ppg. and James played a whopping 26 times in which his minutes exceeded 38. In those games he averaged; 30.6 ppg. and 7 rpg.

These players have all proved they can contribute significantly in big minutes,but it's up to coach Blatt and the rest of the players to communicate to each other how they feel and to be honest.

They'll figure things out. Just like the Lakers will. They're professionals, give them time to do what they do. Rome wasn't built in a day, you know.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Small Neighborhood Council Meeting Looking to do Big Things


The Northwestern San Pedro Neighborhood  Council Issues Committee is hosting a meeting Nov. 10 at Peck Park to discuss Mayor Eric Garcetti’s minimum wage proposal.
The committee hosted a similar meeting Oct. 22, where meeting focussed on the proposal, voter turnout in Los Angeles, various street repairs and alterations, truck's routes to the freeway from the Rancho LPG facility and the agendas for the two subsequent meetings.
Committee members are hoping for representatives from the mayor's office and the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce  be present with open ears. The people most affected by the proposal are employees collecting minimum wage and the small business owners who will be paying it.
Another issue that was discussed was the low voter turnout here in Los Angeles. The city is thinking about aligning city elections with state and federal elections for convenience. The city is also proposing that the Los Angeles Unified School District host its elections simultaneously. The council also discussed the issue at an Oct. 29 meeting at the San Pedro City Hall building. 
Traffic 
One man in attendance commended the city's effort in filling potholes on north Gaffey Street. But, the bike lanes definitely hit the wrong way with a lot in the community.
Community members were displeased with the city not keeping the community aware and involved road diet and bike lane installations.  They were largely resigned to the fact that the bike lanes aren't going anywhere. They aid that more could have been done to ease traffic congestion. The council will try and take the issue to the Department of Transportation, which is responsible for implementing the lanes.
         In relation to slowing traffic down, the city is thinking about putting speed bumps throughout the city. Those who were in attendance seemed to have contrasting views, but one thing everybody agreed on is that traffic will slow down throughout the city. Emergency responders will have a tougher time maneuvering through traffic and these bumps have negative impacts on a vehicle's gas mileage because of how slow it will travel and how often the vehicle's brakes are used.
People in support of the speed bumps though, say that slowing traffic down is exactly the goal trying to be achieved in order to reduce accidents. Moreover, the question of, “How will everything involved in the bumps implementation be paid for?” remains. This subject will also be talked about more thoroughly at the Nov. 10 meeting.
Rancho  LPG 
The Rancho LPG  facility tanks and the transportation of liquefied natural gas to and from the facility was the last item on the agenda. Those in attendance expressed that they would like the trucks to use  the Anaheim or Pacific Coast Highway entrances instead of the Channel Street onramp, arguing that Channel Street was too narrow for truck traffic.
For more details vist http://nwsanpedro.org


Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Marks Grand Opening of Peck Park Skatepark

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Marks Grand Opening of Peck Park Skatepark

    Skaters, elected officials and community members celebrated the opening of San Pedro’s new skatepark with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 15.
Skaters have already been enjoying the Peck Park skatepark since its completion, squeezing through or climbing over the surrounding fence. This pushed the city to open the skatepark earlier than they had initially planned.
    The $850,000 skatepark, was built to take the place of the Channel Street skatepark, which was closed ahead of pending expansion of the 110 Freeway overhead. Peck Park’s is the 24th skatepark to open in Los Angeles, with five more under construction. Channel Street skatepark founder and instrumental player in making the Peck Park skatepark happen, Andy Harris, was able to puff out his chest with an extra sense of pride at the ceremony.
    “Parks like this don’t get built in every city,” Harris said. “And, this park here is top notch, world class. You’ve got yourself a tourist attraction here.”
    The new skatepark looked like a very large swimming pool without water. Within it, there was a smaller about 7-feet deep bowl. Some skated the new bowl while others just relaxed and enjoyed the scene.
     “To see the excitement, the energy, to see kids young and old enjoying their new skatepark is incredible,” Councilman Joe Buscaino said.
    Buscaino thanked San Pedro for supporting the building of the skatepark, despite some of the negative stigma connected to skaters.
“Skateboarding has had a lot of ups and downs in its popularity and how it’s viewed by our culture,” Buscaino said. “Skaters have often been vilified and called anarchists… Well... today, in San Pedro, we welcome the skateboard community.
“Whether you call skateboarding a sport, or your art, or you don’t call it anything at all, we’re here today because there’s enough people that said yes to skateboarding in San Pedro.”
Buscaino pleaded with skaters to help take care of the park and to report others that would vandalize it with graffiti. In addition, Harris and his team pledged to keep the skate park free of graffiti using the paint supplies provided by the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks.   

Chiropractor Honored for Aiding SPHS Wrestling Team

Chiropractor Honored for Aiding SPHS Wrestling Team

On April 11, the San Pedro High School wrestling team honored Alan Naim for his gift of $3,000, exercise equipment, and his pledge to become an annual donor to the team. Naim’s generosity will allow the team to build on their recent successes.
Treated like the stepchild of high school sports, San Pedro High School’s wrestling team didn't have a mat with their own school’s logo on it, let alone the sufficient exercise equipment.
Naim gave the team a $3,000 installment of $16,000 for a new wrestling mat. Until recently, the team was using an old 45- by 45-foot mat donated to them by Cerritos College.
Third-year coach Roman Hernandez said that the team was on the verge of not being able to compete because they couldn’t even afford tournament entries. The students who wrestled, ages 14 and 15, had to go out and raise money in order to have a wrestling team.
“Mainly, I’ve been putting it on our kids to go out and hit the streets and fundraise money,” Hernandez said. “I don’t think a kid should have to do that.”
    The wrestling team has seen its fortunes turn for the better since Hernandez became the team’s coach, despite the lack of funding and attention.
“We always have tough kids,” Hernandez said. “There’s 23 schools in the city and in our first year we took 12th and that just had to do with the San Pedro toughness. And, the next year we took 9th and in this past year we took 6th and we’re looking to make a move again.”
Naim learned of the wrestling team's woes from Richard Alvarez, a client of his chiropractic clinic. Alvarez is the parent of one of the members of the wrestling team.
During one visit, Naim mentioned to Alvarez that he had three exercise machines he no longer needed.
With a background in Israeli wrestling and his working with athletes on a regular basis, Naim was empathetic toward the situation.
“I see a lot of athletes,” Naim said. “I care for their well being. Whether it’s through equipment I’ve donated or through money I’ve donated.”
Naims’s plans on supporting the team for as long as his practice allows. With this new found support, the San Pedro High’s wrestling will make it to the top of their division.




Saturday, September 20, 2014

Residents Show the Power of Community

Wits, resources and perseverance is what it took for neighbors to reclaim Leland Park from its reputation as a haven for homeless, drug abuse and all around decay. Long-time residents recall the park being lively, with families enjoying family outings and little league teams using the green space for softball games before city budget cuts began to take its toll.

When budget cuts forced the Recreation and Parks department to stop sending maintenance workers to keep the park cleaned and well kept, the grass died throughout and the park equipment was covered in graffiti. The park resembled a dumping ground and eventually, locals who had long called the park home stopped coming.

So fed up with the park’s deterioration, Debbie Rouser, who lives in front of the park, launched a one-woman, letter-writing campaign to force Councilman Joe Buscaino’s office and the Recreation and Parks department to clean up and begin maintaining the park.

“It got to a point where it was so bad,” Rouser said. “There was no other way.”

Rouser’s barrage of letters and phone calls resulted in few results. One day, a friend told her about a Leland Park Facebook page created by another local resident to raise awareness about the park’s state of disrepair and hopefully spark community action on the issue. In a word, Rouser found “allies.”

“It was like a spontaneous eruption,” Rouser said. “Certain people just started volunteering to do different things.”

Afterward, things began moving swiftly. Neighbors organized the Leland Park Advisory Board and began documenting the park’s problem areas with pictures and notes and emailed them to every city department with jurisdiction.

The tenacity of the organized residents caught the attention of Michael Shull-- the Superintendent for the Recreation and Park’s Planning and Development Division--and led him to partner with the park advisory board to transform Leland Park into a fully functioning park.

“The City of [Los Angeles] should never try to do things alone,” Shull said. “Everything should be born out of what the community needs.”

Since combining forces, Shull and the advisory board have created plan that includes installing an  irrigation system, building pathways that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, replace the dead grass with new landscaping, and redo the ball fields.

Outdoor exercise equipment will also be installed, adding to the variety of activities at the park. Recs and Parks are also planning to install new security lights and cameras and additional parking spaces on Capitol Drive.

Shull and the advisory board are also discussing ways to increased security at the park, which includes installing lights, cameras and putting up a fence around the park with two entrance gates.  

Rouser is pleased with the attention law enforcement is paying to the park, a significant change from the days when even complaints of drug transactions was acted upon slowly.

“[It’s] Night and day compared to what it used to be,” Rouser said. “I think a lot of it is because the public has stood up and said we’re not going to stand for this anymore. “People would come at 11 o’clock at night and open their car doors and they’d have the huge, loud, supersonic stereo systems,” Rouser said.

“I would call the LAPD and I would get that fax sound… and you would never get through. And when you did it was like, really, I guess we’ll send somebody. And they wouldn’t come. Then they’d call at five in the morning... and ask me if they still needed [for us] to come.”

Rouser said that at the neighborhood council meeting residents attended to raise the issue of the park’s status, Captain of the Harbor Division, Nancy Lauer, swore to begin patrolling the area and respond in a timely manner.

“[Captain] Lauer stood up and said we got your back,” Rouser said. “And we saw that. I’d see undercovers out here. I saw a lot of black and whites.[Police Patrol Cars]”

Eastview Little League baseball teams have inquired about using the baseball field for practice after the completion of the redevelopment. The Dodgers have promised to provide the field a new scoreboard.

Shull acknowledge the importance of community involvement in addressing quality of life issues.

“Every park thats successful in this city has a community group around it that’s conserved and keeps a watchful eye,” Shull said. “It just takes organization; It takes people that care.”


The city is planning to begin construction within the following two months. If everything goes according to schedule, they are expected to be completed by the fall season.

Veterans Ride 600 Miles for Fallen Brothers

Fourteen veterans wounded in combat took the Never Quit Challenge, from Sept. 8 through 11. The challenge that included a 600 mile jet ski course from Morro Bay to San Diego.

In the challenge’s second year, veterans who received purple hearts stopped in Santa Barbara, Long Beach and Catalina Island. The challenge concluded on the evening of Sept. 11  at the Stone Bistro’s Liberty Center, Point Loma for a 9/11 tribute.  

“It’s great, getting back together and having that camaraderie that you don’t get in the real world — the civilian world,” said 3rd Ranger Battalion Kyle Butcher, one of the veterans who was part of the challenge.

The prior year’s challenge took place between Key West, Fla. and New York City. Event organizer Shawn Alladio said the location change each year is what makes the competition unique.
The event supports the Marsoc Foundation, Station Foundation, and Phoenix Patriot Foundation. All three support veterans and the families of fallen soldiers.

It’s called the Never Quit Challenge for a reason: The waters are choppy and unpredictable, creating a greater challenge for wounded veterans. One rider was using prosthetic legs, but zero riders complained or quit.

“It’s kind of a hardship,” Alladio said. “The challenge is very difficult. It’s painful at times because it’s a lot of hours on the water. What we’ve experienced the last two days, it’s been very windy. And, so, the wind has affected the surface texture of the water and that’s really slowed down a lot of the projections of the timelines,”

“The Pacific Ocean doesn’t play any favorites,” Barry Baker said, who was one of the event’s organizers. “It delivered some smooth riding and then there were times where it was very challenging, knocking people off of jet skis and such. It was great. It was challenging.”

Baker is one of three riders who never served on active duty. He is an alumni with the K38 Rescue Program. Barry rode from Long Beach to Catalina and back, while the second of the three, Allatio, rode the whole 600 miles.

Butcher was shot three times while on duty in Iraq. He enjoys the brotherhood that he experiences with the riders who are fellow veterans, which he says is lacking in his day to day life.

“It’s a hardship,” Butcher said. “It wasn’t fun. Most people think riding jet skis is fun, but we’re riding jet skis 600 miles in some pretty rough water. Each one of those boats have a fallen brother on it. We look down at that when times get hard and tough, it’s like, you know it’s not about me, suck it up. That’s why its called the never quit challenge. There’s no quitting.”

Next year’s challenge will take place between Galveston, Texas and Miami.

Queen’s Cup Doesn’t Fail to Impress in Debut

Racers kept their heads down. Their eyes pointed straight ahead as they steered their wheels went for the gold at the All-American Queen’s Cup Soap Box Derby race.

The derby took place Aug. 23 and 24 at the parking lot adjacent to the Queen Mary in Long Beach. A ramp was placed at the beginning of the track. Racers were released from the top, gathering enough speed to push them to the finish line. The finish is 40, or 50 feet ahead of the ramp. Haystacks outlined the track to cushion a driver in the event of a crash and cones divided the two lanes.

Most of the races were neck-and-neck from start to finish. Some ended with about a second, or a second-and-a-half, between them. Some ended with finishes that made your heart skip a beat. That instance alone was enough to fill the gap that separated the racers. Most importantly, none of the races were one-sided, which called for an exciting event.

The races began at 11 a.m. There were four different races for each of the three different classes: stock; super stock; masters. The double elimination race had drivers race each other, mark the time difference, trade wheels and lanes and go at it again. The time difference was recorded after the second race and whoever had a better accumulated time would advance. The switch was made to ensure a fair game.

Eleven-year-old Michael Nuñez placed fourth and brought home a trophy in which happened to be his first ever race. He said his mom persuaded him to race by promising him a surprise if he did. The trophy he won saw to it that he ends the day with two surprises. He said his favorite part of the race was zooming down the ramp at the start. He definitely is going to race again in the future.

Regional Director Brian Graham, said he was looking for a race director who can find racers and permanent venues in Long Beach willing to host annual races. As for the Queen Mary being host to its first soap box derby, Graham wished that the track would've been longer, but said they did a great job in providing them the possibility to run a flawless event.

“As a host site the Queen Mary was perfect,” Graham said. “Everything we could want was provided, maybe some things we had maybe not thought about to. We are looking into a longer track and longer ramps for future events. With any program the first time out there are always some things to improve. However, with our intention for this race, we hit a home run.”

Contact Graham by emailing him at rallycomish@aol.com.

All-American Soap Box Derby Comes to a Track Near You.

The All-American Soap Box Derby is taking place Aug. 23 and 24 amidst the shadows of Queen Mary.

The event is scheduled to stay open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be two official races where riders can accumulate points towards being invited to race in a championship in Akron, Ohio 2015.

The Queen Mary, in an attempt to create some liveliness in their corners and better serve the community, approached Brian Graham, regional director at All-American Soap Box Derby and offered to fund a race which would be held adjacent to the Queen Mary. The ship continues looking for new ways to attract and connect the people of Long  Beach and abroad.

Graham is excited that the sport’s popularity seems to be on the rise recently. He said that registration for this event has risen the last year and a half.

Graham also said the race gives an opportunity to children and adults to come together and build these cars and race them. He says that it offers participants a chance to bond and build cohesiveness, not just between racers, but all who are present around them.

“Having an event focused on children and their adult companions is a way of serving the community,” Graham said.

The All-American Soap Box Derby  is a national sports organization that was founded in 1934. The The All-American Soap Box Derby is divided into 12 regions, with each region representing four to five states throughout the nation. The Long Beach race is part of Region 2, which represents Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah.

There are three car classes that each have a minimum required age participants must be to race in said class. These age groups are split like this:  7-9; 9-17; 11-17. Every racer competes to earn points so that by the end of the season, they’ll have a spot in the championship race Akron, Ohio.

Beside seeing who can drive faster and feeding the racers’ competitive spirit, Graham stressed the more important lessons--are lessons that children will carry with them for the rest of their life.

“There’s so many wonderful things about this sport that far supersede the idea of coming out with just a trophy,” Graham said. “We’re talking about long-term growth, a long-term understanding, long-term empowerment of the person.”

The core values of the American Soap Box Derby are teamwork and hands-on learning. The derby is a natural supporter of STEM or, science; technology; engineering; mathematics education. All racing teams have to design, build, test, and race their vehicles for competition.

You’re teaching kids “independence, self-reliance [and] confidence,” Graham said. “Then we throw in learning a bunch of math, science and technology programs.”

Nine year old Veronica Stagnaro from Danville, California has been racing for a year and a half. Her interest in the Derby stemmed from her father’s love of the sport. She said she likes the challenge that it brings and making new friends through common grounds.

Stagnaro has won four races this year, and hopes to reach the championship race in Akron. She already has a trophy on her mantel from her win at the Silicon Valley Local race in 2013.

“Competition is rough. The kids I race against are all good drivers,” Veronica said. “Anyone of us could win if we drive a good race.”

The soapbox derby is one of the few sports in which boys and girls compete on the same field. When asked about how she felt about competing against boys, Stagnaro said she didn’t even think about it.

Chris Harris, co-regional director has been involved with the derby for nine years. He became involved when his son, who was 14 at the time, came home disappointed after losing to two younger girls. His younger sister who was 9 at the time heard the story and decided she wanted to take it up herself. Eventually, she was invited to the world championships five times and placed second once out of those races.

“The derby races are truly the greatest amature racing events in the world,” Harris said. “It brings families together and gives kids a chance to compete on a level playing field with cars that they have built and tuned themselves. Nothing compares to the feeling of winning a race in a car that you built and raced yourself.”

Soapbox derby fans can catch the show without admission. Visit the link below for further details.

Information: http://www.queenmary.com/events/all-american-soap-box-derby/

There's More to Boxing than Just Boxing

The punches flew fast. So fast, you could hardly see them. So fast, you can hear them cut the air as they hit the target.  

The target in this case was Christine Rodriguez behind some protective gear. Each time Kira DeMorales threw her gloved fist, it sounded like a baseball being thrown at a 100 miles per hour landing dead smack in the middle of a catcher’s mitt.

The boxing world and the fighters she trains refer to Christine as “Mom’s.” Christine and Kira conduct their one-on-one training session in the southeast corner of the JackRabbit Boxing Academy in Long Beach.

The gym has one boxing ring. A few heavy bags ring the left side of the boxing square in an L-shape and several speed bags surround them. In the ring there’s an older man training a boxer in his 20s. There were a couple of fighters alternating between speed bags, each serving a different function.

The heavy bag is used to practice uppercuts. The 300-pound bag is used to help fighters strengthen their power shots. The double-n bag, which moves at you, is used to sharpen fighter’s defensive reactions. Fighters practice ducking and evading the slip bag and also their overall footwork. Last, but not least, the good ol’ fashioned speedbag helps fighters narrow their focus.

Christine was in the southeast corner working with Kira when I was at the academy. She had on a body protector and mitts on each hand to absorb Kira’s blows. Kira was working on her footwork and combos, while Christine was checking her flaws.

Kira moved around slowly, side-stepping and throwing a two-punch combo into Christine’s mitts. The pace of the training increased as the exercise continued. The punching combos, which began with two punches, increased to three then four punch combos and so on.  

Kira’s side-steps turned into a light skipping and her eyes zeroed in on Christine’s mitts before she began throwing out five, six and seven hit combos. Christine’s body protector became the second target, but her face registers no emotion. Christine absorbed each punch Kira threw as if she were a heavy punching bag hanging from the ceiling.   

Christine trains her students like she was taught by her coach, Bill Slayton. Slayton died when he was 82. He had such a remarkable impact on Christine, that she decided to mimic his training regimen for her students when it comes down to the ring and outside of it.    

Christine says there’s little difference in the training regiments of amateur, professional and Olympic boxers, except that women train harder and with more intensity than men.

“I was the only woman at Broadway Gym for about five years and I always wanted to do more than the men, more rounds, more weights [for when I shadowbox.] I would use [eight-pound weights,] while the guys were using [five-pound weights.]”

Christine fought professionally in the late nineties and early 2000s. She regrets entering the professional ranks after only boxing in the amateur ranks for three months--attributing to this her lack of success in her boxing career.

Women boxers still struggle to find good management to represent them.

“We have had many meetings with interested investors and sponsors,” Christine said. “They aren’t willing to be pioneers and sign a female fighter with a female coach. They don’t have any projections for that.”

Still, she feels good about the future of women in the sport.

“The right people will appear when the time is right,” Christine said. “Faith has not failed me yet. Patience, I have learned well.”  

Kira credits Christine for sharpening her skills and tremendously improving her diet.

“Christine is one of the best to me and I’m honored to fight for her,” Kira said. “A friendship on top of just [a] coach and fighter [relationship].”

Kira was not always on track to become a professional boxer. She was initially California State University Dominguez Hills student on a basketball scholarship from Hawaii.

She took up boxing during an off season to stay in shape. At the time, Christine was coaching the school’s women’s boxing team. Christine immediately saw in Kira raw talent and potential, along with natural length and size.

After two years in the basketball program, Kira chose boxing over basketball, believing that her earnings potential would be much higher if she succeeds. Also, she found that she preferred the individualistic nature of boxing where her success or failure depended on her effort alone in the ring. Of course that meant losing her scholarship. To help offset the cost of losing that scholarship, Christine invited Kira to live with her and her son.

Amongst her many jobs, Christine works as a traveling nutritionist to various camps. These camps are where fighters prepare their bodies and minds a few days before their fights. Christine is also a certified massage therapist. She also trains two other boxers.

Christine became a trainer after Coach Slayton died, though it seemed iffy at first. She still wanted to be a champion.

“I didn’t make that choice,” Christine said. “I didn’t think I’d ever make that choice. What happened was my trainer died and then there was a stable of fighters left. I was the next person in line after he died to be their leader. It was just natural. They looked up to me. I instilled and carried his morals and values.

“Once you make that transition to coach, it is a very hard transition if you were a boxer because you want to be the fighter.”

For Christine, the path to becoming a professional boxer is spiritual one that she learned from Coach Slayton. The principles she learned as a boxer are principles she wants to pass on to the boxers she trains.

“It’s about life in general, how to respect each other, help each other ...about sacrifice and giving back. That’s how boxing works,” Christine said. “To boxing, I owe my life, my humility, my faith [and] my wisdom. Everything. I became more heightened spiritually watching Bill die. He did it with grace and dignity. He made me know for certain he was going back home.”

Christine hopes to one day run her own boxing camp, preferably in Big Bear or some similar location.

For now, her home is the JackRabbit in Long Beach and her job is to transfer the lessons that she learned from her trainer to her pupils. She now sees more value in helping fighters reach the best of their abilities.

“It’s not about me being champion, it’s about building many champions in and out of the ring,” Christine said.


Kira will make her professional debut Aug. 21 after posting a 6-0 record as an amature. Her fight will be at the Fight Club OC in Costa Mesa.