Mountain Views News          Saturday, March 3, 2012

19

SPORTS

 Mountain Views News Saturday, March 3, 2012 


HUDDLE UP!

By Harvey Hyde


LET KIDS BE KIDS!

HOW TO CHIP THE GOLF BALL WITH PRECISION

If you want to improve your short game you 
have to learn how to chip the golf ball with solid 
contact. I am going to explain to you exactly 
how to just that. The address position for chipping 
the golf ball has three components. Today I 
am going to tell what they are and how to apply 
them.

#1. Ball position is critical for consistent impact. 
It has to be in the middle to middle back of 
your stance. If it is too far forward you will hit 
up on it and top the ball or hit it thin most of the 
time. The other reason you want it in the middle 
to middle back of your stance is so the clubhead 
will approach the ball on a steep angle.

#2. The second part is to make sure you have 
75% of your weight on your left foot at address. 
Once you place the weight on your left side, leave 
it there during the backswing and downswing. If 
you stay put during the swing the clubhead will 
swing steep into the back of the golf ball and it 
will have the same flight and roll every time.

#3. After you have placed the ball in the center 
of your stance and you leaned over to the left 
with 75% of your weight on your left leg, it is 
time now to move the handle over to your left 
side. Remember when you address the golf ball 
the handle of the club is in the center of your 
body. When you moved your weight over to the 
left, the center of your body is now on your left 
side. That is why YOU HAVE TO MOVE THE 
HANDLE OVER TO THE CENTER OF YOUR 
BODY.

When you move the handle over to your left 
leg it will allow the club to swing UP in the backswing 
and DOWN in the downswing, thus creating 
a steep and consistent impact.

If you follow these steps you will chip the golf 
ball better than ever.

For more information go to: www.bobbyeldridgegolf.
com

 In this week’s 
column I want to 
offer this advice to 
parents: Allow your 
children to play a 
variety of sports.

 I bring this up 
because I recently 
had legendary Los Angeles Ram barefoot 
kicker Mike Lansford on my radio show to 
talk about the football camp he and former 
Ram quarterback Vince Ferragamo are 
holding Saturday, March 24, at Veteran’s 
Stadium in Long Beach. (For information, 
go to fnlcamps.com).

 As a youngster growing up in Arcadia, 
Lansford enjoyed playing all sports. It 
wasn’t until his late teens that he began to 
concentrate on kicking, a skill that brought 
him fame and fortune.

 When I asked him how soon kids should 
start learning a certain skill, Mike told me 
he had heard of a toddler at 18 months being 
taught how to placekick a football. Now that 
is just plain ridiculous. Many other experts 
and even private coaches have told me that 
focusing on one talent, skill or sport should 
not come until kids are at least teen age, or 
old enough to decide “this is going to be my 
sport.” 

 Young athletes, both boys and girls, need to 
be given the opportunity of having fun and 
playing different sports. I think it is wrong 
for a parent or club sports coach to select a 
specific sport for the child at a young age and 
not allow him or her to diversify and enjoy 
different experiences. In the effort to refine 
and expand specific skills, this often happens. 

 At a young age it is difficult to tell what 
sports fit a young talented athlete. And you 
limit their growth, agility, knowledge, skills 
and ability to establish a wide variety of team 
and personal friendships, some of which 
might last a lifetime.

 Unfortunately, there is for some the 
belief that simply enjoying the sport and 
the competition is not enough. One needs 
to excel in the game, and the only way to 
demonstrate excellence in a sport is to get a 
college scholarship – or better yet, become a 
professional athlete. And in order to do that 
one must concentrate on that sport and play 
it year-round.

 But my belief is that by playing several 
sports you become more coordinated in 
using different muscles and skills, not to 
mention stronger and more sociable. Also, 
limiting your child to one sport puts undue 
pressure on that youngster and delivers the 
wrong message. Winning is a good thing, 
but it is not the only thing.

 The development of a child during his or 
her growing years is very important and it is 
the parents’ responsibility to protect bones, 
ligaments and tendons, and, we are learning, 
brain function. We all know that over-
practice and over-use can cause injuries.

 Then, there is the potential for what we 
call burnout. A youngster will get fed up 
and announce, “I just don’t like doing this 
anymore. And I don’t have any friends.” A 
child needs to identify with being your son 
or daughter, not just your highly skilled 
athlete. Let your child grow up naturally and 
be a kid. 

 And it is important to remember this, 
although it is obvious to most people: A child 
does not have to be an athlete to be successful. 
Let your children discover their own talent, 
whatever that might be, and encourage them 
to pursue it. 

 

Harvey Hyde’s Peristyle podcast can be heard 
on uscfootball.com and his radio show on Las 
Vegas station KSHP AM 1400 can be heard 
via the Internet.


Read The Paper Online At: www.mtnviewsnews.comVOLUME 5 NO. 23
SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 2011Inside This Edition...
CALENDAR Page 2 
Sierra Madre News Page 3More News Page 4Pasadena/Altadena Page 5Arcadia 
Page 6Monrovia/Duarte Page 7Education & Youth Page 8Class of 2011 Page 9Good Food & Drink Page 10Arts & Entertainment Page 11Legals Page 12Left/Right Page 13Opinion 
Page 14The World Around Us Page 15 
The Good Life Page 16Homes & Property Page 17 
FYI 
Page 18Research Supporting 
Mitigated Negative Dec-
laration Called “Woefully 
Inadequate”
By Susan HendersonOn Thursday, the Sierra Madre 
Planning Commission heard from 
both supporters and opponents of the 
Final Mitigated Negative Declaration 
(MND) for the Alverno High School 
Master Plan. The plan includes 
expansion of the school’s facilities 
that include a 12,860 square foot, two 
story multi-purpose building; a 2,900 
square foot amphitheatre and a new 
multi-purpose sports field to replace 
the existing softball field.
Currently the school is operating 
under a Conditional Use Permit 
that was originally approved in 
1959. Alverno has not done any 
major renovations since that time. 
It is proposing the improvements 
and expansion in order to maintain 
its ability to compete with other 
private schools and maintain its’ 
enrollment. Currently the enrollment 
is approximately 350 young women.
After years of negotiations with 
neighbors and city officials, an Initial 
Study was done in March of this year 
to review the overall impact of the 
project on the community. In May, a 
Final Mitigated Negative Declaration 
was prepared for the Sierra Madre 
Planning Commission. On Thursday, 
the MND was reviewed and the 
commission requested additional 
information from city staff before 
approving the document.
Residents who live in the area sur-
rounding the school are split in their 
opinions of the project. Many of the 
more vocal opponents have lodged 
their complaints with the school and 
the city. As a result, a series of com-
munity meetings were held last year 
that resulted in the school and the city 
mitigating certain issues, but there are 
still concerns being expressed over po-
tential increases in noise and traffic. 
There is also concern about the impact 
of the project on the trees in the path 
of the expansion. 
According to CEQA, a Negative Decla-
ration (or Mitigated Negative Declara-
tion) can be prepared only when there 
is no substantial evidence that the 
project may have a significant effect on 
the environment. And while the city 
has submitted documentation to sup-
port a MND, opponents do not agree. 
The consensus of those opposed to the 
project is that the data used to support 
the MND was “woefully inadequate”. 
Before the MND was submitted 
to the planning commission, the 
state’s clearinghouse submitted the 
application from Alverno to numerous 
agencies for review. Reviewing the 
application to insure that the school’s 
plans would not violate any state laws 
or have an adverse impact on resources 
in the area were the California 
Departments of Fish and Game, 
Parks and Recreation, Transportation, 
Regional Water, Quality Control, Cal 
Trans and the Highway Patrol. In 
addition, the North American Heritage 
Commission reviewed the application. 
Of the agencies contacted by the state, 
only one, Cal Trans, issued a letter to 
the city. In it, the agency asked the city 
to limit heavy construction equipment 
to off-peak hours and to remain 
mindful of concerns regarding water 
run-off.
The planning commission listened to 
speakers on both sides of the issue in 
a marathon session that resulted in 
postponement of any action on the 
MND until July.
The 2011 Election Committee is 
looking for a few more volunteers 
for the Altadena Town Council Elec-
tions on Saturday, June 11. There are 
five polling locations to choose from: 
Charles White Park 77 Mountain 
View Street (Ventura Street side) 
Farnsworth Park 568 East Mount 
Curve Avenue 
Gordy’s 843 West Woodbury Road 
S& J Auto 1904 New York Drive 
Webster’s 2450 North Lake Avenue 
Shifts are:
9:00–11:00; 11:00–1:00 and 1:00–3:00 
We also need ballot counters from 
3:00 to 4:30 at the Davies Building at 
Farnsworth Park. Feel free to take a 
polling shift, a ballot counting shift 
or both!
Email atcelection@yahoo.com to 
volunteer or contact Eric PierceChair- 2011 Election CommitteeAltadena Town Council atcelection@
yahoo.com or call 626 664-4300Alverno's Principal, Ann Gillick, was 
among several from the school and 
contracted specialists who made 
presentations at Sierra Madre's 
Planning Commission recent meet-
ing. Over thirty persons spoke dur-
ing public comment, with only a 
handful of dissenters. The commis-
sion discussed the current iteration 
of the plan until 11 p.m., asking for 
further work from the school. The 
plan will be revisited next by the 
commission in July. Photo by Chris BertrandPost Commander Dave Loera sa-
lutes as Paul Puccinelli performs 
Taps at Memorial Day serviceA standing room only crowd es-
timated at more than 200 people 
turned out to honor the nation’s 
fallen soldiers at Pioneer Cemetery 
today, Memorial Day, at a ser-
vice put on by Sierra 
Madre’s Harry L. Em-
bree VFW Post 3208.
Commander Dave 
Loera presided over 
the ceremony, which 
began with the posting 
of the colors by mem-
bers of the VFW, fol-
lowed by the Pledge of 
Allegiance.. Rev. Pat-
rick Brennan of Mater 
Dolorosa gave the in-
vocation, and Patrick 
and Mary Cronin led 
the crowd in singing 
the National Anthem, 
America the Beau-
tiful and God Bless 
America.
Commander Loera in-
troduced Mayor John 
Buchanan, who spoke 
briefly about Memo-
rial Day, thanking the 
veterans and applaud-
ing the VFW members 
for the spirit in which 
they present the ser-
vice on an annual basis. He asked 
the crowd to remember that “this 
day is their special day, but so too, 
is tomorrow.”
Buchanan then introduced keynote 
speaker Council Member Mary-
Ann MacGillivray. Ms. MacGil-
livray spoke for just under twenty 
minutes, reciting statistics on the 
number of casualties and deceased 
in various wars, and quoting presi-
dents, statesmen, historians and 
military figures. She reminded the 
audience that Sierra Madrean How-
ard Miller, who is buried in Pioneer 
Cemetery, and whose widow, Tom-
mie Anne still lives in town, was 
one of the men who raised the flag 
at Iwo Jima. And she spoke of what 
America is, and that others strive to 
be like America.
“We’re a collective mix of greatness 
and greed, high tech and heart-
land. We are the country of Mickey 
Mouse and Micky Mantle, from 
John Smith to John Glenn and Atlas 
Booster, from Charles Lindbergh to 
Charlie Brown, from Moby Dick 
to Microsoft. We went from Kitty 
Hawk to Tranquility Base on the 
moon in less than seventy years. 
We’re blue grass and rock and roll, 
Marvel Comics and the Bill of 
Rights. In short, we are everything 
that everybody wants to be.”
She spoke of the recent passing of 
a 110-year old WWI veteran, the 
last remaining veteran from World 
War I. And she spoke of the need 
to keep the stories of our WWII 
veterans alive. She then introduced 
the VFW members that had served 
in WWII, allowing each to stand 
and be recognized, and they were 
recognized with a standing ovation 
and a long round of applause.
She introduced Staff Sergeant Ken 
Anhalt, who was a tail gunner on 
B-24 bombers. Petty Officer Gor-
don Caldwell, who served on the 
USS Saratoga, was next, followed 
by Staff Sergeant Art Contreras, 
who served in the Pacific The-
ater and was awarded the Purple 
Heart for his service. Michael Do-
menico, a US Army Engineer who 
served in Belgium, Luxembourg 
and Germany, as well as the Pacific 
Theater. She introduced Petty Of-
ficer Ted Evans, who served from 
1945 to 1949 in the Philippines, 
Japan and China, and Petty Officer 
George Metzger, who served from 
1943 to 1946, including Okinawa. 
“These gentlemen are our World 
War II heroes,” she concluded the 
introduction.
She closed by reciting the third 
verse to America the Beatiful, call-
ing it a “fitting end to this day.” The 
words to that verse are:
O beautiful, for heroes provedIn liberating strife.
Who more than self their country 
lovedAnd mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refineTill all success be noblenessAnd every gain divine!
Following the traditional laying 
of the wreaths by members of the 
VFW, Paul Puccinelli performed a 
flawless rendition of “Taps” on the 
bugle. The service was followed by 
a lunch of sandwiches, chips and 
beverages.
Entire video link: http://www.sier-
ramadrenews.net/?p=2497Photo Story by Jeff Brown at 
http://www.youtube.com/user/
jab3jab48#p/u/0/-izPdOIrVbEHEROES: REMEMBERING AND REMEMBEREDMemorial Day Services Hosted by VFW Post 3208Story and Photos by Bill CoburnPost Commander Dave LoeraVeterans Gordon Caldwell and Art ContrerasALTADENA TOWN 
COUNCIL SEEK-
ING ELECTION 
VOLUNTEERSAlverno Neighbors Remain 
Concerned Over Master PlanThe Class of 2011 - Part I Page 9Subscribe Today!
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