Mountain Views News, Pasadena Edition [Sierra Madre] Saturday, July 21, 2018

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Mountain View News Saturday, July 21, 2018 


WALKING SIERRA MADRE... The Social Side By Deanne Davis


“Love for the game starts here.”

That is the slogan and the motto of the Sierra Madre 
Girls Softball Association (SMGSA). This amazing group 
produced five – yes, five – quality teams which competed 
in over ten tournaments throughout the past eight 
weekends. 

 Here is their Mission Statement, which would work 
quite nicely for just about any organization:

 “SMGSA is a recreational USA softball league 
providing quality athletic experiences through which our 
girls develop positive character-building traits and love 
for the game. We are committed to providing a positive 
culture in which athletes, coaches, parents, fans, and 
officials work together in developing quality athletes who 
become successful people.

 SMGSA sent all five all-star teams of very successful 
young people to the Northern District Championship 
play. The 8U, 10U Gold and 10U Silver (what 8U means 
is eight and under, same for 10U and 12U) battled 
all weekend long, but in the end, this was their last 
tournament of the summer. The 14U team, “Blast,” came 
in as a runner-up at C districts and 12U “Stealth” were the 
C division Northern District champs. 

 The Vision & Values of SMGSA are so good. Is it 
wishful thinking to hope that more young people could 
be exposed to Values such as these?:

 SMGSA aspires to accomplish its mission by providing 
a high-quality experience in which every athlete:


- Is coached and supported using the principles of 
positive coaching
- Has fun playing the game every time out on the field, at 
both practices and games
- Learns the skills, rules and strategies of the game and 
improves as a player
- Feels like an important part of the team, regardless of 
performance
- Learns “life lessons” that have value beyond the playing 
field
- Understands the value of camaraderie, selflessness and 
team spirit

 Looking at the happy faces of each person in this picture, 
along with some of their favorite catch phrases and inside 
jokes, it is easy to see that camaraderie, selflessness and 
team spirit is alive and well in Team Stealth! For instance, 
each of the girls had Dodger names, i.e., Julia Pevsner 
was Julia Jansen. It’s stuff like that that makes a bunch 
of people into a team. They had shirts made with “taco 
burrito not your Jeff” – a spin on the cheer, “taco burrito 
not your pitch.” Jeff Reisbeck, President and Manager of 
the SMGSA 12U Stealth team, obviously, not averse to 
a little ribbing. Also, obviously, Jeff is a fine example of 
what SMGSA expects of every coach:

 - Maintains a focus on a positive athletic experience 
for each athlete 
- Is equipped with the tools and experience to carry 
out our mission 
- Strives to not only win, but to also use the 
sports experience to help our girls develop positive 
character traits that will help them be successful in life

 The high level performance of the 12U and 14U all-
star teams during the Northern District Championship 
play allowed both Team Stealth and Team Blast to 
qualify for and compete in the 2018 So. California State 
Championship games in Lancaster, facing the best teams 
from all over So. California; 18 teams in the 12U division 
and 23 teams in the 14U division. Both teams took 3rd 
place in their respective divisions in Lancaster. 

 The SMGSA 12U Team Stealth all-stars entered their 
final adventure of the summer at the California State 
Regional Games in San Diego, competing against 25 of 
the top teams from Arizona, Nevada and California and 
came away with the Silver medal. Again, camaraderie, 
selflessness and team spirit among the athletes, coaches 
and families is what took these 12 and 13 year old middle 
school girls to victory.

 Coming from all over the area, from approximately 
nine different schools, as they don’t need to be Sierra 
Madre residents to play in SMGSA, these girls learned 
quickly to work together and support each other to get 
the job done.

 Congratulations to SMGSA Stealth and all of SMGSA’s 
2018 all-star players, including the Mountain Views 
News editor, Susan Henderson’s, own granddaughter, 
Maheilia! Thanks to Rochelle Ferrari and Sharon Pevsner 
for providing most of the information in this article. 
Teamwork! Isn’t it neat to know we have this terrific 
organization, among so many like organizations here in 
our wonderful town!

 My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis 

Kindle books of all sorts and hardcover “Tablespoon of 
Love” are on there, as is “Star of Wonder.”

Star of Wonder the CD is now on TuneCore! Take a look!

 Blog: www.authordeanne.com

 Follow me on Twitter, too! https://twitter.com/@
playwrightdd


FREE HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE & E-WASTE 
RECYCLING ROUNDUP FOR SIERRA MADRE 2018 
(AUG. 4) 

Where: Mariposa Avenue Parking Lot

Mariposa Avenue, just west of Baldwin Avenue

Sierra Madre

When: Saturday, August 4, 2018

9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

 Just want to let the Sierra Madre Chamber of Commerce 
and its members and community know about the FREE 
Household Hazardous Waste & E-Waste Recycling 
Roundup for Sierra Madre area residents. Attached is a 
PDF of the event flyer. 

 The Roundup is a free and easy way to safely dispose 
of items that are too toxic to trash, and the Sierra Madre 
Chamber of Commerce can be a huge help in helping 
spread the word about this free and convenient recycling 
opportunity. 

 Thank you for your time, interest, and attention.


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com