'Prison' hypoglycemia

By Ed Piper

I was hungry. I wasn't in prison, but I was starting to think I was pretty much on my own, 28 hours into no food.

I imagined I was in a North Korean prison camp. On my own, desolate, my body and brain tested, lacking basic sustenance to continue.

It had been 28 hours--8 p.m. Thursday night--when I ingested my last solid-ish food. It was now almost midnight, a day later, down the street at San Diego Medical Center.

The nurses' shift had changed at 7:30 p.m., so I was gathering the fact basic needs weren't going to be met soon after the change, as at least one union of other nurses was on strike, and another union (support staff?) was going on strike Monday. So, the outlook was bleak as far as the near future.

My nurse, newly on shift, was nice, but pressed for time--covering for other nurses, in the midst of working six 12-hour shifts in seven days, double her usual workload, during the multiple strikes.

My mind wasn't hallucinating, but it was verging. Normally, I keep something in my stomach every few hours, and--like I said--I hadn't eaten in over a day.

I felt strong, staying in meditation and prayer, asking my God to be near and watch over me. Especially now, as I didn't know when Tanya* (not her real name) would be able to bring me something to eat. "I'll be back as soon as I can," she had told me four hours earlier.

*  *  *

You cannot imagine the joy I felt when she returned at close to midnight, me confined to my bed in an otherwise empty hospital room, on the fourth floor and darkness peering in from outside (the blinds open). Tanya brought me hot water in paper cups, and syrup in packets labeled "chicken broth", since I was on a liquid diet.

Upset stomach, they didn't want to upset it further. They weren't sure what was upsetting it.

The nurse made one batch, I made more after she left the room. That was a start--chicken broth in a syrup. (Weird taste when I reached a plastic spoon into the bottom of the paper cup to scrape up the remaining.) I'd never had "chicken broth" made from syrup before.

I soon felt more energy, later asked for a toothbrush and toothpaste (I hadn't brought anything except the clothes I was wearing, not expecting to stay beyond an Urgent Care visit during the day).

Filled with an optimistic outlook, strengthened by being pushed to the limit, as it seemed, I could go on.

After the seemingly dire conditions passed, I missed that feeling of how I had overcome, again with power above. You can't make up conditions like that. Who would go 28 hours without food, if they didn't have to?

No more "North Korean prison camp" thought. I had great empathy for anyone who has to go through ongoing conditions like lack of food, lack of a secure space (which I didn't experience), and the like.

*  *  *

My hope had been to be released in the morning and attend the girls' CIF Division 4 wrestling meet at Valley Center. As I chewed on this through the late night/early morning, I decided that my nurse and doctor would not facilitate it if I didn't voice it. People can't read minds. They don't know if someone wants to do something if they aren't told.

So I decided to present my case and see if there was any way I could be released early in the day. If not, midday or later. The meet went until the afternoon, so there might still be time if I was released at noon--plus the long drive to Valley Center.

At 7:30 a.m., Dr. Wunderlich* (not his real name) walked in. "Did you just come on shift?" I asked him, not impolitely. "No," he said. (I was figuring he might follow the same shift schedule as the nurses.) "I would like to cover a CIF girls wrestling meet at Valley Center this morning. Is there any way I could attend that?"

He replied, "That's not likely. With observation and the time it would take to prepare to release you, it's not going to happen."

Okay. I shifted into a different gear. I'm going to be here a while for a second day (checked in last night), so I might as well act like it. I pulled out a portable mat leaning against the wall and did my back exercises. "Oh, did you fall?" the first nurse coming in said. She was surprised someone was up and out of their bed.

Then I asked for shampoo. (That might have been earlier.) I washed my hair in the sink with a bar of soap, no shampoo available. The new nurse coming on shift at 7:30, May* (not her real name), replied to my asking if I could take a shower with "Yes, I can take your monitor attachments (all across my chest) off your chest and put on a new one."

I felt like a new man.

LJ g water polo 14, Clairemont 5 - Senior Game - 2/5

Photos by Ed Piper

Coach Tom Atwell (far left) discusses his

"eclectic group" of seniors: (from right) Stella

Tezcan, Kate Morgan, Clara Siddons, Astrid Egan,

and Lucia Vega.

Vikings' Kate Morgan (12) disrupts Haley

Ballinger (14) early in play. Atwell said Morgan

"would be most likely to start a book club."

Clara Siddons (11) of La Jolla defends Emma

Lui--basically, shutdown. Vikings went out

to a 6-0 lead; Clairemont did not show the capability

of scoring early on. Siddons is on the LJHS

Robotics team and "has competed internationally."

 

LJ g BB v. SDHS 2/3

Photos by Ed Piper

LJ g soccer 1, Scripps Ranch 0 - 2/5

Photos by Ed Piper

Freshman Bowie Kerch (right) does some

midfield magic with the ball against Falcon

opponents.

LJ goalie Sam Cousino (blue shirt, back) and

crew face a Scripps Ranch threat.

Vikings' Sophie O'Brien (left, near camera)

gets a close look at a ball being handled by

the Falcon goalie.

Senior captain Caroline Bruner crushes

a kick in the first half.

Junior Norah Zadeyan (handling the

ball) advances it before midfield.

LJ g wrestling: Durst and Quach reach podium

By Ed Piper

In a flourish at the peak of their senior years, La Jolla's Becka Durst (135) and Maddie Quach (105) reached the podium in their respective weight classes to take home honors at the CIF San Diego Section Division 4 Finals Sat., Feb. 7, at Valley Center High.

Durst, who moved to La Jolla's attendance area before her sophomore year two years ago, placed second at 135 after battling to the finals on a fall and technical fall. In her first match after a bye, Becka pinned Zoey Gimmeson of the host school in 1:25 before recording a tech fall, 21-4, over Tatiana Lopez of Mission Bay. That put her in the championship bout.

Quach, who recovered from an injured shoulder weeks before, went to the consolation bracket after pinning Zoe Harper of Mission Bay in 1:28, then falling to Angie Beltran of Holtville. Maddie registered a fall over Hendrix Parker of Kearny in 1:48 to go to the third-place bout.

In that match, she pinned Avianna Woodley of Mountain Empire in 1:57 for her third-place medal.

Spring Training dreams

By Ed Piper

With next year's Spring Training in doubt with MLB's Collective Bargaining Agreement expiring after the World Series--a lockout of players looming if the owners don't get more of what they want toward a salary cap--we made our reservations for an AirBnB in the desert for the last week in February the other day.

The dreams began, as I bought tickets for the Cubbies and Sloan Park (a personal favorite) on a weekday, when the multitudinous Chicago fans won't be flying in for the weekend yet with their untanned white legs in shorts above work shoes. The beautiful venue worked great last year, when parking lot attendants shuttled my wife and me right to the steps of the stadium on a busy, busy night.

It's about being at a Spring game, enjoying the sounds of the ballpark, the smell of hotdogs, ball against wooden bat. Doesn't matter where, as "hope springs eternal" before the season starts and every team is even with an undefeated record.

I never went to Spring Training as a child--my dad wasn't into sports, and my mom, with my dad both supportive though not tuned into the Arizona activity (nor did it exist the way it does now, with 15 teams in 10 ballparks--a switch from the 60's when almost all teams trained in Florida). But nostalgia reigns, and names like Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, even Frank Robinson and Greg Maddux coming back into play and conversation. (Josh Gibson, "Cool Papa" Bell, and Satchel Paige were pretty cool, too.)

On the weekend in the middle of the week in the Valley of the Sun, we'll juggle visits with close friends and 1 p.m. (Mountain Time) ballgames at various parks throughout the valley. The friendship angle has really kicked in for my wife, who couldn't care less if they used metal bats or wooden bats. One couple lives in Gilbert, directly south of Mesa, where the Cubs will be located.

But Sloan Park will be jammed on the weekend, so we'll probably opt for Salt River Fields for the Rockies or Diamondbacks. On another weekday, we'll drive back west to Goodyear Park, where the Reds and Guardians play--last year we found a wonderful counter for handicapped near the top of the stands, in the shade, a metal surface to lay our treats on while we relax and enjoy the ambience.

Plus parking isn't horrible at Goodyear, since Ohio fans don't travel the way zillions of Illinois fans do, and they're not a big draw in greater Phoenix--more like a private club. Easy access, ease of mind.

In past years, when I went to Spring Training solo, I would drive up the 17 toward Flagstaff to visit the Native American ruins at Tuzigoot. I remember ice and frost on the ground, as I went before the later-March heat and early in the morning, to catch a fresh day.

Hole-in-the-Rock in Papago Park in Phoenix is fun, watching families scale their way up two paths to either the right or left, up and around the rocks to come out on top--with a view over the distance of all the communities surrounding Phoenix.

I often went to a retreat spot, that featured a spiritual labyrinth and a quiet that allowed one to listen and think: the lone dog barking in the early morning from the houses surrounding the back of the retreat center, no crowds, a quiet vigil or mass conducted by solemn priests. A place to regain your soul, to hear the still, small voice. Rare in this age of cellphones and other devices.

Lots of memories, and hopefully a lot more to come.

LJ wrestling: Long, illustrious history at Holtville Tourney

By Ed Piper

Noah Pace, Victor Franklin, and the other five Viking wrestlers who battled in the 62nd Annual Holtville Rotary Invitational this past weekend (Jan. 30-31) resumed what has been a parade of warriors going back at least to the 1990's in the annual competition.

After a six-year gap (since 2020), first-year head coach Joey Stofko led a seven-spot of wrestlers into the tourney Fri., Jan. 30 in the desert. They were building on a foundation of the many other La Jolla High student-athletes who have competed in the tournament, going back to the 1990's, when results are available.

The most decorated La Jolla wrestler in that time is Juan Sanchez, in 1999 named the Outstanding Wrestler for the lower weights at 114 pounds. The Schon brothers, Dan and Paul, received honors in the 2000's, placing sixth at 152, then fifth at 163 in 2000-2001 (Dan), and first at 147 pounds, and second at 162 in 2002-2003 (Paul) to complete the family dominance at Holtville. Paul Schon is said to be the last Viking go to the state CIF tournament.

There have been many other red-and-black representatives who have made the 130-mile trek to the desert and upheld La Jolla's honor: Ryan Lennard, long-time coach of the current Vikings, is listed in the Holtville program as taking sixth place at 137 pounds in 2004, his senior year.

The earliest mention of La Jolla in Holtville records comes in the 1994 competition, when Miki Kunitake (103), Mike Reese (135), Jason Lee (140), James Gates (145), and Naiche ("nye-shees") Kennedy (275) all placed in the top six in their respective weight classes. Walter Fairley, Jr., La Jolla's Coach Emeritus, and others still have contact with Kunitake and Naiche, as well as Juan Sanchez.

Kunitake and Kennedy again placed in 1995, along with Sam Mestre (133) and Chris Maxfield (192).

With Sanchez (104) placing as a sophomore in 1997, others performed well, including Julio Marenco (126), Ian Reddish (136), and Matt Lagler (153).

Eric Peterson (173) and Wade Green (277) broke through in the 1998 edition, along with repeaters Sanchez (105 as a junior) and Reddish (137).

Another repeater was Elliot Austin (128), who finished in the top six in 2017-2018.

One notices how in the early years of the extant records, schools we would no longer think of as having powerful programs show up: Mountain Empire, which is located near Mount Laguna and Campo (two top-6 finishers in 1992); Valhalla no longer participates in the tourney, but had many top placers in 1993; Orange Glen dominated that same year.

Rancho Bernardo came out of the woodwork in 2004-2005, and under Coach Joe Eddie Terribilini now vies with local powers Granite Hills and Brawley for the team title on a yearly basis.

*  *  *

A side note is that Willie James Jones, whom Fairley coached at Lincoln High, won the Outstanding Wrestler award in the upper weights in 1993. The valedictorian/student body president has the City Conference Championships tourney (competed for a week before) named after him. Willie was gunned down in random gang violence before entering college on a full wrestling scholarship. Fairley still speaks fondly of him and his family, whom he knows personally.