Blastoff

By Ed Piper, Jr.

Everything seemed to be a success at Blastoff: The new field was beautiful, the new concession stand on the home side had a long line of eager customers most of the game, the Viking cheerleaders under Cindee Russell performed a routine at halftime that included a stunt flip of the flyer high atop the formation.

A win by the home football team would have made things a little nicer, but still, their performance and close loss, 24-21, spoke volumes for a new era.

Question: Where was the talented La Jolla High band? They have been making big noise for the last two years. Even playing a riff after every Viking basket at a home basketball team last winter.

You have to love the new facilities. Anthony Sarain's successful softball team already enjoyed last spring in their new digs, with a new surface--even though the other one wasn't worn out--and new, ample-size dugouts (but missing gates to keep foul balls from killing players on the bench!)

The press box looks like a palace. Media is close to my heart (though I walk the sidelines all game), so I'm glad the folks that used to stand on the top of the smaller press box predecessor to film games have room inside.

The painters and stripers did a fabulous job lining the new track. It isn't wider, just newer. And the new surface is brought up to the level of the old curbs, so there is no step-up to the field anymore. That's the trend these days.

However, a visit to the new men's room after the game yielded the fact that the hand dryer doesn't work. Hardly puts out a breath. That'll have to be fixed, or replaced. I asked a mom with her child in the adjacent women's room, and similar. Her hand dryer no workee well.

Here's cheers to Paula Conway, who was recognized for all her efforts with a bouquet before the coin flip. She has done a marvelous job in the renovation of facilities.

As her reward, Paula was seen chasing misbehaving kids around the uncompleted visitor's side concession stand. All in a school adminstrator's job. She says we'll have a ribbon-cutting at Homecoming, once all the facilities (weight room, trainer's room, locker rooms, and coaches' offices) are done.