I got back last night from my cousin’s horse farm in Oakland County, Michigan—30 miles outside of Detroit—just in time to write this August column.
My cousin, Robin, is an equestrian of the highest order. Last weekend, Robin and her horse, Wally, were the champions in class at the World Equestrian Center show in Wilmington, Ohio. She is phenomenal.
I like to compare Robin and Howard’s horse farm to the 1960’s TV show “Green Acres,” starring late Palisadian Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor. The farm is immaculate. Unlike the characters on “Green Acres,” Robin runs the farm while Howard is like the wife in the show and watches.
When I say “water, water everywhere,” Oakland County is quite unique. It has 387 lakes—70 of them unnamed—and 1,329 miles of shoreline. California has 840 miles of shoreline.
Nearly all the hills and lakes in Oakland County were formed during the retreat of the last continental glacier 14,000 years ago. In the proceeding 60,000 years, Oakland County was covered intermittently with as much as one mile of ice.
The state of Michigan has 29,470 miles of shoreline. The four Great Lakes that border Michigan (Superior, Michigan, Huron and Erie) have 3,641 miles of shoreline.
Do the math and you will see that the inland lakes in Michigan have 25,829 miles of lake shoreline. Compare that with California and you can see how dry we are here.
America contains 45% of the world’s fresh water, most of it around the Great Lakes. Going to the Great Lakes region this time of year you can see why Indigenous Americans and European settlers were in awe of the “Water-Winter Wonderland.”
Not only that, the industrial revolution was centered around the Great Lakes, moving abundant raw materials by ships to build this country. Detroit is located in Wayne County, next to Oakland County.
General Anthony Wayne was dispatched to the Great Lakes to keep the British from launching a surprise attack during the Revolutionary War. General Wayne also led the Battle of Fallen Timbers that took place near present day Toledo, Ohio.
I would like to emphasize the beauty of green forests, abundant water and beautiful, blue skies that make up this region of our great country that was, and is, so important to all of us.
Bruce Schwartz is a 24-year resident of the Palisades Highlands. He was an agricultural consultant for 20 years, specializing in soil nutrition for crops grown in the Central Valley. He was named Pacific Palisades’ Citizen of the Year in 2017 and a Golden Sparkplug award winner in 2013, and is a member of several community organizations. To reach Schwartz, call 310-779-1773 or email bruceschwartz@rodeore.com.
Born on September 19, 1933, Barbara grew up with her older twin brothers and mother in the San Francisco Bay Area and San Jose, California, before relocating to Pasadena.
After graduating from La Rue School for Girls, she attended Reed College, the University of California at Berkeley and the Chouinard Art Institute (later, CalArts), at which she met Rudy Marinacci. They soon embarked on a promising new life together in New York, establishing their careers: Barbara’s as an editor for Dodd, Mead & Co. and Rudy as an art director for J.C. Penney.
Marriage followed, and the birth of their first child, Michael. Eventually returning to Southern California, the family settled in Santa Monica, California, and produced two more children, Christopher and Ellen.
Barbara was a published author of six nonfiction books, as well as a coauthor, editor, researcher and ghostwriter of numerous books on subjects as diverse as 19th century actresses, the poet Walt Whitman, commodity speculation, California Spanish place names (cowritten with Rudy) and a pioneer in dietary therapy.
Most notable was her editing of legendary scientist Linus Pauling’s book “In His Own Words,” detailing more than 60 years of his life and work. Additionally, she was instrumental in Dr. Pauling’s book “No More War!” being published, and many years later worked with him at the Linus Pauling Institute.
In the mid-1980s, Barbara worked as editor-in-chief for the history book division of Windsor Books in Woodland Hills; later, post-divorce and residing in Mar Vista, as a consultant to Los Angeles-area nonprofit organizations dealing with mental health, education and ethnic-minority issues. With her project the Cosmos Circle, she created an HIV/AIDS psychosocial support group and networking program, despite a climate of fear and stigmatization.
The early 1990s brought another change in residence for Barbara, with her moving to Saratoga to live with and care for her elderly mother atop the vineyards at Mount Eden, her winemaker stepfather’s property in the Santa Cruz mountains.
Rudy joined her there for several years, along with an array of dogs and cats. They continued their horticultural endeavors together on the rugged land, until such time that they returned to their separate lifestyles; it was not long after that Barbara moved back to Southern California, to Pacific Palisades.
A lifelong gardener and environmental conservationist, Barbara was active in countless organizations, most recently including TreePeople, the Mountains Restoration Trust and the Palisades Garden Club. She volunteered throughout Temescal Canyon and Los Leones by planting, restoring and maintaining native species, as well as participating in local school gardening programs.
Her one-woman quest to eradicate the thorny, invasive yellow star thistle weed that choked areas of Pacific Palisades was a testament to her tenacity and determination. In 2011 she was presented the coveted Sparkplug Award by the Pacific Palisades Community Council in honor of her tireless contributions to the community.
Barbara resignedly lost her battle with cancer at her home in Pacific Palisades with family at her side on the afternoon of July 18. She was preceded in death by her ex-husband Rudy (Rudolph) Marinacci and her brother Dr. Barclay Kamb. She is survived by her brother Dr. Peter Ray; her children, Michael and Christopher Marinacci and Ellen Baldecchi; and her grandson Dante Baldecchi.
In lieu of flowers, contributions to any organization who would honor her remarkable spirit are welcome.
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Fifty-seven-year Palisades resident Phillip T. Chase passed away on July 17 at the age of 94. A truly unique and accomplished individual, Phil was a devoted husband to his beloved wife Judy (1938-2021) for 56 years.
Phil was born March 26, 1930, in Schuyler, Nebraska, where his family operated the town drug store and his grandfather had been the very first mayor. After Schuyler High School, he obtained a BS in engineering from the University of Nebraska and an MBA from Stanford.
Phil served in the U.S. Navy as an electronics officer in the latter part of the Korean War. After moving to Los Angeles, he first worked at North American Aviation, then moved to Hughes Aircraft where around 1962 he designed one of the first ever computer software systems for managing industrial equipment and tooling.
Forming Property Management Systems in 1965 as a side job at first, Phil provided seminars and consulting on topics including Test Equipment Utilization and Integrated Property Management Databases.
By 1971 he had left Hughes and designed a unique computerized equipment specification catalog, which quickly became popular and later was patented. Phil’s first customers included Idaho National Laboratory, McDonnell Douglas, Texas Instruments and TRW.
Phil was a true pioneer in the earliest days of business software and was deeply passionate about what has evolved into the leading AssetSmart® asset and logistics management software suite. Current clients include AT&T, Boeing, Johns Hopkins, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and many other premier high-tech companies.
As a patriotic American particularly concerned about government overspending, inefficiency and corruption, Phil was twice inspired to run for national office representing Nebraska, first trying for U.S. Senate in 2002 and in 2004 aiming for a Congressional seat.
In addition to his other endeavors, Phil was a serious amateur sailboat racer and completed the grueling Transpac race from California to Hawaii. Among many career victories, in 1989 he won the Pacific Class national championship in his 1943 wooden Kettenburg PC “Sea Chase.”
He was a classic car aficionado as well, regularly spotted cruising around in his Bentley and Cadillac convertibles. Just recently Phil enthusiastically restored his 1959 Thunderbird and 1972 Country Squire Station Wagon.
Phil is survived by four children—Elizabeth, Mary, Francesca and Charles—and eight grandchildren. Memorial services will be held at Corpus Christi Church in Pacific Palisades at 11 a.m., Saturday, August 10, with a reception following at the Chase residence.
Isabelle Teresa Arnold Smissaert was born April 7, 1929, in New Braunfels, Texas. One of nine children of Helen and Elmo Arnold, Isabelle grew up as the middle child in a rambunctious, loving family. She and her older sister and best friend, Dorothy, received their degrees in nursing from the University of Texas at Austin. Isabelle and Dorothy worked as nurses in San Antonio until Isabelle was recruited by American Airlines, which at that time valued nursing experience almost as much as strictly enforced age, physique and marital-status criteria.
Isabelle subsequently followed her older sister to California and settled with her in San Francisco, where she continued flying for American Airlines until she began her long career as an operating-room nurse at Chinese Hospital. In addition to honing her nursing skills there, Isabelle developed a life-long love of Chinese culture and cuisine, including her favorite dish, char siu bao, which she delighted in sharing with others.
In 1960, she began dating her sister’s one-time suitor, John Smissaert, and they married in 1961. In 1970, seeking adventure and a change of scenery, Isabelle and John along with their 4-year-old daughter, Laura, moved to Victoria, British Columbia. Missing their beloved City by the Bay, they returned there after less than a year away and made their home in Tiburon, California.
In addition to her professional career in nursing, Isabelle indulged John’s never-ending interest in trains by accompanying him on countless rail adventures and volunteering with him at the Railroad & Ferry Depot Museum in Tiburon. John lovingly referred to Isabelle as “The Great Mechanic,” such were her skills with repairing almost anything.
Isabelle was also a gifted seamstress whose aptitude was tested by having to whip up the occasional genie costume or flapper dress for Laura, usually at the eleventh hour. She and John were also life-long and avid tennis players whose regular mixed-doubles matches with their friends on the courts in Tiburon brought them enormous pleasure.
In 2008, Isabelle and John relocated to Pacific Palisades to be closer to Laura, her husband, Tim, and their growing family. Isabelle took great joy in participating in the lives of her grandsons, Luke and Jack, and never missed their school performances or athletic competitions. Just as importantly, she was always “in” for her grandsons’ impromptu poker games at the kitchen table. Isabelle also enjoyed traveling with her daughter and family, with her favorite destination being the Island of Kauai where she would romp with her grandsons on Mahaulepu Beach and teach them the finer points of hula dancing.
Isabelle moved in with Laura, Tim, Luke and Jack after John passed away in 2015. To celebrate her 90th birthday, she enjoyed a grand tour of Europe with Laura, visiting Germany, Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic. But for Isabelle, visiting world capitals and exotic destinations was not a prerequisite for having a good time. Among Laura’s cherished memories is the way that Isabelle could turn a humdrum local errand into an entire day filled with laughter.
Though she had been long retired from nursing, Isabelle continued to be the go-to resource for medical information and a constant caregiver for her family and friends. She died peacefully at home, surrounded by her family, on June 15 at age 95. Isabelle’s loving presence, unending patience and resolute good nature will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved her.
Contributions in Isabelle’s memory are suggested to the Belvedere-Tiburon Landmarks Society, 1550 Tiburon Boulevard, Suite M, Tiburon, CA 94920 or online at landmarkssociety.com.
Isabelle’s favorite poem was by the Sanskrit author Kalidasa. She kept a yellowed clipping on a bulletin board in her kitchen that read:
Look to this Day, for it is Life … … For yesterday is already a dream and tomorrow is only a vision; but today, well-lived, makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope…
Lexi and Kiki Wolf at the Palisades Tennis Center, where they used to practice while growing up in the Riviera. Photos by Steve Galluzzo
Sisters Alexandra & Kingsley Wolf Are Taking the Junior Tennis Circuit by Storm
By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor
Kiki is eager to climb the rankings in the 16-and-under division.
Sisters Alexandra and Kingsley Wolf have each had their share of individualsuccess on the tennis court, but in July they had the rare opportunity to play with one another and they proved quite a formidable twosome. Together they won the silver ball in the 16-and-under doubles division at the USTA Clay Court Nationals in Huntsville, Alabama.
Seeded fourth out of 128 teams, they upset the top-seeded duo in the semifinals before falling to the No. 2-seeded tandem in the final to take second place. Alexandra, who goes by “Lexi” is an 11th-grader while Kingsley, who goes by “Kiki,” is entering ninth grade and they look forward to being teammates at Notre Dame High in Sherman Oaks.
“It was Kiki’s first silver ball in the 16s and my third, so it was nice to win one with her in my last event before aging up,” says Lexi, who turns 17 next week on the day school starts. She attended Marymount as a freshman and sophomore but did not play for the team. “Now that Kiki’s starting high school we want to be together.”
Both started playing at the age of 5 and their mom Alisha was their coach, though she encouraged them to play all sports. Lexi practically did—ice skating, volleyball, dance, skiing, softball and swimming— while Kiki played for the LA Bulls Soccer Club until COVID, after which she went “all in” on tennis.
They live in the Riviera, graduated from Corpus Christi and trained at the Palisades Tennis Center for six years but now they work with a private coach in La Canada for one and a half hours a day, five days a week along with their 12-year-old brother
Lexi is ready to take on the best in the 18-and-under division.
Wesley, who also excels at flag football and baseball. In June he helped his Yankees win the PPBA Bronco championship. Older sister Eliza was also an athlete. She played tennis and golf at Marlborough High in Los Angeles and now attends the University of Michigan.
Lexi uses heavy topspin on both the forehand and backhand wingsand describes herself as “an aggressive baseliner” who likes to finish points at the net whenever possible.
“I used to be scared to come to net because one time I got pegged right in the face, but I’ve improved my volleying a lot and now it’s one of my strengths,” Lexi says.
Kiki uses an Eastern grip to hit the ball flat. Her motherdescribes her game as “multi-dimensional” and“calculated” since she knows how to exploit her opponents’ weaknesses.
Both possess a fighting spirit born from years of competition on the junior circuit and thousands upon thousands of hours spent practicing.
Kiki’s favorite players are Steffi Graf and Daniil Medvedev while Lexi is inspired by Novak Djokovic.
“Tennis teaches you the value of hard work—that its’s never over til it’s over,” Lexi says. “So much of it’s mental. Believe in yourself and never give up!”
Kiki credits her sister for accelerating the development of her own game and also instilling confidence in her from a young age.
“She’s taught me how to defend myself,” Kiki acknowledges. “She’s very strong and she’s given me a sense of empowerment to help me realize my worth.”
Lexi likes being the person her younger sister looks up to, saying: “The best advice I can give is enjoy the process and cherish the friendships you make along the way.”
The Wolfs were in San Diego this week for the USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s & 18s National Championships, a Level 1 Hard Court event with draws of 256 players in singles and 128 teams for doubles.
Doubles partners Kiki and Lexi Wolf display their finalist plates at the USTA Clay Court Nationals in Alabama.
Kiki, now 15, paired with Jensen Diianni of Marietta, Georgia, in the 16-and-under doubles division and after sweeping their first match 6-2, 6-2 they pulled off a huge upset, ousting ninth-seeded Adla Lopez of Boynton Beach, Florida and Nancy Lee of Belmont, Massachusetts, 6-2, 0-6, 10-7, in the round of 64.
Meanwhile, Lexi was making her debut in the 18-and-under division and after a bye she beat Sasha Dimitrov of Alpharetta, Georgia 6-4, 6-1 in the second round and upset 11th-seeded Julieta Pareja of Carlsbad, 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (5) in the third round. Wolf also played doubles with Daniela Borruel of Buena Park, a senior committed to USC, and the duo made it to the round of 64.
Last August, Lexi and her partner Kristina Nordikyan of Panorama City won a silver ball in the 18s division at the National Doubles Championships in Orlando despite Lexi turning 16 two weeks earlier. That summer she also competed in her first International Tennis Federation event at the Junkanoo Bowl in The Bahamas, reaching the semifinals in singles and taking the doubles crown with Natalie Oliver of Maryland. As a freshman she won three national tournaments in a row in the 16s.
One of Lexi’s biggest thrills was meeting 18-time Grand Slam singles champion Chris Evert at the Hall of Famer’s tennis academy in Boca Raton—although Lexi did not recognize her at first.
“I was 14 and we were there visiting my grandparents for Thanksgiving,” she recalls. “They live close by [in Boca] and I went to the Evert Academy for a week. So I was talking to one of the coaches on a changeover and Chris came over and starting giving me really technical advice and complimenting me on my form and I waswondering ‘who’s this mom trying to talk to me? I didn’t know who she was.”
Over Memorial Day weekend in 2022 and only two days after her 13th birthday, Kiki captured the Girls 14s singles championship at the Woody Hunt Junior Tennis Tournament in Palm Desert.
“The older we get the closer we become and now it’s like we’re connected at the hip,” Kiki admits. “We used to fight a lot— mostly from what happened on the court because both of us are super competitive— but now she’s my built-in best friend.”
They enjoy shopping in Caruso Village or Century City, hanging out at Will Rogers Beach and the Via Bluffs or ordering Lexi’s favorite menu item at Blue Ribbon Sushi: “Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice.”
Kiki claims the game is 60 percent physical, 40 percent mental while Lexi believes it is the opposite.
Lexi is more math oriented and is considering majoring in Business or Finance.
“I’m keeping my options open,” she says. “I’ve spoken to a bunch of schools but I haven’t made any decisions. I’ll make some official visits at the end of the summer but I definitely want to keep playing in college.”
Both sisters believe tennis has taught them valuable life lessons that will better prepare them for the journey ahead.
“One thing it’s helped with a lot is my time management skills,” says Kiki, who is one of the top doubles players in her age group in Southern California.
“So much preparation is involved from Pilates to gyrotonics to strength and conditioning,” Lexi adds. “Failure is merely a step towards success. Without failure, you can never get better.”
Despite her ability in singles, Kiki prefers the teamwork aspect that doubles provides: “I enjoy doubles more and winning a silver ball at Nationals with my sister is probably my biggest accomplishment so far.”
Most top tournament players who travel as regularly as the Wolfs are homeschooled, but Lexi and Kiki are excited about playing for their high school program this fall. A natural leader, Lexi is open to being captain if asked. She has even hit with a few players on Notre Dame’s boys varsity team, which won the CIF Southern Section Division 3 title in the spring.
Individual foil gold medalist Nick Itkin. Photo courtesy of USA Fencing
By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor
Having helped the United States men’s fencing team win the bronze medal in the foil at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo three years ago, Nick Itkin arrived in Paris for the 2024 Gamesdetermined to add an individual medal to his resume.
The 2017 Palisades High graduate accomplished that goal July 29 by winning the bronze medal in the individual foil—becoming the first American male in that event to stand on the podium since 2016.
Competing in the historic glass-domed Grand Palais, the No. 2-seeded Itkin first beat Alex Tofalides from Cyprus 15-10 in the round of 32, then outdueled Abdelrahman Hussein Tolba from Egypt 15-8 in the round of 16 before edging Guillaume Bianchi of Italy 15-14 in overtime in the Elite Eight. In the semifinals, Itkin lost 15-11 to 11th-seeded Italian Filippo Macchi, setting up a third-place bout against No. 9-seeded Kazuki Iimura of Japan. Itkin used his quickness and counter striking to surge ahead and prevailed 15-12 in the first period, after which he jumped into the arms of his coach and father Michael, an ex-pro fencer in the Ukraine.
The 24-year-old Itkin had placed 12th in the individual foil in Tokyo, but he was much more confident in his second Olympic appearance after earning bronze at the 2022 Senior World Championships in Cairo and silver at the 2023 World Championships in Milan.
Itkin captured back-to-back individual national championships (2018 and 2019) while at the University of Notre Dame. He honed his skills at the LA International Fencing Center, which his father founded, and rose to No. 6 in the country during his senior year at Palisades. He now lives two blocks from UCLA and is already looking forward to representing his country at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
Itkin is the sixth american male in Olympic history to medal in the individual foil, joining Charles Tatum (1904 bronze), Albertson Van Zo Post (1904 silver), Joseph Levis (1932 silver), Albie Axelrod (1960 bronze) and Alexander Massialas (2016 silver). He is the first athlete with Palisades ties to medal at the Olympics since equestrienne Lucy Davis helped Team USA win the silver medal in show jumping at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio.
On Sunday, Itkin helped the USA to fourth in the team foil, outdueling Maxime Pauty in the second of nine bouts in the bronze medal match, which host France won 45-32.
Miles Partain advanced to the quarterfinals in beach volleyball alongside Andy Benesh. Courtesy of Lisa Partain
Two United States pairs were entered in the men’s beach volleyball competition at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, but after the first week only one was left—the duo of Miles Partain and Andy Benesh. They earned five of a possible six points to place second in group play behind Chileans Jorge Luis Alayo andNoslen Diaz, then upset the Italian duo of Samuele Cottafava and Paolo Nicolai, 21-17, 21-18, Monday in the round of 16. America’s other team, Miles Evans and Chase Budinger, won their lucky loser match Saturday before falling to Christian Sorum andAnders Mol of Norway in the round of 16.
Partain won three City titles at Palisades High before joining older brother Marcus on the UCLA indoor team. On Wednesday, Partain and Benesh met undefeated Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan from Qatar in the quarterfinals. Awaiting the winners in the semifinals are Sweden’s David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig, the No. 1-ranked duo in the world. The gold medal match is Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Eiffel Tower Stadium.
Team USA water polo attacker Johnny Hooper scored four goals during the group stage. Photo: USA Water Polo
Meanwhile, Village School alum Johnny Hooper and the USA men’s water polo team went 3-2 in pool play to finish in third place and qualify for the bracket phase.
Hooper tallied four goals in five Group A games—one against Italy, two against Romania and a power-play goal in Monday’s 14-11 victory over Croatia, the team that beat the Americans by the same score in the fifth-place game at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago. By avenging that loss the Americans leapfrogged Croatiain the standings and set up Wednesday’s quarterfinal matchup with Group B runner-up Australia. If victorious Team USA will face either Group A champion Greece or reigning champion Serbia, the fourth-place team in Group B, in the semifinals early Friday morning. The gold medalmatch is Sunday morning at the iconic Paris La Défense Arena. Spain is the favorite, having gone undefeated in group play while outscoring its five opponents 67-39.
Forty Years Ago, Pali High Alums Chris Marlowe, Dave Saunders and Steve Salmons Led USA Volleyball to Its First Olympic Gold
By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor
Steve Salmons, Class of 1977 Photos courtesy of USA Volleyball
Sunday marks the 40-year anniversary of the United States’ first Olympic gold medal in men’s volleyball.
Inside jam-packed Long Beach Arena, a 35-mile drive south on I-405 from Pacific Palisades, Team USA swept Brazil in the finals of the 1984 Games in Los Angeles with its talented 12-man roster, one-fourth of which was made up of players hailing from Palisades High.
That is no typo. Yes, three members of that American squad graduated from Palisades—middle blocker Steve Salmons, outside hitter Dave Saunders and team captain Chris Marlowe, a setter and outside hitter. All three played for legendary coach Howard Enstedt, who piloted the Dolphins to nine City 4A titles from 1974-93.
Marlowe (Class of 1969) started on both the varsity volleyball and basketball squads, leading the Dolphins to three volleyball titles (before the sport became officially sanctioned by the City Section) and also shooting the basketball team to the school’s first City title his senior year. In 1973 his leadership was instrumentalto San Diego State winning the NCAA volleyball title. The Aztecs rallied to beat UCLA in the regional finals.
Dave Saunders, Class of 1978
Now 72, Marlowe is the play-by-play announcer for the Denver Nuggets of the NBA.
Salmons (Class of 1977) was voted City Player of the Year after leading the Dolphins to the inaugural Southern California Regional Championship his senior year. He was named NCAA Player of the Year in 1979 when UCLA became the first unbeaten team in college volleyball history. He powered the Bruins to another national title in 1981, then helped the national team achieve volleyball’s “triple crown” with golds at the 1984 Olympics, 1985 World Cup and 1986 World Championships.
Saunders (Class of 1978) not only helped Palisades capture three straight City titles, he was a key piece of three NCAA championship teams at UCLA and twice was an All-American as the primary passer and starting outside hitter. He was a member of two Olympic gold medal indoor teams (1984 and 1988) and represented the USA in the 1983 and 1987 Pan American Games. He ended his international career in Italy before retiring and going into the radio business. Younger brother J.B. was a senior hitter on Pali High’s undefeated 1986 team.
Joining Palisades’ trio on the ‘84 Olympic team were setter Dusty Dvorak (USC); hitter Paul Sunderland (Loyola Marymount); middle Rich Duwelius (Ohio State); middle Steve Timmons (USC); middle Craig Buck (Pepperdine); middle Marc Waldie (Ohio State); hitter Aldis Berzins (Ohio State); hitter Patrick Powers (USC); and hitter Karch Kiraly (UCLA). Coaching the team was 1970-76 national team member Doug Beal.
Chris Marlowe, Class of 1969
Team USA went 3-1 in Pool A, beating Argentina, Tunisia and South Korea but getting swept by Brazil, which also went 3-1 but finished first on set differential.
In the semifinals, the Americans swept Pool B winner Canada while Brazil downed Pool B runner-up Italy.
Given a chance to avenge their defeat in pool play, the Americans turned the tables on Brazil in the gold medal match, prevailing 15-6, 15-6, 15-7 in the side-out scoring format. Timmons was selected the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
Opening ceremonies at this year’s Gothia Cup on the evening of July 15 at Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. Photo courtesy of Mychal Wilson
By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor
Keeping up the annual tradition, Palisadians traveled all the way to Gothenburg, Sweden last month for the world’s largest youth soccer tournament, known as the Gothia Cup, while proudly playing under the Santa Monica Surf Soccer Club banner. Surf also sent a BU11 squad to this summer’s tournament, managed by Winnie Yeh and piloted by Daniel Soderstrom.
The 2024 Gothia Cup had 1911 participating teams from 72 nations and took place July 14-20. Beginning in 2017 with an AYSO Region 69 team, current BU16 player Moses Wilson, OG Palisadian mom Simone Rodman and father Mychal Wilson have organized and sponsored teams to participate in the Gothia Cup. Now, the Scandinavian adventure is organized and funded by a team of parents and the LA Youth Soccer Foundation.
Representing their hometown region proudly on this year’s BU16 team were AYSO Region 69 (Palisades/Brentwood/Topanga) alumni players Moses Wilson, a midfielder from Wildwood School; forward Teal Greene of Pacifica Christian; midfielder Arshayan Desai of Brentwood; forward James Reinstein of Crespi; midfielder Julien Reger of Palisades High; and goalkeeper Joe Piscatella of Loyola.
Other local LA Westside club players filling out the roster were Jose Epstein of Fusion Academy; Soma Wantanabe of Crossroads; Mathias Ramirez of Beverly Hills High; Ben Van Bilderbeek of Santa Monica High; Sam Benardo of Harvard-Westlake; and Beto Hernandez of Mendez High. Guiding the Surf’s 16-and-under team to it best-ever Gothia Cup result was Kyle Keenan, currently the coach of the LA Bulls MLS Next 2010 Boys team.
“We’d all like to thank Coach Kyle for believing in the players, the families and leading the team through an exciting and memorable tournament filled life’s obstacles, joy and laughter. Good times!” Mychal Wilson said.
As in previous years, team adventures were guided by Swedes Simone Rodman and Leana Greene, who served as unofficial travel consultants with inside knowledge of various Scandinavian and European hot spots. Etched in their memories, Greene provided the team and families with a fantastic bonding adventure of swimming and dinner on her home turf of the beautiful archipelago of Brännö.
Director of Operations at Santa Monica Surf Soccer Club is Palisadian native and former Pali High star Federico Bianchi.
“I’d like to sincerely thank Surf’s Board President Nicole Field Brzeski, Coach Federico and the Santa Monica Surf Club for honoring the team’s original registration and allowing the team to play under the Santa Monica Surf Soccer Club Banner,” Wilson added. “I think we proudly respected and represented the Santa Monica Surf Club well.
This year was really special because of the obstacles the team faced.”
First, as is common in club sports as children get older, several players such as Moses Wilson, Jose Epstein, Samuel Benardo, Julien Reger and Jose Piscatella left their Santa Monica Surf B08 team for the LA Bulls BU16 NPL and EA teams. Likewise, Mathias Ramirez departed his LA Breakers B08 team for FC England’s BU16 NPL team coached by Paul Spacey. Second, while a full squad of 18 players were expected to compete for this year’s Gothia Cup trophy, the BU16 team was decimated with injuries in June, namely two key defenders dropping out only two weeks before the Cup due to reconstructive ACL surgeries. Last, the team was hit with a stomach flu in the middle of the tournament, forcing several players to pull a “Michael Jordan” by playing and winning a tense knockout playoff game against Regents Park FC of England. The team was cheered on with support from local Swedes and local soccer clubs as the Surf team advanced to an unprecedented round of 16, before being knocked out in a 5-0 loss on Friday to the well-oiled Montreuil Football Club of France.
Despite losing key players to injuries, being outnumbered, and facing a more physical style of play and tactical fouls, the Surf team battled its European counterparts to the last whistle and enjoyed its Scandanavian experience, with trips to various Swedish Archipelagos and pre- and post-Gothia adventures to Barcelona, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Japan, and Africa for some of the families.
On the Sunday before this year’s Gothia Cup started, the Surf BU16 squad scrimmaged against an older 2006 club Näsets SK from Gothenburg. The Surf team kept it close until star keeper Joe Piscatella suffered an injury, evntually losing5-0, but the experience proved valuable when the Näsets coach suggested penalty kick practice at the end, which would later serve Surf well.
Then in what could be deemed the “Group of Death,” the team quickly adjusted to the physical style when it lost its first group game 5-0 to HK1 of Iceland, lost its second game 1-0 to Fana Football of Norway and lost its third game 4-1 to Falköpings FK of Sweden despite Teal Greene’s breakaway goal. Then the stomach virus spread among the players, with some bedridden for the morning playoff game. Despite having only one substitute, Surf prevailed 1-0 over Midland Independent Schools of the United Kingdom on Greene’s breakaway goal in the final minutes.
The team had to play with one sub again that night versus Regents Park FC, also of the United Kingdom.
“It was one of the most exciting games I’ve witnessed,” Wilson said.
The Surf side went up 1-0 early on a header by Charlie Rylander off Beto Hernandez’ well-placed free kick. Regents Park tied it 1-1 with four minutes left, forcing penalty kicks. Beto Hernandez buried the decider in a 3-2 shootout win. The next morning , while exhausted and still suffering from a stomach virus, the players gave all they had but lost their round of 16 game 5-0 to Montreuil Football Club of France.
“With hotel rooms already booked our players and families plan on attending in 2025, creating more soccer opportunities, international friendships and lifelong memories,” Wilson said. If interested, contact him at info@mychalwilsonesq.com. Registration for next year’s Gothia Cup opens in September.
Palisadian Ali Riley has captained the New Zealand women’s national team since 2017. Photo courtesy of New Zealand Soccer
By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor
One day before the New Zealand women’s national soccer team was set to play its Olympic opener in Saint-Etienne against defending gold medalist Canada, head coach Michael Mayne announced that he would be withdrawing team captain and left back Ali Riley from the roster because of medical reasons.
Riley grew up on Kagawa in the Alphabet Streets, regularly ran in the Palisades Will Rogers on the Fourth of July with her parents John and Bev, and was a multi-sport standout at St. Matthew’s before embarking on a standout high school soccer career at Harvard-Westlake and later Stanford University (leading rhe Cardinal to the NCAA semifinals twice and the finals once) before turning pro in 2009 with her hometown Pali Blues. Now a member of Angel City FC, the NWSL’s Los Angeles-based franchise, she was hoping to compete in her fifth Olympics, having served as the Football Ferns’ captain since the Cyprus Cup in 2017.
Still performing at the highest level on the pitch at age 36, Riley has 162 caps to her credit for New Zealand and has also played in five FIFA Women’s World Cups. She made her Olympic debut in Beijing in 2008, playing every minute for the Ferns. She played for FC Gold Pride and Western New York Flash of the WPS before playing seven years with Rosengard in Sweden, followed by Chelsea in England (2018-19) and Bayern Munich in Germany (2019-20).
Ever positive, Riley posted the following statement on Instagram: “My Olympic Games are over. For the past seven months I’ve been struggling with a nerve injury. It’s been frustrating, confusing, and excruciatingly painful in a way that’s hard to describe. The Ferns and ACFC medical and performance staff did everything possible to get me healthy for this Olympics (rehab, injections, strength, conditioning, treatment, medication, more injections) and I am so grateful to all of them. Getting selected for the team and leading the girls out for our final prep match gave me hope that I would have the honor of representing New Zealand at the Olympic Games once more but during this camp there have been bad days along with the good and due to the unpredictable nature of this injury my coach decided that it would be best for the team to withdraw me completely from the squad. There have been a lot of tears and I’m still struggling to wrap my head around it all, but what I do know is that while my Olympic journey has ended, my Olympic dream—the Football Ferns making history at Paris 2024—is just beginning. Now I will take time to heal, cheer on my teammates and embrace the unwavering support I’ve been receiving from people near and far.”
Without their inspirational leader in the lineup the Ferns lost to Canada (2-1), Colombia (2-0) and France (2-1) to finish last in their group. Only once in the five occasions New Zealand has qualified for the Olympics have the Ferns made it out of pool play, falling to the United States 2-0 in the quarterfinal round in 2012 in the United Kingdom.
Although Ali was born here in the United States, her dad is a Kiwi, so she has dual citizenship. Riley first represented New Zealand at the 2006 Women’s U-20 World Cup finals in Russia and played her first game with the senior squad the following February. Since switching from forward to fullback her junior year in college, Riley has scored 16 goals—one her senior year at Stanford, five with Rosengard, three with Angel City, five in only 11 games with the Ferns’ U-20 team and two more with the senior side—the first in an 11-0 victory over Papua New Guinea in the OFC Women’s Nations Cup final in 2010 and the second in a 2-1 win versus Philippines in a friendly two years ago at Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Stadium.
In addition to 2008 and 2012, Riley played every minute for New Zealand in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo (postponed until 2021 due to COVID). Last July she led the Ferns to their first-ever World Cup win, a 1-0 victory over Norway in their opener at Eden Park in Auckland.
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