Since the Commissioner’s Cup competition started 10 years ago, Palisades High has thoroughly dominated the LA City Section points race, accumulating the highest score throughout the athletic calendar every time. That trend continued in 2023-24, only with a twist.

For the first time, the competition was divided into boys and girls divisions. Palisades took the girls title with 216 points after capturing City team titles in five sports: cross country, golf, water polo, lacrosse and swimming.

Palisades racked up 207 points to take second in the boys division, 20 points behind winner Birmingham.

Five Dolphins boys programs won City: cross country, water polo, lacrosse, golf and tennis. The leading LAUSD school for the boys was San Pedro (158 points) and for the girls was Eagle Rock (171).

In the overall standings (boys and girls combined), Palisades ended up No. 1 with 423 total points (one shy of its highest score ever), followed by fellow charter schools Birmingham (408), Granada Hills (372) and El Camino Real (369).

Schools are awarded points for each round it advances in the section  playoffs in a given sport.

Adding 10 more to its record total in 2023-24, Palisades has captured 255 section crowns since it opened in 1961—well over 100 more titles than any other City school. The inaugural Cup competition took place in  2014-15 with Palisades emerging as the winner by a healthy 38 points over Granada Hills.

Palisades’ 10 titles in 2023-24 are three more than the Dolphins notched in 2022-23 when they captured City championships in seven sports: girls tennis, girls golf, girls lacrosse, boys water polo, boys cross country, boys lacrosse and boys tennis. Granada Hills finished second in six of the seven Cup races prior to  2023-24.   

Charter schools have swept the top three spots every year. The Cup competition was canceled in 2019-20 and 2020-21 due to the coronavirus pandemic. When it resumed the following school year Palisades prevailed by 50 points over Granada Hills and Birmingham, who tied for second, and the Dolphins’ 424 points matched their record total in 2016-17.

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

For any athlete, there is nothing quite like presenting your country in the Olympics.

Palisadian beach volleyball player Miles Partain is looking forward that experience next month after he and playing partner Andy Benesh officially qualified for the Summer Games in Paris, France after sweeping the Norwegian tandem of Anders Mol and Christian Sorum 21-15, 21-14 on June 9 in the bronze medal match at the FIVB World Beach Pro Tour stop in Ostava, Czech Republic.

The American pair tied for fourth in the men’s rankings to earn their Olympic spot following a grueling qualification period beginning in January 2023. Based on their eight best results, both Partain/Benesh and the Dutch duo of Stefan Boermans/Yorick de Groot accumulated 7100 points.

Sweden’s David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig accumulated 9340 points to earn the top ranking.

Joining Partain and Benesh on Team USA’s Olympic beach volleyball roster will be Chade Budinger and Miles Evans, who tied for 13th in the rankings.

Partain is only 22, making him the youngest US Olympian to date in his sport, and has been playing with the 29-year-old Benesh since 2022. They plan to play Elite16 events in Gstaad, Switzerland the first week of July and Vienna, Austria after that, followed by a week of training with the Olympic Italian squad, before going to Paris for Olympic competition, which will take place July 27-August 10 at Eiffel Tower Stadium.

Partain played in his first organized beach volleyball tournament at Will Rogers State Beach when he was 10, partnering with his older brother, Marcus. In 2017, at the age of 15, he and Marcus (then 17), become the youngest pair ever to advance to the main draw of an AVP event (Hermosa Beach). Miles was a setter and opposite hitter for the indoor team at Palisades High for three seasons, leading the Dolphins to three City championships and graduating a semester early as valedictorian. He went on to join his brother on the indoor team at UCLA, earning First Team All-American and All-Conference Player of the Year honors in 2022.

Partain was named AVP Rookie of the Year in 2019, AVP Best Defensive Player by Volleyballmag.com in 2021 and earned Best Offensive Player and Most Improved Player honors in 2022 when he won his first tour title in Atlanta with then partner Paul Lotman.

Partain is one of four Palisadians set to compete  in Paris, joining Nick Itkin (fencing), Johnny Hooper (water polo) and Ali Riley, captain of the New Zealand women’s soccer team. Pali High 1983 alum Steve Kerr )winner of five NBA titles as a player and four as a coach) will try to pilot the USA men’s basketball team to gold as the head coach of a squad featuring LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid and Jason Tatum.

After another exciting spring season during which 535 players demonsrated their rolling talents at   Veterans Gardens, Calvary Kisses secured the Palisades Bocce Club’s Sunset League title last week thanks in large part to George Douglas’ precision shot-making.

Ellie Lederman shared Most Valuable Player honors with Miriam Braveman, Millie Villaros was named Most Improved Player; and Bocce E Chianti was chosen Most Improved Team.

In the Dolphins (Senior) League,  Bocce Aces beat Friends and Neighbors in the finals as Chris Dickson and Diane Holt both rolled clutch Bays to clinch it. Diane Tallant was named MVP; Mary De Kernion was Most Improved; and OBG Rollers was the Most Improved Team.

Deserving players were presented certificates during the postseason party at Casa Nostra Restaurant in the Highlands. Chuck Rapaport won the Marti at ni Award (exemplifying the best of the Palisades Bocce Club); Robin Meyers won the McGregor Award for selfless giving; Manny and Dori Arin were Gift of Joy recipients; the Greatest Family Award went to The Minzners; Happiest Campers were I Liff Bocce and Lucky Stripes won The Snappies Award as the best dressed team.