An interview with Palisades High wrestling coaches Steve Cifonelli and Aldo Juliano.
When he began the program five years ago, the dream of former Palisades High wrestling coach Randy Aguirre was that his team would one day have a practice room it could be proud of.
Last Thursday night that dream became reality and although Aguirre was not there in body, his spirit will live on through the efforts of his successors, who would not let the program fold after Aguirre died of brain cancer in January.
Joined by team members and their families, Randy’s father James, Pali High Principal Pam Magee, Assistant Principal Russ Howard and Athletic Director John Achen, coaches Steve Cifonelli and Aldo Juliano held a ribbon-cutting dedication for the newly-renovated facility, to be forever known as “Randy’s Room.”
The ceremony was followed by a meet and greet in the gym, where Cifonelli announced that the Dolphins, fresh off their second- place finish at the City Section finals, will host the Dual Championships and City Regionals this winter.
“How did it happen? We waved our magic wand,” Juliano joked. “But seriously, this is a big part of what Randy wanted — a real wrestling room with padded walls and nice mats. We were bounced around from room to room and one year we were down on the field, so we got money from the Pali High Booster Club and the Pacific Palisades Optimist Club and we went to work over the summer to make this a place Randy would be proud of. His spirit is in here — he took the lead and we’re trying to follow the map he laid out.”
Among the tributes to the program’s founder are a memorial plaque on the wall next to the door, numerous framed pictures and Aguirre’s wrestling shoes enclosed in a glass case.
Cifonelli, who was hired as head coach in July, said there are now 35 wrestlers in the program, although many are new to the sport.
“Randy’s hard work and ethics are still with the veteran wrestlers,” Cifonelli said. “The rest will hopefully show it later in the season.”
— Steve Galluzzo
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