Beach

There was a time when one could tell the football players at the beach by the mass and definition of their upper body. Biceps and pectorals were the end to the means when it came to lifting, with the bench press and curls a prominent part of any player's off-season routine. Those sands, however, have long since shifted for most programs, as lifts that translate into better explosiveness on the field have gained greater popularity with coaches. Coaches, in fact, now try to ween players away from the aforementioned lifts that tend to build physiques, but not necessarily better players.

For nearly 10 years, teacher and volleyball coach Robert Bethea has been working with student-athletes from all around the foothills to build a solid foundation of confidence and skill. "Our program is in support of the high schools, and helping kids achieve in their home programs," said Bethea, who founded the Pasadena-based Arroyo Volleyball Club in 1998. "We are trying to remove the hard line that has become a part of youth volleyball in this area." The Club, which includes more than 100 players on 10 teams throughout the San Gabriel Valley, focuses on developing the young person just as much as the athlete.

Edgar Melik-Stepanyan SCHOLL CANYON PARK -- Many pitchers like to have a serious mentality during a game. Some don't like to be talked to, because it will ruin their concentration. But Danielle Soule and Amanda Taylor aren't any ordinary hurlers. They like to joke around and have fun while on the field. Soule and Taylor, both pitchers for South Beach, combined to throw a no-hitter in a 14-1 victory over Partyline in a Little League District 16 Tri-Cities Junior Softball Championships contest at Scholl Canyon Park Thursday.

An old swimming hole in Sunset Beach has gone from safety hazard to public walkway after decades of effort by area residents. What was once "Kid's Beach" in the small coastal city just north of Huntington Beach is once again a place where children can feel safe, following nearly $200,000 in street and sidewalk improvements. The new walkway was officially opened Sept. 22 during a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Orange County Supervisor Jim Silva, representatives from Caltrans and area residents, who said the improvements were long overdue.

In the classics "Surfin' Safari" and "Surfin' U.S.A.," the Beach Boys immortalized Southern California's beaches for the pop music world. Among the sites mentioned in the lyrics are Huntington, Laguna, Doheny, La Jolla and Malibu -- almost an inventory of the lower West Coast. America's greatest surf band didn't name Newport Beach in either song, but on Sunday, Mike Love and his cohorts will play a major role in the city's history. The first event in the city's yearlong 100th birthday celebration, Let's Do Launch, to be held at the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort, will climax with a performance by the Beach Boys on a stage overlooking the sea. For Love, the only remaining member of the original band, it's familiar territory.

The beach was Larry Kurbatoff's playground -- literally -- when he attended Newport Beach Grammar School in the late 1940s. As a child, he kicked fiercely and went high into the air on a swing set that offered a breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean. This is normal, Kurbatoff thought as a child living in Newport Beach. But as a 64-year-old resident of Bermuda Dunes, Calif., he realizes how lucky he was to be beachside for so many years. Kurbatoff moved from Orange to Newport Beach when he was in kindergarten.

As far as crises go, the Newport Beach water shortage of 1956 and 1957 won't top anyone's list. Still, for residents living in the area and for former City Manager Robert Shelton, it did take a coordinated effort to avert a major problem. Shelton -- who worked for the city from 1956 to 1961 and later served on the City Council -- said that back then Newport Beach's population was about 17,000 during the winter, and double that during summer months.

Six Glendale teachers were among 220 Southern California teachers honored Thursday at a special beach party hosted by Gladstone's Malibu. Sam Levering, Jim Smiley and Scott Sund from Crescenta Valley High School and Carol Driffill, Mary Hazlett and Cathi Lander from Glendale High School were all honored at the eighth annual party hosted by Gladstone's Malibu. Students nominate teachers they think should be honored, said Christine Lloyd, a spokeswoman for Gladstone's.

The dangerous drivers are one of the reasons I got out of Glendale after 46 years as a resident. Where I am now we have no on-street parking on arterials. Why can we not try that in Glendale? If you are cited by the police for not having insurance all they do is let you go to continue driving. Why not just ask you to step out of your vehicle and tow it away? You would get it back after showing proof of insurance for at least six months. When it comes to speeding, I would like driving privileges suspended for two days for each mile per hour over the speed limit with no excuses for hardship accepted.

As if the Hindu God of fortune Vishnu were watching over La Crescenta, the clouds have finally parted ? just in time for La Crescenta?s Beach Bus schedule to start up. The Beach Bus is a summer-long, round-trip to the beach via bus. The program is co-sponsored by the city of La Cañada and the county of Los Angeles. The bus begins running next week, starting Tuesday, June 23, and continues until Sept. 7. It will run every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with a special Labor Day trip.