Big Happenings

Mike Sciacca, Independent

Dreams.

They are the stuff that life is made of.

Without them, we perish.

When we have one, we flourish.

It’s not whether or not they come to fruition that makes dreams so

important; rather, it’s the challenge, the desire, to make them come true

that breathes life into those dreams.

On the local sports scene in the year 2000, several teams and

individuals set out with a dream. They displayed a workmanship that was

admirable, sportsmanship that should be noted, and time and energy

required of success, all in the spirit of sport.

All in pursuit of a dream.

They lived it and made a city proud.

Here, then, are some of the top sports stories that unfolded at the

local level:

OCEAN VIEW MAJORS ALL-STAR TEAM SHINES

Their story took Huntington Beach by storm and nearly took them from

Surf City to Williamsport, Pa., home of the Little League World Series.

The Ocean View Little League Majors Division All-star team went where no

other local team had gone before -- to the championship game of the

Western Regional tournament at San Bernardino. Ocean View won the

following postseason tournament titles: District 62, Section 4, and

Southern California, winning 10 consecutive postseason games in the

process.

JEANETTE ANTOLIN

Her dream was to become a member of the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Team

that competed at September’s Sydney Olympic Games. Jeanette Antolin

nearly made it, too, but her bid to reach Sydney was derailed by injury

and ended at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials last August. Antolin, now

competing at University of California Los Angeles, is an Olympian,

however, when it comes to drive, sportsmanship, and attitude.

FOUNTAIN VALLEY YOUTH BASEBALL BRONCO ALL-STARS

Ocean View Little League’s postseason ride wasn’t the only baseball

happening on the local scene, as Fountain Valley Youth Baseball’s Bronco

All-star team reached the PONY World Series tournament, where it earned a

third place finish. Coach Jeff Croswell said after tournament, “This has

been the most fabulous summer I’ve ever had.”

WOLFPACK BOYS’ UNDER-18 SOCCER TEAM

Wolfpack had a tremendous season, posting an overall record of 59-8-2,

while reaching the division’s national title match at the Snickers U.S.

Youth Soccer National Championships at the Disney’s Wide World of Sports

complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

CARA CHELBICKI

A standout player at Marina High, Cara Chelbicki landed a spot on the

U.S. Jr. National Women’s Water Polo team that competed at the 2000 Pan

American Games in Venezuela.

SURF CITY WELCOMES THE WORLD

Once again, Huntington Beach played host to the world’s largest

surfing competition last July when it hosted the Panasonic ShockWave U.S.

Open of Surfing. With more than 700 surfers involved, the event featured

the largest field ever assembled for a professional surfing competition.

COACHING CHANGES

Roy Miller, who coached and played at Huntington Beach High School,

stepped down after 23 years as boys’ varsity basketball coach. Miller led

the Oilers to four Sunset League titles during that time. At Edison High,

Dave White’s coaching career with the girls’ varsity basketball team came

to an end after 13 years. White guided the Chargers to the 1987 CIF 4-A

Division championship, and left his position with Edison reigning as

two-time Sunset League champion.

OCEAN VIEW BOYS’ BASKETBALL

Some things never change, and Ocean View High’s proud basketball

tradition is a constant. The Seahawks, which won a CIF Southern Section

title in 1998, reached the Division II-A championship game last March,

where it finished runner-up to Artesia.

MARINA GIRLS’ FIELD HOCKEY

One year after finishing in the runner-up spot, the Marina High girls’

field hockey team won its first Tournament of Champions title by beating

Newport Harbor, 1-0. The win capped a 20-3-2 season for the Vikings.

DON BEICHLEY

Don Beichley, a longtime supporter of Little League Baseball and a

fixture at the District 62 Tournament of Champions, died in November at

the age of 73. Beichley had just completed his 16th year as District 62

administrator for Little League Baseball. He previously coached and

served as president of Huntington Valley Little League and was a strong

supporter of the Challenger Division, a program designated for mentally-

and physically-challenged players. Beichley was present in San Bernardino

last August when Ocean View Little League played for the Western Regional

title. Had Ocean View won, Beichley, thrilled with Ocean View’s success,

would have gone out the way he would have wanted: with one final trip to

Williamsport.