Behind the scenes -- Katie Bottum

NAME: Katie Bottum

TITLE: Police Explorer volunteer

HOME: Huntington Beach

SHE IS

On her guard to ensure a safe, fun weekend of golf

DAILY DUTIESBottum is one of 19 young people from the Newport Beach

Police Explorers who are helping keep things in line at this year’s

Toshiba Senior Classic. The 18-year-old student from Edison High School

in Huntington Beach said the golf tournament is just one of the many fun,

interesting activities she has been part of since joining the Newport

Beach Explorers three years ago.

“It’s a great organization,” she said. “I love it.”

The Toshiba tournament has added a fun twist to her Explorer

experiences, which often means helping out at the police station with

clerical tasks.

“The weather has been really nice and it’s been really fun to be out

here,” she said. “I like working around a lot of people and trying to

make them smile.”

For some visitors to the Newport Beach Country Club this week,

Bottum’s is the first smile they see as they enter the main parking lot.

On Friday, she was stationed at the parking lot entrance checking parking

passes and credentials.

“Those meetings are really brief, but a lot of times the Toshiba

people come by on the golf carts to check on us,” Bottum said. “That’s

fun, joking around, but always remembering to keep an eye out for the job

you’re doing. It’s important to make sure no one would want to sneak in

or anything.”

CHECKING OUT THE ‘CADDIES’

In addition to seeing lots of big-name golf pros and visitors from far

and wide, Bottum also has a front-row seat for some really nice car

watching. With Cadillac a major sponsor of this year’s tournament, lots

of golf pros are arriving in some stunning “Caddies,” including Bottum’s

favorite, the Escalade.

“They’re supposed to be the most powerful SUVs on Earth,” she said.

“I’d love to have one some day.”