NOTABLE QUOTABLES

“For the past few months I’ve felt like it was my time. Of course you

have doubts and things might not go as planned, but it felt good to get

it out of the way. I will eventually move on and go for new things and

set new goals -- travel, college, NCAA championships, having a

girlfriend, that type of thing.”

-- Aaron Peirsol, Newport Harbor High School senior, on breaking the

world record in the 200-meter backstroke at the Phillips 66 National

Championships in Minneapolis, Minn.

“The name change will let people know worldwide that Costa Mesa is

near the ocean, which is a location that makes the city blessed.”

-- Janice Davidson, chairwoman of Citizens for the Improvement of

Costa Mesa, on the organization’s plan to lobby the City Council on

Monday to change the city’s name to Costa Mesa-by-the-sea.

“The dogs even have better signs than the skateboarders. The dog signs

that warn of leash requirements at least have words. But the message to

skateboarders is ‘You’re only worth a slash.”’

-- John Heffernan, Newport Beach city councilman, on the new signs

posted at city parks outlawing the use of skateboards on any paved park

area with a grade of 6% or greater. The signs show a skateboarder in

silhouette with a red circle and a line drawn through it.

“It’s a very clear and straightforward sign. It’s to stop youngsters

being a nuisance and a safety hazard to people with baby buggies and the

elderly.”

-- Dave Neiderhaus, Newport Beach’s general services manager, on the

anti-skateboarding sign designed by city staff.

“This is a horrible crime. And it’s been committed by people who are

misusing sporting equipment our members manufacture. It’s like using a

baseball bat to hurt someone.”

-- Jessica Sparks, executive director of the Paintball Products

Manufacturers Assn., on a March 24 incident that has left Gary Holdren of

Newport Beach in a coma. Holdren was hit repeatedly by paint-ball pellets

while skating on Back Bay Road. He fell and broke his skull. The

association is offering a reward for information on the culprits.

“This is disgusting. Who hits someone when they’re down? These guys

just didn’t stop. Gary didn’t have a chance.”

-- Bonita Young, girlfriend of Gary Holdren, looking at black

splotches caused by paint-ball pellets on Back Bay Road. Holdren is in a

coma after being hit by the pellets March 24 while he was skating.

“I don’t know if I’d have had the courage to do and go through what he

and the other students did.”

-- Shane Collins, freshman at Corona del Mar High School, on listening

to Terence Roberts talk about his experiences as a member of the “Little

Rock Nine,” the first group of black students to be integrated into the

all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Ark.