Straight lines at Estancia

Soccer is serious business to Estancia High girls coach Nadine

Rajabi, but her career goal involves puns, punch lines and parody.

“Ever since I was 8 years old, I’ve wanted to be on Saturday Night

Live,” said Rajabi, a budding stand-up comic who played soccer at

Mater Dei High and Cal Lutheran and decided last summer to give back

to the sport that she enjoyed so much.

Rajabi learned of the Estancia opening from a friend, who happened

to be a neighbor of Estancia Girls Athletic Director Nancy Ferda. The

connection quickly led to her getting the job, which, she said, has

been considerably more rewarding than she would have imagined.

“It has been amazing,” said Rajabi, who was virtually unaware of

the recent struggles of the program, which included 0-10 Pacific

Coast League seasons the last two years. “I didn’t know what to

expect, because I’d been away from Orange County for six years. I

knew there had been a lot of turnover with coaches (she is the fifth

in five seasons), but after talking to Nancy, I was inspired to try

to bring some stability and help the girls out.”

To help in her mission, Rajabi enlisted friend Subrina Witt, a

former U.S. youth national team player who competed at Ontario

Christian and San Diego State.

Both still strong players, Rajabi and Witt regulary make coaching

points by participating in drills with the players.

“The girls have told me they are so appreciative that their

coaches know what they’re talking about and can show them by

demonstrating skills,” Ferda said.

Estancia, 3-19 a year ago, took a 2-5-4 record into Tuesday’s

Golden West League game against Santa Ana and those who saw the

Eagles play last season have been impressed by their overall

improvement.

And while Rajabi hopes she can continue to be part of the Eagles’

progression toward success, she continues to work on accelerating

what she hopes will be a personal procession to stardom.

“I just received a second call-back with “MADtv” (a sketch-comedy

series on Fox) and I do stand-up on stage three of four nights a

week, rotating through Improv clubs (throughout the Southland),” she

said.

She even has a Web site: www.nadinerajabi.com, that profiles her

stand-up career.

“In high school, I was voted Class Clown and in college, I was

Most Likely to Become a Stand-up Comedian, even though I’d already

started,” she said. “I saw my first live stand-up show in 1992 and I

had such a good time, I told myself I wanted to be someone who could

create that feeling in other people.”

Rajabi said she has begun to incorporate her coaching experience

into her comedy, all the while erasing the Estancia program’s

reputation as a laughing stock.

*

Estancia visits crosstown rival Costa Mesa Thursday at 5 p.m. at

the Farm Sports Complex and parents with both programs have combined

efforts to surround the game with community atmosphere.

Joey’s Italian Restaurant will supply food (cheese ziti, garlic

bread, a cookie and a soft drink) for a postgame meal for players,

parents and spectators ($4 per person) after the junior varisty game

(at 3:15) and the varsity contest.

The dinner was created to try to promote goodwill between the two

programs.

Parents who spearheaded the effort include Estelle Hughes, Jean

Nomura, Brenda Jenkins (from Costa Mesa) and Ellen Carroll

(Estancia).

Hughes said the dinner was created not as a fund-raiser, but as a

social gathering.

*

I received a press release Monday announcing something called the

Jerry Campbell Sports All-American Team, created for the first time

to recognize 25 high school football players from “throughout the

country.”

A closer look revealed only 12 schools in five states were

represented, including nine “honorees” from Westwood High in Austin,

Texas.

A cursory investigation revealed Jerry Campbell, a renowned clinic

speaker with an extensive coaching background, is the offensive

coordinator at Westwood.

Using the guise of an ill-conceived All-American team to promote

Jerry Campbell Sports is both short-sighted and disingenuous, a point

with which a spokesman involved in the project readily agreed

Tuesday. The same spokesman said changes, including potentially

removing the All-American label, would be made if such a team were

selected next season.