From guest editors to young ones in the pool

TONY DODERO

The week started off with a bang on Monday as I had to share my

editor chair with a newsroom visitor by the name of George Hampton,

who had the title of Editor for the Day.

Hampton earned the right to the title at an Orange County

Performing Arts Center fundraiser. I won’t say how much he paid to

get the gig, as it will prove just how easily my chair can be bought,

but it was worth it in my book.

Hampton was a gracious and excited visitor who got along well with

everyone in the newsroom.

Who knew that we’d have so much fun with an attorney, a profession

that we in the media love to point out has lower public-opinion

rankings than us.

Readers can draw their own conclusions from that.

Hampton is a 15-year resident, married with two daughters, who

lives in East Bluff. He originally hails from New Jersey but loves

the Daily Pilot.

In my many years affiliated with this newspaper, I often meet

people who tell me they used to deliver the Daily Pilot.

But Hampton was the first person to tell me that he used the Daily

Pilot to find local events to plan his dates with the future Mrs.

Hampton, Mara.

Now that’s a testimonial we could use to sell newspapers: “Tired

of the same old stuff? Read the Pilot and wow your future spouse.”

Truthfully, it was a lot of fun, and Hampton is welcome in the

Pilot newsroom anytime. We hope to have more Editors for the Day in

the coming months. Stay tuned.

*

A couple weeks ago, I approached Sports Editor Rich Dunn to

inquire whether he knew of any swimming classes locally that I could

take my two girls to. My son is too young for that yet.

His first response was Orange Coast College.

So I quickly got in touch with the swimming powers that be at OCC

and enrolled the girls in the college’s summer Learn to Swim Program

run by Tyson Thomas, the program director who has been with the squad

for nine years.

“It’s been around since the late 1950s,” Thomas told me of the

swimming program. “We teach 1,300 kids how to swim each summer. It’s

the most rewarding job.”

The kids are taught by former high school swim and water polo team

members who have a great rapport with the youngsters, even the little

ones like my daughters.

I especially want to give kudos to swim teachers Trista Thomas,

Blake Tompkins, Kristen Sanchez and Brittani Peckham, who helped my

youngest, Kristen, overcome her fears of the water.

Before it was over Kristen was jumping off a diving board, albeit

with a few tears still, but she did it nonetheless. It was a proud

moment, and I know other parents were equally thrilled.

“It’s fantastic,” said Vanessa Cocroft, a Mesa Verde resident who

enrolled her 4-year-old daughter Sarah in the lessons. “They just

learn so much in a two-week period, and you can just tell the

teachers love the kids.”

The other teachers include Jack Yarbrough, Terick Thomas, Debra

Harvey, Marci Myer, Alix Romo, Chris Webb, Brian Webb and Michael

Blackmun.

The swimming lessons, which are American Red Cross-certified, take

place at the college pool and consist of four, two-week sessions

every summer, with kids able to enroll in level 1, for the little

kids, through level 6, for the more advanced. There are also

beginning water polo classes.

The classes are done for this summer but get an early start next

summer for this local treasure.

*

Speaking of local treasures, the overwhelming reader response to

the ending of Judge Robert Gardner’s “The Verdict” column was not

unexpected.

What we didn’t expect were the calls to keep the column running by

re-playing all of his tales from years past.

So I just wanted to let the readers know that we will be working

on this in the coming days, and hopefully will have answer for you

soon on whether the Judge’s columns will continue on.