Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson greeted a large crowd of at least 300 youth and families from more than 20 local youth sports and arts organizations at a “Winter Games Opening Ceremony Watch Party” on Feb. 6.
Held in the third floor of the Sports Basement, 2100 N. Bellflower Blvd., the event garnered a lot of excitement and enthusiasm. It was noted that this event served as a mirror of what to expect of the Olympic events coming to Long Beach in summer 2028.
To the delight of the crowd was the presentation of former Olympians from Long Beach: five-time Olympic water polo player Tony Azevedo, NBA player and Olympian Ed Ratleff,Olympic-winning rower John Van Blom, Olympic soccer player Hugo Salcedo, Olympic hurdler LaTanya Sheffield and Olympic rower Patricia Spartlen-Etem.
Winter Games Opening Ceremony watch party, photo from left, five-time Olympic water polo player Tony Azevedo; NBA player and Olympian Ed Ratleff; Olympic hurdler LaTanya Sheffield; Olympic-winning rower John Van Blom; Olympic rower Patricia Spartlen-Etem; Olympic soccer player Hugo Salcedo. (Courtesy photo)
Winter Games Opening Ceremony watch party, photo from left, Boys and Girls Club CEO Don Rodriguez and Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson. (Courtesy photo)
Winter Games Opening Ceremony watch party, photo from left,
Olympic-winning rower John Van Blom; Councilwoman Kristina Duggan; Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson; five-time Olympic water polo player Tony Azevedo. (Courtesy photo)
Rancho Los Alamitos, photo from left, Executive director of Rancho Los Alamitos Tim Roberts; president of the Bixby Hill Gardens Karen Quintana; and Bixby Hill Community Association president Sam Nguyen. (Courtesy photo)
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Winter Games Opening Ceremony watch party, photo from left, five-time Olympic water polo player Tony Azevedo; NBA player and Olympian Ed Ratleff; Olympic hurdler LaTanya Sheffield; Olympic-winning rower John Van Blom; Olympic rower Patricia Spartlen-Etem; Olympic soccer player Hugo Salcedo. (Courtesy photo)
Some of their winning advice included: “you must have a dream,” “outwork everyone else,” and “follow your dream and work hard every day.” Ratcliffe drew the biggest laugh with his comment that, “It helps if you’re like me. I started in a different field but switched to basketball, when I grew from 5 feet to (6 feet, 4 inches) in one summer.”
Seen at the Scene: Mayor Rex Richardson, Councilmember Kristina Duggan, Boys & Girls Clubs of Long Beach CEO Don Rodriguez, Long Beach Century Club President Mike Fillipow, YMCA CEO Alfredo Velasco, Long Beach Symphony President Kelly Ruggirello, and Parks and Recreation Director Stephen Scot.
Rancho Los Alamitos
One couldn’t ask for better weather or a better venue to watch the big Super Bowl game al fresco with neighborhood friends on Feb. 8 — offered exclusively to Bixby Hill residents.
This first-time event featured a gigantic screen and delicious nibbles from The Grand amid the excitement on the large screen. Many of the rancho’s volunteers also enjoyed the peaceful environment, strewn with exciting football plays.
Seen at the Scene: Greeting guests were Executive Director of Rancho Los Alamitos Tim Roberts, President of the Bixby Hill Gardens Karen Quintana, and Bixby Hill CommunityAssociation President Sam Nguyen. Some of the volunteers and families were also present.
News of Social events with charitable purposes may be sent to Shirley Wild at spwild@verizon.net. Please include a contact phone number. Send high-resolution jpeg photos, by attachment, to spwild@verizon.net and include group name and identification of individuals from left. Call Shirley at 562-594-9468 for more information.