News
Optimist Club of Coronado
Optimists add to the Luck of the Irish!
On Thursday March 18 the Coronado Optimists added some happiness to Mcp’s, long time supporter of the community! Remember to wear a cheerful countenance at all times!
14 Optimists/friends attended: Chris Ellinger, John Watson, Bill Parry, Lyman Green, Rob Kracht, Cynthia Kosciuczyk, Mike & Susie Croll, Lee & Sue Cargill, Dennis Dorman, Marta Radcliffe, Dan Hendrickson. Mike Lavin (won't be pictured, he did takeout). Also not pictured: James Joyce.
On the passing of Irish Flynn
ON THE PASSING OF IRISH FLYNN
Where have you been, Irish Flynn?
Your seat next to me is empty, my friend.
Has our weekly chat of Joyce’s’ Ulysses come to an end?
Thanks for sharing that your parents were buried in Dublin’s Glasnevin.
Without you at Coronado track meets, how can we determine who should win?
Your soft voice commanding: “form a cone so the long-distance runners don’t overextend.”
And what about our oratory contests?
The brave students on a quest
The warriors and their words battling
Their fears and anxieties quaking
While you guided them with courage
Without you, who will be the judge?
Don’t leave us Irish, our great supervisor overseeing
Super Seal Triathlons, Halloween Happenings,
Easter Eggstravaganzas, Sports Fiestas
Your leadership is which guided us.
Come back to us Irish, your sweet smile
A role model, for all to admire
“Don’t worry about me, Mike, me boy,
I have joined the angelic train
With Harshberger, Cooper, and the rest of the gang...
But most importantly, I am here with Him.”
Mike Lavin 3/4/21
Find Us
Every Thursday Morning at 7:00 am in the Coronado Community Center.
1845 Strand Way
Coronado, CA 92118
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Introducing Tom Catlin
From Tom: I began in television in 1989 after graduating from San Diego State. I have worked as a reporter, producer, camera person and editor in Palm Springs, Nashville, Orange County, CA, Los Angeles, Boston and San Diego, twice. I have worked for Fox Sports San Diego since 2011 producing shows about the Padres. I recently won my 6th Emmy for a story we hope to show you today assuming screen sharing works.
More information about Tom: Producer of television documentaries and biographies, including writing, shooting and editing, for Fox Sports San Diego, the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox. I have also managed Production and Advertising for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox.
Television biographies for the Boston Red Sox that aired on NESN include; Dave Roberts, Carl Yastrzemski, Dom DiMaggio, Bobby Doerr, Johnny Pesky, Fred Lynn, Tim Wakefield, Jim Lonborg, Carlton Fisk, Dwight Evans, Joe Cronin, Terry Francona, Rick Burleson, Wade Boggs and more.
Television biographies for the San Diego Padres that aired on Fox Sports San Diego include; Tony Gwynn, Dick Enberg, Matt Kemp, Andrew Cashner, Jedd Gyorko, Derek Norris, The Padres Owners, Peter Seidler, Ron Fowler and Alfredo Harp Helú, Trevor Hoffman's Call to the Hall of Fame.
Find Us
Every Thursday Morning at 7:00 am in the Coronado Community Center.
1845 Strand Way
Coronado, CA 92118
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Sports Fiesta Triathlon 2020
Every year on the last weekend in July, the Optimist Club of Coronado holds the annual Optimist Sports Fiesta. One of the highlights of the event is the triathlon which holds the distinction of being the oldest continuous running triathlon in the world!
This year, of course, the Sports Fiesta was cancelled due to COVID-19. Disappointing for the Optimists and competitors, one family in particular. Three Coronado-grown brothers Dave, Al and Mark Hansen, have been staunch competitors in the Sports Fiesta for years. Al says he’s only missed one over the years. The thought of the Sports Fiesta triathlon losing its distinction of being oldest, continuous running triathlon in the world didn’t sit well with the family and they decided to do something about it.
A plan was hatched, bringing three generations of family together for the competition. David and his wife, Mickey live on the bay so it was the perfect venue for all three events. Sports Fiesta coordinator, Optimist Don Crawford, was called to officiate the activities. Masks, social distancing, and safety were priorities.
First event in the competition was the swim out to a buoy with some swimmers and lots of kids on paddleboards. Next up was the run down First Street with a variety of speeds, bare feet, a tutu, and lots of enthusiasm. Lastly, the bike ride went along the same route on First Street in the bike lane. In this competition everyone was a winner in their age group with Grandpa Dave handing out medals to all the kids from his collection, dating back to the 1980s. It was truly competitive fun at its best.
Lunch was a celebration on the bay front to celebrate Dave and Mickey’s 50th wedding anniversary, surrounded by family.
After a lunch the family members dispersed. It was overheard that a few Hansens were looking forward to their next event of the day, the annual Sports Siesta.
The Optimist Club of Coronado would like to thank the Hansen Family for keeping the Sports Fiesta Triathlon tradition and history alive.
JOI in Coronado
Coronado Optimists are meeting now weekly via Zoom
Optimists at MooTime Creamery
Pictured left to right: Rob Kracht, Floyd Humphreys, Jennifer Landry, Brad Gerbel, Brenda & Larry Kracht, Marta Radcliffe, Dennis Dorman, Cynthia Kosciuczyk, Marian Donahue.
Find Us
Every Thursday Morning at 7:00 am in the Coronado Community Center.
1845 Strand Way
Coronado, CA 92118
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Souper Bowl of Caring 2020
Junior Optimist had their Souper Bowl of Caring Food Drive today, Super Bowl Sunday. The Junior Optimist Club of Coronado would like to thank all those who donated to help this collection be a great success!
Announcing the 2020 Oratorical Contest
Ever wonder what it would be like to live with no constraints? No limitations? No frustrations? Coronado school students have an opportunity to muse on these ideas and speak on the theme Just Imagine a World Without Boundaries in the 2020 Coronado Optimists Oratorical Contest.
This is the 49th year of the Coronado Optimists’ contest and will be held in the Winn Room at the Coronado Library on Monday, March 2nd at 3:30 – 6:00p.m. The contest is an enjoyable but serious public-speaking opportunity for Coronado students to explore why they are so confident and optimistic about their future. All are invited to attend the contest, especially the students’ families and friends, and be amazed with the students’ insights and the quality of their speeches.
All Coronado school students, including home-schooled students, under the age of 19 as of October 1, 2019 (there is no minimum age) are eligible to participate and encouraged to apply. Students are urged to work with his/her teacher to prepare their speech.
The students’ 4 – 5 minute speeches, delivered from memory, are judged on content, presentation, poise, and overall effectiveness. Each student receives a participation certificate and the top three students receive medallions and cash awards. The top two students can go on to compete at the Optimists zone and district level contests in April for college scholarships up to $2,500; the district level winner can participate in the regional contest and the Optimist Oratorical World Championship in July for a college scholarships up to $15,000.
The Application form, which includes all the contest rules, is below. It is also available from Gene Rathswohl, the contest coordinator, at erathswohl@san.rr.com.
Completed application forms should be mailed to:
Gene Rathswohl
924 Eighth Street
Coronado, CA 92118
Applications must be received by Wednesday, February 26, 2020.
A maximum of 20 students can participate, so the earlier an application is submitted the better. Feel free to contact Gene with any questions you have regarding the contest.
2019 Winners
Optimist Club Sports Fiesta 2018 Results
Thank you to all participants of the Optimist Club of Coronado's Sports Fiesta 2018!
Optimist Sports Fiesta 2018
New and Old Events Highlight 2018 Optimists Club’s Sports Fiesta
It is historic. It is fun, and most importantly, it is an inspiring collaboration of local businesses joining forces to support Coronado’s youth.
Returning events include the 1-mile rough water ocean swim, a 5K run, and the longest, continuous running triathlon in the world. The triathlon consists of a 400 yard ocean swim, 1-mile run and 4-mile bike ride.
New events on Saturday, July 28, include a Cornhole tournament (youth and adult divisions) and Family Carnival. Both will run from noon - 4:00 pm at Sunset Park. Beach Volleyball at North Beach begins at 9 am. Pickleball and Lawn Bowling tournaments will be on Sunday, July 29th at the Coronado Marriott and Spreckels Community Center and Bowling Green, respectively.
For spectators and those who just want to hang out and enjoy a Coronado tradition, there will be a picnic area from noon to 4pm at Sunset Park. All are encouraged to bring their own food and drink, (no alcohol please) or they can order from Panera, which will be taking orders and delivering to Sunset Park July 28th.
Entrance fees range from $10 (for under 18) to $40 (day of registration). Some events are capped, so sign up early by clicking the Sports Fiesta link at the top of this page. Carnival games are just 50 cents and everyone wins a prize!
A Tribute to Optimist Stan Searfus
This morning we had a special presentation by Ben Ruef. His mother, Julie, is an Optimist Club member. Ben was one of the lucky kids who was mentored by our own Optimist, the late Stan Searfus. Ben produced a spectacular tribute video of Stan and gave us a showing. Excellent and inspiring work, Ben. You've created a lasting legacy for one of the good guys, our friend Stan.
CHS Girls Basketball
The CHS Girls Basketball Team came to update us on their season. We give them a check to help with their expenses. It's always a pleasure to see the youth we support at our meetings!
Coronado Junior Optimist Activities
Coronado's Junior Optimist Club, sponsored by the Optimist Club of Coronado, participated in group activities and team building with other Junior Optimist clubs from the San Diego/CALSOUTH area.
A nice turnout of 18 enthusiastic Junior Optimists and three Junior Optimist Club Advisors met at the Mission Bay Santa Clara Recreation Center near the Sail Bay area of the Park on January 20, 2018. Junior Optimists representing six California South (CALSO) District Junior Optimist Clubs shared a morning of fun activities led by Immediate Past President of Junior Optimist International, O'Hara Wickham, and current Junior Optimist International Director, and Coronado's own, Cole Mullins.
The group performed a team oriented, "ice breaker" activity searching the floor for answers to questions posed by the leaders. New friendships were made, and a lot of fun was had by all. The Club Members shared their recent and current Club activities and upcoming plans. The leaders shared news from the CALSO JOI District and Junior Optimist International and upcoming Scholarship Contests, including Essay, Oratorical, and the Reel Optimism Video Contest. A pizza luncheon was enjoyed by all before the teams headed out for the beach cleanup community service project. Books were collected for the inner city school in the CALSO JOI District wide 'Joy of Reading' service project. The event was concluded with a clean beach, happy Junior Optimists, and thanks from the Park Ranger for a job well done!
Optimist Sports Fiesta Video 2017
We are fortunate to have a member who has a very talented son! Ben Ruef documented our Sports Fiesta with a beautifully creative video. Thanks, Ben!!!