Alexander: The end at Auto Club Speedway? It’s just a hiatus

• February 27, 2023

FONTANA — The mood was melancholy here Sunday, largely because so much of Auto Club Speedway’s future was unknown and therefore uncertain.

But by the end of the afternoon, after Kyle Busch won the final NASCAR Cup Series race on the two-mile oval that played host to its first race in 1997, track president Dave Allen had reassurance for those race fans worried that Southern California, and particularly the Inland Empire, might be about to totally lose another track. There will be an announcement in the coming months, and there will be a brand-new racing facility on this land in years to come.

“I’m hopeful that we get to a point here in the near future, some time this year, (that) there’s going to be a few different bites at the apple as it relates to more information coming out and a timeline established,” Allen said.

“And honestly, I can’t wait to share some of the things that we’ve been working on from a design perspective, because we’ve been working on it for quite a while.”

It will be a short track, a half-mile oval, and the hints are that this will be what Allen called “the most state-of-the-art short track that’s ever been built,” a facility that not only will transform NASCAR racing in Southern California but could serve as a venue for regular local racing programs as well.

The references to the last race, which will be followed by at least one year off the Cup series schedule and maybe two, may have thrown all of us off. The competitors and the broadcasters treated it as the end of an era, as they should have, but the general public seemed uncertain whether “last race” referred to the last on the two-mile oval or the last race ever.

Those fears weren’t soothed by a Friday report by Sports Business Journal, citing sources and public documents, that NASCAR, which owns the speedway, has closed on a deal to sell 433 of the property’s 522 acres to an entity called Speedway SBC Development LLC, with the sale price estimated at $544 million.

The publication further reported that the purchasing entity is tied to real estate developer Hillwood, a Dallas-based company that is working with NASCAR to, as SBJ put it, “sell off parts of its vast properties, as it sought to find new revenue streams and better utilize the huge amount of acreage it owns across the country.”

True. Allen noted that Hillwood is “a partner of ours as a company that’s helping us reassess all of our land holdings across the country,” and it is but one of many moving parts that NASCAR and the track administration have been dealing with.

But the report set off the conspiracy theorists on social media, who wondered if the 89 remaining acres would be enough to build a half-mile track plus parking and campgrounds, what the other land would be used for, and whether NASCAR might eventually throw in the towel, sell the rest of the land for development and close the track.

IMO, 90 acres isn’t big enough, especially with homes and businesses surrounding it. I think the remaining acres are going to be sold as well, and NASCAR is finished in the Fontana market.

— Family Man (@TeamKFBfan8) February 25, 2023

That sucks!! Surely will miss @AutoClubSpdwy

— TalksWithTreiPodcast (@That_Guy_Trei) February 24, 2023

Riverside Redux

— SuitcaseBlake (@suitcase_e) February 25, 2023

Maybe it’s because we’ve been here before, with the closings of Riverside International Raceway in 1989 and Ontario Motor Speedway, modeled after Indianapolis and itself advertised as state-of-the-art, in 1980, not to mention the closing of Ascot and the frequent threats to Irwindale Speedway. It’s understandable that local NASCAR fans might fear the worst, isn’t it?

“It just shows you how passionate the fan base is about what we have here in this two-mile track,” Allen said. “I’m one of them. I’ve been here 23 years. There’s a lot of emotion that’s boiling through me this weekend, and moments when you get sentimental about it. But at the same time, what we’re trying to do is solidify NASCAR, big-time NASCAR racing, here for a long time to come.

“I think we’re headed in the right direction. It just needs a little bit more time, a little bit more patience, and we’ll get it out there.”

The details will soothe a lot of nerves when they are unveiled. Allen equated it to building a home, and dealing with “so many different things that can go one way or another,” among them the land sale and dealing with local zoning issues and with San Bernardino County officials on what the new project will look like.

Sunday, when a pretty good crowd braved temperatures in the high 40s to show up for the final race, was a reminder of what we’re losing, if temporarily, starting with a ceremonial five-wide parade in front of the grandstand.

This was a track, particularly a track surface, that drivers hated early on but learned to love as it aged. This week, the competitors universally talked of how they’d miss it.

It was fitting that Busch, who won five Cup races all told on this track, won the last one.

“I mean, it’s a two-mile racetrack,” he said. “It’s big, it gets spread out. But man, you can move around and you can spread out and you can make your own destiny by trying to find something else that’ll help work for your race car. It’s a sad day for me to see this racetrack (having) its last race being a two-mile configuration.

“…I hope the next track that we have puts on the show that we’ve been able to see here for the last 10-12 years. But repaves are always tough, man. It takes a good five years for a repave to turn into something that’s decent.”

We’ve got time.

[email protected]

​ Orange County Register 

NASCAR: Nemechek one-ups his dad in final Xfinity race at Auto Club Speedway

• February 27, 2023

FONTANA — The sun peeked out before John Hunter Nemechek picked up the last win under the lights at Auto Club Speedway.

Nemechek, who finished second in the season opener last week at Daytona, pulled away late in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra to claim the checkered flag at the rain-delayed NASCAR Xfinity Series Production Alliance Group 300 on Sunday night.

“It’s awesome that the race got pushed (to Sunday) and that I am the final winner,” Nemechek said. “It’s an amazing track. I hate to see it go.”

Originally set for Saturday, the Xfinity Series race was rescheduled to immediately following the Cup Series Pala Casino 400, making it the final race on Fontana’s famous 2-mile track.

“To be the final winner here means a lot,” Nemechek said. “Maybe when they tear this place up they’ll send me some asphalt as a momento.”

It’s the third career win for Nemechek, the son of retired NASCAR veteran Joe Nemechek, who won the first ever pole at California Speedway in 1997. It’s also the 11th win for Joe Gibbs Racing at Fontana.

“To be able to do some of the stuff my Dad did was special,” Nemechek said. “I’m proud to be a part of this organization and we’re starting the year off right. Now we have to keep it going.”

Sam Mayer finished second, Justin Allgaier took third and Chandler Smith was fourth.

“I was leading the race last week and I ended up on my roof, so I’m super happy to be top 3 this week,” said Mayer, who flipped on the Final Lap of the Xfinity Series race last week at Daytona.

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In a race littered with 10 cautions, Mayer and Tyler Reddick made contact on Lap 1 to set an early tone.

“We threw the kitchen sink at it and we ended up second. I’m proud of that,” Mayer said.

Orange County native Cole Custer, winner of Xfinity Series races at Fontana in 2019 and 2022, took the lead on Lap 25 and held to win Stage 1.

Sheldon Creed was spun and smoothly kissed the wall early in Stage 2, and Custer controlled lap after lap to win again and claim his 19th career Xfinity Series stage.

Custer started sixth in the final stage but the right front tire on his No. 00 Ford Mustang went soft on the restart and he was pushed against the wall, finishing 27th.

After the restart, Nemecheck battled with Creed and Sammy Smith for the lead before Reddick was smashed up against the wall with 50 laps remaining.

Scheduled pit stops from the leaders with 25 laps to go gave Austin Dillon, the 2016 Xfinity winner at Fontana, a brief lead but a ninth caution reset the field for a final run.

Smith was pushed sideways by Austin Hill on the ensuing restart, and Dillon faded as Nemechek proved to be too much, leading the last 13 laps to the finish line.

​ Orange County Register 

Here’s how much rain and snow the storm dropped on Southern California cities

• February 27, 2023

Rain, snow, hail and wind: A historic,five-day storm brought powerful gusts and dumped a massive amount of precipitation on the greater Los Angeles area starting last Wednesday.

This was the first blizzard warning for Southern California’s mountains in decades, and some mountain towns were buried in, quite literally, feet of snow. Locals used to sunny skies most of the year reveled in the snow drifts landing on their lawns in the foothills and in parts of the Inland Empire over the weekend.

Others took stock of the damage so far: Trees and power lines toppled, cars and houses crushed under branches, and sporadic flooding on city streets.

With more rain and snow on the way in a second set of storms, the National Weather Service added up the precipitation totals from Wednesday to Sunday morning.

The numbers were a preliminary summary of what the region saw over that period; estimates of snow and rain from some areas still ranged widely as of Sunday. But these are the latest totals from local weather watchers. All figures are measured in inches and from locations where the NWS has recording stations.

Top snow totals:

Mountain High: 93
Snow Valley: 78 to 90
End of Mt. Baldy Road: 77
Running Springs: 71
Mount Pinos: 48 to 72
Green Valley Lake: 70
Lake Arrowhead: 68
Arrowbear Lake: 65
Bear Mountain Snow Summit: 63
Crestline Yard: 63
Pine Mountain Club: 36 to 60
Cuddy Valley: 24 to 48
Mount Wilson: 40
Other areas with snow:
Yucaipa: 4
La Crescenta: 2
Fontana: 1
Rialto: 1
Bloomington: 0.5
Apple Valley: 0.5

Rain

NWS forecasters noted some areas saw rain mixed with snow — therefore, the totals represent a bit of both.

The NWS also warned that for some stations located in areas with below-freezing temperatures, the totals may not be accurate. NWS was not immediately available to answer questions about the totals Sunday.

These are the top rain totals for the region:

Woodland Hills: 10.79
Stunt Ranch: 10.15
La Canada Flintridge: 9.29
Newhall: 8.38
Eagle Rock Reservoir: 8.14
Pasadena: 8.11
East Pasadena: 7.93
West Fork Heliport (San Gabriel Mountains): 7.76
Sepulveda Canyon at Mulholland Drive: 7.85
San Gabriel Dam: 7.64
Hansen Dam: 7.28
Canoga Park: 7.25
Topanga Canyon: 7.01
Other areas with rain:
Upper Silverado Canyon (Santa Ana Mountains): 5.55
Cucamonga Canyon: 5.43
Coldwater Canyon: 5.12
Cal State San Bernardino: 4.53
Cucamonga Basin: 4.45
Santa Ana: 4.18
Lower Silverado Canyon: 4.09
Villa Park Dam: 3.94
Coto De Caza: 3.90

More rain and snow on the way to Southern California

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​ Orange County Register 

Mater Dei, Sage Hill to collide in CIF Southern California Regional girls basketball playoffs

• February 27, 2023

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Get ready for Mater Dei-Sage Hill II.

The top-two ranked girls basketball teams in Orange County will meet Wednesday at Mater Dei High in the first round of CIF Southern California Regional Open Division playoffs.

The CIF State announced the pairing on Sunday as it released the brackets for the regionals, which begin Tuesday and conclude March 10-11 at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

No. 1 Mater Dei (28-3) and No. 2 Sage Hill (21-9) faced off at the Matt Denning Hoops Classic on Jan. 14 at Mater Dei High. The Monarchs defeated the Lightning 62-50, puling away in the final four minutes of the final quarter. Sage Hill, which won the CIF State Division II title last season, trailed 49-48 before Mater Dei’s strong finish.

The winner Wednesday advances to the regional semifinals Saturday at CIF-SS Open Division champion Sierra Canyon (30-0), ranked No. 1 in the nation.

Mater Dei and Sage Hill are part of select group in the SoCal Open Division. The group only consists of five teams: No. 1 seed Sierra Canyon. No. 2 La Jolla Country Day, No. 3 Etiwanda along with No. 4 Mater Dei and No. 5 Sage Hill.

In Division I, CIF-SS Division 1 champion Orange Lutheran (24-7) drew the ninth seed and a game Tuesday at No. 8 Westchester, the Open Division champion in the L.A. City Section.

Rosary (23-7), a semifinalists in CIF-SS Division 1, received the 13th seed and a game at No. 4 Mission Hills on Tuesday.

In Division II, San Juan Hills (25-6) earned the No. 6 seed and a first-round game Tuesday against visiting No. 11 Mater Dei Catholic, the Division 1 champion from San Diego.

In Division III, El Dorado (21-9) claimed the No. 10 seed while Buena Park (24-7) took the No. 13 position. The Golden Hawks play Tuesday at L.A. City Open qualifier Palisades, the seventh seed. The Coyotes travel to No. 4 Torrey Pines, the Division 2 champion in San Diego.

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CIF-SS Division 5AA champion St. Margaret’s (27-6) received the No. 10 seed in Division IV and a trip Tuesday to Poly of Sun Valley, the Division 1 champion in the L.A. City Section.

Laguna Beach (22-10) and Marina (17-15), both from the Wave League, earned the seventh and eighth seeds, respectively, in Division V and home games Tuesday against Fremont and Lompoc, respectively.

​ Orange County Register 

US Energy Department assesses COVID-19 likely resulted from lab leak, furthering US intel divide over virus origin

• February 27, 2023

The US Department of Energy has assessed that the Covid-19 pandemic most likely came from a laboratory leak in China, according to a newly updated classified intelligence report.

Two sources said that the Department of Energy assessed in the intelligence report that it had “low confidence” the Covid-19 virus accidentally escaped from a lab in Wuhan.

Intelligence agencies can make assessments with either low, medium or high confidence. A low confidence assessment generally means that the information obtained is not reliable enough or is too fragmented to make a more definitive analytic judgment or that there is not enough information available to draw a more robust conclusion.

The latest assessment further adds to the divide in the US government over whether the Covid-19 pandemic began in China in 2019 as the result of a lab leak or whether it emerged naturally. The various intelligence agencies have been split on the matter for years. In 2021, the intelligence community declassified a report that showed four agencies in the intelligence community had assessed with low confidence that the virus likely jumped from animals to humans naturally in the wild, while one assessed with moderate confidence that the pandemic was the result of a laboratory accident.

Three other intelligence community elements were unable to coalesce around either explanation without additional information, the report said.

The Wall Street Journal first reported on the new assessment from the Department of Energy. A senior US intelligence official told the Journal that the update to the intelligence assessment was conducted in light of new intelligence, further study of academic literature and in consultation with experts outside government.

A Department of Energy spokesperson told CNN in a statement: “The Department of Energy continues to support the thorough, careful, and objective work of our intelligence professionals in investigating the origins of COVID-19, as the President directed.”

The Department of Energy’s Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence is one of 18 government agencies that make up the intelligence community, which are under the umbrella of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment.

Republicans react

The latest intelligence assessment was provided to Congress as Republicans on Capitol Hill have been pushing for further investigation into the lab leak theory, while accusing the Biden administration of playing down its possibility.

House Foreign Affairs Chairman Mike McCaul said Sunday he was “pleased” that the Department of Energy “has finally reached the same conclusion that I had already come to.”

“I have requested a full and thorough briefing from the administration on this report and the evidence behind it,” the Texas Republican said in a statement.

McCaul in his statement referred to a 2021 report he had released as ranking member of the Foreign Affairs panel, which “found a preponderance of the evidence proved” that the pandemic originated with a leak from the Wuhan lab.

The chairman called on the Biden administration to publicly concur with that conclusion.

“It is critical the administration also begin to work immediately with our partners and allies around the world to both hold the (Chinese Communist Party) accountable and to put in place updated international regulations to ensure something like this cannot happen again,” McCaul said.

Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska on Sunday called for public hearings following the disclosure of the Department of Energy assessment.

“We need to do extensive hearings. I hope our Democratic colleagues in the Congress can support that. I know the Republicans in the House are certainly supportive of that,” the Senate Armed Services Committee member said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“Think about what just happened over the last three years, one of the biggest pandemics in a century. A lot of evidence that it’s coming from the Chinese,” Sullivan said.

A spokesperson for House Oversight Chairman James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, said in a statement that the committee was “reviewing the classified information provided” by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in response to a letter requesting information earlier this month.

One of the sources said that the new assessment from the Department of Energy is similar to information from a House Republican Intelligence Committee report released last year on the origins of the virus.

‘Not a definitive answer’

National security adviser Jake Sullivan said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that the intelligence community remains divided on the matter, while noting that President Joe Biden has put resources into getting to the bottom of the origin question.

“Right now, there is not a definitive answer that has emerged from the intelligence community on this question,” Sullivan told CNN’s Dana Bash. “Some elements of the intelligence community have reached conclusions on one side, some on the other. A number of them have said they just don’t have enough information to be sure.”

Sullivan said Biden had directed the national laboratories, which are part of the Department of Energy, to be brought into the assessment.

In May 2020, researchers at the government-backed Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory issued a classified report that found it was possible that the coronavirus escaped from a lab in Wuhan, which came at a time when that line of inquiry was considered taboo.

The US began exploring the possibility that Covid-19 spread in a laboratory as early as April 2020, though the intelligence community has noted repeatedly that a lack of cooperation from Beijing has made it difficult to get to the bottom of the question.

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This story has been updated with additional reaction.

The-CNN-Wire & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

​ Orange County Register 

Canyon top-seeded team in CIF SoCal Regional boys basketball

• February 27, 2023

It is not often that a high school basketball team that lost in the CIF Southern Section semifinals is seeded No. 1 in the ensuing CIF Southern California Regional tournament.

That is what happened to Canyon’s boys team. Canyon is seeded No. in in SoCal Regional Division II.

Canyon lost to Etiwanda in the CIF-SS Division 1 semifinals. CIF-SS semifinalists qualified so Canyon is in the tournament that begins Tuesday when Canyon is at home against No. 16-seeded King/Drew.

Like Canyon, Pacifica Christian and Tarbut V’Torah lost in their CIF-SS division semifinals and are in the SoCal Regional.

Regional play begins with Round 1 games in Divisions I-V on Tuesday. Round I games in the Open Division and in Division VI are Wednesday. The Regional tournament continues with Round II games Thursday, semifinals Saturday and finals on March 7. CIF Southern California Regional champions and CIF Northern California Regional champions meet in the CIF State Championships March 10 and 11 at Sacramento.

All Regional games are played at host-school sites and begin at 7 p.m. Starting times can be changed if both participating teams agree to the change and the CIF State office approves the change.

The schedule for Tuesday’s SoCal Regional Round I games that involve Orange County teams …

Division I: La Costa Canyon (16-12) at Mater Dei (27-6).

Division II: King/Drew (15-16) at Canyon (25-6); Pacifica Christian (23-9) at Birmingham (20-9); Stockdale (27-4) at Orange Lutheran (20-11); Centennial/Bakersfield (23-5) at Tesoro (29-4).

Division IV: Sage Hill (15-12) at Grant (21-10).

Division V: Tarbut V’Torah (14-8) at Ramona (21-10).

​ Orange County Register 

Paul George’s heave just late as Clippers lose to Nuggets in OT

• February 27, 2023

By CRAIG MEYER The Associated Press

DENVER — The Clippers’ Paul George nearly took down the first-place team in the Western Conference with an incredible shot at the end of regulation, but his long heave from just in front of the 3-point line in the backcourt came just after the buzzer.

MVP favorite Nikola Jokic had 40 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 134-124 overtime victory against the Clippers in a matchup of contenders on Sunday night.

It was the 23rd triple-double of the season for Jokic and his 14th in the past 19 games. Denver is undefeated this season when he has a triple-double.

“If you’re looking for a super athlete to win MVP, he’s not your candidate,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “If you’re looking for a great player that impacts winning in every possible way, whose team is in first place in the Western Conference, then he’s your man. Frankly, I don’t give a damn what people think. I know he’s the MVP and his teammates know that and all the fans here in Denver and back home in Serbia know that.”

Michael Porter Jr. had 29 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets. Jamal Murray added 21 points and 12 assists.

Kawhi Leonard had 33 points to pace the Clippers – two nights after scoring a season-high 44 in a double-overtime loss against Sacramento. George finished with 23 points.

One night after scoring a season-low 94 points in an 18-point loss at Memphis, the Nuggets shot 51% overall – including 63.2% on 2-pointers.

“When we get embarrassed, I think we do a really good job of showing up the next game,” Malone said. “One thing we’re always talking about is good teams don’t lose two games in a row. That’s something you strive for. Tonight, we were able to pull it out.”

Denver is 4-0 this season against the Clippers, with each victory coming by at least 10 points.

Denver led by 18 in the first quarter and had a nine-point advantage entering the fourth, but George’s three-point play gave the Clippers their first lead, 109-107, with 4:17 remaining.

With his team trailing 118-117, Porter drained a 3-pointer with 26.6 seconds left, but George sank two free throws on the ensuing possession and the game went to overtime tied at 120.

“I think we’re right there,” George said. “We’re right where we want to be. We’ve just got to continue to keep working. These late-game losses, we’ll turn these around and we’ll figure out how to win these tough ones.”

HOMECOMING FOR HYLAND

Bones Hyland, a Nuggets first-round draft pick in 2021, played in Denver for the first time since being traded to the Clippers on Feb. 9. He was booed for much of the night and finished with 10 points in 15 minutes.

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“Just with how things were playing out, I probably knew a little bit,” Hyland said when asked if he was surprised to be traded. “I’ve got so much love for Denver. I thank them for taking a chance on a kid like me.”

Hyland averaged 10.9 points in 111 career games with Denver, the fewest played by a Nuggets first-round selection between 2006-21.

“Just because you got to play a lot last year because guys were injured doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s going to be a role for you to play a lot this year,” Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth said. “I think that was always going to be a point of friction for him and for the club.”

UP NEXT

The Clippers host Minnesota on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Kawhi finished with an efficient 33 PTS (12-of-19) to go with 6 boards for the @LAClippers pic.twitter.com/ClYV65h2GI

— NBA (@NBA) February 27, 2023

Nikola Jokic put up 40 PTS, 17 REB and 10 AST to record his 99th career triple-double and lead the @nuggets to the overtime win pic.twitter.com/g1i6bY98vb

— NBA (@NBA) February 27, 2023

​ Orange County Register 

Local boxers highlighted at Golden Gloves qualifier

• February 27, 2023

ALTADENA — A third-round standing eight count on Sunday night had all but guaranteed Terry Washington spot in the California Golden Gloves state tournament.

He won, but Washington, 18, is thinking further ahead than just eight seconds. The San Bernardino amateur boxer has big plans, just like many others at Sunday’s Golden Gloves Southern California qualifier finals at Alta Loma Park.

“I’ll be a world champion someday, that’s a promise,” Washington said. “This is officially my last year of amateurs, so I really want to be a Golden Gloves champion. And today I’m a Golden Gloves district champion.”

Washington is the No. 9-ranked amateur boxer nationally at 112 pounds after moving up from being the No. 1 boxer at 106 pounds, according to the USA Boxing rankings. He’s one of 103 amateurs between the ages of 18 and 40 who competed at the Golden Gloves qualifier, which spanned Thursday through Sunday with one day postponed due to stormy weather conditions.

The tournament featured both a novice division and open division (boxers with more than 10 bouts). Winners of their respective brackets move on to compete at the California Golden Gloves, which are slated for April 1-2 in Concord.

Daniel Mercado, who trains out of G2G Boxing Club in Pomona, punched his ticket to the state tournament in his first fight since summer. The 18-year-old recovered from a shoulder injury just in time for a two-month training camp in preparation for Golden Gloves.

Mercado previously was part of the 147-pound weight class, in which he was ranked No. 5 in the country. He’s moved up to 156 pounds, but is still hoping that winning the Golden Gloves state tournament puts him one step closer to the Olympics.

“That’s my goal and my only goal,” Mercado said. “And after that, straight to the pros.”

The additional 12 pounds didn’t make too much of a difference for Mercado, who was in the eighth bout of the night. His opponent slugged and clinched, forcing Mercado to rely on the experience he gained from sparring heavier boxers.

“When a fighter comes in and tangles up, I just have to step back and use my distance a little more,” Mercado said. “It’s not going to be the last guy I run into like this. I’m going to run into a lot more fighters like this.”

There were 23 bouts on Sunday, and roughly 20 on Thursday and Saturday as well. The three-round matches allowed for plenty of action every night in the 100th anniversary of the Golden Gloves.

Like the boxers, California Golden Gloves delegate and tournament organizer Fausto De La Torre has boxing goals. He’d like to see the Southern California tournament have even greater participation and be at bigger venues.

His goal is to someday use the Rose Bowl as a host site, but would love to see it reach the heights of Crypto.com Arena or SoFi Stadium. For comparison, New York’s Golden Gloves qualifier, the Ring Masters Championships, is held at Madison Square Garden.

“Take it to an iconic location. That’s what I want to do,” De La Torre, who competed in Golden Gloves as an amateur boxer, said. “I want to take Golden Gloves to the most beautiful and the best iconic arenas that California has to offer. I would love to just help the tournament grow.”

This year, the Loma Alta Park gymnasium was packed out on every night of the tournament. Extra chairs had to be brought in during Sunday night’s finals to accommodate for the growing crowd.

De La Torre also coaches boxing at Villa Park Boxing and loves it because of its character-building and the sense of self-accomplishment it gives. Golden Gloves gives athletes not just the chance to pursue their dreams, but also a platform for the aspects that De La Torre has a fondness for.

“I’m trying to be a positive role model for the kids, the youth, the adults,” Washington said. “Whenever anybody says anything about San Bernardino, it’s not always good. I’m trying to be that good thing.”

​ Orange County Register