Spring 2013 - Westcoast Sports Associates

The Official Newsletter of Westcoast Sports Associates
S C O R E C A R D
SPRING 2013
in this issue
WSA Honors
Joe Montana
Firestone Award
Photo Gallery
WSA Mission
In Action
President’s
Message
Volunteer Spotlight
Board Of Directors
Ryan Delaney
W. Chip Eggers*
Roy Firestone, Honorary Chair
Brian Firring
Michael Gottlieb*
Wayne Hampton
Sam Lagana
Allen J. Lynch, President*
Alex Marr
Ryan Murphy
Michael Rosenberg*
Michael Solum
Debbie Spander
Nicholas J. Westley
Bernie Zaia
* Founding member
Chris Turkmany,
Executive Director
Westcoast Sports Associates
P.O. Box 1705
Manhattan Beach, CA 90267-1705
Phone (310) 294-7179
Fax (310) 356-3304
www.westcoastsports.org
chris@westcoastsports.org
GCX, one of the evening’s corporate partners, with honoree Joe Montana.
WSA Honors Joe Montana at Annual Dinner
Westcoast Sports Associates honored NFL Hall of
Fame quarterback Joe Montana at its 17th Annual
Roy Firestone Award Dinner, raising $230,000 in the
process to support youth sports programs.
Roy also played some word-association with the names of
today’s better quarterbacks in the league.
The dinner event on November 13, 2012 at the
Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles
was attended by nearly 400 people.
Drew Brees - “One of the most underrated top guys”;
Aaron Rodgers - “He’s got all the tools”;
Tom Brady - “He reminds me of Dan Marino. He
stands in the pocket and is accurate down the field”;
Robert Griffin III - “Is very talented and reminds
me a lot of Randall Cunningham because of his
long throwing motion”;
Andrew Luck - “He’s big, tough, and strong and
wants to give the ball to somebody better than he
is”.
The award, named in honor of Emmy-winning broadcaster
Roy Firestone, has recognized some of the elite in sports,
including John Wooden, Jack Nicklaus, Andre Agassi,
Wayne Gretzky, and Vin Scully. Each year, with help from
Firestone – WSA’s honorary chair – the event generates
funds which are then distributed throughout the Southern
California community to allow economically disadvantaged children to participate in sports.
Montana spent 14 of his 16 years in the NFL with the San
Francisco 49ers. He won four Super Bowls, and was
named Super Bowl Most Valuable Player three times.
Included among the other numerous honors for the former University of Notre Dame quarterback are Sports
Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year in 1990 and a spot on
the NFL’s All-75th Anniversary Team. Montana and Joe
Namath are the only two quarterbacks to have won a college National Championship and a Super Bowl.
The evening featured a surprise visit from Montana’s
teammate Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice, who
helped auction a signed football by Montana and Rice.
Roy also spent a few minutes discussing Rice’s career.
The NFL’s all-time leading receiver told the crowd that
his favorite catch was the one on the final drive in Super
Bowl XXIII.
During the course of the Up-Close interview, Montana
talked about many things including his favorite target,
“Jerry Rice had a crazy unique way to get behind you. He
wasn’t the fastest guy in the league; he just worked hard.”
Of course, the topic of “The Catch” was brought up. Both
Dwight Clark and Jesse Sapolu attended the dinner
event. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the historic
Montana-to-Clark catch that propelled the 49ers past the
Dallas Cowboys and into Super Bowl XXIII where they
beat the Cincinnati Bengals. The Pennsylvania native
confided that during practices, he never threw to Clark on
that play. He also mentioned some funny exchanges that
took place with his guard Randy Cross, as well as Ed “Too
Tall” Jones and the late-Harvey Martin, who both played
on the Cowboys defense.
Joe offered these thoughts:
Near the close of the interview, Roy mentioned a few
stats which served as a reminder of Montana’s legendary
career – 31 fourth quarter comeback wins and 11 Super
Bowl TD’s with no interceptions – before asking, “How
significant was your career? Taking humility aside (and
you’re a humble guy), where would you rate yourself?”
Montana began by joking, “Well, if I don’t say ‘first,’ I’m
crazy.” Then, he got serious, “I think it’s really hard to
rate guys… Right now, the era is ‘we’re going to throw
the ball’, and rules have changed, so guys get left out.”
He proceeded to make note of Otto Graham and Sammy
Baugh who were “phenomenal players” that he feels get
overlooked since they played in the 1940’s and 1950’s.
Montana spoke to his passion for the game to which he
gave so much, and with a big smile concluded, “I played
basketball, baseball, and golf but it’s not the same experience and excitement as a Sunday, or even a Saturday
afternoon on the football field.”
The Roy Firestone Award Dinner has generated a total of
more than $1.1 million over the past five years.
Roy Firestone and Joe Montana.
“Making Youth Sports Possible Since 1995”
WSA Volunteer Spotlight:
Mike Gottlieb
Our Mission In Action
In 1968, offering affordable tennis to youngsters
was a dream for American champions Arthur Ashe
and Charlie Pasarell, and philanthropist Sheridan
Snyder. One year later, that trio along with the
Southern California Tennis Association (SCTA),
made that dream a reality with the inception of the
National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) program.
NJTL is designed to promote tennis among youth in
urban areas for a minimal fee.
Like the proud father of a child,
WSA founding member Mike
Gottlieb is extremely proud of the
work Westcoast Sports Associates
has done since its inception in
1995.
According to Gottlieb, the history goes
like this: “Sports was a common bond
that brought Chip Eggers and me
together. We were both sports nuts
and brainstormed about how we might
form a group of others like us to benefit
kids who didn’t have the same opportunities to play sports that we did. We
didn’t really have any idea other than
that. Next, we met with Allen Lynch
and Mike Rosenberg, and they helped
shape what has become the mission of
WSA. The four of us (we call ourselves
the “founding fathers”) came up with
the idea about what WSA is still today.
It has evolved beyond our expectations in terms of the volume of kids and
programs we are impacting, but we did
exactly what we set out to do.”
Mike is the chairman of Citation Capital
Partners, Inc. in Costa Mesa, a real
estate finance firm that specializes in
commercial mortgage brokerage. A
native Southern Californian, he is a
graduate of Loyola High School and
UCLA. It was the coaches in his
younger years who planted the seed
about the responsibility to coach and
empower future generations. “I always
knew the time would come to give back
and WSA was the perfect opportunity,”
said Gottlieb.
Now 44 years later, the NJTL is still thriving. Thanks in
part to funding from Westcoast Sports Associates, NJTL
provides grassroots tennis instruction to approximately
170,000 youngsters in Southern California. With major
help from other partners such as the LA84 Foundation
and SCTA, the program is offered at 130 sites where
each youngster receives 24 hours of tennis, with emphasis on sportsmanship and instruction, over a six-week
period during the summer months. Additionally, there
are 35 sites that operate on a year-round basis to serve
approximately 8,500 youngsters. In 2012, WSA provided
funding to add Belvedere and Salazar Parks as yearround NJTL facilities.
US Open.
“The success of this program is
due to our sponsors, like WSA,
and the coaches who are teaching at the individual NJTL sites,” said
Melanie Bischoff, the SCTA Community Development
Coordinator. “It could not continue without their support
and dedication. Factor in the passion of our instructors,
and our kids often grow to love the game of tennis!”
The NJTL’s mission is to provide a quality program to
ensure a positive and healthy experience for every child.
In addition, each player receives a T-shirt, certificate
of participation, a tennis racquet if needed, and the
opportunity to compete in several Special Activity days.
Each child pays a minimal registration fee, which can
be waived.
NJTL participants have an opportunity to enter the
annual Arthur Ashe Essay Contest to celebrate the
legacy of the tennis great. The USTA selects ten essay
contest winners, who have a chance to receive an allexpense paid trip to New York as guests for Arthur Ashe
Kids Day. Last year, Tim Bryant, Jr. of Los Angeles won
the 11 & Under Division of the essay contest. It was the
first time that an SCTA NJTL participant won a trip to the
Firestone Award Dinner Gallery
In addition to WSA, one of Mike’s
other passions is politics. Before moving to Orange County, he was the
Republican nominee for the 29th U.S.
Congressional District (Westside Los
Angeles) in the November 1998 election
after winning the June primary. Once
his kids are older, Mike plans to return
where “he can do something for the
greater good”.
Right now, Mike is excited about carrying forward WSA for a long time, “When
I see the vast numbers of lives we have
forever changed, I am forever inspired.
I tell my 12-year old son that he takes
for granted what many economically
disadvantaged children do not – and
I want him to be able to carry on the
tradition as a second generation WSA
member. I want this group to be around
forever, and I always want to be a part
of it.”
Mike and his wife, Tracy, have a daughter, Madison (19) and a son, Peter (12).
WSA supports two NJTL sites.
(L-R) Neal Wilkinson, Jackie Lamm,
Dave Reneker, and Holly Dennis
represented the Open Field
Foundation, a corporate sponsor.
Joe Montana and surprise guest Jerry Rice share a laugh.
Former San Francisco 49ers great,
Dwight Clark, autographed a special print of “The Catch” for the live
auction.
www.westcoastsports.org
Message From The WSA President
San Francisco 49er and University of Notre Dame
legend Joe Montana helped WSA finish 2012 in
style, as he graciously accepted the 17th Roy
Firestone Award on November 13th at the Los
Angeles Millennium Biltmore Hotel. In addition
to a memorable interview of Montana by legendary broadcaster Firestone, the evening was made
unique and special by surprise appearances from
other storied 49ers, including Dwight Clark, Jesse
Sapolu, and Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, who found
time in their busy schedules to support and honor
their former teammate.
It was an especially fitting close to 2012 for WSA, as
the organization continued to cement its reputation as
a philanthropic leader in Southern California by adding
several new programs to its roster of supported organizations. At a time when charities and foundations
nationwide are closing their doors and losing funding,
WSA is proud to have logged another year of record
revenue and new programming successes.
make your own charitable giving plans for 2013, and
speak to friends and associates who are looking for a
worthy cause to support, please keep WSA and the kids
it supports high on your list – your commitment is making a difference in our community each and every day!
(L-R) Mark Pattison during a
recent climb with friends Ed Viesturs
and Jim Mora on Mt. Rainier.
Allen J. Lynch
Co-Founder and Board Chair
WSA Member Mark Pattison is going to
climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in June and along
the way try to raise $10,000 for WSA
while conquering the world’s highest
free-standing mountain. Pattison, who
spent four seasons in the NFL, said,
“Helping kids play sports has always
been my passion, and I want to bring
more awareness to WSA through my
climb.”
The WSA Board recently approved the highest level
of grant commitments in its history – approximately
$260,000 for 2013 – and not only added new programming, but expanded funding to several of its most successful programs to allow them to grow. By helping
to further the growth of our key programming partners
– such as our seed funding in 2012 to allow long-time
partner Team Prime Time to add middle school programming to its successful sports and academic afterschool programs – WSA continues to build a safety net
for kids in our most challenged neighborhoods, and
helps offset the on-going reduction in youth sports programs resulting from state and municipal budget cuts.
WSA is excited about the continued growth of our
organization, and looks forward to working with our
supporters and partners to expand our impact on the
Southern California youth sports landscape. As you
Kilimanjaro Climb
to Benefit WSA
Our annual fund campaign is underway, and your tax-deductible contribution can further the community impact
of Westcoast Sports Associates.
Gifts can be made via the enclosed
envelope, online at the WSA website,
or at www.crowdrise.com/mpnflonmtkilimanjaro where you track Mark’s
journey beginning June 8.
One of the children from Nickerson
Gardens Rec Center holds a signed Joe
Montana print given to all of the evening’s
sponsors.
More from the Firestone Award Dinner Gallery
We thank Mark for making us the
foundation of his choice and wish him
a safe journey.
WSA Gallery
Arthur Graves and Paul Bartelt
show off their commemorative
WSA hats.
(L-R) Danny Kole, Andrew Welzel,
Jeff Davis, Scott Rosenthal.
Autographed jerseys by Bo Jackson and Ronnie Lott were among
the highlights of the silent auction.
Mitch Kupchak, shown with Roy
Firestone, visited with members
during an exclusive WSA Social at
the Bel-Air Country Club in
January.
(L-R) Blain Skinner, Darryl Webb,
and Lance Jensen.
.
(L-R) Eric Reese, David Lindley,
and Garrett Kelley.
Former Los Angeles Dodger and
1983 World Series MVP Rick
Dempsey attended the event.
(L-R) Parker Lynch, Troy Hampton, Natalie Lynch, Henry Householter, Carson
Carey, Nick Schrader played hoops with
LA Clippers star Blake Griffin who donated his time as part of an auction item
at the Roy Firestone Award Dinner.
makingyouthsportspossible.
Along with honoree Joe Montana and host Roy Firestone,
WSA would like to thank the following partners who made our
17th Annual Roy Firestone Award Dinner an overwhelming success:
Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Cicoil
The Candy and Eddie DeBartolo Family
Doerken Properties, Inc.
DTZ
East West Bank
The Joseph and Bessie
Feinberg Foundation
GCX
Intrepid Investment
Bankers, LLC
The Allen and Susan
Lynch Family
Milbank
Open Field Foundation
Prospect Mortgage
San Francisco 49ers
Skechers
State Farm Insurance
Wells Fargo
Capital Finance
Westcoast Sports Associates is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to Making Youth
Sports Possible for economically disadvantaged children in Southern California.
www.westcoastsports.org
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