Last Monday night Culver City High school added the finishing touch to a very successful athletic year when they named the best female and male athletes of the year at their annual banquet at the high schools’ cafeteria.
The female athlete of the year award was given to Michelle Curry who led the Centaurs to a CIF Championship and was named CIF player of the year in her division. The transfer from St. Bernard dominated her opponents in every phrase of the game. Simply put, she was spectacular.
In the male player of the year category the voters decided to give the award to two athletes, Ryan Armstrong and Kevin Beacham. Armstrong starred in soccer and volleyball and he helped lead the volleyball team to an unbeaten Ocean League title, which was Culver City’s first Ocean League championship in 15 years.
Beacham, who is still competing in the state long jump competition this weekend, was a defensive back and receiver on the Ocean championship football team and he played guard on the basketball team that made it to the playoffs. He is currently competing in the long jump in the state meet this weekend at Buchanan High School in Clovis California.
On Saturday Culver City resident Raul Ramirez is producing a once in lifetime event at UCLA’s John Wooden Center. The Catch Wrestling Alliance International Invitational will feature the USA versus the world format and will have 14 men and women wrestlers from all over the world.
Catch-as-you-can, or Catch wrestling was the foundation of modern freestyle, pro wrestling and mixed martial arts. Catch wrestling is a classical, hybrid grappling type of wrestling developed in 1870.
This one-day event starts at Noon and features a special exhibition of rare Catch Wrestling Memorabilia that includes photos of President Lincoln wrestling as a young man. Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster by calling (800) 745-300.
In pro sports the Los Angeles Kings started their Stanley Cup series against the New York Rangers yesterday and they will play game two of the series Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Staples Center before they travel to New York for games three and four. The Kings should win the series in six games.
The second place Dodgers are on the road for a seven game road trip that starts Friday in Colorado. They will return home on June 13, to face the Arizona Diamondbacks. Yasiel Puig is the number one outfielder on the all-star voters list and Adrian Gonzalez is the leader at first base. The All-Star game is July 15.
On Sunday the Sparks will battle a tough Minnesota team at 12 noon at the Staple Center.