Mud-Loving Team Is Kept on Track

They wanted to play in the mud. But they had to settle for a run in the rain.

While Wednesday’s powerful winter storm was causing havoc across the region, several dozen members of the Santa Monica High School soccer team were running 40-yard sprints in a torrential downpour.

But don’t blame this punishing exercise on some sadistic coach.

The kids liked it.

“It was a battle to keep them off the field,” said Santa Monica Assistant Principal Stephen Mahoney. “Have you ever played soccer? Playing in the mud is one of the most fun things to do.”

With the field turned into a virtual lake, though, a practice game might have damaged the turf.

So players had to be content with a few wet and miserable laps around the track.

Mahoney said the soccer team practices every school day, come rain or shine.

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CANALS RUNNETH OVER: At the Venice canals, meanwhile, the water level and drama were high.

As the storm sent water cascading into the canals, a power outage froze the electronic tidal gates, preventing the water from escaping into Ballona Creek. By 4:30 p.m., water was licking the top of the canal banks and threatening to flood dozens of nearby homes.

But then came the cavalry, in the form of a city Bureau of Street Maintenance work crew. They opened the gates manually at Washington Boulevard and Grand Canal, saving the day.

“Disaster was averted. . . . It was just in the nick of time,” said Nancy Zubiri, whose house faces Grand Canal. “If the rain had kept coming and no one was there, who knows what would have happened.”

Within 15 minutes the canal water level had dropped a foot. Said one neighbor: “We just had too much water in too short a time.”

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EXEMPLARY IRISH: The Great American Irish Foundation is looking for a few good chips off the Emerald Isle.

The foundation, a Los Angeles group, is gearing up for the 1995 celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. Until Jan. 15, it is accepting nominations for the annual Irishman and Irishwoman of the Year awards, a tradition that has continued for more than 10 years.

The two winners, and up to 10 other Irish Americans who give their heritage a good name, will be honored on March 17 by Mayor Richard Riordan and the Los Angeles City Council. Past winners include Los Angeles Fire Chief Donald O. Manning and actress Anjelica Huston.

“Irish Americans have had a lot to do with the development of Los Angeles, and we want to remember the people who have been involved with it,” says Terrance Anderson, president of the Great Irish American Foundation, a nonprofit group that organizes Irish events in the Los Angeles area.

Prospective Irishmen and Irishwomen of 1995 must qualify in one of three categories.

They must demonstrate leadership qualities and have made significant contributions in such fields as the arts, religion, business, academia, sports or politics. Or they must be celebrities who reflect well on Irish Americans. Or they must show leadership in the local Irish American community.

All, of course, must be Irish.