Thief Steals Glory From Medal Winners

The winners at the Sunset League Championship Swim Meet in May will have memories of victory, but they may lack the medals to prove it.

Susie Crandall, president of Fountain Valley High School’s Aquatic Boosters Club, walked out of her home at 6:30 a.m. Monday and discovered her 20-year-old Ford 250 truck had been stolen.

The theft of the brown-and-white truck was upsetting enough, but the loss of 402 medals, which were stored in the back, is a major concern.

“What really irritates me is that we may not be able to replace the medals,” Crandall said. “We order them a year in advance because they are custom made.”

Fountain Valley High School is host for this year’s Sunset League championship, which involves six area high schools in one of the county’s most competitive swimming leagues.

The engraved medals, which are useless to anyone except Sunset League competitors, cost the league more than $2,300, but the money is not the biggest hurdle in replacing them.

Paul Purdum, the owner of All-American Trophy in Montebello, made the originals, but said he may not be able to replace them in time for the May 6 competition.

“We get parts from all over to put the medals together,” Purdum said. “It takes about four weeks, which means we would be right up against the deadline.”

Members of the Fountain Valley High School swim team are among those who could end up winning without a medal. Team members practice five hours a day.

“As a senior, it would have been nice to go out with something I would have always had, to remember that one day,” said Kiff Crandall, captain of the boys swim team at Fountain Valley High. “If you have that medal, it says you were one of the best.”

Anyone who has information on the whereabouts of the medals or the truck is urged to contact Fountain Valley High School at (714) 962-3301.