EL SEGUNDO HERALD June 16, 2016 Page 7 The 1984 Olympics Keep on Giving By Rob McCarthy The 1984 Summer Olympics were so successful that 32 years later the profits are keeping Southern California kids and after-school sports programs running. The funding drive by LA84 owes its longevity to the L.A. Olympic Organizing Committee that wisely hired business executive Peter Ueberroth to take charge. The ‘84 Games and Los Angeles did what no other Olympics host city had done before. It turned a massive profit, which it split 60-40 between the U.S. Olympic Committee and the LA84 Foundation. That nonprofit still hasn’t r u n o u t o f money for youth sports leagues, coaching, facilities, gear and equipment. El Segundo and Lawndale Youth Football and Cheer, the Inglewood Police Activities The 1984 L.A. Olympic Organizing Committee, led by Peter Ueberroth, set up a charity for Southern California youth sports. League (PAL), Torrance Swim, and the TGA Golf Foundation all have received financial support. The gifts ranged from $10,000 for football and cheer to $22,000 for after-school golf lessons in Hawthorne. “The LA84 Foundation is a living legacy of the 1984 Olympic Games hosted in Los Angeles, made possible by the surplus we were able to achieve,” said Ueberroth, now a foundation board member. He was named Time’s Man of the Year for his tight-fisted management of the Summer Games, which used existing stadiums and arenas as Olympic venues to avoid massive construction costs. The foundation has given $1.3 million this year in both large and small grants to after-school sports programs, the Southern California Tennis Association, flag rugby, swimming, squash, boxing, girls baseball, gymnastics, equestrian and soccer. The foundation isn’t done giving for this year. Another round of grants will be announced this month, and any sports-based nonprofit serving children in the South Bay may apply. Upcoming grant cycles and how to apply are explained at the foundation’s web site, http://www.la84.org. LA84 calls the $1.3 million spent so far “an investment” that will keep 38,000 youth active in after-school sports across Southern California. Grants also pay for referees, uniforms, coaching clinics, gym repairs, scoreboards and equestrian scholarships. The awards range from $5,000 to $337,000, depending on the size of the need and the number of children involved. “Sports have the power to create a lasting positive impact on a child’s life, and we are inspired by all the kids and organizations that embody the values that have encouraged our organization to give back to our communities since the 1984 Olympic Games,” said foundation chief executive Renata Simril, a bronze rowing medalist in the 1976 Summer Games in Munich. Ueberroth tried out for the 1956 Games with the U.S. men’s volleyball team. Play Rugby, which is introducing flag ruby in L.A. schools, received $77,000 in January to cover staff, tournaments and startup costs. The Venice Boys & Girls Club received $25,000 for staff and uniforms for the Play Now program. A $25,000 grant went to the Catholic Youth Organization’s spring soccer program for middle schools. Since it began operations in 1985, it has invested $220 million in sports programs serving more than 3 million youth in the eight Southern California counties of Los Angeles, Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Ventura. The LA84 Foundation’s emphasis on coaching instruction means “kids aren’t just out there throwing a basketball around. They’re learning how to play basketball. They’re developing skills – hopefully, lifelong skills and, more important, lifetime habits,” said LAUSD Assistant Superintendent Al Cortes with the Beyond the Bell program, which is a foundation favorite. Los Angeles became a model for Barcelona (1992) and Atlanta (1996), which orchestrated successful Games and revitalized their urban centers with smart planning and design. Los Angeles is the U.S. Olympic Committee’s choice to host the Summer Games again in 2024. Hoping to join London as the only threetime host city for the Games, Los Angeles isn’t considered a favorite despite its track record of hosting the 1932 and 1984 Olympiads. Boston was the U.S. Olympic’s Committee’s first choice for the 2024 Games before city leaders withdrew their bid. Paris, Rome and Hamburg, Germany, also submitted bids to the International Olympic Committee. The IOC’s decision is still a year away. “You can’t overemphasize the importance of experience,” USOC Chief Executive Scott Blackmun said in support of Los Angeles’ bid. “They’ve got strong venues. They’ve got incredibly strong public support.” The LA84 Foundation is open to grant requests from any youth sports organization in Southern California. A list of recent grant recipients can be viewed at the foundation’s website to see what it supports. Read through the grant guidelines, and direct any questions about the process to the foundation’s program officers, Pilar Diaz (pdiaz@la84.org) or Nolan Ortiz (nortiz@ la84.org). The LA84 Foundation also operates the largest sports research library in North America from its headquarters, 2141 W. Adams Blvd. A collection of historic sport art and artifacts is kept on display, including items from the Helms Athletic Foundation Sports Halls of Fame. Visits are by appointment only, which can be made at the foundation’s web site. • ‘The Fits’ Proves That Creativity in the Film Industry Isn’t Dead By Morgan Rojas for www.cinemacy.com In 2015, director Anna Rose Holmer was declared one of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film,” and after watching her feature directorial debut, “The Fits,” it’s obvious to see why. Holmer doesn’t only manage to capture the entire world of her story in a brisk 70-minute running time, she has the ability to evoke palpable emotion without the use of much dialogue, which culminates in a chills-inducing final scene (as this reviewer can attest to). Eleven-year-old Toni (newcomer Royalty Hightower), a young girl of color, stands out from the rest of the youths around her. In a recreational boxing gym, with long boxer braids hanging off of her tiny frame, Toni stands apart from the rest of the boys, working through a set of sit-ups as her overprotective brother Jermaine (Da’Sean Minor) practices jabs. Yet she also stands out from the other girls, a group of whom spend time just down the hall from the gym as part of a hip-hop dance troupe, which is where Toni, after hearing the transfixing reverb of deep bass music, is drawn to and sees an energetic, hypnotizing dance battle between them. Without telling Jermaine, Toni joins the girls, thrusting herself into a new world of forging female friendships and self-discovery in adulthood. Things turn strange when some of the older girls on the team begin experiencing unexplained “fits,” including loss of breath, convulsions, and passing out. This puts the fear of the unknown in all of the girls. Toni and her new friend Beezy (Alexis Neblett) can only explain it as “boyfriend disease.” This is where the film turns unexpectedly dark, the score begins to reflect a psychological thriller and everyone, the audience included, is on the edge of our seat trying to figure out just what is wrong and how to stop it. What captivated audiences in Sia’s “Chandelier” music video has the potential to do the same thing here, the dancing mixed with the innocence of the girls and the art house feel of the film is a winning combination. Royalty Hightower puts on a tour de force performance, she carries the film on her back so effortlessly. Her strengths don’t just come out in the pull-ups she does, they are hidden within her face and explode during high-intensity scenes. Remember her name, Royalty Hightower is just getting started. While she may be a first time director, Holmer definitely has behind the camera experience. Her past work in the industry includes camera department on films such as “Twilight” and “Tiny Furniture,” two very different films tonally, but both standouts to me personally. It is no wonder then that some of the film’s strongest qualities are the beautifully composed shots; from ethereal one takes of Toni practicing her dance routine outside on the stairs to the energized repetition of the group’s call and answer moves, Holmer makes every frame look like a work of art. Not a lot of dialogue is spoken, nor does it need to be, because the visuals easily carry the film to great heights. “The Fits” is equal parts dramatic and surreal, and on a larger scale, proves that creativity in the film industry is not dead. After seeing this film, how can one even stand the thought of another sequel or superhero blockbuster? If directors like Holmer are just given a chance, I believe the whole industry would be changed for the better. “The Fits” is an astounding job all around, stylistically composed with the substance and heart to back it up. “The Fits” is now playing in select theaters, including Laemmle’s Monica Film Center, Playhouse 7, and NoHo 7. • Film Review Royalty Hightower as Toni in ‘The Fits.’ Courtesy of Oscilloscope. “The 1984 Summer Olympics were so successful that 32 years later the profits are keeping Southern California kids and after-school sports programs running.”
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