Page 6 July 16, 2015 EL SEGUNDO HERALD Peter S. Borden, MD SHOULDER, KNEE AND ANKLE SPORTS MEDICINE SPECIALIST Chris F. Wolf, MD CERVICAL, THORACIC AND LUMBAR SPINE SPECIALIST Allyson A. Estess, MD SHOULDER, KNEE, AND HIP SPORTS MEDICINE SPECIALIST sportsandspineortho.com 2361 Rosecrans Ave., Suite #165, El Segundo | 310-775-2331 23456 Hawthorne Blvd., Suite #200, Torrance | 310-375-8700 The Lizzy Garland Scholarship Award Story By Gregg McMullin Photos courtesy of John Garland The El Segundo high school softball team awards a scholarship to one or more of its players in memory of one of their own who passed away two years ago. The Lizzy Garland Scholarship Award is awarded to a graduating senior who best exemplifies what Liz Garland stood for and what she meant to the softball team and our community. The winner of the scholarship is not necessarily the best athlete on the team but whose life is most characterized by those qualities manifested in Lizzy’s life. Elisabeth Kloe ‘Lizzy’ Garland, who was named after her two grandmothers Elisabeth Morrow and Kloe Garland, is a story about a truly remarkable athlete but more importantly a very special person beyond words. Lizzy touched the lives of people while she was here on earth and continues to do so after her passing in May 2013. According to her father, John Garland, his daughter lived the spirit in the Bible that are listed in Galatians which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control plus being an uplifting and positive teammate. To better understand who Lizzy was we can travel back to the El Segundo Middle School where she was voted “The Kindest” student each year. Then, it continues to the beginning of her freshman year in high school when she tried out for the softball team. The moment that head softball coach Keith Cameron saw Lizzy walk on the field he got the impression that she would be a special player for his team. She made such an impression that she made the varsity team in 2005 and she was a four-year letterman. “Liz had this special something about her that even the older players took notice of.” That special something was her work ethic, character, her devotion to her teammates and her willingness to make her team better, whatever it took. Coach Cameron remembers Lizzy making the team as a pitcher who had such a high competitive drive. Early in her freshman season she was struggling to find the strike zone but she was given the opportunity to work through it in an El Segundo Tournament game. Things didn’t go well and she hit three batters in a row. Cameron said, “I walked out to the mound and I told her I was taking her out and that we needed to work with her more before her next start. She looked up at me and gave me this big smile and said she understood. Later in the dugout she told me she would work as hard as possible to become our starting third baseman.” Cameron says he still gets emotional thinking about Liz and what she meant to the Lizzy and that million dollar smile. El Segundo high school softball program. “I appreciate each and every player that comes through our program and then there’s players Burkley & Brandlin LLP A T T O R N E Y S A T L A W Living Trusts/Wills, Probate, Employment Law, Personal Injury Trust and Estates Litigation, Business Litigation, Civil Litiga tion 310-540-6000 Lifetime El Segundo Residents *AV Rated (Highest) Martindale - Hubbell / **Certified Specialist Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law, State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization Brian R. Brandlin • Bruce R. Brandlin • Christopher P. Brandlin Lakers’ Future Shines Bright By Adam Serrao For three straight years now the summer has been a disappointment for the Los Angeles Lakers. Going into the offseason with money in their pockets and as huge players on the free-agent market, Mitch Kupchak and the rest of the Lakers front office have dangled dollar signs and trophies in front of the best players on the market only to walk back home empty handed at the end of the day. This offseason was no different. As LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love, DeAndre Jordan and many other of this year’s best free-agents signed elsewhere, the Lakers stood pat and looked on like a young child on Christmas Day who received nothing but socks and underwear. Christmas Day may not have looked good for the Lakers at first glance, but those socks and underwear are going to pave the way for a toy chest full of surprises in the off-seasons to come. While many Laker fans have been left disappointed and with questions on their minds, Kupchak remains focused and levelheaded. “No, not at all. It wasn’t demoralizing,” the Lakers GM said of his team’s free agency period. “It’s part of doing business. There are 30 very, very competitive NBA teams. All general managers are smart. They’re armed with brilliant supporting staffs, owners that are very successful, and it’s a very, very competitive market. It’s unrealistic to think in this day and age that every time you go into the free-agent market that you’re going to get exactly what you target.” While that may just be an excuse for striking out on Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, and now Aldridge, Kupchak does have a point. There was once a time that the Lakers got everything that they wanted on the free-agent market, but the Lakers aren’t what they used to be and General Managers aren’t the only ones who are smart nowadays. Big name free agents who have already made a name for themselves in this league don’t necessarily want to go to another team that is in the process of rebuilding. Like Kevin Love said this offseason, he, and other free agents like him, want to “go to a place where they can win, make money and be happy.” The Lakers may be a great destination for two out of those three things, but when it comes to winning, players like Love and Aldridge want to win now. While the Lakers look like they may be building a future, that future is still a year or two away at this point. The Lakers have now missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons for only the second time in franchise history. This past season, however, takes the cake as the worst ever. Finishing at 21-61 in the standings, if the Lakers don’t begin to get better now, then there is serious cause for concern in Hollywood. The players that the Lakers acquired in this June’s draft may just be the team’s key to future success, however, and may just bring “Showtime” back to the Staples Center. The most notable acquisition is former Ohio State guard and second overall pick See Lizzy Garland, page 7 See Lakers, page 16
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