Cheerleaders

A tree was planted this week to memorialize a 14-year-old cheerleader killed in a Memorial Day weekend car crash, the girl's stepfather said. The sapling was planted on a corner at the intersection of Culver Drive and Irvine Boulevard in Irvine, where Ashton Sweet died following a May 29 crash that also sent four others to the hospital. Thursday marked the four-month anniversary of Sweet's death, and her stepfather, David Pidcock, said the family visited the intersection and placed candles for his stepdaughter to commemorate the day. Pidcock said the city was helpful in reaching out to the family to find a tree befitting the permanent memorial.

Admirable, commendable and praiseworthy are a few words I use to describe the Costa Mesa High School cheerleaders and their coach. Along with keeping up good grades and their personal lives, these young ladies always find time for community involvement. Coach Kori Johnson is the driving force behind this noteworthy squad. I asked her to explain the type of standards the cheerleaders are held to: "All the girls are held to high standards and are expected to maintain and achieve high academics (3.0 or higher)

CORONA DEL MAR - Although the wall of the gym reads "Home of the Sea Kings," Thursday afternoon belonged to 152 Little Sea Queens, whose parents packed the bleachers to watch their young cheerleaders perform at the final day of cheer camp at Corona del Mar High School. The wood floor boomed with the stomping of small feet at the second-annual event as parents lined the gym, documenting the performance with cameras. "She's my little girl," Kevin Sharp said of his 8-year-old daughter Sydney.

A memorial at the site of where a drunk driver allegedly killed a 14-year-old Irvine cheerleader may be moved at the request of some residents, the victim's family said. Ashton Sweet was killed May 29 in a car crash at Culver Drive and Irvine Boulevard when a driver hit the Mercedes-Benz that she and three other friends were riding in after they left a birthday party. Soon after the crash, the corner's utility box and traffic signal were covered with farewell messages, while flowers and candles covered the sidewalk.

COSTA MESA - On a sunny Saturday with temperatures in the low 70s, a nice breeze rustled through Jim Scott Stadium at just after noon. Costa Mesa Mayor Gary Monahan wasn't kidding when he told the crowd, "What a wonderful day for football, huh?" A few seconds later, Monahan said something else that made the crowd applaud even louder. He announced that the 2011 Costa Mesa Pop Warner season was officially open. Everything appeared to be in place on opening day. There were more than 200 Mesa Eagles on eight teams, from Flag all the way up to Midget, ready to get their season going with scrimmages Saturday afternoon.

SANTA ANA — Speaking from behind a glass partition in Orange County Jail, the Irvine man accused of killing a 14-year-old Irvine cheerleader while driving drunk expressed sadness and concern Friday for the families affected by the May 29 collision. Austin Jeffrey Farley did not admit or deny responsibility for the teenager's death, saying that he is not the "careless maniac" being portrayed in the media. "As a human being, as a person, I feel terrible for their family," he said.

COSTA MESA — Hundreds of coats and sweaters were donated to a local shelter and the Boys & Girls Club, thanks to the efforts of outgoing Councilwoman Katrina Foley, the police department and the Costa Mesa High School cheerleaders. On Friday, the group took the coats they collected for the past few weeks to the Boys & Girls Club on Tustin Avenue and then drove to the Orange Coast Interfaith Shelter and donated two 4-feet-high boxes of overflowing coats and sweaters, Foley said.

Three people remained in critical condition Friday and two others were released from the hospital days after a violent car crash near the Eastern Sierra community of Bishop killed a former Newport-Mesa cheerleading coach, officials said. California Highway Patrol officials said five people are still being treated from the Monday night crash on Highway 395 south of Bishop that killed Wendy Rice, 35, the former cheerleading coach and director at Corona del Mar High School. Rice, who led the high school squad from 2001 to 2008, was the cheerleading coach for California Baptist University in Riverside when she died.

BISHOP -- At least three people have been killed in a a fiery multi-vehicle crash near Bishop, including a cheerleading coach from California Baptist University according to California Highway Patrol officials. The crash, on U.S. Highway 395, was reported just before 8:30 p.m. Monday. Three vans carrying members of California Baptist University's cross country team were traveling northbound when a southbound Ford SUV drifted off the shoulder, swerved into the center median and then struck the second of the three vans, CHP Officer Dennis Cleland said.

CORONA DEL MAR — It was a sort of passing of the torch – make that a baton – from one generation to the next. The Corona del Mar High School's Sea Kings dominated the gymnasium floor on Thursday as dozens of varsity and junior varsity cheerleaders performed alongside elementary school children in what has become a popular fundraising event for the squads. Varsity and junior varsity coaches Lauren Anderson and Cami Marseilles had a full day organizing the event while throngs of proud parents looked on from the sidelines of the gym. It was quite the scene as tykes performed stunts in sync with the older, more experienced cheerleaders.