What makes an athlete? Is it skill, dedication, perseverance? All of the above?
No matter which of those criteria you pick, it’s clear that Larry Wiemers meets the standard. At the time of his retirement, the Lucia Mar School District administrator could lay claim to a whole closetful of hats, the first of which he donned in 1963, kicking off 50 years of devotion to athletics with a focus on the Arroyo Grande High School Eagles.
The Eagle Athletic Foundation recently inducted Wiemers and three others into its Hall of Fame at a dinner and ceremony on Jan. 24.
According to the foundation, which lists Wiemers as a “community supporter,” he served as varsity tennis coach twice, leading the boys’ team to earn runner-up spots in the CIF championships in 1969 and 1970. In addition to coaching, he kept time for football and basketball games, serving as the scoreboard operator for the football team from 1964 to the most recent season.
“During his long association with the school, there is no other individual who has volunteered as much time, appropriately, as Wiemers, who even in retirement continues to tirelessly serve and support Arroyo Grande athletics,” the foundation wrote.
The other inductees were:
• Bryan Jones, a 1994 graduate who played varsity basketball and lettered in football and track. He was frequently honored for his skills on the gridiron, and set school records for hurdles—the latter of which contributed to a CIF Division II team title for Arroyo Grande in 1994. After playing on a scholarship at Oregon State, Jones was drafted by the Miami Dolphins, ultimately also playing for the Rams and Packers.
• Dan Lambert, who played tennis at the varsity level for all four years at Arroyo Grande High. The 1970 graduate was eventually inducted into the Cal Poly Hall of Fame—and was the first tennis player to earn that honor—and three times finished as runner up in the national Division II singles competition.
• Angela Orefice Neary, a 1992 graduate who placed in the CIF championship several times and won the girls’ cross country individual championship in 1991, also won conference championships at Cal Poly, competed in the USA Cross Country Nationals, and coached at the University of Arkansas.
The Arroyo Grande Eagle Athletic Foundation aims to help with renovating the high school’s facilities through support and fundraising, with goals that include an all-weather track, a new press box, new bleachers, new lights, and more. For more information about the foundation and its Hall of Fame, call 474-3200, Ext. 3200.
This article appears in Jan 29 – Feb 5, 2015.