Lompoc attorney James Hall said he hasn’t ridden a motorcycle in years. His old Yamaha collects dust in his garage. Hall better start making room in that garage for a new bike, and set aside some plans for a road trip, because on July 6, he was announced the winner of a new Harley Davidson […]
PETER JOHNSON
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
For the love of the disc: Waller Park celebrates two decades of disc golf with the Santa Maria Open on July 30 and 31
Philo Brathwaite, a professional disc golfer, takes a running start. In one fluid motion, he twists his body, uncoils, and flings his disc. The disc leaves his hand and soars through the air about 50 yards before delicately curving to the right around a group of trees. As the disc travels, amazingly, its flight path […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Connor Hayes
Connor Hayes, 15, is never afraid of embracing the role of “emotional team leader” when it is needed most. And with the fate of the Lompoc Babe Ruth 15s baseball team hanging in the balance against San Luis Obispo on June 28, Hayes felt it was necessary to call his teammates together before the game […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Best in the West: Unlikely Righetti wrestling duo Banduenga and Martinez trains for prestigious tournament in North Dakota
Righetti High School wrestling teammates John Martinez and Beni Banduenga don’t have all that much in common. Martinez is a senior; Banduenga is a sophomore. Martinez has been a wrestler since the age of 11; Banduenga picked up the sport only six months ago. Martinez goes into matches with a veteran’s mindset: He knows exactly […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Jessica Bautista
It took a little while, but recent Pioneer Valley High School grad and wrestler extraordinaire Jessica Bautista has found a home for herself next school year. Bautista will attend and wrestle at Emmanuel College, a small Division II school in Franklin Springs, Ga. “It wasn’t until the last week of school [when I decided on […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Euro trip: Danish exchange student to host St. Joseph’s teammate for grueling week of tennis training
In a few weeks, a pair of St. Joseph High School tennis teammates will step onto an airplane—destination: Copenhagen, Denmark. Avnish Bhatt, an incoming senior at St. Joe’s, will be making his first-ever trip to Europe, reveling in an exciting opportunity to improve his tennis game by training on clay courts with top Danish coaches. […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Blake Jaeckels
Recent St. Joe’s graduate Blake Jaeckels never would have guessed two years ago that track and field would be his sport of choice going into college. “My whole life, football was my favorite sport,” the St. Joe’s quarterback told the Sun. “I was waiting to see if something would happen for football.” Sometimes the best […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Keepin’ the dream alive: A scrappy group of Allan Hancock College baseball teammates will take their talents to four-year schools
Kyle King, an Allan Hancock College student, is not your typical college sophomore. A Bakersfield native, King left California after graduating high school and began his college journey in Mount Carmel, Ill., at a small community college. Why Mount Carmel? Simple. King was able to continue playing baseball there. Baseball was something he was dead-set […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Olivia Gutierrez
Lompoc High School senior Olivia Gutierrez was so amped for the Braves’ CIF Division 5 championship match on June 4, that she wasn’t sure if it was prudent to discuss her arsenal of pitches with the Sun. “Am I allowed to tell you this?” she asked during a phone interview on June 3, the day […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Going for the gold: One Way Water Polo Club team hopes to qualify for National Junior Olympics in July
Fifteen months ago, a group of local 9- and 10-year-olds jumped into a swimming pool and grabbed a water polo ball for the first time. Now, that same group is aspiring to compete in the U.S.A. Water Polo Junior Olympics next month. Riding a wave of newfound love for water polo and their team, the […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Claire Bouquet
Playing college tennis was her goal since junior high school. Now, Claire Bouquet, a St. Joseph High School senior, has not only achieved her childhood goal, but will get to fulfill it at a prestigious Division I tennis program close to home. Bouquet, the 2015 PAC 8 singles champion, on May 19 signed a national […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Last teams standing: Righetti baseball, Lompoc softball make runs in CIF; season ends in heartbreak for Santa Ynez, Cabrillo
If you only looked at the Righetti High School baseball team’s overall record of 16-16 this season, you would never guess that they’re one of the top eight teams in the CIF Southern Section. Well, numbers can be deceiving. Righetti snuck into the playoffs after a rocky, up-and-down 2016 campaign, and yet the Warriors stayed […]
