Costa Mesa Pop Warner kicks off 2011 season with ceremonies,
scrimmages.

 Costa Mesa Mayor Gary Monahan speaks
during Costa Mesa Pop Warner opening day ceremonies at Jim Scott Stadium on
Saturday. (KEVIN CHANG, Daily Pilot / August 20, 2011)

August 20,
2011 | 9:26
p.m.

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

From left- Sotomayer, Letterman, and Galitski

 

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. There were 40 Pop Warner
cheerleaders on three squads. The Costa Mesa High band and Estancia High
cheerleaders got everyone in the mood, as did drummer Daniel Castro, an Estancia
High student, on the field.

School board members and city leaders were all present. The one man who
wasn’t was the one who the stadium was named after, Jim Scott. This is the first
Pop Warner season since Scott died in May at 85. He was instrumental in bringing
the stadium, which was built in 2008, to Estancia, as well as an Olympic-sized
pool at Costa Mesa High.

“Everybody wants to come play us,” said Ed Baume, Costa Mesa Pop Warner’s
director of football. “They want to come and play on this field. Jim Scott would
be proud to know that what his dream was is a reality. We wouldn’t have it if it
wasn’t for him. They talked about it ever since I’ve lived here, about building
a second stadium. It’s a good facility. Even the referees say, ‘Yeah, we want to
go to Costa Mesa.’ ”

Baume pointed to the letters that spell “Jim Scott Stadium” above the locker
rooms.

“Normally they don’t name [a stadium] for somebody who’s alive,” he said.
“They made an exception for Jim.”

Saturday was also a big day for Baume, 83, who said he has been involved with
Costa Mesa Pop Warner since 1965. He was one of three people who received
special recognition from league President Chris Cox during the opening day
ceremonies. The others were Costa Mesa Pop Warner cheer advisor and Estancia
High cheer coach Yumi Patterson, as well as Costa Mesa City Council member and
former CMPW President Steve Mensinger.

Baume kept his speech to the crowd, which gave him a standing ovation, short
and sweet.

“I have been around a while, and I hope to be around even longer,” he said.
“In 2013, Costa Mesa Pop Warner will be 50 years old, and the very first team we
ever had was the Costa Mesa Pee Wee Colts. I hope that in 2013 we’ll be able to
restore the Costa Mesa Pee Wee Colts to the standing they deserve. I look
forward to that day.”

As part of his duties, Baume set up Saturday’s scrimmages, mostly against
teams from Yorba Linda and the Palos Verdes area. The Flag team of 5- and
6-year-olds was first up in the stadium at 1 p.m.

The real games begin next weekend for Costa Mesa Pop Warner. The
organization’s home stadium bears the name of someone gone, but definitely not
forgotten.

“I think that kind of leadership, that boldness of Jim Scott has helped all
of us to push and get involved,” Costa Mesa Chief Executive Tom Hatch said.
“That leadership is going to be guiding us for many years.”

Cox is just in his first year leading the Eagles as president. He said he
also saw opening day as an event that really brought the community together. So
did Newport-Mesa Unified School District school board member Judy Franco.

“[Costa Mesa Pop Warner] is a magnificent program,” Franco said. ” It teaches
so much in the way of values and teamwork. This is really what life is about.”

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