The Polynesian canoe Hōkūleʻa has been making its way down the Southern California coastline, previously stopping in Marina Del Rey and earlier this week in Newport Beach.  It will be docking at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point on Saturday for the weekend before heading to the Maritime Museum of San Diego from Nov. 8-14.

It is all part of a four-year adventure navigating the Pacific Ocean.

“It’s a great way to disconnect and reconnect with the nature around us,” said crewmember Jonah Apo, from Oahu.  “We are fully immersed when we are deep at sea.”

Thousands of years ago, voyagers used only nature and ancestral knowledge as their map to navigate between islands, but through the generations the knowledge was lost.

In an attempt to resurrect the traditional methods, the Polynesian Voyaging Society built the Hōkūleʻa, a double-hulled canoe, for an inaugural trip from Hawaii to Tahiti in 1976.

“Voyaging is the origin of how Polynesians migrated throughout the Pacific, they were exceptional navigators and adventurers. They were the astronauts of their time,” Apo said. “At one point, that knowledge and history was lost.

“We’re reclaiming that culture and knowledge of navigators,” he said. “When you think of the people who came before you, it’s an important aspect in Hawaiian culture.”

During a tragic trip two years after the first voyage, in 1978, surfing big-wave legend Eddie Aikau died while trying to save fellow crew members caught in a storm. He attempted to paddle to shore for help, but was never seen again.

The rest of the crew was eventually saved, and a plaque at the front of the ship today reminds people of Aikau’s legacy.

Not wanting to end the ship’s story with Aikau’s death, one of the last remaining experienced voyagers, Mau Piailug, trained others to navigate the Hōkūle‘a in an attempt to replicate the successful 1976 voyage.

They made the journey from Tahiti back to Hawaii, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished in 600 years. It was the beginning of many more successful voyages in the following decades. In 2000, Hōkūleʻa was proclaimed as Hawaii’s first state treasure.

The vessel has been on 15 major excursions. Most recently, it went on a world-wide voyage from 2014 to 2017 with its sister ship, the Hikianalia Voyaging Canoe, visiting Dana Point in 2018. 

Hōkūleʻa’s current adventure kicked off in Alaska in June for a four-year trek that will cover 43,000 nautical miles.

The plan has shifted because of the El Nino and hurricane season expected to hit this winter, as well as the devastating fires on Maui, so the crew will head home to Hawaii following the San Diego stop.

The voyage will resume in the South Pacific through New Zealand, Australia and eventually up to Japan, before the Hōkūleʻa is shipped back to Los Angeles to make its way down to Mexico and South America.

Apo said he was first introduced to the vessel in high school, joining a few training sails, and quickly fell in love with the canoe and voyaging. He became a volunteer at age 16 and now, at 23, is part of the crew.

At each port, the reception has been amazing, he said.

“We’ve been met with many gracious hosts,” he said, noting that before coming to shore, they always get permission from indigenous tribes to enter the water and land.

“There’s so much excitement about the canoe, kids are curious about it,” he said. “Sharing our canoe with them is one of my favorite parts of the voyage.”

“Legacy is important and being able to share our knowledge with future generations,” he said.

The Hōkūleʻa will arrive in Dana Point Harbor on Saturday, Nov. 4, with a ceremony at sea at 4 p.m. and a welcome ceremony at the Ocean Institute at 5 p.m. On Sunday, there will be a screening of the Disney movie “Moana” at 6:45 p.m., with commentary from the crew.

Free dockside canoe tours will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday; 1 to 5 p.m. on Monday; and 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesday.

More info: hokulea.com

The ninth annual Napa in Newport, which was held in Newport Beach for the first seven years until relocating last year, will take place this year at the tony Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point. CureDuchenne, a nonprofit dedicated to eradicating Duchenne muscular dystrophy, will team up with Meika Estates to host a dinner featuring cuisine by chef Ken Frank, owner of La Toque in Napa, which once held a one-star Michelin ranking. In addition to the modern French cuisine dinner, guests can bid on collectable wines, getaways and other unique experiences.

The benefit raises funds and awareness to help stamp out Duchenne, one of the most common forms of muscular dystrophy. Duchenne, which has an average life expectancy of 27 years, is caused by mutations in the gene encoding for dystrophin, a protein that muscles require to properly function. People living with the condition usually succumb to lung or heart issues. It affects approximately 1 in 5,000 male births.

“As we continue to make strides in Duchenne research, funding is critical to bring transformative treatments to thousands that need them,” said Debra Miller, founder and CEO of CureDuchenne, in a written statement, whose son is afflicted with Duchenne. “None of it would be possible without our vintners, sponsors, and attendees that support this event and bring us one step closer to a cure.”

Over the past eight years, Napa In Newport has helped pull in more than $10.5 million for CureDuchenne, which has raised more than $50 million for research and funded 18 research projects to advance human clinical trials.

For more details about CureDuchenne, visit cureduchenne.org. To purchase tickets or buy a table, head to thenapawineseries.com/napa-in-newport. The event starts at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov 4.

Find it: 1 Monarch Beach Resort N, Dana Point

Or so it seems. Often, the reserved spots end up empty, with no-shows leaving the coveted sites unused. But starting next year, a slew of changes by State Parks could make nabbing a campsite easier.

Changes recently signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom will add heftier penalties for people who book campsites in advance, but don’t bother to cancel them, as well as penalties for people who don’t cancel well in advance to allow others to stay and play.

“There’s a bunch of dynamic changes, making it easier and more accessible,” said State Parks Superintendent Kevin Pearsall.

Since the pandemic, getting outdoors and camping have become even more popular pastimes throughout the state. A campsite and park in Humboldt County that was typically getting 100,000 visitors a year, for example, now gets 600,000 people visiting, he said.

With 279 state parks, the department offers an estimated 15,000 camping sites and lodgings available across the state.

The biggest frustration is when people book a spot and don’t bother to cancel if they can’t make it.

“You have people who make double and triple reservations to invite friends, then they don’t come and they don’t cancel and we’re stuck,” Pearsall said. “A lot of parks, that’s affecting their overall gross sales receipts.”

Although the bill goes into effect on Jan. 1, the changes will be implemented when a new reservation system contract goes into place at the end of summer.

A reservation holder who cancels a reservation within two to six days before the reservation start date will have to forfeit the cost of the reservation for the first night, plus any reservation fees.

Currently, campers can cancel their reservation up to 5 p.m. the night before their reservation and only incur a processing fee penalty of $7.99. Under the new rules, a reservation holder can cancel seven days or more and only incur the cost of the processing fee.

Within 24 hours of the first night or for no shows, the entire cost of a reservation and fees will be forfeited. Currently for no-shows, State Parks holds the campsite for one night and then allows it to be reserved and available for a walk-up. A no-show loses the first night fee only, plus reservation and cancellation fees.

The parks department may restrict a person from reserving a site for more than seven consecutive nights during peak season if the person has occupied the same campsite proposed for reservation for more than 30 days in a calendar year, or if they fail to show up for at least three reservations made online in one calendar year.

The new rules also require the department to, by Jan. 1, 2025, create a reservation drawing for canceled spots at five of the most popular locations in the state park system, with a report on how it goes by 2028.

The state is also looking to crack down on third-party vendors that use software to gobble up campsites and resell them at a higher price.

“We’re keeping on top of it, but part of the new reservation system is to key in on that quicker,” Pearsall said.

California’s reservation system, ReserveCalifornia, underwent an overhaul in 2018 — a change that was meant to make reservations easier, but has prompted an increase in campers complaining it’s actually harder to nab a spot.

Instead of an entire month of reservation spots opening up on the first of each month six months in advance, it’s now a rolling system for each date. For example, a spot for June 20 would have to be reserved on Jan. 20. If you want a reservation for Christmas Day, you have to jump online on June 25 for a chance to get it. This part of the reservation system isn’t expected to change next year.

At Doheny State Beach in Dana Point on a recent day, campers expressed frustration about the reservation system.

Mike and Bev Helders were on a road trip from Canada, first stopping at Carlsbad in San Diego further south. When they arrived, a sign said the campsite was full.

“When we got there, it was half empty,” Mike Helders said. “It’s weird.”

They had to go online to see if any last-minute cancellations popped up, and luckily grabbed a spot for the night.

“We came back and got a site, but our whole section was empty,” Bev Helders said.

Katie Harper, from Las Vegas, has an elaborate tactic to get a spot at the beachfront campgrounds, considered one of the most popular in the state. She hops on six months in advance, enlisting family members to do the same, to get one of the sites right on the sand.

For 10 years, she and family have made the trek during “Nevada Day,” a state holiday where kids get off school, a perfect time because it’s not too hot, she said.

“We have friends trying to get in this week,” she said. “They couldn’t get a spot, but then it’s empty.”

A life-size, bronze statue showcasing the Boehnes riding a skateboard tandem – Barrie hoisted high above Steve’s head – was unveiled on Wednesday, Oct. 25, during a ceremony that brought together friends, family and fans. The statue, created by artist Bill Limebrook, joins statues of icons Hobie Alter, Joyce Hoffman, Bruce Brown, John Severson, and Phil Edwards are already on display at Watermen’s Plaza.

When the city envisioned Watermen’s Plaza, it was to recognize the watermen and women who made their mark where they lived, worked, innovated and, of course, surfed, in Dana Point, said Mike Frost, the town’s mayor.

“Now, Steve and Barrie are honored with the first, life-sized tandem statue in the nation,” he said.

Frost ticked off a list of the couple’s accolades – more than any tandem team in history – to the large crowd that gathered across from Doheny State Beach on Pacific Coast Highway for the ceremony, including winning the world tandem championship title twice, the US Surfing Championships four times and the prestigious Makaha and France contests each five times.

“That’s a lot of trophies,” Frost said, noting they were also featured on ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” and in Life Magazine.

What also made the Boehnes’ story special was their surf shop, Infinity Surfboards, in business for more than 53 years. The couple moved their operation south from Huntington Beach, landing in Dana Point about 35 years ago.

“I think Barrie and Steve’s career epitomizes the surf culture, the authenticity of Dana Point,” Frost said.

Surfer Derek Erickson has been a part of the Infinity team for 30 years, first sponsored by the brand when he moved from Hawaii to California in pursuit of a pro surfing career.

Three decades later, Steve Boehne is now teaching Erickson how to shape surfboards.

“They are truly a great family,” Erickson said. “They are so nice and gracious, humble people.”

Son Dave Boehne talked about how he and his brother, Dan, heard their entire lives how cool their parents are – no surprise for the siblings who grew up with a “mad scientist” dad and a “ripping” mom who would do anything adventurous.

He first talked about his dad, a legendary surfboard shaper and also one of the “nicest guys on the planet.”

“He has a heart of gold,” he said. “He’s the guy, if you have a challenging or crazy idea for a project, you go to Steve. He’s the guy who can do it and more importantly is willing to take on the projects most shapers don’t want to touch. Watching my dad shape surfboards is like watching a smooth jazz performance. He was born to shape and each performance ends with a magic board.”

Steve Boehne has spent a lifetime making sure other people were having a good time, starting when he was a teen taking out his younger siblings to ride tandem.

“He would take other people out surfing and paddling to experience the thrill of riding waves and share the same stoke he had for the ocean,” Dave Boehne said.  “He had more fun doing that than surfing solo.”

If it’s “tandemizable” – a word Steve Boehne coined – he’s done it: tandem surfing, tandem mountain biking, tandem stand-up paddle, tandem snowboarding, tandem windsurfing and, as depicted in the statue, tandem skateboarding.

“He truly is Mr. Tandem. His giving personality is what defines him the most,” Dave Boehne said. “My dad, the living legend.”

His mom is a woman with an unlimited amount of energy and an unreal spirit for adventure, he said.

The photo used as an inspiration for the statue was from a film shot in the mid-1970s of the couple skateboarding, he said, holding up the image of Barrie in the air casually resting in Steve’s hands while he rides a skateboard.

“My mom is three months pregnant with myself in this photo. Pretty crazy. I don’t want to steal anybody’s thunder, but … I’m in the statue!” he said, a big smile on his face and fists clinched to the sky as the crowd cheered.

Barrie Boehne, 75, is still an inspiration, encouraging everyone she comes in contact with to be the best they can be, he said. “My mom, the ripper.”

Steve Boehne held back tears during his speech, talking about how fun it was to watch the process as  Limebrook formed the bronze statue.

“If he wanted to make a change to a head or a body part, he would  just saw off a limb, and put it back in place,” he said. “We were each decapitated and amputated several times.”

Boehne asked the artist why he picked a skateboard, rather than a surfboard, since riding waves is what the couple is most known for.

“He pointed out a 12-foot tandem surfboard would just invite every kid and tourist to climb up on the board with us to pose for a picture,” Boehne said. “When they fell off, it would cause far more injuries than what we were doing.”

Boehne said tandem surfing has been the “ultimate in a male-female relationship.”

“The strength and surfing knowledge for the guy, combined with the grace, beauty and trust from the girl,” Boehne said. “We have wonderful memories of tandem waves we have shared together.

“I am so lucky she was with me all these years, thousands of waves we have ridden together all over the world,” he added. “We finally retired after 40 years of tandem competition in 2005. But we will be tandeming together in this statue forever.”

The petite, 5-foot, 89-pound surfer girl from Santa Monica had forgotten something important – her wetsuit.

“She didn’t want to say ‘I’m not going out.’ I didn’t want to say I wasn’t going out. So we paddled out without wetsuits in the middle of March,” recalled Boehne. “I caught one wave, lifted her into a swan, rode it all the way to the beach and said ‘I’m taking you in before I drop you in the water!’”

While they only caught one wave on that frigid, fateful day, the tandem duo has had a lifetime of wild rides together at surf breaks – and on streetscapes – near and far.

Their accomplishments as champion tandem surfers and skaters, as well as longtime surf shop owners in Dana Point, have earned the couple – they were married a few years later – a life-size bronze statue at the Watermen’s Plaza across from Doheny State Beach, joining a collection of other iconic Dana Point surfers who have had a major influence on the sport and culture through the years.

Can’t swim?

Barrie Boehne was hanging out at Muscle Beach in Santa Monica, a young 17-year-old who watched in awe as the gymnasts and skaters practiced jumps, spins and twirls.

She was tiny, a perfect frame for the tandem surfers who would also show up to train before hitting the water.

Among those surfers was Pete Peterson, a famous early-era surfer from the ’30s who helped popularize the subculture of tandem riding.

Peterson asked Boehne if she wanted to try tandem surfing out in the water.

“I’m an adventurous girl, I’m open to anything,” she said.

There was just one problem. She didn’t know how to swim, a little fact she forgot to mention.

After their first fall, Peterson went after his surfboard (there were no leashes back then), coming back to find Boehne struggling to stay afloat.

“He got so mad at me because he had to rescue me,” she said. “He said ‘Why didn’t you tell me you couldn’t swim?’”

“You didn’t ask me!” she quipped back.

So Peterson, also a lifeguard, taught her the basics of dog paddling and her lungs got stronger, and she kept surfing.

Steve Boehne, meanwhile, had picked up surfing at about age 12, buying a tandem board a few years later so he could take his three younger siblings out into the surf.

He remembers traveling up to Santa Monica to hang with surf buddies and seeing Barrie for the first time.

“She’s flying in the air doing loop-de-loops,” he recalled. “She never remembers me from that, I was just an admirer.”

Peterson sustained a neck injury and Barrie needed a new partner. So that’s when the duo went to San Onofre on their first fateful surf adventure that cold winter day in 1968.

They dated while Steve Boehne went to Cal State Fullerton college, entering surf contests up and down the coast and then in Hawaii, Europe and Australia. They started racing catamarans. They started skiing and then snowboarding when that became popular, finding adventure wherever they could.

“She just took advantage of any opportunity, anything that was fun,” Steve Boehne said.

“I loved fun,” Barrie Boehne echoed. “I still do.”

Wild rides and wipeouts

When the surf was no good, Steve and Barrie Boehne would tandem skateboard, doing the same moves they were known for on the water on the hard concrete.

They would cruise along 19th Street in Costa Mesa, trying to avoid rocks and bumps while maintaining complex holds, Barrie lifted high above Steve’s head, getting the same adrenaline rush as when they were tandem surfing.

“I would keep the speed down, but still you’re going 15 mph,” Steve Boehne said. “If you hit a rock or you just lose your balance, she would splatter on the cement.”

Thankfully, that didn’t happen.

“He was real careful. We work well together,” Barrie Boehne said. “The balance, you had to be really precise and you have to feel him, where he’s going. It kind of comes naturally.”

They weren’t without their injuries while in the water.

One time, after a wipe out at Makaha in Hawaii, the sea surge was so strong Barrie Boehne’s knee broke her nose as she curled into a ball.

Another time, when a big set came in, Steve Boehne laid on Barrie on the board to hold on.

“The wave comes and smashes her head on to the board,” he said. “Blood all around the water. I take her to the beach, her chin is split open.”

The doctor told her to stay out of the water for six weeks.

“She was out the next day and catching the same damn waves,” Steve Boehne said.

Breaks and blood aside, they couple said they had a fun time traveling the world, wowing the crowds who came to watch their elaborate dance on the water, becoming the icons of tandem surfing.

Surfboards and beyond

Meanwhile, to make money, Steve Boehne shaped surfboards. His plan was to make surfboards for the summer after he graduated college and then get a “decent” job. But a recession hit.

“And I never got a decent job,” he said with a chuckle.

He opened Infinity Surf Shop with his new bride in Huntington Beach on Pacific Coast Highway before moving further south, first to Mission Viejo, then San Clemente, before landing in Dana Point, where they’ve been since the ’80s.

Boehne, who at age 76 is still shaping surfboards in the shop his son, Dave, now runs, has always been an innovator. Infinity was the first surf shop to make and sell stand-up paddleboards two decades ago – the first models using the bigger tandem boards and kayak paddles.

What he’s most proud of, he said, are the surf-skis he makes that allows people with disabilities to get out of their wheelchairs and into the water.

Tandem surfing has had its swells and lulls in popularity. In the ’80s, there was a big interest, then again in the ’90s, and again in the early 2000s. For years, the Boehnes held classes at San Onofre for anyone who wanted to learn.

But with many who knew how to brave the waves tandem aging, fewer people are seen dancing on the water in pairs.

“They are all older now, there’s no new blood,” Barrie Boehne said. “Tandem is a dying sport.”

Now both in their 70s, the Boehnes no longer travel the world to tandem surf. But on a recent day, Barrie Boehne can’t help but talk her husband into holding her above his head, despite her four broken ribs from a recent Segway fall.

Even if the sport goes extinct, their legacy will live on in bronze with a new statue created by Dana Point artist Bill Limebrook that shows them in tandem while on a skateboard together on Pacific Coast Highway, inspired by a 1975 film showcasing their talent.

“It’s amazing,” Steve Boehne said of the couple who was “just trying to go through our life having fun” ending up memorialized in bronze. “We lived in the right city and did the right things. We’ll be dead and gone and that statue will still be there.”

The dedication of the statue will be held at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 25, at Waterman’s Plaza. They will be joining statues of other iconic Dana Point surfers, including Joyce Hoffman, Bruce Brown, Hobie Alter, John Severson, and Phil Edwards.

(Records through Oct. 22)

1. Mater Dei 35-3: The Monarchs swept Palos Verdes in the first round of pool play in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.

Previous ranking: 1

2. Huntington Beach 28-6: The Oilers opened Division 1 pool play with a sweep of Alemany. They play at home against Los Alamitos on Tuesday .

Previous ranking: 2

3. Beckman 28-5: The Patriots beat Santa Monica and Marina to advance to the quarterfinals of the Division 3 playoffs.

Previous ranking: 3

4. Los Alamitos 31-6: The Griffins lost to second-seeded Mira Costa in the first round of Division 1 pool play.

Previous ranking: 4

5. JSerra 27-10: The Lions beat Long Beach Millikan and Rancho Cucamonga to advance to the quarterfinals in Division 2.

Previous ranking: 5

6. Orange Lutheran 24-13: The Lancers defeated Etiwanda and Aliso Niguel to reach the Division 2 quarterfinals.

Previous ranking: 6

7. Dana Hills 20-2: The Dolphins beat Cypress and Redlands in the Division 3 playoffs.

Previous ranking: 8

8. Newport Harbor 18-15: The Sailors beat Chaminade and Santa Margarita, last week’s county No. 7 team, in the Division 2 playoffs.

Previous ranking: Not ranked

9. San Clemente 19-13: The Tritons defeated Santiago of Corona, lost to La Canada in the Division 2 playoffs.

Previous ranking: 9

10. Edison 18-12: The Chargers defeated St. Joseph of Lakewood, Vista Murrieta in the Division 2 playoffs.

Others considered: Aliso Niguel 13-13; Canyon 20-3; Capistrano Valley Christian 27-3; Corona del Mar 17-11; Santa Margarita 18-12; Sunny Hills 27-2

The unusual sighting on Thursday, Oct. 19, was about five miles off the coast of Dana Point, where the water is about 1,200 feet to 2,000 feet deep.

Caitlyn Nieblas, a biologist and photographer aboard the Capt. Dave Dolphin and Whale Watching vessel, described the sighting as a first for herself, adding, “They don’t come this far south.”

The dolphin, described as small and slender with no dorsal fin, is typically seen in the cold water of the northwest. They are often mistaken for fur seals because of their dark color and acrobatic nature. Typically, they swim in a group of 100 to 200 animals.

But Thursday’s spotting by Stumpf was a lone dolphin swimming with common dolphins. Though it was a foggy morning, Nieblas said the animal was clearly visible, especially because it popped up right by the boat. She used her GoPro to get underwater shots and Stumpf used a drone to film the dolphin from above.

“It looked weird swimming with the others, but it had a really cute face,” Nieblas said. “We sped up and matched its speed and I could see it from the deck of the boat.”

Nieblas said the boat carrying the enthusiastic passengers stayed with the unusual dolphin for about 15 to 20 minutes before letting other charter boats nearby take a peek.

“Some people didn’t get how rare it was,” Nieblas said, “but then I showed them the pictures on my GoPro, and they saw how cute its face was, and they were excited.”

Dana Wharf reported seeing six humpback whales, as well as a fin and minke whale on Wednesday, Oct. 18, but it was the humpbacks that stole the show.

The boat, captained by Steve Burkhalter, was seven miles outside of the Dana Point Harbor when two traveling humpbacks were fluking before diving down below the surface, a third humpback nearby.

Then the humpback duo became curious about the Ocean Adventures boat and “mugged us” for more than 30 minutes, according to naturalist Laura Lopez.

“As they swam around and under our vessel they rolled, fluked, spyhopped, including a double spyhop off the stern,” she wrote in a recap. Spyhopping is when the whales emerge straight up from the water. “Watching them glide through the glassy water seeming to look at us as we watched them was magical.”

Enjoy them now, because most of these league rivalries are very unlikely to be around next season.

They could continue as nonleague games, but it’s more fun when a playoff berth or a league championship is at stake.

Orange County high schools agreed this past spring to reassemble its football leagues and conferences after this season. With the exception of the Trinity League teams, all of the Orange County 11-player football teams will placed into one basket. CalPreps’ ratings will be used to place teams into leagues. This is a football-only plan. League and conference memberships will be different for other sports.

If the 2023 football season was over, what would the leagues look like in 2024?

Let’s do this … but first a couple of items to know …

Again, the Trinity League is excluded. The four football teams with the top ratings by CalPreps will be in one league, then there will be 10 six-team leagues, and the bottom five teams in one league.

The league names have not been finalized, so the working titles are Orange County Football Conference A (OCFC A) and Orange County Football Conference B (OCFC B),etc. For this exercise, we’re going with “leagues.”

The previous two years of ratings will be used to place teams into leagues, weighted at 65 percent for the 2023 season and 35 percent weighted for the 2022 season.

Going into this week’s games, with rounded-off ratings totals, here are what the leagues would look like in 2024 (league members listed in alphabetical order):

League A: Edison, Los Alamitos, Mission Viejo, San Clemente.

League B: Corona del Mar, Newport Harbor, San Juan Hills, Tesoro, Villa Park, Yorba Linda.

League C: Capistrano Valley, Cypress, El Modena, Trabuco Hills, Tustin, Western.

League D: El Dorado, Foothill, Huntington Beach, La Habra, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills.

League E: Crean Lutheran, Dana Hills, Fountain Valley, Irvine, Northwood, Orange.

League F: Aliso Niguel, Canyon, El Toro, Santa Ana, St. Margaret’s, Troy.

League G: Brea Olinda, Esperanza, Kennedy, Segerstrom, Sonora, Sunny Hills.

League H: Beckman, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Marina, Valencia, Westminster.

League I: Buena Park, Calvary Chapel, Pacifica, Portola, University, Woodbridge.

League J: Estancia; Katella, Los Amigos, Ocean View, Rancho Alamitos, Santa Ana Valley.

League K: Anaheim, Bolsa Grande, Costa Mesa, La Quinta, Loara, Santiago.

League L: Century, Godinez Magnolia, Saddleback, Savanna.

The margins could be tight when teams are placed into football leagues for the 2024 season. Through eight games of this season, using the Calpreps ratings, Irvine’s rating is 4.79 and Aliso Niguel’s is 4.78. So if the 2023 season was over now, Irvine would be the bottom team in League E and Aliso Niguel would be the top team in League F.

NOTES

CIF-SS football playoff brackets will be released Oct. 29 at 10 a.m. The 8-man football playoff brackets will be released Oct. 29 at 1 p.m. …

Yes, Orange County has 8-man football. Sage Hill, in Newport Beach, is in the Prep League and is 4-2 overall and 0-1 in league and averages 48 points a game. Vista Meridian, in Santa Ana, plays a freelance schedule and is 1-4. …

The CIF-SS Division 1 football championship game will be played at the Coliseum on Nov. 24. The first CIF championship football game played at the Coliseum was in 1923 when Long Beach Poly defeated Glendale 15-8. The most recent CIF final at the Coliseum was in 1997 when Long Beach Poly beat Mater Dei 28-25. …

It looks like the Pacific Coast Conference schools will present a proposal at Monday’s releaguing meeting that would exclude Rosary from its group. This past spring Orange County schools included Rosary in the Pacific Coast group in the approved releaguing plan for all sports outside of football. The Freeway League, which would be broken up in the passed proposal, has indicated that it would present a proposal that would keep its membership intact. …

Holly Barker of Trabuco Hills and Evan Noonan of Dana Hills, so far, are making it easy to select the Orange County boys and girls cross country athletes of the year by winning or finishing high in just about every race they enter. Barker won last weekend’s Orange County Championships and earlier finished first in the Central Park Invitational. Noonan finished first in the Orange County Championships, the Woodbridge Classic and was third in the Clovis Invitational. …

The CIF-SS Division 1 girls volleyball playoffs started Wednesday. Mater Dei swept Palos Verdes in three sets (the first was a tough one, 27-25), Los Alamitos lost to Mira Costa in three sets and Huntington Beach swept Alemany (and another tough first set there, with the Oilers winning 28-26). Division 1 pool play resumes Tuesday with Los Alamitos at Huntington Beach. Huntington Beach beat Los Alamitos in their two Surf League matches. …

Newport Harbor’s girls flag football team had its closest win of the season Wednesday, a 14-12 victory over Edison. Newport Harbor is 21-1, with the loss to Woodbridge, which Newport Harbor defeated a couple of weeks later.

As it was written, the Capistrano Unified parental notification policy focused on mental health, saying a designated school counselor would notify a student’s family “when they have reasonable cause to believe that doing so will avert a clear and present danger to the health, safety or welfare” of students.

But after being asked for clarification during the discussion on Wednesday, Oct. 18, Trustee Lisa Davis, who proposed the policy, said students’ gender identity would also result in parental notification.

The board voted 4-2 to reject the policy, with Davis and Judy Bullockus the two yes votes.

“We are all doing what we think is best for our own children,” said Trustee Michael Parham. “Because we are so engaged, we are rarely caught off-guard when it comes to our own children. I haven’t heard any anecdotes tonight where teachers are not deliberately telling you something about your child here in the district. So that to me suggests our system in place is working.”

Superintendent Chris Brown, when asked, said anecdotal data showed “zero complaints about not letting parents know about gender identity in students.”

But Bullockus, citing an article written by a local psychologist who said there is a need for more discussions between parents and children since the pandemic, said: “I believe that this policy is collectively caring for students in this world of many health issues that they are facing.”

“Empathy is what parents need most in their relationships with their children,” she said. “I don’t believe you should kick parents out of the door. I think parents could use some coaching, so let’s work and teach with parents.”

Trustee Gila Jones, who voted against the policy, was not in favor of using the word “notification” to describe the policy but suggested using “engagement” instead.

“Engagement suggests that it is a partnership,” said Jones. “I do not think that parents are the enemy, not for a minute. I also do not think that there is anyone in the district who thinks that as well.”

Although he could not vote, student board member Tyler Pearce said he was against the proposal and wanted to “stand in favor of the students who would be directly affected.”

“I do believe that this is an outing policy,” said Pearce, a student at San Clemente High. “This parental notification policy is unnecessary, divisive and deep-rooted in political and personal agendas. We need to stop creating this umbrella of mental illness to refer to certain communities. Is it actually a mental health crisis? Or is it our generation who are so compelled to express their own identity and parents born in a different generation?”

“Times are changing; so should opinions,” said Pearce.

The Capistrano Unified board chose to restrict public comment to just over an hour — and gave students the opportunity to speak first.

Student speakers were at times emotional and passionate, with many walking away in tears or turning to the crowd to hype people up. The majority of those who spoke were students — a change from what has been seen at other local school board meetings where parental notification policies have been discussed.

“I am proud of the students who spoke today who were able to see through … the misinformation,” said Parham, a trustee who voted against the policy. “I think we are doing a great job of teaching these students critical thinking skills because they came well prepared and taught us grown-ups a little bit more about the next generation and what they are capable of.”

Assemblymember Bill Essayli, R-Corona, who pushed for parental notification policies in the legislature, was one of the few adult speakers who had a chance to voice his opinions during public comment.

“Parents have the constitutional right to raise their children,” said Essayli. “They are not spectators. I think that it is so disrespectful that you took a whole hour to listen to children than the parents who took the time off to be here tonight. They are the taxpayers, the voters, the people that you answer to. You spent time listening to children who are being used as political pawns from the left to emotionally manipulate and advance an ideology.”

Capistrano Unified’s proposed policy was first presented by Davis during the board’s September board meeting. Then, Davis said, “This policy brings parents into the conversation regarding some of the most important aspects of a child’s life.”

The proposed policy was written with verbatim language that was used in the approved parental notification policy at Placentia-Yorba Linda School District.

It said: “Due to the current nationwide mental health crisis exacerbated by the global pandemic, the Capistrano Unified School District recognizes the need for frequent, ongoing and oftentimes immediate communication between school administration, staff, and parents/guardians. Furthermore, with reports of depression, anxiety and suicide rates at an all-time high among public school students, action is needed to address this emerging crisis and support the health and welfare of district students.”

Andrew Fredriksz, a previous school counselor at Capistrano Unified, said that he is against the policy in a letter sent to Board President Krista Castellanos earlier this week.

“While parent rights are extremely important and they should always be contacted regarding life-changing decisions regarding their children, reporting to parents how a student identifies does not fall under life-changing decision-making,” said Fredriksz, now a counselor at Laguna Beach Unified. “The risk of outing a student in a household where they will not be accepted and may have a negative impact on their mental health is a greater concern in this discussion.”

“I have a lot of respect for the board,” said Fredriksz. “They are unfortunately caught in divisive culture politics as are the students.”

Fredriksz said he does not believe a parental notification policy will be enacted at Laguna Beach Unified.

“Laguna Beach Unified does a great job of cultivating a community where everyone is heard — families, students and staff,” said Fredriksz. “There seems to be a foundation of respect between everyone which helps promote productive conversations.”

Orange Unified was the first Orange County school district to adopt the policy in early September, and Placentia Yorba-Linda soon followed suit, becoming the second district to approve the policy last week. Many parental rights activist groups say they will attend Tustin Unified’s next meeting on Nov. 13 to encourage the policy to be addressed there.

In districts that have adopted these policies, situations that would warrant parent notification include requests to use different names or pronouns or requests to change sex-segregated programs (like athletic teams or changing facilities) that differ from the student’s “assigned biological sex at birth.”

The policies also include notification guidelines if a student reports self-harm, suicidal ideation or injury to others.

Capistrano Unified has 63 campuses, making it the largest district in Orange County. The district includes the cities of San Clemente, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, Laguna Niguel, Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita.

This story has been updated.