Armchair Blitz
"We've Got Spirit, Yes We Do"
by Brad W. Wright

It's often said that California natives are hard to come by. If this is true, then it's reasonable to assume that it's even more difficult to find a native of the California Riviera. While I'm not a native of the Riviera, I am a native Californian and I hail from the nearby mountain community of Big Bear Lake.

There's no one who can deny that my roots are firmly planted on the California coast, and have been for the past 26 years. I love the Riviera. But I've been thinking about my hometown for the past few weeks. I've been pondering the keepers of the future-today's youth. We all have a hometown, whether it's here in California, or thousands of miles away. And we all have a vested interest in children everywhere. I share this story with you because it's time to support your community…and root, root, root for your favorite high school football team. I know I will.

Last year, I watched with pride as the football team of my alma mater, Big Bear High School, went 14 - 0 to win the 2006 C.I.F. championship. I feel a kinship with this team that has awakened a calming sense of optimism for the future. Perhaps I'm just waxing nostalgic because back in my day I was the ASB president, or because I enjoyed my own fame on the Bear's football team. Or perhaps I just like bears, including Goldilocks and her three bears. It's likely all of the above. Then there's the fact that I'm very close friends with two families, the Dobis and the Proctors, who live in Big Bear. I went to school with Mark and Lori Dobis, Max's parents and Sandy Sanchez, Kriss' mother. Mark and I were on Big Bear's football team. Currently, they each have a son who plays for my beloved Bears. These two boys have made me extremely proud and renewed my sense of spirit. I watched them both play vital roles in bringing home the Bear's championship last year. Quite simply, their talent, passion, courage, and most of all, their confident spirit inspired me.

I could feel the championship long before it happened. The Bears were only 5 - 0, and I already knew they would go all the way. It was at the fall beach retreat, which I host every year for our three families, that I first recognized that these two young men have an approach and attitude beyond their years. I've watched Max Dobis and Kriss Proctor grow up, and I know how special they are. Yet their maturity still surprised me.

Our annual reunion is always a lot of fun…and a chance to eat too much, laugh until your sides ache, and catch up on the past. This past year I felt that I was getting a glimpse into the future. I liked what I saw, both on the football field and off. Kriss Proctor, 2006 All C.I.F. in football and was CIF Player of the year in football, is an amazing athlete. Aside from Marvin Cobb of Notre Dame High School in the early 70s, Kriss may be the most gifted small-school athlete I've ever witnessed. One would only have to see his magic during last year's semi-final C.I.F. game against Aquinas High School to know that his talent is almost indescribable…and best viewed in full action mode. Houdini comes to mind. This kid always has the right play up his sleeve and seems to conjure up what he needs precisely when he needs it-including the sidelines. One moment he's a cat and then the next he's a coyote, as he quickly and instinctively maneuvers his way around the gridiron. He has some of the best escape techniques I've ever seen from a quarterback…or a magician. One of the things I admire most about Kriss is that he is a bit flashy, but not cocky. He is confident, yet humble. He takes his talent in stride and simply knows himself, his capabilities and what he wants to accomplish.

For Max Dobis, athleticism is in his blood. 2006 All C.I.F. defensive back in football, this apple didn't fall too far from the tree. His father, Mark Dobis, was All C.I.F. in football, baseball and basketball for three consecutive years (1972-74), and Saddleback College 1975 MVP Gaucho of the year in football. Mark passed on a Division 1 San Diego State University football scholarship to concentrate on academics. His son, Max, has inherited many of his father's traits, including the ability to see the big picture.

I'm proud of Max for many reasons…not just his athletic prowess. He is an extremely talented athlete with a quiet demeanor. Whether he's sticking his opponent on offense, overpowering them, or making a cerebral move to win the play, score a touchdown or pick off a pass, he does so with grace…amazing grace for one so young. He is the Max Man. To grow up in a small town, where your father is a sports legend, and grow up confident in yourself and your abilities, takes a special blend of something extra. It's true that Max was under pressure to be a great athlete from the day he was born. But it was the natural expectations of a small town that loved and cherished his father, not parental expectations. Max has always handled the pressure well. He has a sturdy tree to look up to, and seek guidance from, but he is his own apple-his own person. He carries a 4.0 grade point average and a few years back was the valedictorian of his eighth grade class. Max is truly multi-dimensional. He's courteous, respectful and humble…with a solid grasp of his personal goals. Wow. If that doesn't make you feel hopeful for the future, I don't know what would.

I am hopeful for the future-and partly due to these two young men. Their futures are bright and promising. Their spirit and enthusiasm is contagious. It deserves to be passed on to others. That's why I've passed it on to you. There's nothing quite like hometown spirit-no matter how long you've been gone. There's nothing like glimpsing into the future and liking what you see.

In closing, it only seems fitting to offer up a rousing cheer for hometown youths like Kriss Proctor and Max Dobis-in Big Bear Lake, on the California Riviera and beyond. The future will one day be theirs to safeguard and nurture. I know they'll do so with care, encouragement, enthusiasm and integrity.

It's time to go now. The lights are on in the stadium and it's almost time for the kickoff. I can hear the cheers now. "We've got spirit, yes we do. We've got spirit, how about you?"

Publisher's Note: The folks in the Bear Valley, will now forever compare Mark Dobis and Kriss Proctor. They'll debate; who is the greatest athletic to come out of Big Bear? As a diplomate, I believe Kriss is the most explosive athlete to play all three major sports. Mark was the most powerful and clever three-sport athlete. It would have been interesting to see Mark touch the football on every down in a wishbone offense. I will say this, had it happened, there would had been several unsuspecting defensive ends with broken sternums over the course of Mark's high school career.