- Slug: Sports-Arizona L.A. Fire Athletes. 728 word
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By Natalie Guzman
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – One month ago, the Los Angeles fires captured national attention. The raging blazes, fueled by ferocious Santa Ana winds, have since been 100% contained after an estimated 12,000 homes were destroyed and 29 people were killed.
For four college athletes living in Arizona, the story hit close to home.
The athletes hail from various parts of the L.A. area. ASU track and field athlete Ava McCumber Gandara is from Woodland Hills, east of Calabasas. The junior communications major said her immediate family relocated to Arizona following her decision to attend ASU, but she still has family and friends in the L.A. area. She recalled first finding out about the fires.
“I go to the news app … and you know all the information just kept piling on at once,” McCumber Gandara said.
She said she’s thankful that none of her family or friends were directly impacted, but she still holds memories within the area.
“I’ve been to Palisades so many times. Such a beautiful place and it’s got a lot of history,” McCumber Gandara said of the area that was devastated by the fast-moving fires. “Great neighborhood and I have a lot of friends that live there and I like couldn’t believe it.”
McCumber Gandara attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks. However, she competed at Palisades Charter High School, which was damaged by the Palisades fire.
“The memories that I’ve had competing there and running with my team and you know making those core memories and yeah, it was just a lot for me to process,” McCumber Gandara said. “I just really couldn’t believe it. I was honestly in awe and you know I just sat there with a really shocked face.”
ASU beach volleyball athlete Daniella Kensinger also competed frequently at Palisades Charter. She’s from Marina del Rey and attended Venice High School, Palisades’ rival.
The junior said her family and friends were safe, and her childhood home is still standing. She said her team has supported her and checked in to make sure her family was safe.
“A lot of people have texted me and they’re like ‘How’s the family?’ like, ‘Is your family OK?’ cause they knew I was from L.A., and that was really sweet of them to reach out,” Kensigner said.
At Venice, Kensinger was named the Player of the Year for CIF-LA and the Western League.
Last season Kensinger helped lead the Sun Devils to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. At the end of the season she was named all PAC-12 First Team.
Aujane Luckey, an ASU track and field athlete from south central L.A., attended Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach. Her family was not in the evacuation zone, but Luckey said her sister and mother have asthma and were impacted by smoke from the Palisades fire.
“My mom’s asthma, it did act up a little bit and my mom works in the Malibu area, Santa Monica area, cause she’s a social worker so she works in that area,” Luckey said.
Luckey said her sister and mother are doing better.
Luckey appeared in three meets during her freshman season at ASU. She is currently out for the indoor season with a pelvic injury, but plans to compete in the outdoor season.
Jennifer Merino attends Grand Canyon University and plays for the school’s intramural soccer team. She lives in the San Fernando Valley and attended Bishop Alemany High School.
Merino said her family received an evacuation alert and were within 10 minutes of the Hurst Fire. However, the family did not evacuate, and their home was not damaged.
“I was very concerned for my family’s safety and friends that I have back home,” Merino said.
Merino returned home a couple weeks after the fire and said there was a noticeable difference.
“The second day I was there it was a little smoky, like you can tell in the sky,” Merino said.
Merino said she and her family donated to support those impacted by the fires. She also said her team was a great support system during this stressful time.
“I had very good support, friend-wise on the team and helping me out, asking me like how my parents were, asking how I was,” Merino said. “I think that really helped because I didn’t have to deal with it by myself.”
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