La84 Foundation

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The LA84 Foundation Board announced today $519,902 in grants to support 20 youth sports programs in Southern California. Since 1985, the Foundation, the legacy of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, has spent more than $194 million to carry out its mission to serve youth through sport. “Every youngster who wishes to participate in sports should have the opportunity to do so,” said Anita L. DeFrantz President of the LA84 Foundation. “The organizations we support are providing quality sports experiences for youngsters that otherwise may not have the opportunity to experience the magic of sports. We are grateful for their work and encourage others to also support their efforts.” Read more

The LA84 Foundation Board announced today the unanimous election of Debra Kay Duncan, Jonathan Glaser and Patrick McClenahan to serve on the Foundation’s board of directors. Read more

We all know that the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is facing a $640 million deficit for the next school year. One cost-cutting measure proposed by the district was a $1.4 million reduction in coaches’ stipends that would have eliminated many sports in 2010-2011.

With 35,000 student-athletes, competing in 14 sports at the 72 LAUSD high schools, the LA84 Foundation Board could not stand by idly and watch as high school sports opportunities evaporated. Read more

Photo Galleries and Videos. 2010 Summer Aquatics Galleries: Diving. Swimming. Synchro. Water Polo. LA84 Campus. Video Gallery: Legacy of the 1984 Olympic Games. Sports In My Life. The Magic of Sports.

Alumni of the 1984 Olympic Games celebrated the 25th anniversary of the landmark event on July 18 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The LA84 Foundation featured prominently in the celebration, which included a screening of the Foundation latest video “LA84 Foundation: Legacy of the 1984 Olympic Games.”

The LA84 Foundation and Nike are working in partnership to create new playing surfaces at sports facilities in Los Angeles. Nike Grind, recycled rubber left over from the manufacture of Nike shoes, is a key component in the resurfacing project. Learn more in this new video.

A Legacy of the 1984 Olympic Games
The LA84 Foundation is a direct legacy of the highly successful 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. The 1984 Games defied expectations, featuring stirring ceremonies, memorable sports performances, teams from a record-number 140 nations, innovative designs, thousands of dedicated volunteers and smooth-running logistics. The Games also produced a surplus of $232.5 million. The United States Olympic Committee received 60 percent of the surplus to fund athlete development programs. The remaining 40 percent provided the endowment for the LA84 Foundation, which to date has invested more than $185 million in youth sports in Southern California. Learn more about the 1984 Olympic Games and the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee.

The USC Biomechanics Research Lab, with funding assistance from the LA84 Foundation, has undertaken a two-year project designed to teach volleyball coaches a set of best practices based on science-based principles. The goal is to educate coaches so that they can help their players improve their skills and performance, while reducing the possibility of injuries.
USC personnel will teach coaches from the Los Angeles Starlings Volleyball Club how to implement skills progressions, effective practice sessions and goal setting for young athletes. Starlings coaches in the program will learn by doing. “Having coaches themselves learn to demonstrate skill performance is an important part of the coaching education process,” said Dr. Jill McNitt-Gray, director of the Biomechanics Research Lab. As part of the clinics, McNitt-Gray and her colleagues will use video feedback and force measurements to demonstrate how technique influences the effectiveness fundamental movement patterns.
Starlings coaches who have learned the best practices, in turn, will teach their own players, with assistance from the USC staff. The USC scientists also will assess the progress made by Starlings players by recording and comparing the quality of movement fundamentals using force and video measurements made at regular intervals throughout the project.
The first coaches’ clinic took place September 26, 2010, at the USC Galen Center, with 31 coaches in attendance. USC Head Women’s Volleyball Coach, Mick Haley and his staff, taught coaches how to introduce and reinforce serving, passing and attacking skills. Coaches responded enthusiastically. “I’ve been to lots of clinics over the years,” said one coach, “but this is the first one that I felt was really based on science, not just someone’s own experience as a player or coach.” Another added, “It totally opened up my eyes to a side of volleyball I didn’t know existed.”
Coaches viewing video feedback.