WHS Dance Team @ Glendale Feb. 28, 2006

WHS Dance Team Photos - Claremont, Feb 4, 2006

Westlake High School Dance Team

Below are photos of the WHS dance team during the competition at the Claremont High School on February 4, 2006.

Click on the photos to see a larger version.

Contact me at dnickles@yahoo.com if you would like to order prints

SOLOS

SMALL

OFFICERS

MEDIUM

LYRICAL

INTERMEDIATE

HIP HOP

One Year Later

Douglas V. Nickles
January 26, 2006

One Year Later

One year ago today I slept through my alarm, I think, and woke up late. Well, things can get a little fuzzy at 4:15am, so I don’t always remember events clearly. I usually set my alarm 18 minutes before I have to get up, so I can hit the snooze button twice before arising. If the alarm keeps sounding, my wife will “kindly” elbow me as a reminder to turn the alarm off. I don’t remember any of that occurring that morning, and neither does my wife (who is a light sleeper and hears everything). I had been helping my teenage daughter with studying for finals the night before and didn’t get to bed until about midnight. I’m sure that contributed to my extra slumber.

I finally awoke about 4:50am, the time I typically leave the house to catch Metrolink Train 100 departing at 5:07am for Glendale. Not to worry, I got up, showered, got dressed and headed off to Moorpark to catch the next train (102) departing at 6:04am. I prefer to take the first train so I can get to the office early and get a head start on the day. Also, the train is less crowded, I can always get my favorite seat, and I get my choice of parking! Train folks are weird that way, but then we all have our quirks.

At the train station I spoke with a few fellow train riders that I hadn’t seen for awhile. After 13 years of taking the train, you get the chance to meet a lot of people – some remain as acquaintances, some become friends, and some are co-workers and friends. The train arrived on schedule; I hopped on board, and sat in my usual area, right in front of friend and co-worker Mike Wiederkehr. We exchanged pleasantries and both dug into our briefcases for something to read.

Shortly after leaving the Simi Valley Station, the conductor (Louis) announced that Train 100 was involved in an accident, there would likely be a delay, and he would keep us informed with updates. Just after leaving the Chatsworth Station, we learned that the accident was quite serious – possibly multiple trains involved. Hence, our train would be terminating at the Burbank Station and we would be bussed to our destinations from there. We talked amongst ourselves and deduced from past train-rider experience, that this indeed must be a serious accident. We’re too used to hearing about the train-versus-car-train-wins incidents that seem to occur more often than they should, particularly in the Burbank-Glendale corridor. I called home to assure my wife I was okay, as I knew she would be hearing something on the news shortly.

I then called ahead to my office to arrange a ride from the Burbank Station for myself and several other city employees. I finally made it to my office about 8:00am. It was not until I turned on the office TV that I learned the gravity of the accident – and also my fate. Waiting in my email inbox was a message from my brother-in-law in Florida concerned about my well-being. My sister-in-law called from Virginia with the same concern. My mother-in-law called from Thousand Oaks. It was humbling, but heart-warming to have loved ones call to express their concern. With that, I sent out an email to those who knew I took the train to work, reassuring them I was safe, including Fire Chief Chris Gray. A friend traveling on business in China replied that he just saw the report on the news there as well.

I had been taking Train 100 from Moorpark to Glendale nearly everyday for the last 12 years. I always sat in the cab car, upper level, about in the middle of the car. I greeted the same folks daily who had similar riding habits as mine – some on the morning train – some on the evening train. It was the cab car on Train 101 that suffered the most damage, and those passengers the most injuries and deaths. I knew many of them.

I watched on TV as the firefighters, police and rescue workers from Glendale, Los Angeles and neighboring cities struggled to rescue those trapped and comfort the injured. It looked much like the large disaster drills you see periodically on the TV news – except this time it was for real. I felt in my heart like I should be down at the scene doing something to help, then realized that the best in the fire and police service were already executing their duties flawlessly.

Don Larimer (Guy Schmidt GMC), Scott McKeown (formerly Glendale IS), Marvin Marshall (Glendale PD), Liz Hill (Glendale Finance), Julie Bennett (Los Angeles Fire Dept.), Manuel Alcala (Los Angeles County Sheriffs Dept.), Tom Ormiston (Metrolink conductor) were some of those friendly “train folk” in my circle of contacts that were not as fortunate as I on that fateful morning. Scott, Liz, Julie, Manuel and Tom were killed; Don and Marvin had serious injuries – Don is still walking with a cane.

As I usually did, I joked with Don a bit just the day before. I had wished Scott good morning the day before as I passed him walking up the stairs. I had sat with Julie the week before on the ride home, talking about the fire service and sweatshirts. Manuel and I had several conversations just weeks earlier on the ride home about the washed out train tracks from the severe flooding. Tom’s kind words were always a great start for the morning commute. And Marvin, well, he admittedly excels in sarcasm and would often prove that to me while we waited for the evening train, just as he had the day before.

For 12 years I always expected that I would greet those same train folks in the same way, at the same place, at the same time, until they or I changed jobs or retired. It didn’t happen that way. You see, there’s a certain bond that we train folks share, and you can’t explain it – you just have to experience it. It was certainly evident for those who attended Tom’s and Scott’s memorial services, and as well when I visited Don in the hospital. We were like an extended family.

Having been divinely protected from the tragedy of the train wreck on January 26, 2005, it has caused me to look critically at my life and wonder, “Why me?” I’m sure many of us have had those events in our lives, perhaps the unexpected passing of a loved one, where similar thoughts and ponderings have prevailed. I’ve come to believe that the true impact of those events lies in the actions we take in our lives as a result. I’d like to step away from the “everdayness” of life and try a “newdayness” approach.

As I look back on this past year, and look forward to the next, pondering those all-important resolutions and goals for the new year, I will try to focus on the important things in life. I’ll especially be reminding myself that what I have today may be gone tomorrow – or I may be gone tomorrow – so don’t take anything for granted. These words from the great philosopher Erma Bombeck struck me (from a column entitled “If I Had My Life to Live Over Again”):

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded. I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains. I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn’t show soil or was guaranteed to last a lifetime. When my child kissed me impetuously, I would never had said, “Later. Now get washed up for dinner.” There would have been more I love yous, more I’m sorrys, but mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute, look at it and really see it, live it, and never give it back.

The used alarm clock I received as a gift from a close friend after the accident is a daily reminder of the events of that morning, and more importantly, God’s hand on my life. The clock is accurate, glows in the dark, has a night light and all the adjustments and buttons you might expect, including my favorite – the snooze button. There’s only one thing wrong – the alarm does not work (the very reason it was given to me).

For this year, not only do I want to make sure I have all the right “buttons,” I want to make sure they are working. As a husband, a father, and a friend, I want those around me to see evidence that I am “working,” and not just trying to look the part. After all, an alarm clock without an alarm is still useful, just not for its intended purpose. My goal: to live my life for its intended purpose. I’m thankful for the opportunity; whether its truly a second chance, only God knows…