Luckie Waller’s Female Star Continues To Shine
- Updated: September 9, 2020
(Linda Loa, left, sits by her side. Former Luckie Waller Little League star Cassy Loa, right, signs a letter of intent to play for Presentation College. Photo courtesy of Steve Loa.)
Guess what time it is? That is right, ladies and gentlemen. It is time for the latest installment of Where Are They Now? Last week, we created a list of former Southern California Little League all-stars that went on to play college ball. This week, we shall add a female name to that list.
In Little League’s Female Stars Shine In SoCal, CaliSports News featured Cassy Loa, a former all-star baseball player at South San Diego’s Luckie Waller Little League. When that published, Loa played for San Diego’s Southwest High School Raiders varsity softball team. Since then, she received an athletic scholarship for, and now attends, Presentation College, where Loa plays softball for its Saints! At that South Dakota Catholic school, Loa reportedly plans to major in exercise science. She wants to become a physical therapist and/or personal trainer. Go Cassy!
Incidentally, Cassy’s father Steve Loa, who CSN featured in Let’s Meet District 42’s Men In Blue, was honored during Luckie Waller’s 2020 opening day ceremonies. Little League’s California District 42 presented its director of umpires an Appreciation Award for Dedication and Loyalty.
A pillar of the Luckie Waller community.
Steve absolutely earned that recognition. As I wrote in Men In Blue, “Loa served in many volunteer roles. Four years ago, in addition to his duties for the district, Loa simultaneously served as both Luckie Waller’s president and chief ump. Yes, he held three positions concurrently. Loa puts us all to shame. Also, together with his wife Linda, the Loas started Luckie Waller’s softball program.” Perhaps that paragraph that I wrote sparked the district’s decision to honor Loa at its next opportunity. If so, then Loa should hire Rabbi Rabbs as his agent. Hee hee.
(Steve Loa, left, with his wife, Linda Loa, right, at a Little League West Region tournament in San Bernardino. Photo courtesy of Steve Loa.)
Either way, the district chose well. Loa started volunteering in Little League in 1999 at Luckie Waller. Back then, he served as a coach working with his son in the Tee Ball program. Since then, Steve served stints as a coach, manager, umpire, chief umpire, member of Luckie Waller’s board of directors, information officer, player agent, safety officer, league vice president, and president. Each qualifies as a volunteer position. In 2007, Loa volunteered as the district’s assistant chief umpire. Later, he moved into his current role. Loa serves as director of umpires.
My two shekels.
I should add my own two shekels. From my personal experience as a writer for CaliSports News, I discovered that Loa is a terrific person with whom to work. Last year, I approached Steve with my idea to write an article featuring District 42’s umpires. I wanted to interview several district umpires simultaneously. What I needed were umps and a place in which to speak with them.
Loa blew my mind with how fast he organized an exclusive press conference for me. Within 24 hours of receiving my request, Loa responded. He told me that he contacted each of the district’s umpires. He said several had already committed to attending. As if that were not enough, Loa had reserved a room for the event to be held that coming Sunday – the first available time slot for me to travel to San Diego. Unbelievable cooperation!! Unparalleled organizational skills.
An umpire with a sense of humor.
In addition, Steve is blessed with a huge sense of humor. When Little League presented him with its service award, Loa portrayed himself as an old man fitting for such a lifetime achievement honor, by pushing a walker to the award ceremony. That brought down the house. Have a look:
(From lft. to rt.: Sam Aleman, San Diego City Council Member Vivian Moreno, Steve Loa with walker. Photo courtesy of Jon Bigornia.)
At that event, Luckie Waller Vice President of Baseball Sam Aleman introduced Loa to the crowd. San Diego City Council Member Vivian Moreno presented the award to the honoree.
Teamwork makes the dream work.
Finally, CaliSports News thanks everyone that shares our articles. Teamwork makes the dream work. On that note, CSN thanks District 42, Bonita’s Sweetwater Valley Little League, and three Chula Vista Little Leagues: Chula Vista American, Eastlake, and Park View. Each of those five shared last week’s, The Monster Feeds The Titans, on its Facebook page. As for upcoming articles, get ready, as I shall continue focusing on softball. Plus, I plan to feature Luckie Waller again. You do not want to miss those. Stay tuned !! And no, Steve does not require a walker.
And with that, we conclude the latest installment of Where Are They Now? More such segments to follow. Until then, congratulations to Cassy, Linda, and Steve Loa !! Let’s Go SoCal !!
Stay with CaliSportsNews.com, Southern California’s undisputed leader in Little League coverage, as we keep you up-to-date on all things SoCal sports! All Cali, All the time!
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