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Ms. Pina
Haley Pina of Culver City High School has been invited to join Team A.I.S.T. (American International Sports Team) to compete in June, along with 17 other high school/club soccer players, in the United World Games soccer tournament in Austria.
The southern Austrian city of Klagenfurt, host of the tournament, is a community of 94,000 in the middle of the country. The tournament will run June 17-26.
Ms. Pina, who will be a senior at Culver High in September, is a forward on the school’s girls varsity soccer team. She has been a varsity player throughout her three years in high school.
During her freshman year, Ms. Pina set a school record of 15 goals and 10 assists to earn the Rookie of the Year award. As a sophomore, she was the team’s leading scorer and won the Ocean League Offensive Player of the Year honors.
This season, Ms. Pina once again has been named Offensive Player of the Year, despite battling injuries. She also plays club soccer for the Westside Breakers.
In the classroom, she maintains a lofty 3.5 grade point average and is fluent in Spanish. For recreation, Ms. Pina plays the piano.
She hopes to further her athletic career by playing soccer in college.
Her parents, Robert and Jill Pina, have lived in Culver City for 15 years. They work in the entertainment industry. Her older brother, Robert is a commercial real estate appraiser in Huntington Beach.
To pay for the trip to Klagenfurt, Hayley is required to raise $4,000. She has raised more than half of that, and needs to raise $1,500 more by the end of April/early May.
The Jackson Market, Jackson Street, is assisting her by posting her appeal at their front counter.
It reads:
Please support Culver City resident Haley Pina.
Haley has been invited to play in an international soccer tournament, representing the USA.
Bracelets are $2 each.
The bracelets for sale are rubber and carry the inscription, Dare to Dream.
Nick is the contact person at the Jackson Market, 4065 Jackson Ave., and he may be reached at 310.425.8426.
Ms. Pina’s father, Robert, may be contacted at bobby.pina@sbcglobal.net.
Mr. Hawkins may be contacted at rjhculvercity@aol.com