Windward

In the 1970s, disco-themed skating rinks were all the rage. In the '80s it was paintball battlefields, followed in the '90s by urban skateboard parks. And now comes the zip line - an elevated cable ride that zips harnessed riders downhill at high speeds, powered only by gravity. Across the nation, these rides stretch over canyons, vineyards, island tourist towns and even zoos. Since 2001, the number of zip lines built in the U.S. has soared from 10 to more than 200, according to zip line experts.

If the huge cheer that erupted when Hailey Dunham fouled out with 1 minute 44 seconds remaining in regulation didn't tell the story, the nervous giggles by San Francisco Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep players in the postgame news conference did. The Fightin' Irish dodged calamity because Dunham couldn't dodge the referees.

Denzel Washington, who is among the world's most recognizable figures, was sitting in my press-row chair, wearing a New York Yankees cap and talking to a parent last Saturday at Cal State Fullerton. I walked up, shook his hand and offered to let him stay if he'd only answer a question about his son, Malcolm, the starting point guard for Los Angeles Windward.

No. 11 North Hollywood Campbell Hall (10-3, 1-0) at No. 16 L.A. Windward (10-5, 1-0) Tonight, 7 GAME OF THE DAY Why it matters: There will be no fewer than six college prospects on the court in an Olympic League game between two of the top small schools in the Southland. Windward has UCLA-bound Anthony Stover and Michigan-bound Darius Morris.

Mar Vista Windward eliminated Francis Parker from the Division III tournament, defeating the Lancers 15-7, 14-16, 16-14, 9-15, 15-9 in a semifinal match at Parker.

Junior quarterback Matt Mann connected with senior receiver Stowe Figler three times for touchdowns to lead host Windward in a nonleague eight-man game. Mann scored the first touchdown on a four-yard run and threw touchdown passes of 23, 25 and 43 yards. Windward took a 14-0 lead after the first quarter, but Liberty Christian (1-1) threatened in the second quarter, scoring a touchdown on Nick Harbert's 30-yard pass to Aaron Mendoza (four catches, 72 yards).

It was little more than a blip in the grand scheme at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Chandler, Ariz., but one of the biggest victories of the tournament belonged to tiny Los Angeles Windward, which upset the Southland's No. 14 team, Long Beach Millikan, 46-43. Junior Hailey Dunham scored 21 points and had seven assists for Windward, a Southern Section Division IV-A school with 240 students.

The hand-to-mouth Sydney entry gave this America's Cup a built-in joke from the beginning. A crewman from the rival powerhouse Alan Bond syndicate said: "I'd rather be brown bread than sail on a boat with a name like that." On its first day out for a test sail in Sydney harbor, in full view of the famous bridge and opera house, the 12-meter rammed its tender.

Denzel Washington, actor, sports fan and former L.A. Windward parent, showed up Tuesday night in the Wildcats' gym and was passing around his cellphone so his son, Malcolm, last season's point guard, could offer a pep talk to a couple of Windward players. And when Denzel hands you his phone, you gladly take it. "I think there are only a few people in the world you don't question their authority when they pass you a phone," Windward Coach Miguel Villegas said. Malcolm Washington, a freshman at Pennsylvania, wanted to wish Windward good luck against rival North Hollywood Campbell Hall.

Cal Prep's defense held off Windward in the final two minutes as the Knights took sole possession of first place in the Liberty League. Jake Devane led all scorers with 31 points, bettering his season average by five.