wallacepolsom
i don't do bad sauce passes
Peter Solarz
Mike Driver
Kaledo Art
pixel skylines
titsay
dirt enthusiast
$LAYYYTER
RMH
TVSTRANGERTHINGS
🪼
izzy's playlists!
occasionally subtle
Kiana Khansmith
Show & Tell
Jules of Nature
trying on a metaphor
roma★
Stranger Things
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from Nigeria
seen from Malaysia
seen from Italy
seen from India
seen from United States
seen from Portugal
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
seen from Canada
seen from Malaysia
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from United Kingdom
seen from France
seen from United Kingdom
@mambaawareness
In Loving Memory....
From top-left, clockwise: Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant, Payton Chester, Sarah Chester, Christina Mauser, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli and pilot Ara Zobayan, whose lives ended Jan. 26, 2020, after the helicopter they traveled in went down on a hill in Calabasas on a foggy Sunday morning.
Dedicated to the memory of these 9 individuals....loved ones....heros....
The original caption read: “I’m sorry baby. You weren’t supposed to be here.” “It’s okay, daddy. We’ll watch over them together.
Rest in peace Kobe, Gigi, Christina, John, Keri, Alyssa, Sarah, Payton and Ara. We know you will be watching over those you loved.
Kobe Bryant Amazing last 3 minutes in his FINAL GAME vs Jazz (2016.04.13)
Rest in peace, Kobe. You will live on in our memories.
#LEGEND
The biggest challenge I’ve found in honoring the Chester family is the lack of available family photos. Sarah Chester leaves behind her husband, Chris Chester, and two sons, Hayden and Riley, both 16, who attend St. Margaret’s Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano. I have found no photos of them; perhaps they just need to have their privacy respected at this time.
Sarah’s brother, Andy George, La Serna High (Whittier) football coach who last fall led his team to the CIF Southern Section Division 6 championship game and was named the Whittier Daily News coach of the year, discussed the heartbreak his family experienced with the Orange County Register. Sarah Chester was “the one that everybody counted on,” George said. Her daughter Payton was “the gentlest person you would ever meet.” George said his sister Sarah attended La Serna High School and was a standout soccer player on the school team. Her family resided in Orange County.“I’m going to miss her so much, I already do,” George continued. “She’s strong, kind, intelligent, funny, beautiful, and was everything to us.”
Of his niece, Payton, he choked up, adding, “She had this sweetest soul, the kindest, most gentlest person you would ever meet. She always had a huge smile on her face. Every time we would see her she would spend all her time with my little daughters.”
These were all truly SPORTS families!
Sarah Chester’s brother, Andy George and family.
4/17/2020- WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert wasted no time with the league's tribute to Gianna and her teammates ... announcing them as the first three honorary picks of the 2020 draft.
"While it brings us pain not to see their dreams come to fruition," Englebert said Friday, "I'm grateful and proud to announce them tonight as honorary draft picks."
Family members of the crash victims recorded thank you speeches for the honor.
Christina Mauser, was one of the unfortunate passengers who had tragically passed away in the helicopter ride along with Kobe and Gianna that past January. She was a wife, mother, daughter, and beloved coach. Mauser, was the assistant coach to a private school in Orange County. She was brought onto the Mamba AAU team to help Kobe teach defense. He had never played zone defense, and believed in Christina Mauser.
Her husband appeared on the Today Show to speak about his families heartbreak. He started “I’ve got three small kids, and I’m trying to figure out how to navigate life with three kids and no mom...She was extraordinary, she was incredibly witty, funny, like nobody you’ve ever met, she could imitate anybody. She was warm incredibly bright, technologically savvy.”
As we say our prayers for Kobe and Gianna family, we should also remember the other families who had lost their loved ones that day. We wish nothing but the best for everyone who had lost a loved one that unfortunate day. Our prayers and thoughts will always be with them.
Sarah Chester (left) and Payton Chester (right) both lost their lives on January 26 of this year in a helicopter crash. It affected the Chester family deeply. In a statement by the family it said that Sarah “was full of life and the glue of our family” and that Payton “had a smile and personality that would light any room, and a passion for the game of basketball”. Payton Chester was part of the same mamba academy team as Giana Bryant and Alyssa Altobelli. Payton loved all her teammates and coaches.
THE ALTOBELLIS’ DEATH LEFT TWO MORE CHILDREN BEHIND From left: Keri, John, Alexis, JJ and Alyssa
John Altobelli, beloved veteran coach at Costa Mesa’s Orange Coast College was, according to the school’s website, the “longest-tenured baseball coach in school history,” and was entering his 28th season as the head coach of the baseball program.
“Black Mamba”
Kobe Bryant adopted the nickname, inspired by the code name for a deadly assassin in Quentin Tarantio’s 2003 movie “Kill Bill.” After a 2003 sexual assault charge left his name and his reputation badly tarnished, Kobe adopted the nickname as his alter ego to separate his life on and off the court, according to a 2014 interview with “The New Yorker” magazine.
In a 2015 interview with Ahmad Rashad, Bryant said of the animal that inspired the name, "When I step on that court, I become that. I am that killer snake. I'm stone cold, man."
Lorenzo Lamas, actor and fellow helicopter pilot.
Ara Zobayan (1970-2020)
The definition of scapegoat: a person or group made to bear the blame for others or to suffer in their place. And why do we need a scapegoat. There have been volumes written on why society needs scapegoats for calamities and disasters, but it boils down to this: people need closure. They need someone to blame in a situation where all the facts are not known and may NEVER be known. Plenty has been written about Ara-the-scapegoat. He must be to blame, right? He was an experienced pilot, he should have known better, right? For now, enough about Ara-the-pilot-of-the-deadly-crash. I’d like to tell you a little bit about Ara the man, a man whose loss is deeply felt by those who loved him.
Ara Zobayan leaves behind his partner of 11 years, Tess Davidson and her two boys, whom he loved like his own, longtime friend Jesse Clark told the Daily Mail. Ara “loved Tess beyond measure,” Clark said, adding that she ‘may never be over’ Ara’s death. Ara was not a celebrity like Kobe, but, Clark explained, he was no different than Kobe; he was a “put a smile on your face kind of guy. Nobody knows Ara, but a lot of people in this world really missed out.”
Zobayan was Kobe’s regular pilot, a friend, not just an employee; someone he trusted. He regularly flew Kobe and his family from John Wayne Airport in Orange County to the Camarillo airport near his daughter’s basketball practice at the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks. Federal Aviation Administration Records show that Ara was a certified flight instructor, logging 8200 hours of flight time. Aviation firm Island Express describes him as their “chief pilot,” having worked for them for over 10 years. The 50-year-old Zobayan was certified to fly helicopters with complex aviation instruments; however his company was not.
If you are tempted to place the blame on Ara, perhaps you could ask yourself a few hard questions. They were in contact with Burbank tower when they hit fog around Griffith Park. Why did Burbank tower give them permission to fly, when all the police and media helicopters were grounded? And why did no one else in the plane say, “Hey, I’m not doing this. Let’s take her down.”
We don’t have the answers. The NTSB investigation, taking into account ‘man, machine and environment,’ is expected to take about 18 months, and we will probably never know what was said, what happened in those last few moments. Clark, however, feels confident that the probe will leave Ara free from criticism. “I know (Ara) was every bit as professional as the next guy, he said. “I don’t think anything was jeopardized by a choice he made. I know that was not a factor. I just wish we had more answers.” Perhaps those answers, he concluded, might help Tess and her boys to heal. Ara, is another victim of the same horrific crash. “A big figure in the lives of we who knew him,” Ara…is…just…GONE. No big public memorials, no adoring fans to celebrate him and comfort his grieving family and friends. “What he was to my kids, my family, the way he just let us into his life,” Clark told the Daily Mail, “he was the kind of guy you just wish the world was infected with.”
Rest in peace, Ara. You will live on in the hearts and memories of those whose lives you touched.
Ara Zobayan with longtime partner, Tess Davidson.
Ara’s family: Tess Davidson with her two sons, whom Ara “loved as his own.” Friend Jesse Clark said he “loved Tess beyond measure.”
MAMBA JUNIOR!? Kobe Bryant’s daughter Gigi has GAME! 🐍
Watch the MAMBA girls play!
#14 - Payton Chester #5 Alyssa Altobelli #2 Gianna Bryant
Rest in peace, beautiful young superstars.
On April 17, 2020 the WNBA made guard Alyssa Altobelli an honorary draftee. She was drafted along with teammates Gianna Bryant and Payton Chester. Several other teammates remembered Alyssa as always wanting to support and encourage the Mambas. They shared memories of her selflessness on the court, preferring to make a pass instead of taking every shot opportunity. Alyssa was only 14 years old when she and her parents were taken from world due to a helicopter crash on January 26th, 2020.
John & Keri Altobelli, Orange County well-known locals are survived by their other two children, J.J and Alexis. John was a reputable baseball coach that was having a winning season for Orange Coast College and during summer seasons had trained with players like star Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees. Keri was a super-mom who kept her children and herself busy while running her own business. It was important to her to be present for any and all activities. Several memorials were held in Orange County for the respected Alotbelli family, the largest being at Angels Stadium.
Bette Midler - Wind Beneath My Wings (Official Music Video)
In loving memory of three young basketball stars whose brief lives ended on January 26, 2020: Gianna Bryant, Payton Chester, Alyssa Altobelli
“This kid, man..I am telling you, the best thing that happens is when we go out, and fans will come up to me, and she’ll be standing next to me, and they will be like, “You got to have a boy, you and V, got to have a boy, man to have somebody carry on the tradition, the legacy”. And Gigi, is like “I got this, you don’t need no boy” - Kobe’s favorite story about his daughter.
Gianna Maria Onore Bryant, also referred to as “Gigi”, was born on May 1st, 2006. She was a middle school basketball player that attended Harbor Day School in Newport Beach, California. She played for Mamba Sports Academy, where she was coached by Kobe. She wanted to play college basketball at the power house University of Connecticut, she regularly attended UConn, WNBA and Lakers games with her dad. As Kobe, would always say, she was the female version of him.
On January 26, we lost Gianna in a tragic accident, an inspiration for many young kids, inspiration to us all.
Kobe Bryant a “Hero” On & Off the Court
A hero is defined as “a person who is admired or idealized, for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” When we think about Kobe Bryant, a hero is what comes to mind. Not only does he check all of the boxes by definition of a hero for his courage on the court combined with his numerous outstanding achievements, and his noble work ethic, but he was and will continue to be an inspiration to so many people around the world. He has been characterized as one of the most focused and strict players to ever do it when it comes to preparation, training, dieting, repetition, and hard work. It was this mentality the “Mamba Mentality” that helped him elevate his name and brand to one of the most prestigious levels that can be achieved as one of the greatest players of all time. A “hero” among so many other worthy titles is what Kobe will be remembered as and for good reason.
On Feb. 1, muralist and CSUN alum Levi Ponce completed this mural in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles to honor the late basketball legend, Kobe Bryant. Photo by Lisa Lee.