Mike SciaccaThere’s a young man who can...

Mike Sciacca

There’s a young man who can be seen almost daily sprinting across the

Laguna Beach High campus after school, making a mad dash to get from

one place to another ... and another.

That would be Shawn Pfendler, who, nearing the end of his senior

year -- a year in which most students have their sights set on

graduation and beyond -- is milking the most out of his high school

experience.

The personable 18-year-old is simultaneously juggling playing

three varsity sports: baseball, track and field and swimming.

Pfendler also ran cross-country earlier in the school year.

During his sports career at Laguna, Pfendler has served has

captain of Laguna’s boys’ cross country team that won the 2004 state

championship, was all-league in cross country, has played two years

of varsity baseball and is a four-year varsity swim team member.

He is the school record-holder in three varsity swim events:

100-backstroke, 200-individual medley and 200-medley relay.

Balancing the three sports has been somewhat difficult, he says,

adding he wanted it that way.

“I have to thank my coaches, parents and teachers for

understanding that this is something I really wanted to,” he said.

“The three things that are most difficult about doing all three at

the same time are time management, that I hardly get to practice like

a regular athlete, and the most difficult thing, of all, and the most

important thing, is keeping up in school. For me, that means keeping

my GPA above 4.2.”

Pfendler earned a 4.2 GPA during his first semester of the current

school year, the “lowest” GPA, he says, that he’s held during high

school.

A member of the National Honors Society and the California

Scholarship Federation, Pfendler hopes to finish high school with a

4.6 GPA.

“Shawn is a young man of character,” said Dave Brobeck, Pfendler’s

track and field and cross country coach. “This has been evident for a

long time now. I have never seen a high school student manage his

time as well as Shawn does. His schedule in and out of athletics is

more taxing than most of us know.

“There is no question in my mind that Shawn is spread thin. He

would absolutely be a more accomplished track athlete if there were

more hours in the day. He practices the long jump, high jump and 100

meter at nights and on weekends and amazingly, is a valuable scorer

for our boys team. He is also always a positive force. Any coach

would want him.”

For the past eight years, Pfendler’s long, light-brown hair has

been long enough to tie back into a pony-tail, which he does for

track and field.

A swim cap conceals his locks, but they usually can be seen when

he wears a baseball helmet.

But that is no more.

Recently, he came to a big decision, and cut off most of his hair

-- which had reached 10 inches in length, from the base of his neck.

He donated his locks to the American Cancer Society’s “Locks of

Love” program, which takes donated hair and makes it into wigs for

cancer patients who suffer hair loss.

“Once I decided I was going to cut it, I felt that I should donate

it to the children suffering from cancer who lose their hair during

chemo therapy,” Pfendler said. “They will make the hair into a wig

for a young boy or girl to wear, so that they will hopefully not feel

so uncomfortable about losing their hair, like when they go out.

Their interaction with others may be easier.

“I simply felt it was time to cut my hair and that it would go to

a good cause. This is a stage in my life where I am going through a

self-discovery phase. This is a part of that self-discovery. I felt I

needed a change.”

Pfendler says he plans to take a year off from schooling once he

graduates in June, with plans of traveling and “learning a bit” about

the world. But one thing Pfendler says was never an option for him

was coasting through his senior year.

“That can be tempting but, I figure I’m only in high school once

and I should get as much out of it as I can,” he said. “I’m here now,

and I know that I will never be able to do all the things that I am

doing right now, ever again.”

Pfendlerplayed for Laguna this week in a spring break baseball

tournament in Glendale.

Come Monday, Shawn Pfendler will be back into his three-sport

regimen.