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T he R ancho S anta F e News
M arketplace News
MAY 13, 2016
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Californians weigh in on small business in commissioned survey Survey shows overwhelming consumer support for small businesses When Californians were asked which political candidate is most likely to support legislation that provides more opportunities for small businesses, Bernie Sanders edged out Hillary Clinton and cruised past Donald Trump, according to the 2016 Cox Consumer Pulse on Small Businesses survey. Additionally, more California consumers (47 percent) believe the Democratic Party contributes more to small business growth compared to Republicans and Independents. The national blind survey, commissioned by Cox Business in recognition of National Small Business Week (May 1 through May 7, 2016), polled consumers from around the country, including California. Other key findings from Cali-
fornia respondents included: • 90 percent frequent small businesses at least once a week, with 43 percent shopping small businesses three times or more per week; • 59 percent say WiFi is the best perk to have while waiting (coffee came in second at 20 percent); • 66 percent didn’t feel it is necessary for small businesses to stay open on holidays; • When asked which digital channels they use to interact with small businesses (and to select all that apply), 55 percent use websites, 47 percent email and 41 percent Facebook compared to Instagram (21 percent), text (20 percent) and Twitter (14 percent). • 72 percent of California consumers feel the federal government does not do enough to promote small business growth on a A commissioned survey from Cox Business polls small business owners from around national level; the country in recognition of National Small Business Week, May 1 through May 7. • The entrepreneurial bug Courtesy photo starts early. According to survey
responses, California consumers have tried their hands at a variety of business ventures as kids, including: babysitting (44 percent), neighborhood lemonade stand (28 percent), mowing lawns (27 percent), paper route (26 percent), and dog walking (12 percent). More details on the 2016 Cox Consumer Pulse on Small Businesses are available at coxblue. com/newsroom. Follow @CoxBusiness and @CoxCalifornia on Twitter and join the conversation using #GoSmall to share the results with your business network. The commercial division of Cox Communications, Cox Business provides Internet, telephone and video services to more than 300,000 small and regional businesses nationwide, including healthcare providers, school districts and universities, hotels, financial institutions and government agencies, and the military. For more information, visit coxbusiness.com.
From the bases to the boards, Thompson has delivered a hit with play on Ted Williams
sports talk jay paris
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Sierra Enge, 16, center, a sophomore at Pacific Ridge School, exchanges banners with her counterpart from Iran. Enge served as captain to the U.S. Under-16 Girl’s National Team. Her team was the first U.S. Women’s national team on any level to face a team from the Middle East. The girls beat Iran 6-0 in their match on April 26. Photo by ISI Photos
Pacific Ridge sophomore makes history on soccer pitch By Aaron Burgin
ENCINITAS — When Sierra Enge lined up in her usual center-back position on the soccer pitch in Monfalcone, Italy, last week, she became part of history. Sierra, a 16-year-old sophomore at Pacific Ridge School and a Cardiff resident, is captain of the U.S. Under-16 Girl’s National Team. On April 26, she and her mates faced off against the U-16 girls team from Iran, becoming the first U.S. women’s national team on any level to face a team from the Middle East. The U.S. team defeated their Iranian counterparts 6-0, but the score was merely
arithmetic given the historic backdrop. And the significance was not lost on Sierra. “I mean, it was an incredible honor to be honest,” she said this week. “It was crazy, and we were all super excited to be a part of it. It was an incredibly humbling and incredible experience that all of us will never forget. It also showed how soccer can help with the empowering of women across the world and we were humbled to be a part of that.” Sierra’s team went 1-1-1 in last week’s International Women’s Tournament of Gradisca, good for fourth place in the six-team field. It was the first internation-
al matches of the year for the team and first since the program was re-instated last year. Sierra said while the team received the invitation a month ago, it wasn’t until two weeks before the tournament that the team learned the magnitude of the game they would play against Iran. By the time the game started, Sierra said, she wasn’t nervous. “It just felt very special to be part of that experience,” she said. For Sierra, that experience could likely be the start of many special experiences in her soccer career. A two-year veteran of the U.S. Soccer program,
Sierra has aspirations to play in the U-20 World Cup in 2020 and potentially play on the national team in the World Cup or the Olympics. As captain of the U-16 team and committed to play college soccer at Stanford University, Sierra is considered one of the elite players in the country and is on track to achieve those goals, a fact that she said excites her. “It is really cool to know that these goals are definitely options, but I still have to work really hard to make those teams,” said Sierra, who plays club soccer for Carlsbad Elite. “Nothing is for sure, but I am excited to be able to work hard and work toward those goals.”
att Thompson had an idea and maybe the San Dieguito High baseball coaches wouldn’t notice. “Oh no, they did,’’ Thompson said, “We got in trouble.’’ Thompson, now the Point Loma Playhouse artistic director and an actor, was a Ted Williams fan when playing for the Mustangs in 1987. When arriving at Williams’ Hoover High in North Park for a game, Thompson made a visit to Williams’ childhood home at 4121 Utah Street. “I was freaking out we were at Hoover, where Ted played,’’ Thompson said. “So it was before the game and me and two of the other guys actually ran over to his house about a mile away. We kind of gawked at it from across the street.’’ The breakaway bunch returned for the first pitch but were reprimanded. Thompson, who rarely saw the field, wasn’t concerned about the consequences. “I didn’t play much; I think I got up nine times all year,’’ he said. “But I did in that game and hit a grounder to third. I was safe at first base, I remember that, but the ump called me out. I guess that was karma for going to see Ted’s house.’’ Thompson now fills the house with his one-
man show, “Ted Williams: A Tip of the Cap.” He recently performed it before a capacity crowd. “It went great,’’ Thompson said. “And we had a nice discussion and told stories afterward.’’ Thompson’s athletic career ended that year at San Dieguito. He turned to the arts, which led to his presentation of Teddy Ballgame. Instead of doing a glossy biography of the multi-layered Williams, Thompson dives into what made the former Boston Red Sox star tick. “Not just his rants and him yelling at sportswriters,’’ Williams added. Instead we discover Williams’ challenge of switching coasts and his interaction with family. Williams was confident in the batter’s box, but a conflicted Hall of Famer out of it. “He had these internal demons,’’ Thompson, 44, said. “Even as a kid he preferred to be by himself, be alone. He was in a shell and it was hard for him to come out of it. So I tried to pull those things out. What motivated him and what was his humanity like? There were many conflicts there and that makes a good story.’’ Few know that Williams’ mother was Hispanic. While proud of his heritage Williams felt restrained expressing it. “This was in the 1950s and he was afraid he would be an outcast if people knew,’’ Thompson said. “He often said if he looked more like his brother — who more resembled their mother — he might not have made it TURN TO JAY PARIS ON A17