Sparky? Linfield athletics?
Say hello to Mikaela “Sparky” Viloria, an outfielder for Catball, from Orange, Calif. She joined Linfield softball as a freshman in 2014.
In photo, she's in Salem, Va., with Catball competing for the 2015 NCAA DIII national softball title.
Mikaela, daughter of Gene and Teri Viloria, got her Sparky nickname while playing mini soccer as a five and six-year-old for an OJSC/Orange Junior Soccer Club team called the “Purple Puppies.”
Puppies coach Dawn Southland used "Sparky" because Mikaela would “spark up the team” when sent into soccer matches.
Speaking of El Modena, Sparky provided not a spark, but a lightning bolt in the Vanguards’ CIF/California Interscholastic Federation playoff win over Etiwanda High School of Rancho Cucamonga.The Orange County Register reported that Sparky had one of El Mo’s crushing blows in the Etiwanda game by hitting a two-run homer. The newspaper included a photo of Sparky being greeted at home plate by teammates after her blast.
Two other Sparkys were Linfield football players:
--Meet Marcus "Sparky" Gonzalez, a Wildcat defensive end from Honolulu (St. Louis School). He lettered for the ‘Cats in the 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons. In the photo, he’s with his mother, Phyllis Freund, after a 2011 game on Legendary Maxwell Field.
--Greet Steve "Sparky" Davis, who lettered in football for Linfield in the 1969, 1970 and 1971 seasons. In his black & white photo, he's wearing a Linfield football uniform. (Sadly, Steve died in 2014. This story was originally posted in 2011.)
http://www.linfield.edu/sports/hof-member.html?m=61&y=11
How did Sparky Gonzalez get his nickname?
“I … remember … always being called Sparky,” he said. “I asked my parents how I got the name and they tell me that it was kind of an evolution of names. My real name is Marcus, so I guess in the child's (way) of saying my name it went from Marcus to Marky, then from Marky to Sparky and it stuck…”
The highlight of Gonzalez’s time as a Linfield football player was creating “friendships with my teammates that I now consider brothers,” he said.
It was “awesome” to have a successful Linfield football career, he said. “I (enjoyed being among) my ‘brothers’ for countless hours a week, putting in the time to get better and continue the Linfield legacy … The bonds (between us) will last forever…I couldn’t be any happier with the success I've shared with them.”
For the ‘Cats, Sparky Davis was a linebacker in the 1968 and 1969 seasons and a kicker after that. His straight-ahead kicking made him Linfield's leading football scorer in the 1970 season. During it he “booted” a 33-yard field goal with nine seconds left to beat PLU, 16-13, in a night game on Franklin Pierce High School field in Tacoma, Wash.
Davis, who lives in McMinnville, is a 1968 graduate of North Salem, Ore., High School and earned a Linfield bachelor of science degree in business. His vital behind-the-scenes role in Wildcat football is honored by his enshrinement in the Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame.
What are the roots of Davis' "Sparky" nickname?
He was among Linfield students who lived in the McMinnville Fire Department downtown for room and board. In return, he was a volunteer firefighter.
Dalmatian dogs are commonly associated with fire departments as being faithful companions of firefighters. The nation's #1 fire department Dalmatian is "Sparky" the fire dog. Steve's fellow McMinnville firefighters gave him the nickname.
There’s another Sparky Davis angle, too. The Davis family has a long history of being electricians and in the electrical supply contracting trade. Sparks are associated with electricity. But, as Steve points out, there are no sparks “if you do it right!”
Posted Dec. 11, 2011
Updated/re-posted Oct. 12, 2013
Updated/re-posted May 21, 2015
