[MetroActive Features]

[ 'Goldies' Index | Santa Cruz Week | MetroActive Central | Archives ]

[whitespace] Medal

The Goldies

Awards of Excellence

By Michael S. Gant

THEY SAID IT COULDN'T BE DONE. They said the ballots couldn't be cast in time, couldn't be counted in time. And they were right. What happened in Florida was a disgrace, but here at Metro Santa Cruz, we met our annual deadline to complete the Goldies balloting. The chads were dispersed like so many motes in the sunlight, the ballot-stuffers were shunted aside (as the old protest song laments, "When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?") and the stray Gore votes were sent to the Miami Herald.

What remained was a sharply focused snapshot of how our readers look at our unique community. From restaurants and window-shopping to surf stores and politicians, you let us know who and what you thought deserved special recognition as the finest Santa Cruz has to offer. In well over 100 Readers Choice categories, you picked Gold, Silver and Bronze winners worth remembering for a whole year.

In addition to listening long and hard to you, we did our own research and scouted out some Santa Cruzans who we think deserve Critics Choice Awards of Excellence for their originality and their achievements. Each one of these 10 individualists embodies the creative spirit of Santa Cruz. They all have a passion for what they do, be it ordinary or extraordinary--from teaching salsa dance to narrating the riddles of the Mystery Spot, from running a shoe repair shop to surfing the monster waves of Mavericks.

Table of Contents

Readers' Choice Awards

Best Food & Drink
Best Music & Nightlife
Best Goods & Services
Best Sports & Recreation
Best Arts
Best People & Places
Best Write-Ins

Critics' Choice Awards

Jesse Davis: All the Shoes That Fit
Stuart Finch: Rock Balancing Act
Isabel Piekarski: Latin Dance Sensation
Juan Cuellar: Compassionate Warrior
Nate Brunskill: Film Fanatic
Warren Odell: Tour Guide to an Anomaly
Sarah Gerhardt: Woman Who Rides Mountains
Seema Weatherwax: Late-Blooming Photographer
Stephanie Smith: Student of the Sciences
Theo Paige: The Not.So.Mad Fiddler

Credits

Critics' Choices: Michael S. Gant, Tai Moses, Andrea Perkins, Sarah Phelan, Hiya Swanhuyser, Christina Waters
Ballot Counter Award: Mike Connor and Michael S. Gant
Design and Production: Dan Pulcrano, Marty Stevens, Shannon Stillman
Special Thanks: Emily Hein, Tami Roadarmel, Christopher Samuels, Neil Smyth, Stuart Stair, Debra Whizin, Kiet Tran
Photography: George Sakkestad

[ Santa Cruz Week | MetroActive Central | Archives ]


From the March 21-28, 2001 issue of Metro Santa Cruz.

Copyright © Metro Publishing Inc. Maintained by Boulevards New Media.