When the kids from Pacoima walk into sports competitions, they have style – their jerseys stand out – the letters RVRC are artfully shaped to form a guitar, it’s a perfect logo for Ritchie Valens Recreation Center.
Named after the rock ‘n’ roll legend, RVRC has been the after-school spot for local kids, including those from nearby Pacoima Middle and San Fernando High. They join sports teams and take classes just for fun at the park.
The rec center’s gym and outdoor fields are in constant motion, rotating with baseball, soccer, basketball, flag football, tennis and pickleball. There’s a skateboard park, golf is offered off-site and swimming during summer months.
Classes are equally busy with dance, folklorico, guitar, aerobics, drill team, gymnastics, karate and more.
Pacoima is 90% Latino with Mexican American families who’ve proudly lived in the community for generations alongside immigrants from Mexico and Central America, who use the park around the clock on weekends for fútbol competitions.
The park reflects the history, culture and so many memories for those who grew up in Pacoima and the surrounding Northeast San Fernando Valley.
The Ritchie Valens story is handed down like a precious gift and is a source of pride that connects those from the neighborhood.
During big games, the Valens hit “La Bamba” is played as a rallying song, which brings an outburst of cheers with the crowd singing along with joy.
Musicians enjoy performing under the mural of the late rocker located at the park’s outdoor stage and the audience appreciates the setting. But what is unexpected and most impressive for people who walk into the lobby of the recreation center for the first time is to see a case of Ritchie Valens memorabilia with photos, news clippings and shiny gold records.
When kids look into the case and learn that Ritchie Valens was born and raised in Pacoima, just like them, they light up with a smile. It’s meaningful to them that Valens, whose birth name was Richard Steven Valenzuela, reached musical success when he was a teenager and his songs that pioneered Latino rock are still popular and recognized around the world.
“People come in all the time and share their memories growing up here,” said Christina Conyers, senior recreation director. “Oftentimes, they mention knowing Ritchie Valens’ family or share their experiences at the park.
“The UPS guy who just came in to deliver our sports equipment the other day said, ‘Hey, I played basketball here when I was a kid.’ He came into the lobby and kind of took it all in, remembering when he was a kid standing in that same very spot,” said Conyers. “We even get tourists who come here sometimes and ask to take photos.”
The strongest testimony, however, comes from the parents who’ve enrolled their children in the park’s activities, because it did them a lot of good to be at the park when they were kids.
It Takes A Village
Lupe Paez is one of the parents who grew up going to RVRC.
“We lived just a block and a half away, so during the summer, I used to walk to the pool and swim. I was given a free lunch and I’d stay there swimming until my parents got out of work,” she said.
Now, a mother of five daughters from 2 to 15 years old, Paez is at the park so often with her girls that other parents would go to her to ask their questions. That didn’t go unnoticed – she was asked to be a member of the park’s advisory board, which she accepted.
“I’m not in the office like staff, I’m out in the field, on the court, so other parents feel comfortable coming to tell me what they love and what they need.”
The Ritchie Valens mural, painted on the outside of the Ritchie Valens Recreation Center, April 10. (SFVS/el Sol Photo/Semantha Raquel Norris)
Paez is pleased that most of the park’s activities only cost $10, which helps the low-income community, especially those with large families. She said that at this park, families really get to know each other.
“My daughters have made good friends at the park and I’ve made a lot of mom friends here too, and we help each other,” said Paez.
“A lot of families have multiple kids and when you have children whose games are at the same time but on different fields, one mom will help the other by walking one of the kids to the other field,” said Paez. “And when there are parents who work late and they’re not able to take their kids to practice or to games, my husband and I will help pick them up. That goes for all the families, we help each other out so the kids can participate.”
“I like the community, how everyone’s so uplifting with one another,” said 15-year-old Emma, Paez’s daughter. “The coaches are nice.”
Her 11-year-old sister Naomi agrees that those she meets at RVRC are special to her.
“I like playing basketball, soccer and volleyball, but most of all hanging out with the staff and making new friends,” she said.
Hearing this makes Paez happy.
“For the kids, being at the park is just sports and fun, right? But they’re getting exercise and we’re introducing them to a healthy lifestyle,” said Paez. “My daughters also really look forward to going to the park’s summer camp and seeing that group of friends each year.
“They may go to different schools during the year, but they reconnect at the park during the summer. They’re growing up together as a tight-knit community, making lasting friendships,” Paez believes.
Girls Play LA
Girls playing sports is encouraged at RVRC, and The Girls Play Los Angeles (GPLA) is well established at this park. You see little girls as young as 3 and 5 playing soccer as the “Tiny Kickers” and playing basketball.
“It’s the cutest thing to watch,” said Conyers.
On the other hand, old beliefs that sports are just for boys still exist and can hold girls back from sports. Conyers has encountered this double standard, too.
“I saw a dad whose daughter was begging him to sign her up for basketball, but he didn’t want to and was just signing up his son. His daughter was pleading, telling him she just wanted to try it, but he was resistant,” she said.
Conyers, a strong advocate for girls playing sports, recognized that there may have been cultural differences, but said after having a conversation, she was able to convince him.
“I told him it’s a girls’ league, and it’s for beginners, and it’s just fun. He finally relented and signed her up.”
Conyers said that it was a rewarding day for her. Sports, she said, teach life lessons. A girl’s sports program can also be a pathway to scholarships and college.
Entertainment and Culture
Ruben Rodriguez, the director of Pueblo Y Salud, a local nonprofit, has memories of the park starting at 12 years old.
“In the late 60’s, me and my friends would ride our bikes to the park and we’d go and hit the punching bag,” Rodriguez chuckled at the memory.
“On our bikes, we’d go from the park to the Laurel Drive-In movie theater close by, and we’d sit on the fence and watch the show. My younger brother Adrian got his lifeguard training and certificate at the pool, and he became a lifeguard for the city.”
A skateboarder practices tricks at the skate park in Ritchie Valens Park, April 10. (SFVS/el Sol Photo/Semantha Raquel Norris)
Rodriguez, now 75, is still utilizing the park today. As one of the organizers for the Cesar Chavez March for Justice, held recently, Rodriguez said it is fortunate that the route for the march ends at RVRC because the park has the capacity to hold a large cultural event for the community.
“We had a day-long resource fair with at least 30 organizations, an art exhibit, food vendors and showcased young dancers and musicians, all local talent,” said Rodriguez. “We’re fortunate to have such valuable land for a large park in this part of our community.”
The park has several special events throughout the year. A spring egg hunt, a carnival for Mother’s Day weekend, and every November, it’s the gathering spot for the thousands who attend the San Fernando Veterans Parade, one of the largest in LA County.
It’s really important that the Richie Valens Recreation Center and the park exist, said Conyers.
“It draws a lot of families and community members together, because there’s just so much to do here,” she said. “It’s the hub of the community.”
“My daughters call it our home away from home,” said Paez.
For more information about Ritchie Valens Recreation Center programs, go to: https://www.laparks.org/reccenter/ritchie-valens.
What about the other side of the Park formally know has Paxton Park where the baseball field, pool and handball court is ? I have been trying for 3years to have the handball court restored ? I’ve spoken to Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez and her staff on several occasions, that they can help my father who was a Korean veteran and 1 of the founders of El Proyecto Del Barrio built it in 1973, is the park ashamed of how that park of the park looks??