Sharks versus Laker Girls

It’s THE KIND OF image you might conjure in a bad dream: a man named Soldier struggles with the large shark at the end of his rod and reel, as Santa Claus bears down fast on the bow of another boat and Laker Girls, flanked by a swarm of children, cheer his arrival.

Surreal? Yes. But the image is also so touching that you hate to see it and the event that produced it fade away....

The day began as about two dozen children and adults who live on the streets or in shelters, arrived at Pierpoint Landing in Long Beach for a fishing trip donated by more fortunate people.

They stood before the fancy boats, wondering which was theirs (one child presumed it would be the Queen Mary). They wondered, also, what the boat ride would feel like and where it would take them. Not that it mattered. They were glad to be going somewhere.

“This is nice -- really wonderful,” said Soldier, a 49-year-old Vietnam veteran who came as part of a small group brought by Ted Hayes, founder of Los Angeles’ Dome Village, home to people who might otherwise be living under bridges or on sidewalks. “I’ve never been on the water before, on a boat anyway. I don’t even care if I catch any fish.”

Arriving with Soldier was Eleanor and her two children, Justin, 3, and Warrington, 10. “They’re both so excited and this is just bringing tears to my eyes, seeing them holding their poles like a couple of little fishermen,” she said. “They were so excited they went to bed last night at 7 so they could get up early and come here today.”

Also aboard were people associated with Bethune Transitional Center in Long Beach and the Long Beach Rescue Mission. The trip was organized by the 976-Tuna Youth Fishing Program, run by its founder, Philip Friedman, and dozens of volunteers. They treat thousands of poor children to these kinds of trips each year, some in concert with the Lakers. Though the Lakers were not officially involved this time, the team sent players Brian Cook and Stanislav Medvedenko, and Laker Girls Nancy Karr, Danielle Gonzalez and Tiana Anderson.

“I love kids and I love fishing. That’s why I’m here,” Cook said, as he became pals with a 9-year-old named Joshua, who clutched his fishing pole in one hand and a can of grape soda in another.

Capt. Paul Working piloted the Toronado to a sandy-bottomed area near the breakwater. It wasn’t far from the docks, but it seemed a world away to the passengers, young and old, who, with small croakers nibbling at their bait, marveled at sea lions darting through the water. Pelicans, with their long, comical faces, begged for scraps. Boats cruised this way and that, under an unseasonably warm sun.

“This is fun and exciting, but calming at the same time,” said a 13-year-old girl named Ayla, gazing out over the waters from her perch at the bow. “I really like the pelicans.”

At the stern, Chris, 11, with two croakers to his credit, was explaining the nuances of fishing to another kid who wasn’t doing so well: “It’s all about patience,” Chris said.

Some of the neophyte anglers never smiled, unsure what to make of this day, perhaps knowing it was only a brief diversion. Seeing them brought to mind what Hayes had said before the boat left its slip: “You’ve got to be careful with the holiday spirit. It lifts you up and fills you with anticipation and joy, and then comes the other side -- Jan. 2, when it all crashes. What we need is this kind of spirit year-round.”

But most soaked in the day. There were free hot dogs and plates of vegetables, which disappeared almost as fast as the candy and cookies.

Then, suddenly, the kids were squealing: “Sharks!” Dozens of brown, smoothhound sharks, measuring 2 to almost 4 feet, swept across the sandy bottom, scattering the croakers and snapping up the chunks of squid with which the anglers had baited their hooks.

Calm turned to chaos as rods were bent, lines broken and predators were hauled carefully over the rail for brief -- and very careful -- inspection. “It was cool catching a shark,” an 11-year-old boy named Audrey told his fishing mate, who soon hooked one of his own. Chris then caught one and declared it “stronger than me.”

Almost as suddenly as they appeared, the sharks disappeared, which is OK because a Santa sighting had been announced. Around the breakwater he came, sitting on the bow of a white yacht with a sack full of presents.

Amid the fanfare, Soldier’s valiant struggle with what appears to be a large shark went largely unnoticed. He was too busy to care.

To e-mail Pete Thomas or read his previous Fair Game columns, go to latimes.com/ petethomas.