For the Point Loma High School girls’ softball team, trekking more than a mile to Robb Field for after-school practices and playing home games on the visiting team’s field were regular sacrifices. But last week, the team’s dedication was rewarded with a new softball field “” thanks to the fund-raising efforts of one of the players’ parents, Scott Hoff.
Peckham Park Softball Field was buzzing with excitement as approximately 40 people “” including school staff, district officials and major donators “” gathered Thursday, March 15, for the ribbon cutting ceremony.
All in attendance praised the speedy work that transformed a dirt lot into a top-of-the-line athletic field in just four months.
“I don’t think we’ve ever had a project done as quickly as Scott Hoff made this a reality. He turned this thing around so very quickly,” Point Loma High School Athletic Director Mike Hastings said, noting that it took three years for the completion of the school’s all-weather track, which celebrated its grand opening Wednesday, March 14.
“Scott Hoff was a bulldog,” Hastings said of how Hoff maneuvered through the district’s red tape.

Hoff first got the idea to build a softball field on campus in 2005 but put the concept to work in April 2006.
He collaborated with Principal Bobbie Samilson and was awarded a $60,000 capital improvement grant. Drawings of the project were approved by the district in spring of last year, Samilson said.
By November 2006, Hoff still needed $132,000 to purchase TurfTech artificial grass for the outfield, holding fund-raisers with the school’s foundation and alumni association.
Money poured in, but it was a generous donation from Nancy Peckham, a Point Loma graduate along with her late husband and many members of her immediate family, that sealed the deal.
“Her donation substantially covered the costs,” foundation and alumni association President John Baker said. Peckham also called on her Padres connections to acquire a home plate from Petco Park for the high school field.
“I just walked up and they handed it to me,” Hoff said of the request.
Many team parents, coaches and friends donated time and resources for this project. Varsity coach Tom Kamfonik, who is also in the concrete business, helped install the dugouts and storage shed.
“Not only is he the coach of this field, but he’s also been one of the main construction guys on this field, putting everything “” his heart and soul “” into it,” Hastings said, recalling one Saturday when Kamfonik missed a family friend’s birthday party to pour the concrete dugouts.
Nellie Meyer, San Diego Unified School District assistant superintendent, spoke at the ceremony, recalling her years in school to emphasize the importance of the new softball field.
“There weren’t as many choices, and when we did have our choices, the facilities didn’t always look the same as the young men’s,” Meyer said of her high school years. “You really recognize the equality and how far we’ve come.”
Board of Education trustee John de Beck offered incentive to the girls’ junior varsity team, which played its first home game on the field against Valhalla following the ceremony.
“I heard there was one home run hit here already,” de Beck said of Kamfonik’s hit earlier in the week, which smashed the windshield of BMW parked near the field. “I’m going to offer up a little suggestion that may affect the outcome of today’s game. For the first girl who hits a homerun over the fence, I’m going to guarantee a $50 check.”
While de Beck’s offer didn’t result in a home run, the new digs might have inspired the team toward its 6-0 victory over Valhalla High School March 15.