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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 | MetroActive Central | Archives ]