1983: Spring Valley Woman Wins Silver Medal in Judo at Olympic Trials

According to the Spring Valley Bulletin, here's what was happening in the Spring Valley area, this week in 1983:

– The first "contract" postal station was started in Lemon Grove, inside of The Crafty Lady craft and supply store, on 3340 Main Street. The owner of the store, Tina Rainer, said "we are just like the post office," adding that you can buy stamps, money orders and envelopes in the store, as well as sending and receiving letters and parcels. It is expected that the flow and volume of traffic at the actual post office will ease considerably because of this contract station.

– The East County San Diego Lyric Theatre re-opened this week with a refurbished interior, new carpets and updated ammenities. In addition, the theatre added a dinner service and an orchestral musical backdrop. The theatre had been closed for two months. The new show that opened the venue was "Dames at Sea," a fun musical comedy, which was directed by Jack Tygett. The set design was done by Tim Danichek. The coreographer was Deanne Johnston. The musical director was Ken Cayton.

– Ann Marie Burns, 25, a Spring Valley resident, was a silver medal at the United States Olympic Trials in judo. She competed in a multi-national event against more than 100 other competitors at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Judo champions from South Korea, Japan, Poland, Belgium, Great Britain, Canada, Egypt, Mexico, West Germany, and Czechoslovakia were all seeking to perform the "ippon" the ultimate judo finishing move, similar to a KO in boxing. Burns is a 1980 graduate of the University of Minnesota and has a BA in Business Administration. She  won gold medals in judo at the 1983 Pan Am Games, and lives on Lamar Street with her husband David and 14-month old baby.