Malibu is going the distance, going for speed
MALIBU HIGH SCHOOL — History will be made today when members of the boys and girls cross country teams compete in the California Interscholastic Federation play-offs at Mt. San Antonio College in Pamona.
While individual runners have competed in the event, never before in the history of Malibu High School have both teams performed well enough to be invited to the playoffs, according to Jennifer Gonzalez, coach of Malibu’s cross country programs.
“This is really a big deal for us,” said Gonzalez, who also teaches math, English, health and film at the high school. “These kids have trained hard all season and they all deserve to be there. It’s great.”
While the commitment of each student-athlete has helped them reach the playoffs, Gonzalez said their success can also be attributed to this year’s realignment of the Tri-Valley League, now known as the Frontier League.
Before the realignment, smaller schools like Malibu, which has roughly 680 students, had to compete against schools with up to three times the number of students, giving those schools a leg up with their larger talent pools from which to draw runners, Gonzalez said.
“We are now one of the larger schools in the league,”the coach said.“We’ve gotten a little bit of a break, but that doesn’t mean our students haven’t worked hard every day at practice and in competition. We have athletes who are as good as anybody’s, and those kids who are at the back of the pack have steadily improved through the year and have a chance to make it to the finals, which would be great.”
The teams practice for nearly two hours Monday through Friday, with some Saturday practices thrown in for good measure. Runners train on dirt trails and rocky terrain, as well as the beach to help build leg strength and stamina.
For cross country novices, the runners tackle grueling, three-mile courses that include steep hills, rocky switchbacks and quick descents that take a toll on a runner’s legs and lungs.
“Track and field has 14 different events — sprints, distance running and then all the field events, like long jump,” Gonzalez said. “Track is a real specialist kind of sport where kids come out and find their niche, whereas cross country, everyone runs three miles and the best come out on top. It is a real test of endurance.”
Seven members of a team compete, each receiving an individual score based on where they finish in the pack. The first five runners’ scores are added and whichever team has the lowest score wins. Individuals with the best scores advance as individuals to the finals, which will be held next Saturday at Mt. SAC. From there, student-athletes have a chance to advance to the state championships.
Two students that stand a good chance of advancing are Stopher Eldridge, a senior who has already won the league championship, and Becki Ottusch, a junior who has won all three league meets and advanced to the state championships last year.
For Eldridge, 17, his chance to compete today will be memorable, for it could be the last time he represents Malibu.
“I’m so glad to have the opportunity to be a part of history,”Eldridge said.“I’m nervous because this could be my last meet as a high school runner, so there is a lot of intensity. But no matter how I do, I will feel great to just be out there with my teammates, who have been so supportive.
“They’re the one’s who keep me going.” Eldridge said he got into cross country by accident.
“I wanted to sign up for track and field one day, but the only team practicing that day was cross country,” Eldridge said. “I didn’t really care for long-distance running, but during the summer practices I found myself staying right behind the leader and I’ve loved it ever since. It has really given me a sense of confidence in everything that I do. I feel that I can accomplish anything I do.”
Ottusch, 15, also became interested in cross country by accident. She was looking for a sport that would help her stay in shape for soccer season and decided to try cross country.
“I tried it out and kind of stuck with it,” Ottusch said. “The best thing about it is the team. While it is an individual sport in the sense that you are competing against yourself, to see how far you can push yourself, the team is there to support you. It really is a family.”
During practices, the boys and girls teams hang out together and crack jokes or delve deep into wild discussions.
“It’s really nice,” she said.“Lots of kids are pretty intelligent, so we bring up some good points and some silly ones too. Our discussions go everywhere. Once we were talking about what would happen if penguins would take over the world. So yeah, it goes everywhere.”
Both teams are hoping this weekend’s march leads them straight to the finals.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 11, 2006. Read the original PDF.