La Mirada High School

2003 Summer Training Camp a Success!

Imagine spending seven nights and eight days in Big Bear running with a high school cross country team.  Now, imagine that training camp with no drama, lots of laughter, serious team work, bonding and rigorous training.  It was such an amazing experience that the senior captains called this year’s camp “the most positive experience we’ve ever had at camp.”  Congratulations to the veterans and the first year runners who survived the intense workouts.  Everybody returned home a bit more tired and a lot more prepared for the upcoming season.

Over the course of the week, the varsity girls ran an average of 60 miles while the boys ran 75+ miles.  Leading the way for the girls were Amanda Stephens, Megan Burbidge and Ana Poblet who each compiled over 60 miles.  On the boy’s team, Nathaniel Moore and Jared Bird ran close to 80 miles each.

Running the many scenic trails around the valley turned out to be the core of the training for the week.  Holcomb Valley, Castle Rock, 2N10, “Stairway to Heaven,” Gray’s Peak, and the “Shack Loop” were revisited again this year and conquered by all.  This season, the girls shocked the boys in the annual Big Bear Challenge when the first four female runners finished the 3-mile race in under 21 minutes!  The highlight of the week was running with Craig Hall and the Big Bear team up “the wall” at Snow Summit.  Every athlete who completed that challenge will remember it as the most difficult workout they’ve ever done in cross country.

The final challenge of the week was the 13-miler along route 2N10 that Nathaniel finished in 1 hour 28 minutes and Jared finished in under 1 hour 34 minutes.  Amanda, Ana, and Megan completed the 13-mile run for the girls.

Activities for the week included a movie day, bowling, water slides, go-carts, fishing, ping-pong, basketball and trips to the arcade to play pool and watch Freddy excel at “Dance-Dance-Revolution.”  The many unforgettable moments included: an entire hour of non-stop laughter, dancing in the car, team meetings under the lights, “True Colors,” the full moon Ana saw, Hazzel and Karla’s dances, hours of chess, a rain-soaked team, all-you-can-eat pizza, no ice cream at McD’s, and much, much more.

Thanks to Andy and Bill Bird, Tom Palmer, Cathi Wilson, Laura Casas, Nicole Reynolds and Carlos Poblet for transporting, taking care of and feeding 30 hungry athletes and coaches.