AREA HEROES SUMMONED TO CARRY OLYMPIC TORCH.Byline: Kermit Pattison Daily News Staff Writer For a grandmother who barely has run a step in years, Priscilla Partridge de Garcia has an Olympian task awaiting her. The Camarillo woman has been named as one of the local heroes who will carry the Olympic torch on its 15,000-mile journey to Atlanta for the 1996 Olympic Games Olympic games, premier athletic meeting of ancient Greece, and, in modern times, series of international sports contests. The Olympics of Ancient Greece Although records cannot verify games earlier than 776 B.C. . "I haven't been really athletically active in about 10 years," she said. "This is going to be a real challenge." Partridge de Garcia is one of about 5,500 local heroes from across the United States named Thursday to bear the Olympic flame on its 84-day trek from Los Angeles to Atlanta. Two torch bearers will come from Ventura County and three from Agoura. "Carrying the Olympic flame is an extreme honor very few people are able to do," said Dori Wofford, a spokeswoman for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games 1996 Torch Relay. "We want to share that honor with people who have done something special in their community." The 84-day trek will begin April 27 when the flame arrives in Los Angeles from Greece. It will wind through 42 states as it passes between runners and even bikes, train, steamboat steamboat: see steamship. steamboat or steamship Watercraft propelled by steam; more narrowly, a shallow-draft paddle-wheel steamboat widely used on rivers in the 19th century, particularly the Mississippi River and its tributaries. , canoe and plane before arriving in Atlanta July 19 for the opening ceremony of the centennial Olympics. The tradition hearkens back to ancient Greece when runners would tromp tromp v. tromped, tromp·ing, tromps Informal v.intr. 1. To walk heavily and noisily; tramp. 2. across the land proclaiming a truce of all wars and summon competitors to the games. The runners were selected by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games and the United Way for volunteer work, leadership, generosity, kindness or extraordinary accomplishments. Each runner will carry the Georgia hardwood torch for one kilometer, or about six-tenths of a mile. Clinical psychologist Tom Dakoske of Agoura found out he had been selected to carry the torch April 27 when he returned home Saturday and found his family gathered to meet him. One son carried a homemade torch made out of a candle and another lifted a trumpet to his lips to blare out the Olympic theme. "It's an incredible dream to be able to carry the flame," he said. "My first introduction to the Olympics was 'The Bob Mathias Story.' It was in third grade and ever since I've been hooked." Dakoske, 49, who has practices in Westlake and Glendale, said he was selected because of his work last summer in a refugee camp in Bosnia for children traumatized by war. "Kids saw their mother raped and their baby brother thrown up and caught by a bayonet bayonet Short, sharp-edged, sometimes pointed weapon, designed for attachment to the muzzle of a firearm. According to tradition, it was developed in Bayonne, France, early in the 17th century and soon spread throughout Europe. in midair," he said. "They all had stories. It was something to give them a safe haven and get them away from the war for a while." Also tapped to carry the flame were Agoura residents David Bennett and Keno DeVarney. The invitation to carry the torch came as a complete surprise to 18-year-old Ryan Duston of Ventura. A track and cross country runner who graduated from St. Bonaventure High School St. Bonaventure High School is a private, Catholic, co-educational secondary school in Ventura, California. It is owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The school is named in honor of Bonaventure, the Patron of the Mission San Buenaventura and the City of Ventura. last year, the freshman at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo (săn l  `ĭs ōbĭs`pō), city (1990 pop. 41,958), seat of San Luis Obispo co., S Calif., near San Luis Obispo Bay; inc. 1856. said he had been captivated cap·ti·vate tr.v. cap·ti·vat·ed, cap·ti·vat·ing, cap·ti·vates 1. To attract and hold by charm, beauty, or excellence. See Synonyms at charm. 2. Archaic To capture. by the torch relay ever since first seeing the Olympics on television as a child. "I'm stoked stoked adj. Slang 1. Exhilarated or excited. 2. Being or feeling high or intoxicated, especially from a drug. ," he said. "I've always been interested in running in the Olympics. I don't think I'll do that, but this is close." Duston said he never had a clue he had been nominated until his parents called Thursday with the news. Although the one-kilometer distance will be a breeze for the 4:32 miler mil·er n. Sports One that competes in races one mile long. miler Noun an athlete, horse, etc., that specializes in races of one mile Noun 1. , he said the attention may give him the jitters jitters 'Butterflies' Psychology An episode of nervousness or anxiety that often precedes a public event; jitters is a type of performance anxiety which may affect actors in a stage production–stage fright or soloist musicians; it may respond to anxiolytics . "I guess it's going to be kind of nervous," he said. "I hope no one's going to be timing me or anything. I guess everybody will be watching me." Partridge de Garcia, a 53-year-old psychologist and longtime community activist, will carry the Georgia hardwood torch through San Luis Obispo May 2. Selected for her long list of volunteer work, she has been named woman of the year for Camarillo and the Conejo Valley and sits on the boards of California Lutheran University Mission statement The University's mission statement is as follows: "California Lutheran University is a diverse, scholarly community dedicated to excellence in the liberal arts and professional studies. , Casa Pacifica and the United Way of Ventura County. "I see myself only as a symbol representing all the heroes in our county," she said. Partridge de Garcia said she learned she had been selected last week in a certified letter marked for her eyes only, which her assistant opened by mistake. "I wasn't supposed to tell anybody," she said. "So I only told each of my five children." Partridge de Garcia said she plans to get in shape by hitting her country club gym and walking the Los Angeles Marathon The Los Angeles Marathon is an annual marathon held in Los Angeles, California since 1986. It was inspired by the success of the 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles. The race starts at about 8:15AM and runs through Downtown Los Angeles, Koreatown, the Crenshaw district, and next month. CAPTION(S): PHOTO Photo (Color) Priscilla Partridge de Garcia of Camarillo is among 5,500 people who will carry the Olympic torch from L.A. to Atlanta. Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News |
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