CROSS COUNTRY: OAK PARK HAS DYE-HARD ATTITUDE.Byline: Kirby Lee Special to the Daily News The Oak Park High boys were easy to spot in the Southern Section Division IV cross country final at Mt. San Antonio College Mt. San Antonio College (commonly called Mt. SAC; pronounced as the word "sack") is a community college located in the Los Angeles suburb of Walnut, California, next to California State Polytechnic University, Pomona which is just over a hill. Mt. on Saturday. Following a trend started by junior varsity junior varsity n. Abbr. JV A high-school or college team that competes in interschool sports on the level below varsity. Noun 1. runner Chase Barron, the team bleached its hair blond for unity. The Eagles paid a price for their antics that went beyond the looks of disbelief from competitors and spectators. Fortunately, however, the team managed to negotiate a group discount at a local beauty shop. In track, Mark Nevers and Erik Wackenstedt colored their hair blue for the section championships. On Saturday, they decided to go blond instead to reflect the school colors of brown, black and gold. Ben Saxey, who has a large afro, went even further. The junior sprayed his hair both black and gold and tied his afro into small bundles, resembling a cross between a porcupine porcupine, in zoology porcupine, member of either of two rodent families, characterized by having some of its hairs modified as bristles, spines, or quills. and a head of lettuce. Oak Park is expecting to incorporate more conventional motivational tactics in the state meet to rebound from its runner-up finish Noun 1. runner-up finish - a finish in second place (as in a race) second-place finish finish - designated event that concludes a contest (especially a race); "excitement grew as the finish neared"; "my horse was several lengths behind at the finish"; "the to Nordhoff, a team the Eagles had beaten twice earlier this season. The squad expects to unveil new black uniforms. At least, they think so after catching a glimpse of the jerseys in the back seat of coach Kevin Smith's car over the weekend. ``We were confident, but we weren't trying to be cocky,'' Saxey said. ``I don't think we looked that bad, but we're going to focus on running and the teams in the state meet.'' Stinging defeat: Nordhoff defeated Oak Park 70-89 despite personal-best performances from Nevers and sophomore Chase Ferrell. Nevers, a junior, timed 15:30 to finish second while Ferrell, a sophomore, ran 15:56 to finish ninth over the hilly 3-mile course under cool and overcast conditions. Nordhoff, however, placed five runners ahead of Oak Park's fourth runner to seal the victory. The Eagles' prospects took a big blow when No. 5 runner Taylor Hermes was forced to drop out after aggravating a hamstring injury hamstring injury Sports medicine A muscle injury of biceps femoris, seen in sprinters and runners, when a contracted muscle meets a lengthening force, overpowering intrinsic muscle resiliency Management RICE, NSAIDs, gradual ↑ of pain-free activity–eg, when he stepped on a rock midway through the race. Hermes, expected back for the state meet, suffered the original injury in the Tri-Valley League finals on the rugged hills at Arroyo Verde Park and did not run in the Southern Section preliminaries. What Oak Park did not anticipate were bee stings to Wackenstedt. He finished 14th in 16:08, five seconds slower than his preliminaries time run in warm weather, after getting stung on his hand and back of his neck during the race. ``Chase Ferrell really stepped it up when I started to falter,'' Wackenstedt said. ``We knew it was going to be real close. We were kind of disappointed because of Taylor. The most important thing is he will be all right where it counts. We'll have another chance.'' Musical chairs: Flintridge Prep junior Ian Pocock has been a member of state and Southern Section Division V champion teams and could add another state team title Saturday. Pocock has also gained notoriety as a musician, playing the oboe oboe (ō`bō, ō`boi) [Ital., from Fr. hautbois] or hautboy (ō`boi, hō`–), woodwind instrument of conical bore, its mouthpiece having a double reed. for the past seven years. This fall, he earned a place in the prestigious Claremont young musicians orchestra Claremont Young Musicians Orchestra, otherwise known as CYMO, is an orchestra with its origin in Claremont, California. It comprises 90+ young musicians ages 12 and up. . The group will perform in Italy, France and Switzerland during a two-week tour over the summer. There are fewer than 1,000 professional oboe players in California. Pocock, who also plays the clarinet and English horn English horn, musical instrument, the alto of the oboe family, pitched a fifth lower than the oboe and treated as a transposing instrument. It has a pear-shaped bell, giving it a soft, melancholy tone. , chose the oboe because he was intrigued by its sound as well as the opportunity for a college scholarship. ``It has solos all over the place,'' Pocock said. ``It may not be the most important function of an orchestra, but it adds great muscle and color to classical music. Not many people play it. It is a virtual ticket to college.'' Fast company: Canyon freshman Brenda Stevens joined Lauren Fleshman as the only ninth-graders in school history to run under 19 minutes, timing 18:55 to finish 17th in the Division I final. Fleshman, a Stanford freshman who finished fifth in the NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association championships, went on to capture the state Division I title as a senior and finished second in the Foot Locker Foot Locker, Inc. (NYSE: FL) is a major American sportswear and footwear retailer, with its headquarters in New York City, and operating in approximately 20 countries worldwide. It is the successor corporation to the F.W. Woolworth Company (“Woolworth’s”). national championships. AT A GLANCE What: State championships Where: Woodward Park Woodward Park (34 acres) is a public park, botanical garden, and arboretum located between 21st Street and 24th Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is open to the public daily. , Fresno When: Saturday, 8:30 a.m. CAPTION(S): box BOX: At a glance (see text) |
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