REID FINALLY FEELS SENSE OF BELONGING.Byline: Matthew Kredell Staff Writer In some ways, Lauren Reid is a veteran of the prestigious Arcadia Invitational in·vi·ta·tion·al adj. Restricted to invited participants: an invitational golf tournament. n. An event, especially a sports tournament, restricted to invited participants. Adj. 1. . Three times, she has been to the invitational that draws elite competition from around the nation and has produced 79 future U.S. Olympians. However, this time will be different for the Rio Mesa High of Oxnard long jumper. Today, when Reid makes her way to Arcadia, she will be doing it as a competitor. The past three years, Reid watched her brother Phillip, a top distance runner distance runner n. A runner who competes in distance races. for Rio Mesa who now runs Cal Poly Cal Poly may refer to:
 `ĭs ōbĭs`pō), city (1990 pop. 41,958), seat of San Luis Obispo co., S Calif., near San Luis Obispo Bay; inc. 1856. . ``I'm looking forward to the meet,'' Reid said. ``It's such a big meet that I've been going to and watching for a while. It's nice to be able to compete with these girls I've been watching jump for years since youth track. I've long watched the older divisions and now I get to compete against them.'' It couldn't come at a better time. Reid is starting to come into her own, performing better and with more confidence than ever. Last week at Rio Mesa's own Spartan Relays, Reid set the school record with a jump of 19 feet, 4 1/2 inches into a slight head wind. At a school that has featured such athletes as Marion Jones Marion Jones, also known as Marion Jones-Thompson (born October 12, 1975 in Los Angeles, California), is an American former athlete in track and field. She was the winner of five medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, which she later relinquished after and former long jump record holder Porchea Carroll, now at Arizona State, Reid already has her name in the record book. ``One of the things Lauren told me after that big jump is that now she feels she belongs,'' Rio Mesa long jump coach Pete Weinerth said. ``At Arcadia, I'm really looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. her to build on that confidence so that when she makes it to a meet like Masters, she has a good jump and feels she belongs.'' Cast in the shadow of her brother, who won the state title in the 1,600 meters, Reid made a surprising run to Masters as a freshman and missed out on advancing to state by just three inches. She competed in the open day meet at Arcadia, winning the long jump before watching her brother win the invitational 1,600. Reid is beginning to step into the spotlight herself. Since the events are so different, Reid doesn't have to face many comparisons to her brother. ``It's always hard following in a sibling's footsteps,'' Rio Mesa coach Brian FitzGerald Brian Fitzgerald (born March 1 1947) is an Irish Independent politician. He was a Labour Party Teachta Dála for Meath from 1992 to 1997. Previously a trade union official with SIPTU, Fitzgerald was elected to Dáil Éireann for Meath during the swing to Labour in the 1992 said. ``People have expectations for you. I think Lauren is carving out carving out Managed care adjective Referring to the practice of allowing healthy persons in small employer groups to buy lower cost health insurance policies, while workers who are sicker must buy more expensive high-risk pool coverage her own niche in jumping.'' Reid definitely is a versatile athlete. FitzGerald feels he can put her in any event and she would win. In most dual meets, Reid competes in the long jump, high jump, 200 meters and 400 relay. In youth track, Reid was as good in the high jump as the long jump. The long jump has moved ahead thus far in high school. However, FitzGerald said he could see her winning the state title in the long jump and high jump by her senior season. For now, Reid is happy just to be in the night meet at Arcadia and, for the first time, to feel she belongs at that level. ``It's nice to be able to compete against them at their level,'' Reid said. ``I feel like I belong there, that I can compete with these girls.'' Matthew Kredell, (818)713-3607 matthew.kredell(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- 2) Lauren Reid will go from being a spectator Spectator, English daily periodical published jointly by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele with occasional contributions from other writers. It succeeded the Tatler, a periodical begun by Steele on Apr. 12, 1709, under the pseudonym Isaac Bickerstaff. at the Arcadia Invitational to being a competitor in the prestigious event. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer |
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