ROLLING STONE IS HOME; BROOK IS PLANTING ROOTS IN WESTLAKE.Byline: Kirby Lee Special to the Daily News For now, Michala Brook is staying put. The Westlake High sophomore has moved numerous times with her family, rarely staying in one location for more than two years. Brook, who attended Newbury Park High last fall, however, has vowed to finish high school at Westlake. ``It is really hard to transfer and start over, but I'm used to it,'' Brook said. ``It's really good to call Westlake home and to have a place to rely on.'' Brook was born in Beaverton, Ore., and has lived in Dublin, Ohio Dublin is a city in Delaware, Franklin, and Union counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 31,392 at the 2000 census. In 2006, the population was estimated to be 36,565[1], and Dublin continues to be one of the fastest-growing suburbs of Columbus. , Duluth, Georgia Duluth is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, and a suburb of Atlanta located in the Metro Atlanta area. Unincorporated portions of northeast Fulton County and Forsyth County also have Duluth as a mailing address, though this area is technically outside city limits. , Sacramento. Even for a brief time in England because of her father's constant relocation as a salesman for a grass seed company. The moves have become shorter in distance with her parents getting closer to retirement. Brook has lived in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, for the past three years, residing in Dana Point before moving to Newbury Park. Last spring, the Brooks purchased a home in Westlake. Brook's arrival at Westlake last spring was also good news to the Warriors cross country program. With the addition of Brook, a Southern Section Division I 1,600-meter finalist in track, and a strong crop of underclassmen, Westlake is favored to win its first Marmonte League The Marmonte League is a high school sports league primarily made up of schools from Ventura County. The Marmonte Leauge is part of the CIF Southern Section. Click here to view the league schedule. title since 1991. The Warriors, ninth in the latest State Division II rankings, are 4-0 in league and have already notched victories over five-time defending champion defending champion n (SPORT) → defensor/a m/f del título defending champion n (Sport) → champion(ne) en titre Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. and preseason favorite Royal. ``We're just trying to keep our feet on the ground,'' said Joe Snyder, the fourth-year Westlake co-coach with his wife Sheryl. ``The focus is on the team. We want to be competitive, but we want the kids to have a lot of fun. We're trying to stay low key and take each race as it comes. This is unfamiliar territory.'' Westlake's potential appears to be untapped. The Warriors have yet to run a race at full strength. Katie London, one of two seniors along with Kristine Smith from last year's team that was 11th in the Southern Section Division III
Division III (or DIII) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association of the United States. finals, has been running with a torn anterior cruciate ligament anterior cruciate ligament n. Abbr. ACL The cruciate ligament of the knee that crosses from the anterior intercondylar area of the tibia to the posterior part of the lateral condyle of the femur. . The injury may require surgery at the end of the cross country season. Smith has been nursing a nagging foot injury. Last Saturday, Westlake finished third in the Central Park Invitational in Huntington Beach Huntington Beach, city (1990 pop. 181,519), Orange co., S Calif., on the Pacific coast, across from Santa Catalina Island, in an oil-producing area; inc. 1909. It manufactures aerospace vehicles, aircraft parts, optical instruments, and heat transfer equipment. without London and Smith, who were taking the Scholastic Assessment Test. Freshman Laurie Schakett was playing club soccer. The Warriors won the Oak Park Invitational despite the absence of Brook, who missed the meet because of illness, as well as the Righetti Invitational without Brook among the top five scoring runners. With sophomore Jenny Walls nursing a cold, the Warriors still finished third in the Division III race of the Woodbridge Invitational. Surprisingly, Snyder has said he has been able to dip as far as 10 deep without a significant dropoff with junior Jaclyn Huntling, sophomores Gina Battaglia and Shannon Grover and freshman Daniela Padilla. ``We've just tried to run the top seven at the time of the meet if somebody wasn't feeling that well that day or a little weak,'' Snyder said. ``We've found quite another group. It is nice to have that luxury. We've been pleased with their performances.'' London believes the Warriors' success this season is only the start of things to come in upcoming seasons. ``The team works really well together and pushes each other ,'' London said. ``We're starting to get a reputation of being good and doing well in league, you start to get more and more people out at a younger age.'' Westlake will receive its sternest test in the team sweepstakes race of the 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. Invitational next Saturday. The meet will provide a gauge of Westlake's chances for its first berth in the state meet since 1990. For Brook, a berth in the state track meet in June is also a possibility. As a freshman last season, Brook timed 5:12.60. As an eighth-grader, Brook was 12th in the 800 and 15th in the 1,500 in the USATF USATF United States of America Track and Field (governing body for T&F, Race Walking & Distance Running) Youth Athletics Championships in Spokane. Brook's involvement in running would seem natural. Her parents Mary and Ken Brook are avid ultra distance runners who have competed in the Western States 100-mile endurance run and numerous marathons and road races. An uncle, John Vishka, was a 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. who competed for the University of Oregon The University of Oregon is a public university located in Eugene, Oregon. The university was founded in 1876, graduating its first class two years later. The University of Oregon is one of 60 members of the Association of American Universities. . Still, soccer was her primary sport until she began having success in youth track. ``The only running I did was up and down the soccer field,'' Brook said. ``I thought my parents were abnormal. Track is my thing. I'm still getting used to cross country. It's more of a way to get into shape for track.'' CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Warriors runner Michala Brook has moved many times with her family, but the sophomore now seems to have found a home in Westlake. Kirby Lee/Special to the Daily News |
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