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sports
March 23, 2011
Long road to success for track and field athlete Mindy Youell Staff Writer What started out as a way to become physically active has turned an athlete into a major player on the track and field team. Elizabeth Estrada, 20, a sophomore at Citrus has gone above and beyond her aspirations to become a major player on the Citrus track and field team. In high school, Estrada wrestled for three years and ran track and cross country for a year. She has always been very athletic, yet track and field was never much more than another way to work out. “I was a really fat kid when I was small, but when I started joining sports and losing weight it made me love it even more,” she said. A love for exercise and a desire for a healthy lifestyle
has made Estrada a top rated athlete. Though it wasn’t until her friend Julia Munzo, who was on the track team, told her she should try out for the school team that she even considered it. “At first I didn’t want to do it. I just wanted to work out,” she said. She finally talked to the coach and began practicing with the team two days a week, when she worked on hurdles and anything else that caught her eye. By the end of the season Coach Richard Nila recommended pole vaulting, due to her history in wrestling and strong upper body. “I remember thinking he’s crazy, I’m not going to do that,” Estrada said. “After that I gave it a try and I wanted to learn, I wanted to do it, and I’ve been pole vaulting ever since”.
ELIZABETH ESTRADA
When Estrada joined the track and field team she knew nothing of the sport Nilla said. “She started out trying little bits and pieces of things and that’s what she does now, she does pole volt, she’s really starting to excel in hurdles and just out of curiosity she picked up a javelin and threw it and she’s started to excel in that also,” Nila said. According to Nila, Estrada was an OK student in high
school, but is now equally focused on her academics in addition to athletics. “I want to learn that and how do I get to learn that, and force myself to go to study hall and tutoring,” Nila said. This is also how she is on the field, asking what she needs to work on then analyzing it again and again until she feels comfortable. “Everybody loves her she has a great personality and she kind of says what’s on her mind but in a very humorous way,” Nila said. This is proven through the affection of her teammates like Shawn Miller, 20, and Jasmine Gonalez, 18. “I think everybody would agree, she has the most positive outlook on life, she’s always encouraging people, and she’s always laughing,” Miller said. “Everyone gets along with
her, she motivates everyone and she brings life to the team,” Gonzalez said. Estrada’s love for sports has helped her outlook. “I’m just happy to be here learning stuff for I love working out, and if I could work out for the rest of my life, no pay I would,” she said. “Or just help people work out and help them lose weight.” With a major in nutritional kinesiology and hopes to transfer to the University of La Verne, she is well on her way to her goal of being an athletic trainer and nutritionist for a sport team or a university. She plans to continue with track and field at La Verne and says she will find a pole-vaulting club after school with a possibility of joining gymnastics to further improve her vaulting skills.
Athlete remains positive despite injury Bre Payton Staff Writer Regarded as “one of the fastest on the track” by fellow teammates, Maya Avant is recovering from an injury with hopes to finish the season strong. Avant is a sophomore at Citrus and has gained notoriety by being the only female on the track team last year to qualify for Southern California finals. Avant took eighth place at Southern California finals in 2010 with a jump of 34 feet, 6 inches. She was injured on Feb. 25 at the second meet this season at Ventura College. She was told by doctors that she hyper extended her knee, but is waiting on MRI results to determine the exact condition of her leg. Head coach Richard Nila said that Avant had slipped off the jumping block due to wet conditions from the previous day. Initially, Avant thought her injury was nothing to be concerned about until the pain began to increase. “I did cry when I hurt myself, not because it hurt, but because I felt I was letting the team down,” she said. Avant’s athletic origins began with soccer before becoming a prominent track team member. “Everyone thought I would play soccer in college; I thought so too,” Maya Avant said. After eight years of playing soccer, she grew tired of it and decided to join the track team as a freshman in high school. “I was just going to sprint,” Avant said. “Then they said I was good at jumping. They taught me how to long jump and then triple.” After graduating from Clare-
BRE PAYTON Citrus College Clarion Maya Avant is recovering from an injury with hopes to finish the season strong.
mont High School, Avant took a year off from track to focus on school and work, a strategy she says was a benefit to her. When she joined the Citrus track team, Avant said she was unable to finish the workout the first few weeks; the encouragement she received from fellow teammates is what made practices a positive experience. Since then she has pushed through the difficulties of practice, gaining recognition for her positive attitude and athletic ability. “Athletically, Maya is one of the top jumpers,” teammate Chihiro Ito said. “[She] doesn’t complain and listens well.”
Avant says she has been feeling much better, and has transitioned from using crutches to being able to jog with hopes to start practicing soon. Avant’s brother, Brian Avant, says that their parents have been very supportive throughout Maya’s recovery, bringing her meals and making sure she gets to rest. “I think she’ll be fine… she’ll be able to run again in a couple of weeks,” he said. “I’m looking forward to getting back on the track,” Avant said. “I can’t stand going to the meets and not running.”