Youth cross country team shines

A youth cross country team from Ramona had the opportunity to run against some of the best runners in their age group in Southern California on Oct. 2, and, if their first race is any indication, their future looks great, said their coach, Dan Brown.

The Ramona team placed second at the Southern California Roadrunners Cross Country meet at Buena Vista Park in Vista.

“This was a pleasant surprise,” said Brown, who put out a call a week before the race to see if there was interest from girls the same age as his daughter, Amy. “With the short notice, we were fortunate to get five of the seven girls I called to run.”

The girls ran in the Bantam Division for runners formed in 2001 or 2002.

“Many of the girls in the race train with elite youth running groups like the So Cal Roadrunners,” said Brown. “None of the girls that ran for Ramona have been training. This is truly a tribute to the active lifestyle these families lead.”

The girls who raced on the Ramona team are Amy Brown, Sidney Din, Tori Klawiter, Michaela Meskall and Rachel White.

The top three runners score for their team, and Ramona’s top 3 finished eighth, ninth and tenth to finish 1 point ahead of the Time Machine.

All but one of the Ramona girls are first-year runners, so they will have the opportunity to run again next year.

“There seems to be an interest with the girls and the parents to continue to do this, and we have two more girls who were not available to run this race,” said Brown. “With the great participation at all of the grade school meets like James Dukes, RCS and Barnett, it would be great to see some more Ramona kids participate in these meets whether they are part of a team or not. It’s just another way to keep them active and healthy.”