By Dashel Pierson Plesa, Special to the Independent

To his mother’s disbelief, Andy Lyon, called to “check-in” from the summit of 14,500-foot Mt. Whitney. Lyon had been there before, but this time he had walked to the central California peak from the Mexican border while in the midst of a battle against cancer. And bagging the summit was just a side trip on his epic quest to conquer the disease by walking the Pacific Crest Trail—all 2,660 miles of it.

Four years earlier, when he was 19 and a freshman at UC Berkeley studying   astro-physics on a scholarship, Lyon had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He took a year off, underwent chemotherapy and radiation and returned to school, sailing through his sophomore year. Just when he was about to begin his junior year, the cancer returned. This time his doctors prescribed an even stronger chemotherapy along with a grueling stem cell transplant treatment that required Lyon to be in isolation for three weeks. One hundred days after his release from the hospital, just a few months after his 21st birthday, Lyon learned that the cancer was back.

Lyon knew he needed a new game plan. While he was at UC Berkeley, he had become interested in Eastern philosophy and religion, and yoga. Since traditional Western medicine was not working for him, Lyon began researching ancient and more natural healing methods. He sought the advice of an Ayurvedic practitioner versed in the ancient, Hindu system of medicine. Changing his diet and embarking upon a serious yoga and meditation practice, Lyon embraced a new path.

Stressed, both physically and mentally, Lyon attended a 10-day, silent meditation retreat near Yosemite.  By quieting his mind, breathing deeply, he allowed “the power of the universe to flow through me a bit more,” he said. “In an instant, this image of the Pacific Crest Trail came into my head. By going within, Lyon had discovered his next step in his healing process—hiking from the Mexican to the Canadian border on the Pacific Crest Trail. “It was going to save him or it was going to kill him,” said Michael Gosselin, Lyon’s stepdad.

Following his stem cell transplant, Lyon’s oncologist told him that he might only survive for two more years. That two-year window had elapsed by the time Lyon stood on the summit of Whitney. Lyon knows that his time on the planet may be short and he is not afraid for himself. Talking with his mother about his possible death before his journey, he said, “I’m afraid to hurt all those people that love me. They’d be sad if I died and I don’t want to make them sad.”

Before starting his journey, Lyon checked in with a holistic doctor who analyzed his blood. Without informing the doctor of his condition, Lyon wasn’t surprised when he told him that his blood was some of the worst he had seen in someone of Lyon’s age. However, Lyon was surprised with the doctor’s reaction to the idea of the PCT hike. “He told me that what I really needed was to get my circulation going and to take deep rhythmic breaths,” said Lyon. “He said that [the PCT] would be perfect.” To prepare for the gargantuan journey, Lyon sought the best and the lightest equipment and began a few trial runs to get a feel for life in nature. Even though he didn’t feel in great shape physically or mentally, Lyon believed that hiking the trail would put his body in the top physical shape necessary to battle his cancer. The physical aspect wasn’t his only reason for wanting to spend six months, mostly alone, in nature.

“There was a lot on my mind earlier this year, and there still is,” said Lyon. For Lyon, extended immersion in nature was “the only thing that I hadn’t tried that really could heal me, body, mind and soul.” On long hikes in the Sierras with his stepfather the summer before, Lyon had already experienced the healing power of nature. Maybe on the PCT he could once again find that feeling of peace, well-being and vitality. “Carrying a big bundle of worries everywhere can be exhausting,” said Lyon. So instead of shouldering the weight of the world, he packed his camping supplies, put on his running shoes, and walked away from it all.

Hiking the entire PCT in one season, called thru-hiking, is a daunting task even for the most physically fit athlete. Starting on day one, Lyon’s resolve was tested by a freak, late season snowstorm. When his parents returned home from dropping him off at Mt. Laguna, they soon received a call from their snow soaked voyager. After four initial miles into the adventure, Lyon was forced to turn around due to the raging snowstorm with winds that threatened to blow him off his feet. He had decided to spend the night in an inn to sleep off the storm and start refreshed the next morning in better conditions.

The rough start was hardly the only difficulty Lyon experienced along the way. A man’s feet can really take a beating from walking an average of 20 miles a day up and down mountains—in fact, they also freakishly grow a size to a size-and-a-half. There are also pesky blisters to deal with. Having a consistent supply of food and water are also vital to survival on the trail. Lyon would have to lug these crucial resources daily. But it was worse when the supplies ran low, especially water. While clutching a glass of cold tap water at home, Lyon noted, “If I wanted this glass of water tonight, I would have been carrying it all day.” These burdens piled on top of the fact that Lyon was still fighting cancer and the pain that came with it.

His family’s support, Lyon said, was “essential” to his success. Lyon’s mother was constantly on the clock making sure there was food waiting for her son at the next checkpoint. Every week she would shop and make food that would be easy for Lyon to consume and lug through the wilderness. This mainly consisted of a large supply of energy and protein bars—lightweight and nutritious. Finding food that worked wasn’t always easy. Gosselin recalled her son telling her: “Don’t ever send me any more peanuts.” Gosselin even provided her son with some home cooking, a delicacy on the trail.  “We even have a food dehydrator and she would dehydrate her homemade tomato sauce sometimes,” said Lyon. Often mom’s cooking would be just the lift he needed to keep pushing towards the Canadian border.

“Most people were living off of Doritos, tortillas and Snickers bars,” said Lyon’s stepdad, Michael. “Everyone always talked about how good Andy’s food was.” Along with Betsy’s exceptional cooking, Michael also played an integral role in keeping Lyon happy on the trail. Every three or four weeks, someone would meet Lyon to hike with him; this person was mainly Michael. “I had some other visitors,” said Lyon, “but Michael was my main trail cheerleader. I would get a dose of family love, which I found out on the trail was an essential component to me being successful.”

Along with his family, a special breed of supporters called trail angels propelled Lyon. These angels are devoted to hikers of the PCT and provide them with a little trail magic along their way. Trail angels help in various ways ranging from leaving food and supplies at stops along the trail to inviting hikers into their homes for a hot shower or a bed for the night. All the trail angels want in return is to know that they’ve helped a hiker in the special experience and to get a kick out of the stories the trudging troopers may have.

On the PCT, trail names are a tradition. Since Lyon was studying astro-physics, he became Astro Andy. Although Lyon has the noteworthy ability to name the constellations spattered across the night sky, the universe to him entails far more than what can be seen. Lyon has put a large amount of faith in the universe to heal his ailments, believing that “ultimately the greatest healing lies in new things, opening yourself up to the power of spirit, the power of the universe, the power of nature.”

On the trail, Lyon experienced many moments where he would lose that faith. Outside of Yosemite, Lyon opted for a break from the trail after his abdomen began to swell. He returned home to the comfort of his home and family. “I was surrounded by love, good food, and couches,” said Lyon, which returned him to the trail refreshed and revitalized. “You lose your faith everyday and you just have to push through those experiences,” he said. Ultimately Lyon learned to take the massive journey day by day and to just keep walking.

When Lyon was about 300 miles shy of his goal, one experience tested his faith more than any other. It looked like a tragic end to his pilgrimage when he began to experience numbness in his leg; he had a hunch it had something to do with his tenacious disease.

Just outside of Seattle, Lyon began wondering whether he would reach his goal or not. “Struggling just to walk down a steep rocky hillside with a leg that was sort of paralyzed was challenging, scary, and dangerous,” said Lyon. “I began to fall down. It became obvious that I needed to get it checked out.” He hitched a ride from a PCT buddy into the small town of Yakima for professional help. At first, he thought he would just see a chiropractor. Luckily, it was late on a Saturday and the office was closed until Monday. Lyon instead opted for the ER, which led to a fortuitous turn of events.

The tests showed that another tumor had developed on Lyon’s spine, causing the numbness. News of Lyon’s story surfaced and the small town of Yakima grew intrigued by the scraggily bearded hero. Doctors don’t hear that their patients had walked into their office from Mexico every day. Soon after Lyon’s mother arrived to support her son, the calls flooded in. Before even seeing a doctor, Lyon and Gosselin were approached by local newspapers, a TV station, and even a representative from the Dream Foundation who wanted to outfit Lyon with a company of horses to help him finish the journey. Lyon’s story was out, and those who heard it, wanted any part in helping him finish the damn thing.

As luck would have it, a newly approved drug designed specifically for treating people with reoccurring Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and available only in a few places, was amazingly in tiny Yakima. Vedotin had hit the market exactly when and where Lyon needed it. “Yakima was the first hospital where the drug was administered,” said Lyon. “In fact, it was probably just 1 of 10 or less hospitals in the country that was even familiar with the drug. I was lucky.” With the universe on his side, a reduced tumor, and an elated spirit, Lyon was miraculously able to get back on the trail the next day, with no need for the horses.

Due to the media coverage, the manufacturer of Vedotin heard about and sought out Lyon. They had been inspired by his journey and they were extremely gratified to hear that their product was effective. A representative from the company became Lyon’s own personal trail angel, making sure he was well fed and even inviting him to come visit the lab where the drug was researched and produced. First, however, Lyon was committed to getting to Canada.

On the last leg of the journey, Lyon trudged along plagued by deteriorating weather conditions reminiscent of the beginning; this time it was rain instead of snow. Completely worn out, Lyon spent a few nights of his last week drenched in his tent and nearing hypothermia. To warm his stepson’s spirits, Michael flew from balmy Laguna to the drenched Pacific Northwest to accompany Lyon to the end. “When he joined me those last 38 miles, I knew I would make it,” Lyon said. “Even if he had to carry me, I would make it.”

And Lyon triumphantly did. Greeted by his family, his best friend, trail angels he had met along the way, and even the representative of his miracle drug, Lyon crossed the Canadian border on Oct. 19. The colossal journey had lasted six and a half months.

After some much needed relaxation, tears of joy, and hotel Jacuzzi sessions, Lyon visited the facility in Seattle where Vedotin was manufactured. Here, he met the chemist and the scientist, along with the board of directors, who had helped make his dream a reality. To them, he is living success of their product, but they are just as happy knowing they helped get him to the end of the trail after he had just about lost hope. “I have all their phone numbers and I can call them with questions about like whether this is a side effect I’m supposed to experience or not,” said Lyon with a grin.

“I have six months to figure out what I want to do next,” said Lyon. He is on a regimen of one dose of Vedotin every three weeks for a cycle of six months. “In the meantime I get to relax, hangout and not feel guilty about it.”

Lyon hopes that his story will inspire people to realize their true capabilities and to not be hindered by life’s obstacles. “My story does have the potential to inspire people,” said Lyon. “Even if you’re old, sick, or depressed, you really have the power to accomplish whatever you want to accomplish regardless of your limitations. In reality, those only exist in your mind.”

Originally, Lyon’s journey was a quest for his own personal healing. While he isn’t cancer-free yet, conquering the PCT has brought an abundance of confidence and a positive outlook on any future snags that may come his way. “Some people live their whole lives not really doing what they love,” said Lyon. “They just go through life with a job, just getting by.” Because of the cards he has been dealt, Lyon is intimately aware of the fragility of life.

And his story is still unfolding. Though still fighting cancer, Lyon’s also seeking his next adventure. Whether it is opening a restaurant, moving to India, or studying Ayurvedic medicine, Lyon will pursue his next calling with confidence. Anything has to be easier than walking the entire Pacific Coast with cancer.

Photos:

Photo #1

Andy Lyon gleefully finishes traversing the 2,668 mile Pacific Crest Trail, here at its end outside of Vancouver.

Photo #2 (Andy and fellow hiker in front of volcano):

Wolverine, one of many “trail angels” who looked out for him along the way, and Andy Lyon enjoy the trail’s natural beauty.

Photo #3

Despite an unexpected detour for medical help, Lyon’s resolves to finish his goal.

Photo #4

Only four miles into the journey, Lyon was forced to turn around and seek shelter due to a freak snowstorm.

Photo #5 Lyon begins his march at the sign post signaling the start.

Photo #6 (Andy and Michael at the end):

Andy Lyon with this stepdad Michael Gosselin, who hiked the last 40 miles of the trek.

Betsy Gosselin and her son, Andy Lyon.

By Robin Pierson, Special to the Independent

How does a mother, and a self-described worrier, watch her cancer stricken son walk off alone into the wilderness without plunging into a pit of anxiety and fear?

She works at it.

By looking unflinchingly at the reality of her son’s illness, fully feeling the accompanying emotions – the grief and the trepidation – then letting them go – Laguna Beach’s Betsy Gosselin has learned to live beside her son’s cancer and to live well.

When her 23-year-old son, Andy Lyon, decided to hike the 2,660 mile Pacific Crest Trail after the best Western medicine had to offer failed to eradicate his Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Gosselin embarked upon her own equally arduous journey, an exploration of her own mind.

A seasoned meditator with a daily practice, Gosselin began to realize and absorb the truth that “I’m not the only mother of a sick child.”  In her meditations she contemplated and felt the suffering of mothers who had lost children, of those whose children are malnourished but lack the means to save them. Those meditations, Gosselin said “created a sea of compassion for me and all mothers who are suffering.” And she realized that she is not alone.

“My story is not that unique,” she said. “This is life…the harsh reality of life and suffering,” and feeling sorry for herself or her son, worrying about the future or what could have been done in the past, only makes her suffering worse. And while it is true that her son has a deadly form of cancer, Gosselin is grateful for “all the resources I have to support him.”

Seeing death’s face close up has convinced both Gosselin and Lyon that all they really have for sure is the present and they strive to live as fully, openly, authentically – even as audaciously – as they choose.

“I used to hold my cards close,” Gosselin said. “But after the diagnosis, I decided that I’m going to play full out. It shifted my own personal experience about how I want to live. I could be outrageous. What do I have to lose now? I could lose my son.”

When Lyon first announced his intention to hike the PCT, Gosselin’s initial reaction was incredulous. But when she realized he was serious, “I didn’t feel that I could say ‘yes or no.’ If this was what he wanted to do, he should do it.”

But as she stood at the trail head watching her son stride confidently, resolutely into a freak late season snow storm, Gosselin brought with her intimate knowledge of the years of treatments that he had endured, the myriad of toxic chemicals that his body had absorbed and the ravages they had left behind. Since his diagnosis, in words meant only for a mother’s ear, he had told her how the cancer made itself known – with pain – and that it was relentless.

Not obsessing about what might be happening to him on the trail, whether he was healthy, warm and safe, took constant vigilance and practice.

At first Lyon had cell phone coverage and would call home, regaling his mother and stepfather, Michael Gosselin, with stories of the beauty, the friends he was meeting, his first storm snug in his tent and the clear nights under the stars.

Andy Lyon’s mother and stepfather celebrate with him at trail’s end.

Plus Gosselin was busy, keeping her son constantly supplied with light weight, nutrient-dense, delicious meals and snacks that would also conform with his desire not to “feed his cancer” with sugary, processed foods. Food plays a very important role in the lives of “thru-hikers,” those attempting to walk the trail in one season. Lyon was constantly hungry and always fantasizing about food. Every four or five days, Gosselin would send off another package to a “drop” along the way, a country store or sometimes even a home that was near the trail. A continual river of supplies flowed from his mother, often including her son’s favorite dinners – homemade spaghetti sauce with fresh parmesan cheese, meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy – that Gosselin made then dehydrated in her kitchen. With a board detailing what food he had, how many miles he was likely to walk each day, what gear he needed and where it could be sent, Gosselin was the support team vital to Lyon’s success.

A month after Lyon started walking, Gosselin shopped for, prepared, dehydrated and shipped meals and snacks to three different drops then flew to Bali to co-lead a spiritual/yoga retreat.

She brought her worries with her.

A shaman, a local healer, assessed Gosselin, feeling her head, “getting in touch with my energy,” she said. He confirmed that while her physical body was strong and balanced, her mind was troubled. “He told me, ‘You worry too much’.” She showed the man a picture of her son and told him he had cancer. “He told me, ‘You don’t have to worry anymore. This is your time to let go of worry and be true to your expression on the planet.’”

In her meditations, Gosselin began to look closely at a persistent pain in her heart when she sat. “I decided to explore it. What is it?” By paying attention to it, moving towards it not away, she tapped into deep grief she was holding over her son’s plight. For days in her meditation, “I cried and cried, being with the grief.”

“I think it’s easier to have cancer than have a loved one have cancer,” she said. “A year ago I felt like I was carrying his cancer, trying to heal it. I told him, ‘You are the one who has to do the work. I will always be there but…I still have to live my life.

“I feel the best when I’m doing my own work,” she said. Besides teaching yoga and meditation to individuals, Gosselin leads group classes in both disciplines. This spring, she is leading another retreat in Bali.

“I am not helping Andy in any way by constantly being available to him,” Gosselin said. “It’s his cancer.”

On his own, on the trail, Lyon seemed to be flourishing, often walking more than 20 miles for several days in a row, meeting fellow hikers, trail angels who left food and water for the hikers, people who sheltered him for the night and fed him fresh food from their gardens, all the while enraptured by the beauty surrounding him as he walked in benign weather through the Sierras, to Oregon and into Washington.

Then came the early morning call from Yakima, Wash., six months into the walk and 360 miles from the finish line. Lyon had left the trail after experiencing intense pain in his leg for several days. He was in an emergency room. Asked how he got there, Lyon had told the incredulous staff, “I walked here from Mexico.”

Gosselin was on the next plane to Washington. By afternoon the results of a battery of tests had come in. Lyon had a tumor on his spine. His cancer was back. “It just takes it out of you,” she said. “Then things shift and change.”

Nine months earlier a drug developed specifically for people with reoccurring Hodgkin’s lymphoma, who had already had a stem cell transplant, had been approved.  Dr. Albert Brady of Yakima Memorial was one of the few physicians in the country who had it.  After agreeing to administer it, Brady asked to speak to Gosselin alone. Telling him whatever he had to say could be said in front of her son, Brady insisted. “He said, ‘I just want to tell you how amazing your son is. He is so unique,’”  Gosselin recalled. “It never entered his mind to tell Andy that he shouldn’t finish the trail.” And Lyon had no intentions of quitting.

The following day, after the local newspaper and television station had aired his incredible story and he’d received the new drug and a dose of steroids, Lyon was pumped and ready to start walking. Still, it was incredibly hard to say goodbye.

“I’m always so happy to be with him,” Gosselin said. “He loves me so much. He holds my hand, hugs me. He tells me he loves me and my fear falls away.”

But as Lyon and his trail buddies talked about the stretch of trail ahead, their next camp site, what they had in their packs to eat, Gosselin realized it was time for her to go, leaving her alone with her mind.

“And all the emotions come. I just watch all this,” she said.  Crying as she made her way to the Seattle airport, “I realize that this is natural. I hug myself and say, ‘You’re going to be okay.’ ”

“I finally realized that I couldn’t heal Andy’s cancer for him as much as I tried. It reminds me of the last line of Mary Oliver’s poem, ‘Journey.’ ‘There is really only one life that you can save and that’s your own.’ ”

Unless asked, Gosselin doesn’t often mention her son’s cancer. When people inquire, she is forthright, simply stating, “He has cancer.” Most often, she’s composed, always elegant, very pretty and happy. She laughs easily and frequently. It’s difficult to see all the emotions, the suffering that has come and gone over the past four and a half years since Lyon’s diagnosis.

Now that her son is back, living at home, there’s been a need for a bit of an attitude adjustment. Gosselin, who prefers an orderly, clean environment, is often confronted with “Andy messes.” “Andy doesn’t pick up after himself, but I look at his mess and I think, ‘If there wasn’t an Andy mess, there might not be an Andy.’ It puts it in perspective,” she said.

Nearly every day Lyon and Gosselin practice yoga. “It really opens him up,” she said. “Sometimes he cries,” releasing the grief and the fear that he too carries. And on the days before he is set to get an infusion of his new chemotherapy drug, the pair meditate, mentally preparing, visualizing healing – and eating a large, vegan, soothing lunch served with a heaping helping of laughter.

As for Lyon’s next “big adventure,” Gosselin will support “whatever makes him happy. Isn’t that what we all want for our kids?”

“Andy and I are here on the planet together for a reason,” she said. “He came here to teach me in so many ways. He and I have always had a deep understanding, a knowing, a spiritual bond and an opportunity to evolve.

“I’m just trusting however, wherever the trail leads, it will be perfect.”

This panoramic photo of “Heisler tidepools at moonrise” by Eddie Yerkish recently won first place in the Open category of the Laguna Bluebelt Coalition’s photo contest to celebrate the new marine reserves and Underwater Parks Day. Visit the coalition’s web site at http://lagunabluebelt.org/photo-contest-entries/ to view all of the winning photographs.

The team and the entire squadron treated me like gold: from the brief, throughout the flight, and well into the debrief. The men, women, and officers of the Blue Angels all made it extremely enjoyable. Don’t kid yourself though, because 7.5 G’s without a G-suit is not for wimps (no, I didn’t G-LOC). It was a great Navy day.

In addition to media coverage, the Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA) Key Influencer Program has been designed to introduce members of the community who help shape attitudes and opinions of young Americans. They may be experts in their field, leaders of youth organizations, public figures, school administrators, etc. Good examples of local community Key Influencers include: university presidents, area organizers of youth athletics, society award winners, coaches, etc.

Perhaps you or someone you know could become a naval aviator — or even someday could go on to become a Blue Angel. Go to www.Navy.com or see your Navy Recruiter today!

My deepest appreciation goes out to the US Navy and all of the Blue Angels for making this event happen. These people are truly the epitome of professionals and stalwart patriots.

This free event is open to the entire community and will include food, a cash bar, photo booth, a silent auction, personal stories from cancer survivors and more.

Relay For Life is an overnight community celebration where individuals and teams camp out, barbecue, dance, and take turns walking around a track, relay style, to raise funds to fight cancer. At nightfall, participants will light hundreds of luminaria around the track in a moving ceremony to honor cancer survivors as well as friends and family members lost to the disease.

To participate on a team or form a team for Relay For Life in Laguna Beach, which will be begin at 10 a.m. on Aug. 6 at El Morro Elementary School, call 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit http://www.relayforlife.org/lagunabeachca

Laguna selections in the Orange Coast League

1st Team except where noted

Boys Basketball
Tyler Masukawa (Jr) Co-MVP
Cole Kesler (So)
Jake Dalke (So)
Tyler Kesler (Sr) 2nd Team
Derek Reigel (Jr) 2nd Team

Girls Basketball
Samantha Garner (Sr)
Emily Writer (Sr)
Lola Cowie (So) 2nd Team

Boys Soccer
Sam Stinnett (Sr) Forward
Morgan Curry (Sr) Midfielder , 2nd Team

Girls Soccer
Marina Paul (Jr)
Christa French (Sr), 2nd Team
Sarah Hewlett (So)  2nd team

Girls Water Polo
Jessie Holechek (Sr) Co-MVP
Jessica Shusko (Sr) Co-MVP
Melina Masson (Jr)
Yoshi Anderson (Jr)
Etianne Manetta (Sr)
Lexie del Toro (So)
Riley Duncan (Sr) 2nd Team
Lida DeGroote (Sr) 2nd Team
Sydney Saxe (So) 2nd Team

Another moment in time!
From Moments in Time Films!

Please come and Support the 2-1-2011 City Council Meeting in Laguna Beach Tues 6pm!!!!!
or E mail manderson@lagunabeachcity.net

The outdoor event is a great way to cap off the weekends throughout July and August. Locals and visitors show up hours ahead of time to reserve their spot with a picnic blanket.

Local surfers gathered at Thalia Surf Shop to celebrate Andy Davis’ birthday and art.

Special to the Independent

Running hasn’t always been a fun hobby for me. It used to be a tedious extra-curricular activity that I did to build my competitive spirit and my college resume.  I left running far behind after competing at UC Davis and dabbled in it again in 2001 when I ran my first marathon with my parents.  For me running has always been a fun activity to enjoy but somehow I always managed to turn it into a competitive and stressful event by pushing myself to hit aggressive paces and splits. This past year I made an agreement with my best friend, my mom, Kathie Mendoza from Anaheim Hills, to help me find the joy of running again and to complete the Surf City half marathon in 1:45.

Melissa Hocking with her mother, Kathie Mendoza.

My Mom is an avid runner, who has been running and training for races since I was a little girl. She has always been so slim and in shape and the envy of most with her rockin’ body.  She’s been asking me for some time to get back into running competitively and I didn’t want to put the stress back on myself like I did in high school and college. If I made the decision to get back into it, then my expectation would be to finish among the best.  I decided it was time to get back into the game with my Mom; I wanted the great bod that she has and could also use the stress relief now that I’m a sales director for a large company.

I called her and told her I was in and she quickly forwarded me the training schedule and off we went. We met every Saturday at the Back Bay and ran our 10-plus miles together. I had a weekly schedule of hitting Coast Highway in Laguna Beach at 5:30 a.m. to run my six to seven miles on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. We completed our first race together a few months ago in Long Beach running it together in 1:53. As we approached the finish line, I told her “we can’t let the guy in the orange shirt beat us, let’s pass him!” and off we went and crossed the finish line just ahead of him.  We are a great team.

My Mom has a role in our training to slow me down, otherwise I take off ahead and hit the wall a few miles later. She’s has helped me find my passion for running again.  Before this, I can’t remember the last time I ran carefree for fun. Don’t get me wrong, I still struggle with looking at my watch every second I can get to make sure I am on pace but the difference is that my pace is slower and I can run and look around at the beauty in Laguna Beach and actually enjoy myself. It is memorable to spend hours upon hours training with my best friend and mom. We get to share all the drama from the week and talk about our future. It is a very empowering time.

My goal is to finish the Surf City Half Marathon in 1:45 with a grin on my face and my mom by my side. Who could ask for a more memorable morning on Super Bowl Sunday?

Melissa and her mom finished the race together at 1:50.

In the first game, South Coast led Laguna 16-2 at the end of the first quarter. Displaying team work and determination, Laguna put in a basket with 19 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, leading for the first time at 31-30.

In the fifth period, Laguna capitalized on a technical foul call and led the game 34-32. Though six seconds were added to the clock, giving South Coast a last offensive play, Laguna demonstrated their defensive skills to clench the win.

In a 47-13 victory for the second game against San Clemente,  the Laguna girls, fifth or sixth-graders who attend TOW, El Morro or Thurston, boast a 5-0 undefeated league record.

Photo:

From left, Sophia Lucas, Isabel Mansour, Nicole Davidson, Lexi McKeown, Madison Sinclair, Rachel Kenney, and Kirsten Landsliedel.

Laguna Beach High School senior Benito Romeo won his first tournament on the 18 and under men’s team at the USTA League tournament in Laguna Niguel in November.

Romeo, the Orange Coast League’s most valuable tennis player last year, has worked hard to raise his results to the same level he achieved in lower age brackets.

After winning the first set 6-0 against Conner Corley of Laguna Niguel, Romeo lost the second set 4-6 but came up with some of his best serves and baseline shots to close the match 6-3.

Romeo continues to train privately with Jimmy Gleason and practices with LBHS coach Aaron Talarico.

“I am happy for my first 18 and under tournament win, and am really looking forward to the beginning of the high school tennis season,” said Romeo, the school’s top singles player, who hopes the team will repeat the results of 2009 by reaching the CIF tournament final. “I am certainly going to do everything I can to help our team reach that goal.”

Vittorio Romeo is Benito’s dad.