By Brad Stolz, Assistant Cross Country Coach –

(Rosemead, California) – Over the years, the Bosco Tech Cross Country team has been state champion three times, as well as 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th in the state. Our team has been league champions and Southern Section champions many times. Our secret is tough conditioning and practice, starting a few weeks after the school year ends.

This early conditioning is important to prevent injuries at our Annual Big Bear Summer Camp, which was held from August 3 to 8. Traditionally, it’s held right after summer school ends and before the new school year begins. Ours is not the usual kind of camp people picture in their minds when they think of a kid’s summer camp, because ours is a high-altitude training camp (6,752 feet in altitude). The high altitude builds lung power, and the long runs in various conditions build stamina and increase experience, both of which are important in winning our local area races. Getting to know each other and each other’s abilities, as well as camaraderie, are likewise important aspects of having a winning season.

This year, 20 athletes met the challenges of attending our camp. There were about 10 different runs, with 13 miles being the longest; 5 athletes completed the full 13 miles. Most ran a total of 40 miles or more. Freshman Winston Chan ran 54.2 miles; sophomore Noah Villanueva ran 70.5; junior Dylan Vo, 72; and senior Nick Renteria, 53.5.

An event such as this took much organization and planning. Head Coach Blayze Fimbres could not do it all by himself. Its success was due to the hard work of too many parents to name, but especially the efforts of Booster President Christina Renteria and Vice President Carlos Posada. Keeping so many people fed three hot, nutritious, and delicious meals a day was the direct responsibility of Alfonso and Sara Aguilar, as well as Juan and Ana Marie Camarillo. Accompanying this article are the personal reactions of Freshman Matthew Posada to his first-time experiences at this camp.

Cross Country Athlete’s Perspective

This past summer, Big Bear was a refreshing and fun experience for me. At camp, I made many new friends and created lasting memories. My favorite part of the trip was the runs in the evening, where I knew I would get to go back to camp afterwards and relax. Each morning, we woke up at around six and went on a run, which changed daily throughout the week. After this run, we would have breakfast and relax till lunch. As soon as we finished lunch, we would head to our next trail and run as much as we could without overexerting ourselves. As a reward, dinner would usually be ready after these runs.

The hardest run at Big Bear was “Moon Ridge,” where I ran 12 miles with my brother, Marcos, and some friends. The trail was long, winding, and uphill for most of the beginning and stayed flat until a sharp decline towards the end of the run. I can still remember feeling parched for water after I had run out early in the run. I was thankful at the end to finally have a drink.

Overall, Big Bear was my favorite experience from my whole summer, and I plan on attending next year’s!