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The Camarillo Acorn Thousand Oaks Acorn Moorpark Acorn - Simi Valley Acorn |
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Agoura's out in front
Erin Baird, the ultra-talented senior who overcame a frustrating bout with anemia last year, and Katie Klezek, a happygolucky junior whose positive vibrations reverberate throughout her entire team, have helped the Chargers sprint out to a 5-0 record in the Marmonte League. After finishing near the bottom of the league standings for the past few seasons, the Chargers' fast start has been a byproduct of hard work, dedication and the leadership abilities of the team's top two runners, said AHS head coach Cathy Prater. "Both of them believe that anything they're going to do, they should do the best they can," Prater said. "They are the type of kids that want to show up every day and do everything that's expected of them- and maybe a little bit more."
It wasn't until just before the last race of the 2006 season that Baird was diagnosed with anemia, a condition where red blood cells are not providing adequate oxygen to body tissues. Her brand of anemia was one that affects many distance runners, Baird said. "It was very frustrating because I didn't know anything about it," the 17-year-old said. "My legs were so tired all the time, and I couldn't figure out why." Baird was placed on iron supplements to fight the condition. She was able to rebound last spring and post outstanding results for Agoura's track team. "I'm not anemic anymore, and I'm feeling really strong now," said Baird, who had to battle another setback earlier in the season when she strained her hamstring and missed a few races. Klezek said she wasn't surprised by Baird's comeback. In fact, Klezek always expected her friend to rebound and return better than ever. "She does not say no," Klezek said. "She completely ignores her body and runs as hard as she can. . . . "Erin is such a motivation to all of us. The fact that she's a senior and all the freshman girls get to meet her and learn from her, it's been so important to our success." Klezek, of course, deserves her fair share of credit, too. According to Prater, Klezek has improved her skills by getting out and running until she can't run anymore. "She's been putting in a lot of miles every week for the past few years," the coach said. "She's built one season upon the next, and it's so nice to see a kid who's put in the work finally reaping the rewards." Baird, who's older brother Chris graduated from Agoura last year and now runs cross country for the University of Pennsylvania, said the Charger runners all respect Klezek's work ethic and talent. "Katie is one of those people that someone can look up to and feel confident with," Baird said. "It's important that we have her because running races can be nerveracking, but when you see Katie and she's always smiling, that calms our team down when they tend to get a little nervous. "She's just a really strong person and a great runner. She really just loves running, and that's the most important thing." Other runners contributing to the Chargers' early success include Kristen Hessick, Logan Bedell, Kelley Klezek, Alex Smith and Sarah Kislak. In addition to their fine work in cross country, the girls get the job done in the classroom, too. Prater said the team's cumulative GPA last season was 4.14. A year later, things haven't changed much. "The same type of discipline it takes to be good out here is the same type of discipline it takes to be successful in the classroom," Prater said. "Right now, this team is doing an outstanding job on both ends." Agoura concludes its dual meet league season today at 3 p.m. against Simi Valley and Royal. The meet is at Royal High. |
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