High Jump Bar Is Beautiful Sight to Camarillo’s Marla Runyan

Few opponents, even those who sit in close proximity each week in the infield at track meets, know of one of the great success stories of the year. It might not do any good to tell them, either.

“They’d probably think I was lying,” Marla Runyan says.

Indeed, it is a little hard to believe that one of the best high jumpers in the Southern Section, and maybe even the state, is legally blind. But Runyan, a junior at Camarillo, is both--good and very near-sighted.

Runyan has Stargardt’s Disease, a retina degeneration that makes it hard to pick up detail and see through glare or a strong light. Her 20/400 vision in both eyes improves to 20/200 with contact lens--but that’s hardly normal for anyone, especially a competitive high jumper.

It wasn’t much of a problem last year, when Runyan, who also runs the 400 meters and a leg on the 1,600 relay, used a nine-step approach to the bar. But this season, in an attempt to improve her best from 5 feet 4 inches to a new goal of 5-6, she moved back two steps, and that caused some problems.

“I find it pretty easy to see the bar if there is some sky behind it,” she said. “But at league finals, I had to get down on my knees to look at the mark and then raise slowly to keep an eye on it. Or, I will walk up to the bar and then step back with me eyes fixed on it.”

Even under the difficult conditions (for her) at Simi Valley, with a yellow bar blending into the background of a yellowish-green mountain, Runyan not only won the Marmonte League high jump title but improved on the 5-6 from the Ventura Relays with a personal best of 5-7. She also finished fourth in the 400.

Last Saturday, at the Southern Section finals at Cerritos College, she finished fourth in the 4-A Division at 5-6, behind Debbie Orr of Huntington Beach Ocean View (5-10), LaShawn McBride of Long Beach Poly (5-9) and sophomore Karol Damon of Redlands (5-7). Still, Runyan advanced to this Friday’s Masters meet at Cerritos College, with the top five finishers there qualifying for the state finals June 6-7 at Cerritos.

“When I first got out there (Saturday), it was kind of hard because there was a blue bar and green trees as the background,” she said. “I asked if I could put tape on the bar, but he (the judge) said no. But as the sun went down later, it got easier.”

The rules state that a competitor can tape the bar as a contrast, and she was allowed to do it at the 4-A preliminaries May 16. It doesn’t figure to be a problem Friday as the four divisions compete together and much of the meet will be at night.

That time of the year: Venice is one of the favorites for the City 3-A baseball title, and again there is talk that Coach Jeff Shimizu is leaving. So what else is new?

The difference is, Shimizu, a success at the school as both a player and coach, isn’t downplaying it as much as last year, when he was prodded about his future after the Gondoliers had won their second straight title. Now, he calls a departure “doubtful” but admits that there are enough factors pulling him the other way that he will have to make a decision.

“It’s getting harder and harder on me,” he said. “I have a very important job at Santa Monica College that demands a lot of energy and effort. The kids (at Venice) are very understanding if I’m five or 10 minutes late to practice. But I do plan on staying.”

At Santa Monica College, Shimizu works with honor students in a special scholar-transfer program that serves as a pipeline for students to four-year schools.

In a sense, it is no different with his team at Venice. All 14 seniors from this season’s team are going to college. Shimizu gets recruiters to see his players, and that speaks better for him than any City title.

Now, the only question is will he make a jump himself?

“I really would like the opportunity to move up to a two- or four-year program,” he said. “To be an assistant coach and get that kind of experience would be great.”

Add Venice: The Gondoliers, who begin the playoffs Friday against Fremont as the top-seeded team in the 3-A, have a 26-5 record, including wins over Simi Valley, the nation’s No. 1 prep team according to Collegiate Baseball, and Granada Hills, the former No. 6 team.

Now, Shimizu just wants to make sure Venice doesn’t beat Venice.

“Almost everybody expects us to win it or be right there,” he said. “But I was watching Simi Valley, and the pressure they’re under is intense, what with being the No. 1 team in the country. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves because we expect to be at Dodger Stadium (for the championship game). We just don’t want to beat ourselves.”

Prep Notes

Representatives from four of the nine regions of the Southern California Football Officials Assn. voted Thursday night to begin plans to boycott the season on a week-by-week basis “pending conclusion of meaningful negotiations to the satisfaction of the organization,” said Les Bruckner, the chairman of the fees committee. The four regions are Los Angeles, San Gabriel Valley, San Fernando Valley and the Channel Coast of the Thousand Oaks-Ventura area. Leaders from South Bay and Long Beach abstained from the vote and said they will take the plan back to their members and then make a decision. The Inland and Foothill-Citrus regions did not go along with the plan, but said they will work games only in their area and will not cross boundaries. Orange County did not attend the meeting. “We don’t expect to get everything in the world, but there must be some middle ground,” Bruckner said. “They (the Southern Section) take the attitude that we have no right to even negotiate.” . . . Bob May, of Los Altos of Hacienda Heights, shot a four-over par 148 last Tuesday at Industry Hills to tie for third in local qualifying for the U.S. Open June 19-22 in New York. Still a junior, May led after 18 holes with a one-under 71 before falling back with a 77 in the second round. It was still more than enough to get him to the sectional qualifying June 3 at San Francisco Country Club. . . .A group of former football players from Burroughs and Burbank will take their cross-town rivalry a step further June 1 with an alumni-vs.-alumni game at Burroughs. Dave Carson of Burbank and Bob Dunivant of Burroughs, the current coaches at the schools, will lead the teams. Former players Gary Willison and Greg Coauette, both now at USC, will be honorary coaches for Burbank, and former Arizona quarterback Tom Tunnicliffe and former Ram center Mike McDonald will hold the same positions for Burroughs. For more information call (818) 953-8547. . . . Tunnicliffe, the Southern Section Division II player of the year in 1979, has returned to Burroughs as an assistant coach in charge of quarterbacks. . . .Palisades’ win last Tuesday in the golf finals was the school’s fourth City team championship in seven days, following boys volleyball and both swim teams. . . .Mike LeDuc, who resigned as basketball coach at Damien of La Verne earlier this month, has taken the same position at Glendora.