SUNKIST INVITATIONAL TRACK MEET : Esperanza’s Boothby Hopes for a Fast Farewell

Followers of Orange County track and field, say hello to Cyndi Boothby, sophomore speedster from Esperanza High School.

Now, get ready to say goodby.

With just one season of track under her spikes--a season that established her as a young but impressive talent--Boothby must bid farewell to Orange County, her home for the past year and a half.

Because of her father’s recent job transfer, Boothby and her family will soon move to Cincinnati.

While this has caused a good deal of anguish for Esperanza Coach Al Britt--Boothby, he says, was on her way to becoming one of the fastest runners in the school’shistory--it hasn’t been too easy for Boothby, either.

“Actually, I try not to think about it,” said Boothby, who as a freshman last year ran the 800 meters in 2 minutes 20 seconds, ranking her among the top five girls in the county.

Tonight at 9, Boothby will run in what might be her last race as an Aztec: the girls’ 880-yard at the Sunkist Invitational at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

Boothby is not expected to win the race; the favorite is Atascadero’s Kim Toney, the fastest returning girls’ half-miler in the nation. Boothby said her goal is to break her personal record of 2:20.

“If the conditions are right, if I get excited and nervous enough, I think I can do it,” she said. “I think I have a chance. I’ve been working really hard. I’d really like to run a 2:15.”

And, if Boothby’s dreams come true, she will run fast enough to break the Esperanza school record of 2:14.7, set in 1984 by Mary Ann Bullard.

Inspired by her two run-happy older brothers, Boothby became interested in distance running in the fourth grade when she and her family lived in St. Louis. At the time, running was a recreational activity. Her serious pursuit was chorus line dancing--she was a member of the St. Louis Suzie Q’s, an all-star dance group.

After her family moved to Arlington, Texas, when she was in the seventh grade, Boothby started running competitively.

“I remember the first race I ran, I was totally scared,” Boothby said. “There were about 50 or 60 people (entered). I didn’t know what I was doing.”

She finished eighth.

It wasn’t until she moved with her family to Yorba Linda a year and a half ago, though, that Boothby realized that she might be good at the sport. Although she rarely won races in Texas, she was more successful in California. After a few wins in her eighth-grade competitions, Boothby said she was encouraged, but not enough to go out for high school cross-country at Esperanza.

“I wasn’t into running all those miles,” she said.

Britt, who after nearly 20 years of coaching track recognizes a talent when he sees it, finally talked Boothby into coming out. Despite the fact that she did not do any summer running before the season, Boothby finished eighth overall at the Empire League finals as a freshman.

But it was during track season that she really made her mark.

At the Empire League finals, Boothby outran the league favorite, Los Alamitos’ Tracy Fatone, to win the 800-meter title. Less than an hour later, Boothby led the Aztec mile relay team to victory.

That race, Britt said, was as spectacular as he’s seen in many years. Boothby, who had never run faster than 60 seconds for the quarter-mile split, was clocked in just under 56 seconds. To those familiar with the sport, an improvement such as that might seem difficult to believe. But Britt swears by the mark.

“We were in third by about 20 yards when Cyndi got the baton,” Britt said. “By the time she passed the baton to our next girl, we had a 20-yard lead.

“My assistant coach came running over and said ‘Cyndi just ran 55.8!’ I said no way. But it was for real. I know it was just by watching the race.”

Britt checked with the race starter, Earl Engman, to make sure the timing started from the proper spot. Engman, one of the Southern Section’s most respected officials, assured Britt the timing was accurate.

“Oh geez, I remember that race very well,” Engman said. “It was astonishing. She had to have made up at least 40 meters. She took the race out with authority. She ran a real smart first 200, didn’t try to pass on the curve, then wham! She just flew down the straightaway. She was flying.

“Her knees were up, the baton was going higher than her head, she was just pumping. She was super. And I remember thinking what a future she’s going to have.”

That thought is shared by many who have seen Boothby run. And although she might not be an Aztec much longer, Boothby says she’s going to keep a positive attitude--much like she did last fall when a knee injury kept her from running cross-country.

“When I found out we were moving, it was hard,” she said. “Really hard. I was real depressed about it for a while. I thought we’d always be here. I was prepared to graduate from here and go to college here.

“But I know it was a really good promotion for my dad. I told him no matter what, I’d go along with whatever he decided.

“My mom’s always saying, ‘You have to live like you’re always going to be here.’ . . . That’s helped.”

Leaving behind a school record, Boothby said, would make it much easier.

Sunkist Notes

Former Newport Beach resident PattiSue Plumer, the American record-holder in the women’s 5,000 meters, will compete in the women’s $100,000 Mile Challenge along with Romania’s Paula Ivan. The $100,000 will be awarded to anyone who breaks the world indoor mile record of 4:18.86 held by Doina Melinte of Romania. Ivan holds the world record outdoors at 4:15.61, while Plumer’s mile best is 4:29.21. “If I don’t run a (personal record), my coach will be really mad,” said Plumer, who is still coached by her college coach, Stanford’s Brooks Johnson. “It’s a lot of fun to run shorter races, though. People know I’m not a miler, so in that regard, there’s less pressure.”

Other Orange County athletes competing in tonight’s elite events include former UC Irvine star Steve Scott in the men’s $100,000 Mile Challenge; ex-Los Alamitos High star Mark Junkermann in the men’s 3,000, and Dave Kenworthy, a Laguna Niguel resident, in the pole vault.

Orange County will be well-represented on the high school level by Mission Viejo’s girls’ team with Lisa Fager (triple jump) and Allison Axtell (long jump). The Diablos’ mile relay team also will compete against county rival Woodbridge. In the boys’ 50 meters, San Clemente’s Tim Martin will face Western’s Darrel Whipple. Los Alamitos’ Erik Mitchell, a sprint star who transferred from Mayfair High, will compete in the Football 50. Other county athletes scheduled to compete include Saddleback’s Robbie Price (two mile), Esperanza’s Roshawn Sims (500) and Clayton Tharrington (triple jump), San Clemente’s Tony Robinson (triple jump), Loara’s Greg Ramsey (high jump), Trabuco Hills’ Mike Cowdrey and Marina’s Brian McCaffery (mile), Marina’s Stacy Wright (girls’ rated mile), Ocean View’s Christie Engesser (880) and El Modena’s Mike Terry (880).

High school events begin at 4:15 p.m. with the boys’ pole vault and high jump.