ALL-COUNTY TEAMS AND ATHLETES OF THE YEAR : Parkinson’s Success Proves Perplexing : Girls’ track: Orange Lutheran sophomore turns in top times with little training or experience.

It was tough to decide what was more startling about Orange Lutheran’s Amber Parkinson this season: what she was doing or how she was doing it.

A sophomore in her first season of track and field, Parkinson was confounding on both accounts.

She ran times generally reserved for only the best-trained, battle-tested distance runners. And she did it with only the slightest training and experience, having been lured from the Lancer soccer team just before the season began.

Parkinson’s best times were 2 minutes 21.6 seconds for 800 meters, 5:00.82 for 1,600 and 10:38.80 for 3,200. Her 1,600 mark was second-best in Orange County this season; her 3,200 time was the fourth best in county history.

How could it be?

There seem to be a number of possible answers. Soccer, which she has played since age 5, helped. So did Parkinson’s devotion to cross-training. She rides a stationary bicycle, stomps a stair machine or swims when she can.

She had run track in the seventh and eighth grades--but not in distance races--and competed on the cross-country team at Orange Lutheran in her freshman and sophomore years.

“I didn’t get a lot of mileage in before the season,” said Parkinson, The Times Orange County girls’ track and field athlete of the year.

It’s better to focus on the what rather than the how . It’s easier to comprehend.

The first hint of Parkinson’s talent came on April 13 at the Arcadia Invitational.

She was back in the pack in the 3,200, finishing eighth in 10:54.48, but it was a fast time in a fast race. Deena Drossin of Agoura, the eventual State champion, won in 10:19.63, the top time in the nation this year.

A week later at the Orange County girls’ championships, Parkinson won the 1,500 in 4:39.97 and the 3,000 in 10:12.70.

Then on May 3, she completed a triple at the Olympic League finals, winning the 800 (2:25.4), the 1,600 (5:13.0) and the 3,200 (11.27.4).

At the Southern Section 1-A championships two weeks later, she was tripling again. She scored 24 of Orange Lutheran’s 76 points, leading the Lancers to the team victory. She won the 3,200 (10:49.87) and was second in the 1,600 (5:00.82) and third in the 800 (2:24.10).

“That was a big night,” Parkinson said. “We didn’t know for sure that we were going to win it, but we were going for it.”

Next up was the Masters meet and qualifying for the CIF State meet. She had only the 1,600 and 3,200 to run and finished fifth, the final qualifying spot, in each.

Finally, there was just the State meet and one race, the 3,200; she decided to skip the 1,600.

Parkinson finished the eight-lap grind fourth in 10:38.80, faster than all but three runners in county history and less than 10 seconds off the county record of 10:29.03.

“It’s kind of sunk in,” Parkinson said. “Thinking back, I’ve had a lot of fun. It’s been a lot of work. I’m really glad I went out for track.”

The Times’ All-County Girls’ Track and Field

FIRST-TEAM INDIVIDUALS

Player School Yr. Event Cavetra Mitchell Los Alamitos So. 100 C. Mitchell Los Alamitos So. 200 Lynn Murray Esperanza Sr. 400 Shelley Taylor Edison Jr. 800 S. Taylor Edison Jr. 1,600 Amber Parkinson Orange Lutheran So. 3,200 Elinor Tolson Fountain Valley So. 100 LH E. Tolson Fountain Valley So. 300 LH Melissa McDonald Mater Dei Sr. High Jump M. McDonald Mater Dei Sr. Long Jump Danielle Brown Sunny Hills Sr. Triple Jump Nicole Beauregard Valencia Sr. Shotput Andrea Bill University So. Discus

Player Comment Cavetra Mitchell Won county championship in 12.18. C. Mitchell Ran 24.88 at 3-A prelims. Lynn Murray Ran 57.71 at OC Championships. Shelley Taylor 3-A champion in 2:12.68. S. Taylor Ran 4:42.68 at Masters meet. Amber Parkinson Fourth in State meet at 10:38.80. Elinor Tolson Won Masters title in 14.38. E. Tolson Won Masters title in 43.25. Melissa McDonald Seventh at State; best of 5-8. M. McDonald Jumped 18-9 at Angelus League finals. Danielle Brown Jumped 39-5 1/2 at Arcadia Invitational. Nicole Beauregard Threw 40-7 1/2 at Masters meet. Andrea Bill Had best of 130-3 at Arcadia.

FIRST-TEAM RELAYS School: Sonora 400 Team Members: Wilson (So.), Birdsall (Sr.), Knott (Jr.), Lozano (Jr.) Time: 49.64 School: Mission Viejo 1,600 Team Members: Graham (Sr.), Mann (Sr.), Charette (Jr.), A.Dean (Jr.) Time: 4:00.82 SECOND-TEAM INDIVIDUALS

Player School Yr. Event Andrea Dean Mission Viejo Jr. 100 A. Dean Mission Viejo Jr. 200 Mindy Hawley Woodbridge Sr. 400 Christie Engesser Ocean View So. 800 A. Parkinson Orange Lutheran So. 1,600 Carrie Garritson Sunny Hills Fr. 3,200 Renee Wright Orange Lutheran Sr. 100 LH Lisa Knott Sonora Jr. 300 LH Beth Byron Villa Park Sr. High Jump Heather Sterlin Mission Viejo Jr. Long Jump Lisa Tamamasui Westminster Sr. Shotput Gina Heads Newport Harbor Fr. Discus

Player Comment Andrea Dean South Coast champion in 12.5. A. Dean South Coast champion in 26.1. Mindy Hawley OC Champs runner-up in 58.85. Christie Engesser Second in 3-A meet in 2:15.13. A. Parkinson Second in 1-A meet in 5:00.82. Carrie Garritson Fifth at State in 10:39.17. Renee Wright Won 1-A title in 15.19. Lisa Knott Second at 2-A meet in 45.36. Beth Byron State meet qualifier; best of 5-8. Heather Sterlin State meet qualifier. Lisa Tamamasui Third in 3-A meet at 40-2. Gina Heads State meet qualifier; best of 129-5.

SECOND-TEAM RELAYS School: Mission Viejo 400 Team Members: Price (Jr.), Graham (Sr.), Charette (Jr.), A. Dean (Jr.) Time: 50.06 School: Edison 1,600 Team Members: Craig (Fr.), Hall (Fr.), Evans (Fr.), Koudelka (Fr.) Time: 4:03.68