Military Training

San Clemente senior Kai Lewis made a promise to himself last spring, shortly after finishing sixth in his first 100-meter race during a junior varsity meet against Trabuco Hills.

“I told myself I’d never get that again,” Lewis said of his disappointing finish. “So I just worked out the whole summer.”

Lewis survived his personal boot camp at Camp Pendleton, where he lives with his uncle and aunt, working his husky frame into shape amid the solitude and structure of the sprawling military facility.

“You’re more restricted as to what you can do [on the base],” Lewis said. “They make it so you don’t have to go anywhere. But base life, for me, it’s keeping me out of trouble. It’s making me work out more. I’m improving myself in that area.”

Lewis’ hard work began to pay off two weeks ago. In a dual meet against Dana Hills, he finished the 100 in a wind-aided 10.6 seconds, which matches the fastest hand time in the county this season. Two days later at the Trabuco Hills Invitational, Lewis ran 11.02 against the wind, tying Brea Olinda’s Claude Melvin for first place.

“He’s been a big shot in the arm in terms of getting the kids on the team excited,” San Clemente Coach Dan Johnson said. “San Clemente has been down in the last few years in terms of numbers and talent. He’s kind of a rallying point for us.”

Lewis might not be accustomed to the limelight, but he’s certainly used to the attention. Lewis is an African American with albinism, a genetic condition that’s left his skin and hair pearly white, and his pale, fluttering eyes dysfunctional enough that he’s considered legally blind.

Albinism can be found in one in 17,000 people in the United States, equally affecting people of all races. People with albinism always have problems with vision, and many are legally blind.

The vision problems result from abnormal development of the retina and abnormal patterns of nerve connections between the eye and the brain. It is the presence of these eye problems that defines the diagnosis of albinism.

“I’ll never be able to drive a car,” Lewis said. “I have problems seeing the board at school, and I have to get right close to the paper to read things.”

But other than some brightly-colored chalk Johnson purchased at a local hardware store, which helps Lewis see the hand-off area in the 400 relay, he doesn’t use any special aids to assist his poor eyesight during competition. Instead, he relies purely on instinct.

“He’s running a lot more on talent than anything else,” Johnson said. “It’s unfortunate that we didn’t have more of a chance to work with him last year.”

Lewis grew up in New Jersey, where he had a difficult time dealing with his albinism. During his junior year, Lewis said he chose to leave his mother’s house and move in with relatives on the Marine base. It was a complete change of environment for Lewis, but it was what he needed to turn his life around.

“I was just being negative in New Jersey,” Lewis said. “I was doing things I wasn’t supposed to do as a teenager. My mind-set was off. I wasn’t focused. I was thinking of other things.”

Lewis said much of his trouble in New Jersey stemmed from low self-esteem brought on by his features. It wasn’t until he moved to Southern California that he realized his appearance could be used to his advantage.

“First, I looked at it negatively, but I slowly realized I’m unique,” Lewis said. “So, if I can do good in whatever I do, like track, then I’m easy to spot wherever I go. I’m even easy to spot if I fail in track. So I just take my albinism and flip it around to make myself known.”

Lewis participated in track and field while in New Jersey, but only in field events. When he moved to California, he had to compete at the junior varsity level because of a Southern Section transfer rule. He continued to perform in various field events for the Tritons last season, before getting an opportunity to run the 100 in the last meet of the season.

Despite the obscure beginning at San Clemente, Lewis doesn’t need to worry about distinguishing himself on the track any longer. The word is out among his opponents, as well as classmates, who thrill in watching the speedster they’ve nicknamed “White Lightning.”

“The kids get real fired up about watching him,” Johnson said. “It’s kind of neat to see a lot more people in the stands for track meets, and people talking about him at school.”