3 From Oxnard Chosen to Carry Olympic Torch

Three Oxnard residents will participate in the Olympic torch relay as it moves through Ventura County next month.

The organizers of the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City allotted the city of Oxnard three runners for the local portion of the relay, said Jeanette Villanueva-Walker, a city spokeswoman.

The three runners are David Rodela, Denise Hamilton and Richard Madrid, who also works for the city.

“It was very competitive,” Villanueva-Walker said of the selection process.

The three Oxnard participants, who were not available for comment, are among 27 runners from throughout Ventura County who will carry the torch for one-fifth of a mile on Jan. 16 as it makes its way from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara.

The torch will travel 13,500 miles through 46 states on its way to the 2002 Games in February.

The Olympics committee was looking for candidates who had a motivational story and could inspire others, Villanueva-Walker said.

Rodela for example, is a 19-year-old boxer involved with Oxnard’s Police Activities League--a youth program run by the city.

Rodela, who has struggled with learning disabilities, enrolled in the league’s reading program in order to finish high school, said Terrell Harrison, who coordinates league activities with a police officer.

“He’s a good kid, a hard worker,” Harrison said.

Rodela also sets an example with his boxing--a popular sport among Oxnard’s largely Latino youth population, Harrison said. Rodela recently won a national amateur title and represented the United States in a boxing tournament in England.

“He’s a leader in boxing,” Harrison said. “He encourages kids to come out.”