Rodrigo: In Memory of Coach Carmona

At the start of the SRLA Castaic 10K, I was trying to stay as warm as I possibly could because it was a cold morning. I wasn’t too worried about the race as it was my third 10K, but it was exciting for my teammates because most of them are in middle school and had never been to a race of that distance. As we were stretching, we only had one thing on our minds, and it was the most important thought that will stay with us for the rest of the season and throughout our lives.

We had just gotten the news that our coach, Coach Carmona, had passed away and we all agreed to dedicate this race and this season to him because he gave his life to SRLA and loved every bit of it. What kept me going during this 10K and what will keep me going this season is his passion and dedication to this sport because he was inspiration to all and he influenced me to be as strong and as tough as he was.

One piece of advice Coach Carmona constantly showed us through his perseverance was to never give up and that nothing was stronger than you. I remember when he was diagnosed with melanoma early last year. He never showed us that he was negative toward his situation and showed us that he was going to keep fighting until he beat it. Unfortunately, he never beat it, but he showed us that optimism should be your first response to any situation.