Different or what’s a better word Bill Sumner says to himself. He pauses for a minute, searching for the right word to describe Allison Damon.
“She’s a little more naïve,” said the longtime Corona del Mar High cross country coach accustomed to seasoned runners, girls who grew up running.
It’s not that Damon isn’t a star on a team with another star, Shelby Buckley. Like in the sky, Sumner always has room for stars at CdM.
But unlike the rest of the runners Sumner has developed, guided to back-to-back CIF State Division III titles, and sent off to prestigious colleges, Damon is a unique senior. So much so that even her nickname doesn’t make sense.
“Killer” is what Sumner dubbed Damon, for another reason than her instinct on a three-mile course. The nickname came after Sumner saw a photo of Damon as a fifth-grader.
“I was chubbier then, and he was like, ‘Whoa, killer!’” said Damon, who’s now 5-foot-6, 115 pounds. “I just laughed. I don’t let things effect me.”
Now that sums up Damon. She takes it easy, off the course that is. Her achievements rank up there with the best of the CIF Southern Section Division III runners. Even in state, check DyeStatCal.com, the MySpace of high school runners in the state.
Whereas the social networking site has millions of profiles, DyeStatCal.com has times galore. None of it really means anything to Damon. Sure, she knows her personal-best marks — what runners don’t? But she just doesn’t understand why her own time at the Mt. San Antonio College Invitational on Oct. 19 was posted on what’s considered the state’s No. 1 source for high school cross country news as if it were breaking news.
Eighteen minutes, 35 seconds.
Good for first place in the Division III sweepstakes race.
Good for helping CdM win the team race for the third straight year.
Good for thousands of hits on DyeStatCal.com, too.
Well, if it had been any other runner, they’d probably keep hitting the results button online like a teenager checking to see if she has any new friends on MySpace.
