Becky Cummins

Steve Virgen

The lessons of life can be found in the challenges of

long-distance running. In cross country competition, it can be as

simple as finishing the race. Throughout Becky Cummins’ season, the

lessons have come with a test beyond limits.

Cummins, the Corona del Mar High girls cross country team’s senior

leader, has been battling knee and hip injuries this season. She met

perhaps her biggest challenge in her four years at CdM when she

competed in the CIF Southern Section Division III Finals at Mt. San

Antonio College, Nov. 24.

Without formal training, Cummins led the Sea Kings to a

fourth-place finish in CIF Division III, as she finished 21st in

19:40. The Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week pushed aside her injuries

mainly because this is her final year of prep competition. Patella

tendinitis would have to be ignored on Nov. 24. Cummins had a race to

finish.

“I was actually pretty nervous,” Cummins said. “I wasn’t sure what

was going to happen with my knee and hip. We were supposed to be

conservative. But I went at it aggressive from the start. The final

mile and a half was probably more painful than it should have been. I

got nervous. But, you couldn’t express those nerves to your

teammates. Being captain, you have to make sure you send the right

message. You can’t say, ‘I can’t do it,’ or show worry.”

In her words and in her actions, Cummins displays that she has a

high competitive spirit. Yet, that can be her worst enemy in regard

to her injuries, in which rest is one of the best remedies. This

season she had to miss two meets because of the tendinitis and she,

although grudgingly, held back in some other races, as well.

As the cross country season draws to a close, Cummins has been

showing the effects of the pain. She walks with a limp. These days

it’s harder to smile, yet easy to find intensity.

“It’s pretty bad just standing there, and running, it hurts more,”

Cummins said of the tendinitis. “We all made the decision that I can

run through it, because this is my last season. Because of all the

work I have put into it, it was a group decision, me, parents and

coaches, that I would go on. Mt. SAC was quite a challenge. I didn’t

do that much training. I did some weightlifting. But, the main focus

was to stay fit, without hurting my knee and hip. I even tried yoga,

but I’m not the most graceful person you’ve ever seen. I only did

that once. It works for most people, just not me.”

CdM Coach Bill Sumner, who describes Cummins’ plight as a

heavyweight fight, said the senior captain’s moxie will leave a

lasting impression for the younger runners on the team.

“Her commitment is going to leave an impression,” Sumner said.

“She’s committed beyond from what you see from college runners. She

wants to be in the game. She wants the ball in her hands. So what if

one leg falls off, she says. I can beat all these girls with the one

leg.

“She’s taken so many hits and she’s still standing,” Sumner

continued. “She’s gotten knocked down in each round and she’s still

standing in the 15th, and she’s ready to go. She’s not winning some

of these rounds, but she is winning the fight. She is still not 100%.

People don’t know what she has overcome. And, she’s still standing in

there, saying, give me another round.”

Sumner’s words, the essence of Cummins this season, were evident

in the race Nov. 24. Cummins started the race with aggressiveness and

maintained that pace throughout the first mile. In the last mile, she

began to feel the pain. Yet, there was never a question that she

would finish the race.

“I knew I was going to finish,” Cummins said. “With the situation

of CIF and how close it was going to be, I thought, no matter what,

you owe it to the team to finish the race. Anne (St. Geme) and Ahlia

(Kattan), I saw them, as they were going to finish the race. I saw

the pain in their faces. It was rewarding to see them finish the race

the way they did, and I did the same for them. Because I could see

them working hard, that’s why I pushed myself. Misery loves company,

I guess. There’s a lot of motivation to find out there in running.”

Cummins said she will continue to find motivation throughout her

senior year. It seems to never end. After the cross country season at

the State Finals, she will take some time off to rest and then get

back into it to get ready for the track and field season.