Two local athletes will be racing with the kangaroos and emus
this summer.
Two local athletes will be racing with the kangaroos and emus this summer.
San Benito High hurdler Johnny DiSalvo and sprinter Jesse Rice have been invited to compete in the Parkroyal Down Under International Games in July among some of the best high school track athletes in New Zealand, Australia and the United States.
“It is an awesome opportunity for these guys,” said Iran White, who took over as the boys track coach this year after about seven years as an assistant. “It is great to see them excited about track beyond the regular season. It will make them better and will make our whole team better.”
The two athletes aren’t usually together because of the different events they compete in. But they will be flying out together with the rest of the California team from Los Angeles this summer to Austrailia. Neither athlete has been out of the country before.
The pair started competing together when DiSalvo was a sophomore and Rice was a freshman.
“During my sophomore year, I knew I had pretty good legs and I was pretty fast, so I knew track would be a good sport for me,” DiSalvo said. “I wasn’t really that good my first year, but I have been working hard ever since.”
DiSalvo and Rice were both active in several different sports before racing at San Benito.
DiSalvo played football during his junior year of high school and played in Little League and Babe Ruth growing up.
“I would always go out and play with friends in the streets growing up,” DiSalvo said.
Rice played Little League Baseball and recreation soccer when he was young. He competed in various sports in high school such as soccer and basketball. Rice is also an avid golfer.
DiSalvo – a hurdler
DiSalvo, a senior, runs in the 110-meter high hurdles, the 300-meter intermediate hurdles, the 400-meter and the 4 by 400-meter team.
“Going out there and winning this year has been fun,” DiSalvo said. “Track is a great sport. Not only is it great competition, but it is a great atmosphere to be in.”
He won both hurdles events in King City last week. Last year, in the Central Coast Section semifinals, he had an official time of 16.16 in 110-meter hurdlers. His best time this year is a 16 flat, but he hopes to get it down to about a 15.5.
In the 300 hurdles, his fastest time is a 42, and he hopes to have it down to a 40.5 by the end of the season.
“Its going to take a lot of practice and hard work,” said DiSalvo of meeting his goals. “I have perfect form. I just have to get my speed up.”
DiSalvo said he plans to put in even more long hours after the high school season.
“When track season ends, I will be continuing my training for the Austrailia meet,” DiSalvo said. “The coaches want to build a good conditioning base for us at the beginning of the season, then have us break before CCS and peak again before we leave.”
Hurdles coach Carlos Beltran said DiSalvo is a natural hurdler because of the effort he puts in.
“He is one of the hardest workers out their,” Beltran said. “Once he realizes how good he is, there is no stopping how fast he can be this year. There is nothing wrong with his form, but his speed is hurting him a little in the longer races like the 300 hurdles.”
Beltran, a former 300 hurdler who graduated two years ago, said he wanted DiSalvo to compete in the longer hurdles as well this year because of the smaller team.
Rice – a sprinter
Rice competes in 400-meter, the 200-meter and the 4 by 100-meter and 4 by 400-meter relays.
His best event is the 400-meter. Last year he finished with a 51.7 in CCS – a time that he has equaled this year at Stanford.
In the 4 by 400, he finished with a time of 3:27 in CCS. His best time in the 4 by 400 event is 3:29, which he recorded at West Valley.
His goal is to be around a 49 by the end of the season.
“My sprinting coach (White) is really good,” Rice said. “He makes sure I am working my hardest.”
“I’d like to taper off his workouts a little bit before CCS,” White said. “After the regular season, I would like to see where he is and what he needs.”
Rice said he gets a lot of the motivation to run from Chad Tungate, another Baler sprinter.
“He is just as fast as I am,” Rice said. “There is a friendly competition going between us, because I don’t want him to beat me.”
Although White mostly trains the distance runners, he also works with some of the sprinters like Rice and Tungate.
“Jesse has a really great attitude and is one of the hardest workers on the team,” White said. “This year, we are trying to work on his top-hand speed and his initial acceleration. Hopefully, we’ll have him peak next year as a senior.”
DiSalvo still needs about $2,000 of the $3,198 needed to go to Australia, and Rice has about half of what he needs to make the trip.
The two athletes will have a garage sale on Friday and Saturday at Rice’s house on 1051 Clearview Drive to raise money for the trip.
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