Running strong

Mike Sciacca

Inked onto the arms of the members of the Huntington Beach High boys’

cross country team were the initials and first name of an injured

teammate who was with them in spirit Saturday at the Huntington Beach

Invitational.

The Oilers, running for Eugene Kim, injured at the Woodbridge

Invitational Sept. 20, kicked it into high gear at Huntington Central

Park and finished second overall among a field of 22 talented teams.

“Eugene is such a huge part of this team, so we did this for him,”

Oiler sophomore Gabe Ornelas, the top finisher at Saturday’s

invitational said.

Ornelas also is a close friend of Kim, a junior who was the

Oilers’ No. 3 runner.

Kim was seriously injured when a light pole at Harvard Park in

Irvine, which is loose due to corrosion at its base, snapped back

from runners whipping around it and struck him in the back.

The pole is in the middle of a sharp turn on the course and is

often used as leverage by runners to help get them get past.

Kim underwent a six-hour surgery at Western Medical Center in

Anaheim and continues to be hospitalized with a fractured lower back,

with damage to his L1 and L3 disks.

“He’s doing really well,” said Ornelas, who visits Kim often and

talks daily by phone with his injured teammate. “He was running so

well this year and his injury was a big loss for us.

“He naturally was down the first few days after the accident but

now, he’s rallying around us, keeping our spirits high, too.”

The Oilers ended a tumultuous week with a strong showing at its

own invitational. When the meet was complete, the team caravaned to

the hospital to visit Kim, where they held their team meeting.

It was during that meeting when they presented Kim with the team’s

second-place trophy.

“It was important for us to do that, do it for Eugene,” Ornelas

said. “He’s still very much a part of our team, even though he’s not

able to run.”

Kim’s mother, Leia Cha, said her son continues to make progress,

although it’s been a tough road.

He will remained hospitalized for an unspecified time, she said,

and from there, go straight into physical therapy.

“My son was so dedicated this year to running and doing well in

school,” she said Monday from his hospital room. “He put in between

750 and 800 miles running during the summer, a lot of times running

twice a day. He cut out soda pops and sweets and was so, so committed

and focused.

“He was planning on going to West Point. He wanted to be a Navy

Seal, maybe join the CIA. At this point, though, that dream is

shattered. When your child’s dream is shattered, so is the parent’s

dream for that child.”

Ornelas said that the Oilers will continue to run for Kim,

beginning Saturday with the Sunset League Preview Meet at Huntington

Central Park-West.

“It’s going to be a pretty good race,” he said. “The Sunset League

is one of the best leagues around and it’s important for our team to

run well and be more consistent. That’s the key to running well.

That, and being focused.

“We’ve lost Eugene, so we need to step it up the rest of the

season.”

* MIKE SCIACCA covers sports and features. He can be reached at

(714) 965-7171 or by e-mail at michael.sciacca@latimes.com.