UCI’s Barnes comes back from head injury

Every cross country course presents its own unique challenges, this much Ricky Barnes knows. Those winding dirt roads and ever elevating hills have tested his strength. They’ve also provided symbolism in his life.

When Barnes suffered a head injury in June of 2005, it seemed the road would lead him somewhere different. But Barnes, a UC Irvine senior, never lost sight of the course, or the finish line.

The Anteaters’ top men’s cross country runner is one of a handful of contenders for the individual title at Saturday’s Big West Conference Championships on the Fairbanks Cross Country Course in San Luis Obispo.

Winning conference titles was not in the picture a little more than a year ago when Barnes was involved in a skateboarding accident. Back then, he had just left a team meeting with excitement. He set goals and developed ideas for the upcoming season.

Then, shortly after leaving on his skateboard the accident happened. He doesn’t remember much, only that he fell. He was knocked unconscious for about a half hour. He was taken to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, where doctors discovered a skull fracture, internal bleeding and brain damage.

Even now, after Barnes has rehabilitated and recovered, he has no sense of smell. There was a chance that running provided a danger to him. With all the pounding and bouncing running demands, it might have been too much for Barnes’ head.

However, that has not been a problem for Barnes. He’s also thinking clearly. He’s set to earn an undergraduate degree in civil engineering, with a minor in business management, in June.

“I see [the skateboarding accident] as a positive that I could get a second chance,” Barnes said. “Things can go wrong, but you have to make the best of the moments you have, and I think that’s helped me as a runner.”

For two months after the injury, Barnes did his best to relax, as doctors advised. He needed to stay away from stressful situations. He also needed to be strong. He dealt with the worst headaches he had ever experienced.

Knowing that he was already designated to be a redshirt for the upcoming season helped ease his stress. He waited a year to compete again.

This season, he has established himself as one of the best runners in the Big West. UC Santa Barbara’s Mike Chavez is also in contention for the title. They’ve raced against each other three times, with Barnes winning the UCI Invitational last month.

“There was never a thought that I wouldn’t be able to compete again,” Barnes said. “There would be that chance that the pounding of the running would cause some headaches, but that doesn’t happen. I started running three months after the injury and now I don’t get any headaches from when I run.”

Barnes was named Big West Conference Athlete of the Week after he beat Chavez in the UCI Invitational. Barnes finished in 24 minutes, 49.3 seconds, and Chavez trailed at 24:51.5 on the five-mile course.

The performance also proved that Barnes had come a long way, not just from the head injury, but also from his arrival as a freshman.

UCI Coach Vince O’Boyle said Barnes debuted as an average runner, but through hard work, he continually improved.

“He’s capable of winning the [Big West title],” O’Boyle said. “He’s definitely a contender. I won’t back away from saying that.”

O’Boyle said Barnes, who also excels in middle distance events for the track and field team, has also been a natural leader for the Anteaters. Barnes was already starting to improve during his junior season, but the injury seemed to have brought the best out of him, O’Boyle said.

This past summer, Barnes helped organize living arrangements for the men’s team to stay in Mammoth for 10 weeks.

During that time, the team bonded and at moments of solitude, Barnes was able to rekindle his competitive fire. In 2004, he finished fifth at the Big West Conference Championships. Now he’s eyeing first place.

Much of his confidence surprisingly stems from the head injury. Though when it happened, there didn’t seem to be much positive to find.

After the accident, Barnes’ father, Paul, received a phone call and quickly left with his wife, Gretchen, from their home in Bakersfield.

“I’ll never forget that phone call,” Paul Barnes said. “It’s the worst phone call you can get. You don’t know what you’re going to be walking into when you go to the hospital. It was nice to see Ricky sitting up slightly, but then not knowing the long-term effects was frightening.”

However, Ricky Barnes battled back and returned to the cross country courses.

“I’m incredibly biased, but I think he’s quite remarkable,” Paul Barnes said. “His willpower is incredible.”