La Mirada High School

22nd Annual "Run Through the Pines" 5K/10K Race Around Lake Gregory

August 12, 2001

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A man found a cocoon for a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through the little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and could go no farther. Then the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. Something was strange. The butterfly had a swollen body and shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened. In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and deformed wings. It was never able to fly. What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand, was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the small opening of the cocoon are God’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If God allowed us to go through all our life without any obstacles, that would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. Not only that, we could never fly. " When you are all feeling pain and like you don't want to continue, just think of this story, and remember: I LUV U ALL!!! ~ Christina Bird

Congratulations to all runners who participated in the Cypress 5K. 
The results were awesome! 

Medals went to Audrey Serrata, Jared Bird and Nathaniel Moore.

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The Girls Varsity team will compete in the first running of the Great Race of the Bay on September 8, 2001, at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. This is the first year that the Great American Cross Country Festival will be held on the west coast. All races are by invitation only. Invitations are extended by the host school to schools based on completed team profiles. Following are the goals and principles of the Great American Festival: FESTIVAL GOALS Great American has the goals to provide: High school cross country teams an opportunity to experience the pageantry, competition, spectator interest, and media attention of a major sporting event; High level team competition and athletic excellence; Learning and educational opportunities for teams, athletes and coaches; and Opportunities for a diverse group of high school athletes from all regions of the country to gather and share meaningful experiences GREAT AMERICAN PRINCIPLES The following values are integral to the philosophy of the festival. All teams are treated equally and fairly. The festival is conducted at the highest possible standards of organization, sportsmanship, and rule compliance. Team, individual and geographic diversity will be encouraged and celebrated in the festival. The sharing of knowledge, experiences and cultural differences from all regions of the country provides a unique learning opportunity for all participants. The state championship of each participating school in the festival is the pinnacle of the team's season.

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