Going for gold

SAN BENITO - You'll hardly ever hear Cinthia Adame complain.
The San Benito junior has been one of the Valley's top 800-meter runners over the past three seasons.
And her lack of gripes is one the biggest reasons.
"She has such a great work ethic," San Benito head coach Frank Silva said. "Cinthia comes out and asks, 'what are we going to do today.' That work ethic combined with her talent will take her far. And hopefully this year we'll be able to advance further. I feel really confident about this trip."
The trip in question is next weekend's voyage to Alamo Stadium for the Region IV-5A track and field meet in San Antonio.
Adame's reached regionals each of the past two years, but she hasn't advanced to the finals.
She feels good about her chances this time around though.
"I'm very excited," Adame said. "Coach Silva's been training me since the ninth grade. I believe in him because he believes in me. He pushes me everyday in practice. We train hard but he always says that good things happen when you train hard."
And while the talent and coaching is there, it doesn't hurt to have a homegrown former state champion on the coaching staff to look to for inspiration.
Danny De La Rosa won gold at the UIL State Track and Field Championships in 1997 before moving on to a successful college career at the University of Arkansas.
He ran for a powerhouse Razorbacks program from 1998-2001 before getting a job in Austin and finally settling down in the state's capital.
But four years ago, De La Rosa moved back to the Valley and helped with the San Benito cross country program.
De La Rosa's been helping out ever since and sees a lot of potential in Adame.
"She has a great combination of speed and strength," De La Rosa said of Adame. "She has a tremendous amount of talent. I think we can go up there and hang with the 5A leaders and set up a good run at state."
Adame said Silva's been a big part of her training, but having De La Rosa on staff helps too.
"He knows the race," Adame said. "He's been there before so he helps me train and tell me what I'm doing right or wrong. He pushes me at track meets too."
Right now the 5A leader in the greater San Antonio area is Julie Amthor from Smithson Valley with a time of 2:13.36.
The next fastest time by a Class 5A runner is Stephaney Saari from San Antonio Reagan (2:21.21) and Clarissa Payton from Converse Judson (2:22.13).
Adame's best time ranks her among the top girls in the region with a 2:17.55, which she ran at the Meet of Champions.
For that meet, Adame changed her running style. She used to come out sprinting and gain a sizable lead over the pack.
She wasn't going to lose the race but she also wasn't going to get any faster because she was tired.
At the MOC, Adame paced herself through the first lap and kicked it into another gear at the finish.
Her 2:17 was a three-second drop from her previous best, 2:20.
Silva and Adam hope that her times at regionals will drop even more.
"The key in the prelims is to run to qualify and not get burned out," Silva said. "Then Saturday in the finals, we go all out. I was surprised with her time at district (2:17.99). We worked her hard all week and she still came out with that time. That tells me that she can still go a lot faster."
Fast enough to earn a lane assignment at the state meet?
Silva thinks so.