Move back home perfect remedy for Ferguson

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

Seabury Hall's Tia Ferguson spent a year at San Marcos High in Santa Barbara, Calif. Christie Wilson • The Honolulu Advertiser Ferguson file HIGH SCHOOL: Seabury Hall CROSS COUNTRY: 2001 state runner-up TRACK: 2002 state champ in 1,500 and 3,000 GPA/SAT: 3.9/1,360 COLLEGE: Leaning toward Stanford, Cal or Duke Saturday's title meets BIIF: 10:30 a.m. at Waiakea High School ILH: 9 a.m. at Central O'ahu Regional Park (near tennis courts) MIL: 8 a.m. at The Dunes at Maui Lani OIA: 9 a.m. at Nanakuli High School Note: The KIF title meet was held Saturday; the HHSAA meet is set for Nov. 15 at The Dunes at Maui Lani.

The journey taught her many things, but one of the most important lessons was that the Valley Isle would not isolate her from her distance running dreams.

"When we came home to Maui for a little while in June, I thought, 'I don't wanna leave,' " said Ferguson, who moved to Santa Barbara with her family in the summer of 2002. "I missed the material things like our house and the beach, but I also missed the community atmosphere of Seabury. What was cool was that at the (Olympic Development) camp in San Diego, I met all these top runners who were from small towns like Maui, and they definitely were succeeding. It shows that you don't need to come from a big place to be successful."

Ferguson actually has been proving that since her sophomore year at Seabury, when she took second in the state cross country meet on Kaua'i and won the 1,500 and 3,000 at the state championship track and field meet at Mililani.

After spending a year at San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara, Ferguson returned to Seabury and took second against strong competition at the Big Aloha XC Iolani Invitational, which included runners from the Mainland.

Then, 10 days ago, Ferguson burst upon the national scene at the renowned Mt. SAC Invitational at Walnut, Calif. She finished second in the Sweepstakes Division with a 3-mile time of 17 minutes, 36 seconds, placing her fifth overall in a huge field that included some of the top harriers on the West Coast.

The only girl to beat Ferguson in her division was Laguna Creek senior Rachel Bryan, a 2002 California state champion. Ferguson outdistanced Claire Rethmeier of San Pasqual (Calif.) for second. Rethmeier was a 2003 California state track champion in the 3,200-meter run.

"The Mt. SAC is huge, it's the premier meet on the West Coast outside of the Foot Locker Nationals," said Iolani coach Greg Char, who did his high school running at El Cerrito (Calif.) High School. "All but maybe a couple of the top kids were there. It's a big accomplishment for Tia, because that kind of mark puts her into the national spotlight. It shows that she's the real deal."

Ferguson said she surprised herself with the breakout performance.

"I ran faster than I expected," Ferguson said. "The top three of us all met at the summer camp, and I just followed both of them for most of the race. Then I outkicked one of them to the finish."

The accomplishment was even more special because of what Ferguson went through last season. She unknowingly suffered a torn right calf muscle playing soccer in the summer of 2002 and was limited to only a few cross country meets at San Marcos.

Once the injury was officially diagnosed, Ferguson sat out until February. It was her first major injury.

"It was a really frustrating experience," she said. "I was looking forward to (running in California), so it was a big disappointment. But it definitely was a lesson to take care of myself and not just jump into things without training."

Ferguson was back running in March, but just missed qualifying for the state track championships.

"I was eliminated in the race right before states, and I was really, really bummed out," she said. "It was a huge disappointment."

The move to Santa Barbara — in part to be closer to her sister in the Bay Area — was not an easy one to begin with. Ferguson said Seabury Hall has fewer than 400 students in grades 6 through 12, while San Marcos has about 2,000 in grades 9-12.

But late last summer, the family decided to move back to Hawai'i, and so far the timing looks perfect for Ferguson. The Maui Interscholastic League championship meet is set for Saturday, and it will be at The Dunes at Maui Lani — also the site of the Honolulu Marathon/Hawai'i High School Athletic Association Championships on Nov. 15.

At Seabury, she also gets to participate in her favorite community project again, helping to raise money and feed homeless people at a shelter in Wailuku.

"We have a collection jar at school, and then every other Friday we cook meals — burritos, lasagna, or hamburgers," Ferguson said. "I think it's very cool, because we raise the money on our own and the kids are in charge of it as a community service."

Ferguson, who scored 1,360 on the SAT and says her grade point average is "about 3.9," is waiting for word on her application to Stanford and may look at Cal or Duke as other college options.

But for now, she's savoring the Kula mornings and Maui moonlights, and being a senior with her childhood friends.

"I'm happy with how I'm doing, and senior year was definitely something to come back for," Ferguson said. "I can still reach my goals, but I'm just making sure I'm enjoying myself."

No better place than Maui for that.

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2456.