Last summer Alyson Piccolo combined two of her passions, service and sports, when she took a church mission trip to Jamaica. Working with kids ages 4 to 12 in the village of Southfield, she led a running camp for the energetic but somewhat confused youngsters.
“It was really hard to teach them something when they didn’t understand the point of running (for competition),” said Piccolo, one of Stanwood’s top all-time distance runners. “They were just more into chasing each other. It was challenging, but it was a ton of fun.”
And that’s exactly why Piccolo runs – because it’s challenging and fun.
Coach’s corner Piccolo, a four-year letter winner in track and cross country, is a two-time co-captain in both sports. Stanwood track coach Paul Johnson called her “a tireless worker who has won our most inspirational award several times. She is also a fabulous competitor, someone who never gives up.”
Go the distance Piccolo qualified for the state cross country meet four times and has gone to the state track championships twice. She got into distance running in the seventh grade because she liked the Stanwood Middle School distance coach, Lara Brown, who was also her teacher. “It kind of just fell into place for me,” said Piccolo.
Look ahead The most important qualities for a runner are dedication, self-motivation and a positive attitude when things go wrong, Piccolo said: “You have to think to the future. You can’t just get down over one little injury.” This past fall in cross country, Piccolo pulled her groin muscle and strained her knee but managed to recover and advance to state.
Adversity just struck again: She was diagnosed with a stress fracture Monday and will be out indefinitely, coach Johnson said.
Stick to the routine The night before a big meet, Piccolo strictly follows the same pattern: 1. Eat a salad and penne pasta with meat sauce for dinner, 2. Take an ice bath at 7:30 p.m., 3. Drink a smoothie and eat half a bagel before bedtime. Said Piccolo, “It’s kind of weird, but it works for me.”
The great outdoors When she takes a rare break from running but still wants to stay active, Piccolo loves to zoom around on a four-wheeler or go pheasant hunting with her dad.
Mike Cane, Herald Writer
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