Whiz Kid Races To The Top

His feet are perched on the blocks, eyes down, fingertips grazing the track. “Runners to your mark,” he hears, raising his body halfway in response. Then he hears the gunshot, and the rest is muscle memory.

When Gabriel Ortiz runs a race for his track team at , he aims to be first, every time. The 17-year-old junior recently ran the California State Indoor Track Meet in Fresno, where he finished eleventh out of 30 of the top sprinters in the state.

“He's by far our top athlete,” said Head Track & Field Coach Adrian Dilley. “He's the fastest kid on campus.”

When Ortiz first ran the 400-meter dash as an eighth grader, he came in last place. Today, after three consecutive seasons on the Sequoia Cherokees' track team, the 400-meter is Ortiz's best race, with a personal best of 51.22 seconds.

“In the 400, you have to get out hard, cruise for most of the straight, and near the end, push yourself,” said Ortiz of the longest sprint-race in track and field.

Since it's a full lap around the track, the 400-meter is not a full sprint. “My favorite part of the whole race is the last 60 meters, because you're all tired, and you have nothing left in you—it shows who's got heart.”

In elementary school, Ortiz competed in swimming for six years. It wasn't until his freshman year of high school, when he tried football, that he discovered his talent for speed on the ground.

“I've always liked to run, ever since I was a little kid,” said Ortiz. Dilley, also the Physical Education teacher at Sequoia, encouraged Ortiz to join the track team, where he soon became the star of the team.

So far this year, Ortiz has gone undefeated in his races. He sprained his ankle at a meet last week, but Ortiz is no rookie when it comes to injuries. Last summer, Ortiz broke his leg playing football, blew out his back and had surgery on his ankle. He hopes to be back on the track in a couple of weeks.

“You just gotta stay positive and you'll get through it,” said Ortiz, shifting his crutches to keep the weight off his temporary cast boot.

When not training five days a week on the track and in the weight room, Ortiz has been known to make paper-maché sculptures of dog-fighting planes and Mariachi men in art class at Sequoia High School. He volunteers on the weekends as a teacher-assistant in Sunday school at Iglesia Fuente de Vida in Palo Alto, which has become an important community in Ortiz's life.

“What sets Gabe apart from other athletes is that quiet confidence combined with such a great work ethic,” said Assistant Coach Gordon Bliss, the President of in Menlo Park. “Does he have enough talent to rise to the top? Definitely. The future is his to shape.”

And Ortiz's future looks promising. “I want to go to college, and if I go, I'm definitely going to do some sport,” said Ortiz, who added that he would choose track over football if he had the choice.

Coach Dilley has complete confidence that Ortiz will be successful in his ambitions. “People notice his work ethic,” Dilley said of Ortiz. “He's always the kid warming up extra at the track meet, with the extreme focus on his face.”

That extreme focus is a typical Ortiz ritual before each and every meet. Headphones in, a techno beat pumping in his eardrums, Ortiz stretches his hamstrings and calf muscles, settling his nerves and focusing on what he needs to do.

“It's really mental,” said Ortiz. “If you think you can't do it, then you're not going to be able to do it. Sometimes just don't think—just run.” 

Check out the Sequoia Ravens at their next track and field meet this Thursday, March 24, against El Camino High School at Sequoia High School in Redwood City. The complete season schedule can be found on their website here.