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Wednesday, Sep. 30, 2009

Davis' Roberto Rosas draws inspiration from cancer-stricken brother

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Last fall, Davis High's Roberto Rosas ran circles around the cross-country competition, compiling a list of accomplishments that was as long as it was impressive:

Modesto Metro Conference champion. Sac-Joaquin Sub-Section Division I champion. Section Masters runner-up. State Meet qualifier (he finished 23rd overall in Division I).

On the surface, Rosas, The Bee's reigning cross country runner of the year and a member of The Bee's all-Stanislaus District track and field team two years ago as a sophomore, appeared to be on top of the world.

Behind the scenes, his world was being torn apart.

In April, Rosas' 5-year-old brother Adrian was diagnosed with leukemia, a cancer of the blood or bone marrow. The news was devastating to the family.

For Roberto, running was no longer a priority or a passion. Instead, Rosas wanted to help his brother in any way he could.

"My little brother getting sick was a big reality check," said Rosas. "It made me see things in a different way. When we found out about Adrian, I was defeated. I was feeling really down and wasn't even sure if I wanted to run anymore."

It was at his lowest point that Rosas found support and motivation from three unlikely sources.

"When Adrian got sick, it was during track season and I was at the hospital all week with my brother and the rest of my family," Roberto recalled. "Three Modesto High runners -- Lizzy Lehn, Rachel Van Nes and Oksana Petrechko -- got together after they found out about Adrian being sick, and for the next two weeks they were meeting up at Lizzy's house to fold 1,000 paper cranes."

According to Japanese legend, anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish by a crane, such as long life or recovery from illness or injury. The crane in Japan is considered mystical or holy (along with the dragon and the tortoise), and is said to live for 1,000 years. In Asia, it is commonly believed that folding 1,000 origami cranes makes a person's wish come true.

"At one track meet, they showed up while I was running my two-mile," recalled Rosas. "They went up to where my parents and my brother were and gave them 1,000 paper cranes in a box, and inside the box they had given my little brother a wish. It's still kinda hard to talk about it because it was something that meant so much to me and my family. It made my mom tear up. After the race, I went up into the stands and saw those cranes. That was pretty cool."

Rosas says the act of kindness from longtime rivals inspired him to get back to doing what he does best. It also created lasting bonds.

"We became really good friends over the summer," said Rosas. "They're always asking about him and they genuinely care. That right there is what got me back up and got me running again. They were a source of inspiration.

"Now, there's more meaning behind the races. I guess everybody has a source of inspiration. I have mine and they have theirs, and it's as simple as that."

Rosas says his brother's battle helps him maintain perspective.

"When you're running through the pain threshold, you have the choice to either give up or keep going. What keeps me going is, my brother has no choice. He can't give up, so I can't give up, either."

His new-found perspective has also changed Rosas' attitude as a competitor.

"Last year, I had a really cocky attitude and was like 'race me, I'm faster than you.' This year, reality hit."

Rosas wasn't alone at the cross-country State Meet last spring. As a team, the Spartans pulled off a surprising second-place finish in the Sac-Joaquin Section that earned them all a trip to Fresno's Woodward Park.

At the start of this season, Rosas sensed complacency in his teammates and that didn't sit well with him.

"We came into the season with kind of the wrong attitude. We did so well last year that I think we thought, 'Hey, we're the defending champions and it's gonna be easy to win again.' But there's more competition this year. We have Oak Ridge stepping up to D-I, and the MMC has been crazy so far."

"There have been a lot of upsets happening. Downey High beat Modesto High's girls, and that's a big deal because Modesto won the MMC last year. And Enochs ended up beating Johansen to win its first-ever dual meet.

"We have to work even harder because you don't want to be one of the upsets."

Rosas won the Sierra Invitational title for the second year in a row and placed fourth in both the Reno Twilight meet and the Lowell Invitational in San Francisco.

Rosas says he'd like to continue his career at the collegiate level.

"I'm getting to the point where I can't see myself not running," he said.

Sacramento State has shown the most interest, according to Rosas.

Wherever he ends up, Davis co-coach Matt Soderlund knows somebody will be getting a first-class athlete and individual.

"Roberto is a wonderful kid to have on a team," Soderlund said. "He does what most athletes should, but don't do anymore: He comes every day, he does what the coaches ask of him, and he works hard."

And Rosas wants his brother to know the instrumental role he's played.

"Twenty years from now, I want to show this to him and say, 'Hey, I won because of you,' " said Rosas. "But I also know that means I better keep winning, and that there's still a lot of work left to do."