Top Cross Country Runner is Right Here in Linda Vista
Plus: New Chocolatier at Fashion Valley Mall, Local Residents Attend Coffee with a Cop in LV, and Upcoming Community Events
San Diego County has seen its share of great distance runners over the years, to include such individuals as Meb Keflezighi (San Diego High), Thom Hunt (Patrick Henry High) and Mac Fleet (University High School). What is exciting is that the county’s latest elite runner can be found right here in Linda Vista! If you are a local sports fan, Kenan Pala, a senior at the Francis Parker School, is an athlete worth following this fall cross country season.
As mentioned in recent posts of this newsletter, many people associate the fall sports season with football. The sport is obviously an extremely popular player and fan pastime at the high school, college, and professional level. However, there is at least one other sport synonymous with the autumn months, and that’s the sport of cross country running. Though the demanding sport of cross-country doesn’t get the fan support seen with football, the competition and quest for personal excellence exhibited in this sport can make for an exciting spectator experience. Fortunately, Linda Vista residents have the opportunity this fall to root for a young local athlete who happens to be one of the top cross-country runners in the county, and perhaps the entire state. Based on races conducted this month, Kenan Pala is proving himself as an outstanding prep runner and a favorite to garner individual CIF championship honors later in the season.
While racing this past Saturday at Morley Field in the 41st Annual Mt. Carmel/Asics Cross Country Invitational, Pala dominated an elite field of runners over a hilly 2.95-mile course to win his race by approximately 40 seconds. He led from start to finish. Two weeks before this race, he won his division at the Canyon Crest Ravens Invitational—a three-mile course—with a superior time of 14:11. His closest competitor finished 72 seconds behind!
With these two performances under his belt, Pala has good reason for setting some high personal goals for the season. He has his eyes set on the Coastal League individual championship, as well as eventually competing for the State Division 5 championship, and making it to the Footlocker National Championship in December (which will be held at Morley Field). For the spring track season, he has goals of running under 4:15 for 1600 meters and under 9:00 for 3200 meters.
When asked what he enjoys about cross country running, he commented that he appreciates that the sport is “quantifiable.” Pala explained in enthusiastic fashion that he enjoys tying his “performances to numbers” while trying to guess “statistically” what kind of race times he will record. He also likes “training and seeing the numbers progress” in his performances.
He mentioned the late great Oregon distance runner Steve Prefontaine as a famous distance runner who inspires him, referring to Prefontaine’s quote “The best pace is a suicide pace, and today looks like a good day to die,” as a favorite way to approach a race that requires great effort.
Pala first took up cross country running in 7th grade, though he actually started competing in triathlons in 5th grade. He doesn’t currently compete in triathlons, but his weekly training (which includes running 45 to 60 miles) still includes about 20 miles of mountain biking as a way of recovering from running. And he claims that a goal for when he gets older involves eventually competing in the Ironman Triathlon.
As talented as Pala may be in distance running, it’s worth pointing out that he carries a weighted GPA of 4.68. This talented scholar-athlete is headed to Yale University next fall, where he plans to major in Economics. Yale may not be known as a running mecca like Eugene, Oregon but it is the alma mater of Frank Shorter, the gold medal winner in the 1972 Olympics Marathon race.
If you want to follow Pala’s exploits during this season, you can view the schedule for the Francis Parker cross country team at this site. If his recent race at Morley Field is any indication, you can expect to see some exciting performances from him.
***
The Linda Vista Update wishes to thank Kenan Pala for taking time to talk with us, and we wish him good luck for the rest of the cross country season!
Goodbye Godiva…Hello Läderach Chocolate
We heard the news! A new chocolate shoppe had opened in the Fashion Valley Mall, across from Macy’s, replacing Godiva Chocolates. Well, before you could say “Willy Wonka” we headed down to the mall to check it out.
Turns out Läderach, which opened its doors about a month ago, is the new chocolatier in town. Läderach is a family-owned company well known in Switzerland and was the winner of the 2018 World Chocolate Masters (the world championship of chocolate). They have made a recent push into the United States, and the Fashion Valley location is its first in California. Godiva has closed all of its North America stores because of slow retail sales. Läderach has purchased 34 leaseholds from Godiva and will be opening more stores in the United States and Canada.
Walking into the store is a delight for all your senses. It looks great, smells heavenly, and the chocolate which they generously let you taste, is unbelievably good.
There are beautifully packaged gift items displayed including chocolate covered popcorn, and packages of their famous bark in many flavors. The display case shows many artisanal items such as truffles, pralines, and more. There are giant slabs of their famous “FrischSchoggi” in glass windows in about 20 different flavors. I sampled hazelnuts and almonds in a combo light/dark chocolate, and plain very dark chocolate that was the best dark chocolate I’ve ever tasted. There were many others such as caramel, light and dark chocolate, white chocolate and more. All ingredients, like milk and honey, are sourced from Swiss cows and bees according to their website. All products are produced in Switzerland.
The prices are not inexpensive, but when you need something that really shows you care, this is a good place to shop. Products are meant to be consumed in days, not months, and so as not to offend anyone by breaking with tradition, we ate the products we bought in two days. Now I’m ready for another trip to the mall. I especially love chocolate covered hazelnuts, in case anyone asks.
Go visit Läderach and enjoy some free tasting, and tell them you read about them in the LV Update. The staff is very friendly and helpful and eager to tell you all about their products.
Coffee with a Cop Held at Linda Vista Library
Approximately 50 people attended yesterday morning’s Coffee with a Cop session, held at the Linda Vista Library. The event was coordinated by the SDPD Western Division, the office of District 7 Councilmember Raul Campillo, and the LV library staff. The session allowed local residents to ask questions and get acquainted with the members of the police department that patrol their streets. Residents also enjoyed the coffee and donuts, which were provided by your very own Linda Vista Update.
This was the community’s first Coffee with a Cop session since the pandemic began.
According to Officer David Surwilo (Community Relations Officer for Western Division), residents asked about such issues as speeding, petty theft, the homeless situation, and neighborhood watch. He hopes to conduct more Coffee with a Cop events in the coming months.
Upcoming Community Events
SDPD Gun Buy-Back: The San Diego Police Department will provide everyone an opportunity to turn in unwanted guns (no questions asked) this Saturday September 25. They are offering $100 Target gift cards for handguns, shotguns, and rifles, and $200 Target gift cards for Assault Weapons. Firearms must be unloaded in the trunk of your vehicle. See the poster below for details.
Sur Coffee Grand Opening: Sur Coffee, a new coffee shop 5401 Linda Vista Road in Linda Vista, featured in one of our recent newsletter posts, will have a grand opening ceremony this Saturday September 25 starting at 11:00 am.
Kearny High Football: The Kearny Komets varsity football team will play their next home game on Friday October 1 at 7:00 pm.. The Komets will play Crawford High School.
Francis Parker School football: The Lancers will play their next home game on Friday October 1 at 7:00 pm. Their opponent will be Classical Academy.
USD Football: The Toreros will play their next home game against the University of St. Thomas (Minn.) on Saturday October 2 at 1:00 pm.
Annual Fall Festival: The Holy Family Church Fall Festival will be held October 2 (Saturday) and 3 (Sunday). See the photo below for more details.
Community Clean-Up: The Bayside Community Center will conducts its monthly Community Clean-Up on Sunday October 3. Volunteers will meet at 10:00 am in the Linda Vista Library parking lot.
YMCA Day at the Bay: The YMCA Adults Day at the Bay is October 6 10:00 am to 2:00 pm outside at Mission Bay Aquatic Center. This event brings together the Y’s 50-plus community to celebrate everything great about aging in San Diego. Click here for more details
Subscribe to the Linda Vista Update
If you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to the Linda Vista Update. Just click on the below “Subscribe now” button. Once you do so, you will be on automatic distribution for all future posts. Join our growing readership!
The Linda Vista Update is a weekly digital newsletter that publishes informative, interesting and fun news about Linda Vista and its neighboring communities.