For Eduardo Pinedo the transition from a nearly nonexistent team of Fresno High to a competitive team here at FCC has been long and difficult.
Eduardo grew up in Fresno his father left his mother and him alone at an early age “I grew up without a dad and used to move around a lot we moved into different apartments.”
At age five he moved in with his aunt and uncle who got him interested in running they would run several miles each night. At the age of eight moved into his permant home
His interest in Cross Country really began as a freshman at Fresno High School when his P.E. coach noticed Eduardo’s speed and recommended he try out for the team.
The Cross Country team at Fresno High was not in good shape. The team didn’t even have members at one time when Eduardo joined. During his junior year, the team was made up of him and his friend Eric Logan.
But both of them wanted to make the team succeed “I was dedicated and came to practice every day”he said.
He even went so far as to go around trying to recruit people for the team telling people that if they joined they would be guaranteed a varsity letter.
During that year, he and Logan were tied in speed and were usually in the top spot for their team.
Eduardo and Logan ran eight miles every day and competed with each other.
During his senior year Eduardo suffered a major setback in his cross Country career for the first two weeks in the year he was the only runner on the team. Then during the third week, he stepped into a hole and seriously injured ligaments in his right foot.
Desperate to keep the team alive, Eduardo went around to anyone he knew who was athletic and got them to join the team which made a completed team.
While recovering from the injury he didn’t give up on the team and as the captain found a way to still be involved “When I was injured I took the captain’s position more seriously” he added.
After healing Eduardo worked hard to get himself back in shape. He took up wrestling which helped him regain his pre injury speed.
When he arrived at Fresno City it was a major adjustment. The team was made up of runners as quick as him and had to push himself harder during practice to keep up.
This was not a problem for Eduardo “The practices were intense and I liked that because it was going to make me a better runner” he said.
Eduardo likes coach Bluth’s style says the coach is tough and expects a lot from his team on and off the field.
Last weekend during the Jim Hunt Invitational in Sacramento the team came in first place overall and Eduardo took third