curtis beach

[RENOLOBO]

is some kind of beast!! who are his parents? I know this is a hoops thread but....did his dad play for valley in the 80's?

[Roob]

If you have access to the Journal, they did a great writeup on him about 4 or 5 weeks ago. Lots of athletic genes in his family on both his dad and mom's side.

[pjamj]

I know his aunt was an excellent cross country runner in the 80's for Valley High School. Her name was/is Sandy Beach (great name!).

[loborick]

Sportscenter just had a brief report and some footage of Curtis and his award. Sweet! Just wish he'd have stayed home for college.

[loborick]

Beach Collects His Latest Award By Will Webber / Journal Preps Reporter Wednesday, 01 July 2009 23:36 Gatorade Honors Track, Field Star

A standing-room-only crowd filed into Albuquerque Academy’s music hall Wednesday afternoon to watch favorite son Curtis Beach collect his latest piece of hardware.
This time it was an acrylic monolith recognizing Beach as Gatorade’s 2008-09 national track and field athlete of the year. He is the first New Mexican to earn national status from the sports-drink giant.
Past winners in various sports include Peyton Manning, Emmitt Smith, Lisa Leslie, Alex Rodriguez,
LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Candace Parker, Marion Jones and Dwight Howard.
“Hopefully when they award this award in the future, they’ll throw my name in there, too,” Beach said.
Beach is now one of six finalists for the overall male athlete of the year. Results will be announced later this month at the ESPYs.
Beach capped his remarkable prep career at Academy in May by sweeping the five events in which he was entered at the Class 4A state track and field championships. He won 17 events in all and has captured several regional and national meets over the years.
That includes winning the decathlon championship at last weekend’s USATF Junior Nationals in Eugene, Ore. By finishing in the top two he earned a spot on the U.S. roster for the Pan American Games in Trinidad and Tobago later this month.
It’s just the latest in a long line of stunning accomplishments. In April he set the national record in the decathlon in Arcadia, Calif., then took home the Great Southwest Classic title last month.
“One thing people don’t realize is that no American high schooler had ever gone over 7,500 points in a decathlon until Curtis came along — and he’s done it three times,” said Chad Konecky, the national director of the Gatorade Player of the Year program.
Several times during the hour-long news conference, the 18-year-old Beach was showered with a standing ovation.
The declaration from Mayor Martin Chavez proclaiming July 1 as Curtis Beach Day?
Standing O.
The proclamation from an absent Gov. Richardson making Wednesday Curtis Beach Day around the entire state?
Standing O.
As gracious as always, Beach breezed through an impromptu speech by paying homage to the teachers, coaches and family members who have offered support along the way.
“I’m lucky to have had parents and family who really cared about me,” he said.
Afterword he signed autographs and posed for dozens of photos — all in a day’s work for an athlete just now breaking into the national spotlight.
“I worked an awfully long time to be recognized here on the local level, then worked even harder to be recognized outside the state,” Beach said. “Maybe one day they’ll know who I am across the entire country.”
According to Beach’s coach, that day isn’t too far off.
“I said this to the Journal five years ago and I’ll say it again now, but Curtis Beach is just scratching the surface of what he can do in track and field — and in life,” said Academy coach Adam Kedge. “This is just the beginning.”
In truth, it might be the end in at least one respect. There is a distinct possibility that the Pan Am Games, scheduled between July 31 to Aug. 2, will be canceled because of the Swine Flu scare. The decathlon is slated for the first two days of the meet.
“I have no control over what goes on with that,” Beach said. “If it happens it happens. I’ll train like I’ll be going there until I hear something.”
If the games are canceled, Beach said he’d do what was previously thought to be unthinkable — he’d take time off. With freshman orientation at Duke University slated for Aug. 18, he’d take a few weeks to try something new.
“I don’t know. Maybe I’ll pick up volleyball or play tennis,” he said. “I’ll need something to keep me busy, something to develop coordination, I guess.”
“Basically it’s like this,” Kedge said. “If Curtis goes to (the Pan Am Games), I’ll hand off the coaching duties to the people at Duke and become Curtis’s biggest fan. If the games are called off, I’ll get to coach him the rest of the month and then hand him off. Either way it’s a good thing.”
http://www.abqjournal.com/sports/liv...est-award.html

[LIDOakaLJT]

Congratulations --- a well-deserved honor!!!

Too bad he's not staying home --- UNM is a rising program and he would have helped them move forward by leaps and bounds :Afun)!!!!

BTW, I did not know that Adam Kedge was the HC....he was an outstanding runner at Espanola Valley High School (I believe he was a senior when I was a soph).


GO LOBOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[COLOLOBO]

If the Lobos offered and he turned it down and went to another D1 school I wish him well but don't want to hear about him! You are with us or against us no middle ground!!!!!

[ArkansasLobo]

Sportscenter just had a brief report and some footage of Curtis and his award. Sweet! Just wish he'd have stayed home for college.

Not only was she a good runner she was a great gal. All around super nice person!

The Beach family did play at Valley although the majority of that time was in the 70's. WHich Beach does Curtis belong to?

[Burro lobo]

Curtis, we wish you the best, wherever you are, I could not be prouder of any New Mexican! Your destiny is ahead of you, I hope you obtain all you desire!

[nmdave]

he's David's son....