NORTH PORT
It was good to see Olivia Ortiz on Saturday at the North Port Invitational.
It was better to see the Lakewood Ranch High runner walking without her cane.
Olivia Ortiz
Ortiz still is a far way from competing on the course and the track, but is making good progress in her rehabilitation from suffering a broken femur suffered during her final race in the Class 3A State Track and Field Meet last May at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.
Ortiz will not commit to running during track season in the spring. Her main goal is to be back to form when she attends college in less than a year.
In the meantime, Ortiz is working with flrunners.com, interviewing athletes during cross country season.
She says it takes her mind off the injury and rehab while attend the meets she usually dominated during her first three years of competition.
It was at the 2009 North Port Invitational when I first met and interviewed Ortiz after finishing second in her second race as a freshman for Lakewood Ranch.
She has been and remains one of the nicest and most popular runners, not only for her skill but because of her pleasant and bubbly personality.
You are told not to root or have favorites in this business, but it is hard not to root for a full recovery for Ortiz.
