Gulf's girls runners are well traveled

This article appeared in the Tampa Tribune on Sept. 22, 2001.

By LARRY BUGG

Running high school cross country usually means running many miles in extreme humidity at 3 in the afternoon.

To Gulf High girls distance runners, who will compete in today's Ron Robison Invitational, it also means the chance to run in Tennessee, North Carolina and Daytona Beach.

Much of that is because of girls coach Dean Lofton.

Lofton, the 41-year-old son of former Gulf football coach Wilbur Lofton, knows it takes more than just running to draw some prep distance runners.

``I just try to use it to help build my program,'' Lofton said. ``It is tough trying to get people to run 6 or 7 miles at 3 p.m. when it is 95 degrees out there. You have to get the people interested in it. You need people who really love it.''

Lofton takes the boys' and girls' teams up to his parents' and some friends' property in Alliance, Tenn., for a week in July where they have 60 acres in the Cherokee National Forest of the Smoky Mountains.

It's not exactly a relaxing vacation. They run up and down mountain trails rather than the flat surfaces of New Port Richey. There are, however, some bonuses for the kids.

``It is intense,'' Lofton said. ``There are a lot of trails up there. We go white water rafting. We take a day trip to Cades Cove to do an 11-mile run. After Cades Cove, I just set them loose. They can go to all the shops.''

Roughing it is not exactly the easiest thing to do for all the runners, though.

``Some of the kids go into shock because they are not used to living without TV or radios,'' Lofton said. ``Some kids just love it. They love sitting by the campfire at night. You get different reactions.''

Gulf travels to compete at Venice during the season. The runners also stay for two nights at Daytona Beach where they compete in the Daytona Seabreeze Invitational on Oct. 5. That race is a 3-mile straight shot down the beach.

After the season is over, the team rents a bus to go to the Footlocker South Regional Cross Country Meet in Charlotte, N.C.

Runner Dawn Selvidge said going on such trips has helped bring more kids into the program.

``I definitely believe we got more girls to come out because we advertise that we go to Daytona,'' Selvidge said. ``Traveling is great.''

Does all this traveling pay off?

Gulf's girls, who currently are ranked eighth in Class 2A, have finished second, third, sixth and 20th at state. Gulf finished second in the state in 1993 under former Coach Ron Robison, who died of brain cancer. Lofton was an assistant.

Today's meet is in honor of Robison.