WHS track copes with tragic loss

Westlake head track coach Joe Snyder said last week his team members would never forget Nicole Johnson, who was killed resulting from a May 1 traffic collision. His words suggest that all of her teammates were better people for having known the Westlake senior.

"Nicole was a real competitor," Snyder said. "She was just fantastic. She was a great kid. We were really trying to focus on teamwork and sportsmanship and all of those kinds of character qualities, and she was living that out. What we wanted—that was Nicole."

Snyder said the Westlake track team dedicated the meet a week earlier, the Ventura County Championships, to Johnson. The team, he said, has been like a family in mourning the loss of a beloved member.

"They’re showing a lot of resilience," Snyder said. "They’re showing a lot of support for one another. They’re encouraging one another. You have to deal with it. You have to go through it. They’re learning to deal with something that happens in life and it’s not an easy thing."

Snyder added, "They went out last week and competed for her. Everybody was obviously devastated by it. We’re very proud of the way they’ve handled it. They’re not going to forget her."

—Wayne Harrison