This story was published in the 2019 Red Magazine. Stop by room 306 for a copy.
By Justin Hsieh
There’s no such thing as too much winning. At least, not for freshman Kaho Cichon, who has taken the Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) track team by storm with her talent, character and unconditional success. In her first track season ever, Cichon has placed in the top three in all except five of twenty individual races.
One of those five races was the California Winter Track and Field State Championships, in which Cichon placed eighth in state in the women’s 600 meter race. She was one of two freshmen in the top 13 finishers, the rest of whom were all juniors and seniors. The championships was Cichon’s second track meet and second time ever racing the 600 meter, the first being at the Winter State Qualifiers, where she placed second behind the then-state champion – without wearing track spikes.
Cichon’s nascent track and field career is full of stories like these. When the FVHS track team competed in the NPA Skydome Classic at Northern Arizona University, Cichon took the lead in the last lap of the women’s varsity 800 meter race, finishing immediately ahead of 11 juniors and seniors and an overall field of 35 competitors. NPA was Cichon’s first ever 800 race. In her first ever 400 meter race, Cichon took first against a field composed entirely of seniors and juniors and achieved the remarkable milestone of finishing in under one minute (59.83 seconds).
Cichon has since made FVHS track history by becoming the sixth fastest FVHS runner of all time in both the women’s 400 (58.75) and 800 (2:15.01) meter races. In her very first year of Sunset Surf League competition, Cichon has already become the varsity league champion in the 800 and the runner-up in the 400, as well as the frosh-soph Orange County champion in the 800 and the runner-up in the 400. Cichon also made it to the finals of the highly competitive California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section both as an individual and as the anchor of the FVHS women’s 4×400 meter relay. The same relay team with Cichon as their anchor has run the fourth-fastest time 4×400 time in school history and placed third at the Arcadia Invitational, one of the most competitive track meets in the country.
Despite all of her success, however, Cichon remains a humble, down-to-earth and hardworking athlete. She feels the same aches, pains and doubts as anyone else – and, according to a friend, has a sweet tooth for mint chocolate chip ice cream.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m lazy and I don’t want to run, and it’s hard for me to actually wear my shoes and go outside and start running,” said Cichon. “The hard workouts will make me really sore… I’ve learned that running can sometimes be really hard, and there’s going to be a lot of pressure.”
What sets Cichon apart is a remarkably positive and persistent mindset, visible in her quiet confidence and unwavering smile on and around the track. She credits this to her teammates, who she says give her the strength and support she needs to keep looking forward.
“I want to have a good team that can support me, and I want to support them… [My motivation] is definitely my teammates; the track team. I love how everyone’s always there, and I always see everyone cheering me on and it helps me to push forward and go faster,” said Cichon.
Cichon’s team spirit is reciprocated by her teammates, who take heart from both her prolific point-scoring and infectious positivity.
“Once you get to know her, she’s really outgoing and she’s really open, and she’s willing to help anybody out,” said teammate senior Brigitte Cung. “She sets a good vibe; she brings a good energy to the whole entire track team, and everybody loves watching her run.”
Cichon also ran cross country last fall, where she won both of the Sunset Conference meets in the women’s frosh-soph division. Cichon plans to continue running cross country and track for her remaining three years at FVHS, after which she hopes to pursue a future in collegiate running. To those who might want to follow her footsteps, Cichon offers the same enduring optimism that has made her so successful.
“I feel like people fear [running]. They don’t like the mile, because they’re forced to run it,” said Cichon. “But if you tell yourself that you can do it, and you start pushing the negative thoughts away, you might actually realize that you like the sport.”
