Plumas Lake girl to compete in Hershey meet

Elisse White, 10, of Plumas Lake and Dante Love, 12, of Yuba City will look to bring home gold when they compete at the prestigious Hershey's Track & Field Games North American Finals in Hershey, Pa., on Saturday.

The event, now in its 33rd year, will feature more than 400 of the best young track and field athletes in North America. The two will compete against the best 9-14-year-olds the country has to offer.

"I never put pressure on her. I just want her to do the best she can do," said William White, Elisse's father and coach. "I just want her do be a good sport, do her best and have fun."

White placed first in the 100-meter run and third in the 200 at the USA Track and Field Junior Olympic Nationals last week in Sacramento, although she will compete in only the 200 in Hershey. She is also a tennis player as well as a G.A.T.E. member at Rio Del Oro Elementary School, all while dealing with Type 1 diabetes that was discovered when she was an 8-year-old.

"I thank God that it's something we can control, but I never want her to use it as an excuse," White said of his daughter's diabetes. "If she stays optimistic, she can accomplish anything."

Love set the Yuba-Sutter Division 2 record in the 400- and 800-meter runs in each of the last two meets. He hasn't lost a race in the last two years and will run in the 800 event in Hershey.

He is also a youth football standout and was named 2009 offensive MVP at the Offense-Defense football camp. He was named a youth football All-American and recently played at the Youth Football All-Star Game in Myrtle Beach, S.C., for the West team as a running back.