ECO students bond, learn life skills racing go

Aug 12, 2023

Friday’s scorching summer heat was no match for about 20 soon-to-be high schoolers as they raced down a makeshift track for the final day of Early College Opportunities High School’s Go-Kart Camp.

The school’s lead teacher, Chris Coriz — who also teaches the auto collision and refinishing class — said he helped start the camp five years ago as a recruiting tool. However, he said the camp is now geared toward helping those who are about to enter the school bond with each other while learning new skills.

Most of the participants in this year’s camp had not driven a go-kart before the five-day session began, he said.

“It basically teaches kids how to drive, and they learn a lot of defensive driving in a go-kart and ... how to read a track, how to go fast, [how to] counter steer. ... It’s amazing. If you’d have been here Day One to now — Day One was, like, it’s just chaos, but now they’re organized,” Coriz said.

Racers were split into five teams of three or four people. Each one came up with a team name, such as “3 Beans” and “L.E.D.” Their respective carts were adorned with decals visualizing the team names before racers geared up to take on 10 laps around cones in a parking lot at Santa Fe High School.

Racers’ individual times were recorded throughout the day, as well as their team’s combined best times.

Zoë Herrera, 13, of Española gets her helmet adjusted before taking her turn in her team’s go-kart Friday, the final day of the Early College Opportunities’ Go Kart Camp on the Santa Fe High campus. Racers’ individual times were recorded throughout the day.

Zoë Herrera, 13, said she had the most fun on Thursday because campers were starting to take the timed laps more seriously.

Dex Whittaker, 14, said he wasn’t sure if he was going to enjoy the camp at first. However, by the last day he said he was eager to drive a go-kart again.

“It was so much fun. I mean, I’ve spun out of control like five times, but I think that’s just my driving,” he said. “This isn’t just ... your stereotypical bunch of teenagers coming together, getting a bunch of go-karts with lawnmower motors. This is ... high-grade stuff.”

Whittaker’s Track Hawks were the winning team when all was said and done, and 16-year-old Atlas Thron–Smith came away with the best time, 20.95 seconds.

Before the day started, Thron-Smith said he has participated in Early College Opportunities’ go-kart club. He said he hopes to build his own go-kart one day.

“Our students come to our school obviously for our classes, and most of them aren’t into the traditional sports,” Coriz said. “They’re gear heads, you know. They’re like me.”

Donovan Butler, 14, makes a quick repair Friday morning on a go-kart bumper that got loose on the race track during the final day of Go Kart Camp. “It was so much fun,” said Dex Whittaker, a fellow racer.

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