I’m Jack Demakis, a senior at Prairie Ridge High School in Crystal Lake, Illinois. I will graduate in 2024, and I mainly run the 400m and the 4x400m. Throughout my time on the PR track team, I’ve been a leader of the team. I go the extra mile to encourage and motivate my teammates and coach them when coaches aren’t available. Ultimately, a lot of people on the team look up to me because of my work ethic and how I encourage others. Despite being injured for the majority of the 2023 season, I still accomplished great things. At the first varsity meet of the season, I broke my school’s 400m indoor record with a time of 53.14. Then I got injured and couldn’t run until outdoors. Throughout the outdoor season, I was developing stress fractures in both my legs; however, I still hit back-to-back personal records in almost every meet with my fastest 400m time of 51.82 seconds before having to end my seasons in early May because of the fractures. For my final year of high school track, I have big plans: to break the outdoor school record of 49.83 seconds, to qualify for state and perform to the best of my ability, and to continue leading my team with how I handle myself on and off the track. 

Like I stated before, I’m a team leader and I do a good job at it. My teammates and coaches trust me to do what they need me to do during relays and other events. They are able to trust me because of my work ethic. I never complain, I put forward my maximum effort in practice and meets, and I won’t quit until I improve. These same qualities I bring not only as an athlete but as a student. In group work, my groups know that I will get the work done to the best of my ability. Outside of school, I spend a lot of my time helping out at my church. I spend my Friday nights helping out at CR (Celebrate Recovery) Kids. Every Wednesday, I go to my church’s youth group where I can get encouraged and give encouragement. Every summer, I help out at VBS (Vacation Bible School) for elementary kids and I lead games for all of them. Additionally, during the summer of 2023, I went on a mission trip to Honduras to help people who needed basic things, like bathrooms and clean water. 

Despite not having an ideal junior year, I hope you still consider the person I am on and off the track, and how I handle myself and my time. I’ll hit more impressive times this year based on the work I put into the off-season and recovery. I hope you strongly consider me and stay in touch with me. Thank you for your time! For more information, please email me at jackdemakis2024@gmail.com.