The victory lap
Senior Jacob Strickle hurdles through high school
An Eagle Scout, track & field star and an AP student, senior Jacob Strickle is finishing strong in high school.
“I make sure I have time for after school activities such as track & field and hanging out with friends,” Strickle said. “I make sure I balance: homework, track, friends and family.”
Strickle has been in track since ninth grade. He started track and cross country in middle school, but stopped cross country at the end of eighth grade, to focus on track. As a sophomore, he played football for a year, but he prefers track above all.
“I was nervous, at first, but I wanted to race with the older kids to show coach I was a good athlete,” Strickle said. “I was really looking forward to running in high school.”
Events he has participated in include the long jump, triple jump, 100-meter sprint, 200-meter sprint and the 400-meter.
He has broken several school records, such as the long jump, where Strickle jumped 21 feet and 10 inches, about a foot longer than the previous 8-year record.
“I was very excited,” Strickle said. “Glad that the work I put towards breaking the record paid off.”
Strickle was also awarded the most valuable player for field events, Field MVP, for earning the most points out of his teammates.
“He started out as a skinny kind of twerpy freshman and is now a hard-working leader of this team,” coach Matthew Malkovich said. “It’s always cool to see the development of guys like Jacob over the course of their high school careers.”
Outside of academics and after school activities, Strickle has been a Boy Scout since fourth grade. Recently he earned the rank as Eagle Scout, the highest rank a scout can earn.
Strickle had to earn a certain number of badges and complete a community service project, where he rebuilt the stage for the Girl Scout camp Mah-Kah-Wee, the camp damaged in the fire last year.
Strickle was helping another Boy Scout with his service project for his Eagle Scout, when they pointed out the camp needed a new stage.
Sophomore Jared Strickle, his younger brother, looks up to him as a role model in everything he does, from track, becoming an Eagle Scout and maintaining good grades in school. He describes Strickle as a “very determined person, a go-getter, very nice and kind person.”
After high school, Strickle is pursuing either a career in the science medical field or health sciences. He has applied at UNF and UCF, and was accepted to both universities, however, Strickle plans to attend two years in community college, and then transfer to a four-year university.
“I like the competition aspect of track,” Strickle said. “Running is really interesting to me, and I love all the events. It’s just fun to me.”
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