photo: Gene Lawerence
Not many athletes ever have the opportunity to reach the podium at the Indiana State High School Championships and accept a medal for finishing in the top nine in their event. THE PODIUM - It is the dream of every high schooler in Indiana. Last June, as a senior at Guerin Catholic High School, Jack Weber earned two trips to the podium in Bloomington. In the 4x800m, he ran the second leg for Guerin Catholic as they finished ninth, the first relay podium in school history. Later in the evening, he set a career best by nearly three seconds in the 1600m; running 4:13.43 to finish seventh. The medals draped around his neck last June were the culmination of a hard-fought battle back from a near-tragic bike accident he was involved in just eight months earlier. Weber, who started running in the third grade, had made steady improvements leading into his senior cross country season, with indications that he was primed to take a run at qualifying for the state championships. In early September, he won the Indiana All-Catholic Championship title in 16:03, and a week later, he finished 19th at the highly competitive Riverview Health Invitational, running 16:13. But, three weeks later, on the day before the sectionals, he was riding his bike and was struck by a car. The accident was very serious. He sustained a significant skull fracture with a traumatic brain injury (brain bleed), a fractured jaw, a severe bone bruise on his lower leg, hearing loss, and multiple abrasions. He was out of school for six weeks and was allowed to run for the first time in late November; but only for five minutes. For the first six weeks, he started with five minutes every other day, increasing five minutes each time. It took six weeks to work up to 10 miles a week. Severe headaches and sensitivity to light were an ongoing issue. With the continued injury impact and the late training start, he was definitely behind on training as he looked ahead to his senior track season. By January, he was cleared to begin training and during the indoor season had some encouraging early results given all that he'd been through, including being part of two indoor school record relays. His first big test was the Miracle Mile at Franklin Central in April where he ran a significant personal best, stopping the clock at 4:20.53. During the final six weeks of the season, he continued to improve in his lead-up to the state championships. He set a school record in the 400m running 50.03, ran 9:25 for 3200m, and, of course, qualified for the state championships in the 1600m He does have partial permanent hearing loss in one ear and still battles headaches. He also faces some restrictions due to the brain injury that he may carry with him indefinitely since another head injury could be especially problematic. Following his success during his senior year he was extended an invitation to compete for the University of Kansas and is settled in as a freshman in Lawrence.
When I started coaching Jack as a grade schooler running for the Northside Saints…he was your typical goofy, immature runner. He relied on talent and tried to go out hard and hang on the best he could. Coaching him through high school allowed me to see him grow in maturity on and off the track. This patience not only taught him how to race at the next level, but to apply it as his biggest life lesson. He never gave up after the devastating accident that took away his chance to make it to the state cross country championship. Instead, he patiently healed and trained when he could and turned disappointment into an amazing track season!
So let's get to know Jack Weber a bit more; both on and off the track........