Senior John Howk liked the idea of a challenge, so in his final year of high school he joined the cross country team.
“I wanted to test myself,” Howk said. “I wanted to see if I could do something. Not only did I not know if I could do it, but everyone that I talked to said that I couldn’t do it.”
In his first season, he became a strong runner. He came in with confidence to do his best and show what he was capable of. Coach Andrew Higham said that he was able to absorb information and use that to his advantage.
“John’s progression is nothing short of legendary, you know,” Higham said. “He started at what I would think would be about a 6:20 mile, and the other day at the district meeting, he ran 4:44. That’s pretty great.”
Howk also clearly made a positive impact on those around him throughout his journey in cross country. His teammates always saw him as someone who encouraged them to keep moving forward. There wasn’t a dull moment when Howk was around.
“He comes in and he just makes everything feel like it’s going to be alright even though you just like lost districts or even though you just bombed your race and you got an injury,” junior Tristan Parfait said. “Like no matter what happens, he’s just the glue. And I feel like if we wouldn’t have had him on the team this year, it would have been really different, in terms of how happy everyone is.”
Although Howk didn’t know his teammates at first, he was willing to learn about others. Higham said he noticed Howk would pick different people to run with at practices just to get to know them.
Parfait also said Howk would watch what others were doing around him, so he knew if they were doing okay.
“He’s not perfect, you know, he has his down days and you can see it,” Parfait said. “Sometimes he’ll be just a little bit less chatty, or he won’t shout as loud. He’s not just the happy-go-lucky guy. He’s the guy that sits down and thinks about a person that was feeling sad today, and he tries to figure it out and he just works it through his head and he puts their emotions in his pot and makes them his problem.”
While Howk is always there for others, he has his own support system in his mom.
“My mom has made a huge difference in my life,” Howk said. “She’s always been there for me no matter what. Even through hard times, she’s been like a rock. She always puts me and my siblings first.”
Higham said Howk’s influence has left an impact on others. Because of Howk’s involvement and positive attitude, Higham joked a fitting tribute may be needed on campus after he graduates.
“I really think they should build a statue of him out by the Panther,” Higham said, “and every time people walk by it, they can just give John a fist bump.”
