Standing more than six feet tall, with blond hair and wearing a “Pollos Hermanos” t-shirt, this student has set new records with his relay runs and high jumps throughout his high school career. If you’ve seen him in the halls and wondered who the really tall kid was, you’re in luck. This month’s “athlete of the month” is senior Jack Kahrs.
Kahrs started his high school track career as a freshman. For most of his high school career at Scituate, he has done cross country, winter track, and spring track as his seasonal sports. His favorite sport is winter track. Most of of the time, people can see him participating in the high jump event. This consists of people trying to jump over a high, horizontal bar. Whoever jumps the highest wins the event. Last year, Jack broke some records when he jumped 6’6’’ at the MIAA All State Championship. To Jack, high jumping is fun because it helps him feel a “rush”. Compared to running events such as relays, high jumping is much more interesting because of this rush.
Besides winning events, doing track has helped Jack make new friends from both Scituate and other towns all around Massachusetts. Jack has had great times at meets because of the people he meets, especially his fellow high jumpers. “The high jump family is like a big, happy place”, he said. This idea really makes Jack enjoy track as a whole, instead of doing it just for the chance at winning big meets.
Like other students at Scituate High, track does not completely dominate Jack’s life. Jack plays other sports recreationally like ultimate Frisbee, ping pong, and surfing. He’s a long standing bass member in SHS’s Select Choir, he likes to hang out with friends, and maybe watch some kung-fu action movies if the weather is particularly bad for outdoor activities.
Thanks to his high school track career, Jack is more open to meeting new people and making new friends. If you are looking to make a new friend, Jack is a good choice. “Just come talk to me,” he said.
For Kahrs, track will be a big part in his future. “Yeah, I’m doing it,” he said with bold confidence. Currently, he has been high jumping at various colleges such as Harvard University to see if he could get a few scholarships to pay for school as well as help him continue one of his favorite sports in college. His main hope is that he can attend Northeastern University and join its track team. If not, he would be content with any Division I school as he long can still do track. Track, whether its winter track, spring track, or even cross country is and will be a part of Kahr’s life. Relays and high jumps are some of his favorite things to do. Jack is bound to break more records and make a great career out of this sport; it’ll be very interesting to see where he’ll end up in the future as a track athlete. Until then, may he stay golden.