Oswego East Student-Athlete of the Week

Despite having earned a college scholarship to the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay as a distance swimmer, when senior Jack DeMarco was called upon this season to compete in the conference tournament in the 100 breaststroke and 200 individual medley, he did not hesitate to reassure his coach and his team that he was up to the task. The unselfish nature of his decision, alongside his talent and leadership, is why Jack DeMarco is this week’s Oswego East student-athlete of the week.

Jack’s interest in swimming happened around age 10. “I always played a lot of sports and decided to try swimming around 10 because it seemed fun,” says Jack. He adds, “Around 12 or 13 years old I started to get serious about it.”

Swimming has helped mold Jack into the person he has become, and not just in the pool. Carole DeMarco, Jack’s mom, says, “The Oswego East swim program has been a huge influence on Jack’s life." She goes on to add, "It has taught Jack to win and lose gracefully, and he has learned that dedication, goal setting, and hard work are the cornerstones of success. Swim has taught Jack to be a good teammate and be proud of other’s successes even when you are going through a challenging moment yourself.”

Look no further than Jack’s practice schedule and the diet he needs to maintain to be successful as the dedication he puts into the sport. “As a distance swimmer, sometimes I will have to swim roughly 7,000-8,000 yards a day, which is roughly 4 and a half miles,” says Jack. That distance each day means burning 1,000’s and 1000’s of calories, which need to be replenished to recover.

To help recover quicker, Jack started a new diet and tracks what he eats, sometimes having to eat up to 7,000 calories a day. “Sometimes before bed, I’ll have to eat a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches just to make sure I’ve hit all my numbers,” says Jack. “Jack’s diet is insane and he is constantly eating,” says Carole. She goes on to say, “He works hard to fuel his body well with nutritionally sound choices with a very healthy diet, tracking his macros, and is constantly aware of what he eats.”

Due to the pandemic, this season posed an extra set of challenges for Jack and his teammates, one of which was the cancellation of the state meet. This meant the conference meet at the end of the season was going to be the highlight of the year, and head coach Erik Enslen needed Jack to unselfishly move away from distance events into sprinter events for the betterment of the team.

“Over my time with Jack, he has developed into a versatile swimmer,” says Erik. He goes on to add, “Jack always fancied himself as a distance swimmer, but Jack has proven himself formidable in almost any stroke and almost any distance. When creating a conference lineup, we have to place swimmers where it is best for the team, and Jack stepped up where we needed him most.”

During Jack’s time at OE, the swim team has been able to go undefeated throughout the regular season each time. However, winning the conference meet has always alluded them, until this season. “We set out at the beginning of the year to win the conference and possibly state,” says Jack. While the state meet was canceled this season due to the pandemic, the swim team finished ranked 3rd in the state based on their last meet’s time.

While swimming for the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Jack plans on majoring in finance or business administration. Jack’s Pre-Calculus teacher from last year, Adam Thurlwell believes Jack has shown the propensity to shine in the business world. “I can see Jack excelling in either field because he has the drive and analytical mind, and is very logical and involved, all while staying organized.”

As a senior, Jack was able to achieve his goals as a student and swimmer. He offers this tip for future Wolves, saying, “Always be open to new ideas and don’t be afraid to change for future successes, even if it might be more difficult in the short run.” Jack’s willingness to adapt and try new things helped him achieve a conference championship, a scholarship, and success in the classroom, and there is no doubt he will continue to find future success at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.