After running, hurdling and jumping every day, two boys from the Revere High School (RHS) track team qualified for the indoor State Championship meet. These two athletes being Senior Joab Bockstoce and Freshman Zach Stupczy.
This year, RHS did not go into the indoor track season with a team but rather competed individually. The athletes still ran for Revere and wore Revere uniforms, but they were not ranked together.
Billy D’Amico, RHS Varsity Men’s Track Coach, spoke about his familiarity with Bockstoce and Stupczy as his runners. D’Amico met Stupczy back at Revere Middle School (RMS), where he first started coaching. He touched on the type of people that Bockstoce and Stupczy are.
“Joab and Zach are both somewhat quiet individuals, but when they’re around their friends, they are a little more extroverted,” D’Amico said.
Stupczy took up track in seventh grade as an idea from his parents. It was more of a causal thing at the time, but his talent immediately showed through. He reflected on his past, saying that he was happy that he took up track.
“My parents wanted me to do it, they wanted me to try it out,” Stupczy said.
Just like Stupczy, Bockstoce also began running track in seventh grade. His inspiration to run also came from his family, but instead of his parents, it was his brother.
“I played soccer before, so I was kind of a runner to begin with, and my brother ran track. . . . I just started it up, and I guess [I] fell in love with it,” Bockstoce said.
D’Amico mentioned all of the extracurriculars that Bockstoce participates in and how he never lets them impact his performance. Being a multi-sport athlete while also juggling academics can be challenging, and Damico applauded him for that.
“Joab has put a lot of time into track and field, even with balancing soccer and his workload as a student,” D’Amico said.
D’Amico first saw Stupczy’s potential last year when he was competing at RMS. He already knew of Stupczy, but his performance put him on D’Amico’s radar.
“We knew last year when he won the high jump and 200 hurdles at the All Suburban middle school meet. I coached Zach in basketball that season as well in eighth grade, so I knew about his athletic ability,” D’Amico said.
Stupczy has a family history of athleticism, specifically running track. This also sparked D’Amico’s interest when he first heard of Stupczy.
“His mother is a former collegiate track athlete, so I knew that it was in his genetics to do so as well,” D’Amico said.
D’Amico also talked about how the two have a lot of natural skills because they are upper level athletes. He mentioned how they are able to jump far and can take big strides, which is heavily reflected in their performances.
Bockstoce and Stupczy brought up how their favorite part of track is working to get better while also being with friends. Track pushes them to keep working and improve each time they compete.
“Just being with the team but also individually competing with yourself and trying to beat your personal best from previous meets,” Bockstoce said.
“I really like hanging out with my friends, but I also like competing and getting better,” Stupczy said.
Bockstoce mentioned how having the team be a unit makes everybody better. They all work together and push each other to perform at their highest ability.
“Each person tries to get the other person to be better,” Bockstoce said.
Bockstoce and Stupczy have a good friendship, especially because they both compete in high jump. D’Amico said how, last year, Bockstoce mentioned taking Stupczy under his wing and showing him the reins, which is exactly what happened. Stupczy also mentioned that they go to a private trainer together in order to prepare for competitions.
“I’ve been going to training on Sundays in Twinsburg with Joab. . . . We jump there,” Stupczy said.
Bockstoce spoke about how these training sessions took a big part in helping the two get better during indoor competitions. The extra work and repetition helped the two succeed.
“[It] was a great experience. I learned a lot, and it definitely paid off,” Bockstoce said.
Bockstoce mentioned one of the challenges that comes along with track.
“Sometimes the workouts can be pretty brutal but it’s the only way to get better,” Bockstoce said.
All of this hard work and dedication came to life when both athletes qualified for the State competition. They are both ranked in the top twenty of Division One boys track based on their performances. These achievements really excite D’Amico because it is a prequel to how the outdoor season will look.
“Those two boys will be a big, big help for reaching our goal of trying to get to suburban league champs,” D’Amico said.
Stupczy gave his advice to someone wanting to pursue or continue track.
“I would tell them to work hard and have a good, steady mindset,” Stupczy said.
Bockstoce is currently committed to continuing his academic and athletic career at Otterbein University, but Stupczy still has three years left at RHS. He hopes to continue running for the RHS team and possibly continue on into the collegiate field. The two made their mark during the indoor season, and it is now time for them to leave their footprint during the outdoor season.
