- 2023 Highlights
Personal Statement
My name is Jackson Tarver and I have been running since I was 7 years old. I started running after my parents were called away for an exercise concerning the Air Force base we were stationed at. That day, I went with my babysitter and her children to the local track team and after running with them for the day I decided Track and Field was something I wanted to do. The following year I joined the team and ran the 800m placing in State and Regional Championships while also running the 400m at State placing 3rd in the 8&Under division. At the time I was getting increasingly faster and developing quickly but injury struck the following season. After some tests and painful running, I had been diagnosed with Sever's Disease. Severs' is a disease where the growth plate of the heel is pulled on by the Achilles tendon causing sharp pain when running or engaging the muscle. Around this time my mom had been forced to transfer to Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, Montana. This change in the environment meant that I no longer had the warm Arizona weather I was so accustomed to. Going into Middle School I was made aware of the track and field team. I went into 7th grade as a 400m athlete and followed through the postseason with the Montana USATF Association. My 8th-grade year was cut short due to Covid-19 so I went into training with my dad. Going back a little, my father had been deployed to Afghanistan and when he finished his tour, he had experienced major trauma that developed into Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD). Through this rough patch, we triumphed as a family and my dad trained and supported me the best he could. Through his coaching and the Bigger, Faster, Stronger, Program I have dropped seconds and have had constant improvement in the recent years. None of which would have been possible without his coaching. I would describe myself as adaptable, resilient, and disciplined. My experiences growing up as a military child taught me to adapt quickly to change, work hard to persevere through any experience, and always be willing to help others. My academic goals for High School are to graduate with high honors and to complete a few college credits through AP courses and CLEP tests. My academic goals for college are to major in Criminal Justice or Political Science and graduate Summa Cum Laude and then attend Law School.
