High school athlete John Battle sprints through OSU college classes, sports, and orchestra
When Worthington Kilbourne High School student John Battle decided to shift his sport to focus solely on running, he retired his soccer cleats. After a history of balancing soccer and band, John is now zeroed in on his leadership with track, cross country, orchestra, and multiple student organizations, recently serving as the track co-captain during his junior season.
Four days a week, Battle commutes to The Ohio State University to take college-level classes in calculus, English, and logic. At WKHS, Battle is a National Merit Semifinalist, a student council representative, co-president of the Tri-M Music Honor Society, and a student rep on the Orchestra Boosters Board.
From orchestra rehearsal to the track field, being a part of a team is important to Battle.
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“There is kind of like a team aspect for both in a way,” Battle told 614NOW. “In running cross country and track you have your team. In music and orchestra everyone likes to play together. I like the group and togetherness as a team aspect.”
Beyond his leadership as co-captain for track, and as a senior running cross country, Battle has taken on additional roles for his music interests. The Tri-M Music Honor Society is a student service organization that does community service, performs at home care facilities, and supports one another by attending orchestra, band, and choir concerts. As an Orchestra Boosters Board student rep, Battle feels students like him have made a difference in giving the orchestra more opportunities and increasing communication amongst students, parents, and teachers.
While running cross country in the fall, track in the spring, and performing with orchestra throughout the entire school year, Battle has learned to balance his extra curricular activities with his classes and college courses. When asked how he manages his time, Battle told 614NOW:
“I would say the biggest thing is trying to still give myself enough breaks with everything going on. If you don’t give yourself some time to just take a break from whatever you have on your plate, it makes it harder to get everything done.”
Similar to his strategy for excelling with both cross country and track, Battle knows that rest and proper nutrition are key to performing well on the field. Just showing up to practice and giving it your all is important, but so is your routine outside of competing.
“The biggest things are sleep and nutrition,” Battle said. “That is super important, especially for running. You have to recover enough.”
Overall, Battle feels it’s essential for students to be involved.
“Seeing the actual differences we can make feels really good,” said Battle. “When I entered into Orchestra Boosters, that was the first year we had Orchestra Boosters at all, and we have been able to do a ton of stuff we wouldn’t have been able to do. I see the difference we make with student council too.”
As he continues through his senior year, Battle is most looking forward to how he and his teams can improve with their sports. His goals are simple.
“Continuing to try and get better myself, and get better as a team.”
This is part of 614Now.com’s weekly student athlete feature. Know of an extraordinary high school athlete on and off the field? Nominate them by emailing editor@614now.com.
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