Jack Maketa ’22, a senior at GA, has spent his entire life dedicated to one sport; as a well-accomplished athlete on the GA swim team, he serves as an inspiration to younger swimmers. His journey first began at just seven years old, joining his friends and neighbors on a local summer league team. Maketa said, “I loved swimming from the start, but the relationships I made and friendships I formed is what made me come back every year.” He began swimming on the year-round club team at just nine years old, which has set the stage for his successes throughout his high school swimming career.
Throughout high school, Maketa is a well-accomplished athlete, becoming one of GA’s top swimmers. He is a three year consecutive All American and two year national highschool All American. On top of that, he placed top eight in multiple events, and top three in two events at the summer NCSA junior national meet in August of 2021. He also qualified for 18-and-under nationals in four events: he won the 100 yard fly at Easterns and placed second in the 100 yard freestyle. Maketa said, “My time in the 100 year fly would have placed me 14th in the Ivy League Championships, and 12th in the 200 yard fly.” As for his contribution to the GA swim team, he has served as captain two years in a row, and led the squad to an Inter-Ac Championship and win at Easterns this year.
Maketa believes that swimming has shaped his life’s goals in a positive direction. Maketa said: “Swimming has driven me to maximize my potential. It’s taught me the value of hard work over talent. I learned what it means to lead a team. Because of everything the sport has taught me, along with the opportunities it’s given me, I set my goals a lot higher than I would without the sport. Most of all, swimming has given me the blessing of believing in myself.”
As a student-athlete, balancing school and athletics is an accomplishment itself. Maketa said on the subject: “It’s hard, but not impossible, I have to take advantage of all of my free periods to get homework done, and I have to be pretty focused on time management. Because I live so far away from GA, my drive to school adds an additional layer to the puzzle, but it is all about the effort you put into making it work.” Maketa stresses the importance of dedication to the sport and to schedules. He confidently states that swimming has taught him life skills, such as communication, leadership, time management, and organization.
After senior year, Maketa will be attending Yale University and plans on majoring in EPE (Ethics, Politics, and Economics). He said, “my main goal with the sport stays the same: make friends and have fun. While swimming was a huge part of my life at GA and will remain so in college, I am definitely looking forward to branching out and developing some more interests. I’m a big believer that if I follow my heart, try to do the right thing, and work as hard as I can, I’ll end up in the right spot.”
Clearly, Maketa has shown what it truly means to be a GA patriot. He has persevered through challenges and excelled at them. We wish him the best of luck in college and beyond.