By Rohan Keith Andresen ’12
THE ROUNDUP
Jon Carkeek ’12 picked up his first hockey stick when he was two years old and was immediately drawn to the sport.
Carkeek has played defense with the varsity hockey team, which is a club sport at Brophy, for four years.
Though he played junior varsity as a freshman, he was pulled up for the championship game and since then has been a permanent member of the varsity team.
He has served as the team captain for the past two years. However, his leadership label does not exist in title only.
“He (Jon) works hard and is willing to do whatever is asked of him for the betterment of the team. He leads not by words but by action…there is no better type of leader,” said varsity coach Mr. Eric Murrietta in an email interview with The Roundup.
In addition to his coach, teammates also had praise for Carkeek.
Jack Wentworth ’12 has known Carkeek for four years and has played alongside him on the rink for three.
“He definitely has matured as a player and as a leader and it really shows in everyday life,” Wentworth said.
Wentworth went on to say that Carkeek’s leadership was exemplified through his role as the captain last year.
Carkeek does admit that his devotion to hockey is often difficult. He has already missed six days this year due to traveling to hockey tournaments and was unable to attend the October Kairos retreat because of his commitment to the team.
His commitment is not only to the team, but to the sport itself. He does not plan to quit after this year, but instead pursue hockey on an even more competitive level.
He says that he plans to play in the North American Hockey League to develop his skills and then attend a college on the east coast where he hopes to continue playing.
The North American Hockey League is a junior hockey league primarily located in the Midwest.
He said he thinks that he will probably end up in St. Louis, Michigan or Texas for the two years after high school.
In addition to playing in the NAHL, he said he also plans to take classes at the local community college.
“Jon knows where he wants to go and works hard to get there. There is no better example of true work ethic than Jon,” Mr. Murrieta said.
