John Rouse: Thrower balances and achieves

Time and self-accountability are certainly two of the most valuable, and constant assets in our ever-changing world. As human beings, we are consistently tried and stretched to our limits; however student-athletes are pushed even further.

This certainly is true for junior thrower John Rouse (Kaufman, Texas). In his third year on the Texas men's track and field team, Rouse has to not only balance school, practice, and competition but also succeed in all three areas.

Rouse was a three-time district champion in discus in high school, before switching to the hammer throw in college. The hammer is one of the more difficult events in track and field, with extremely mechanical steps, which put an emphasis on technique.

He has grown very comfortable in the event, especially this year. Rouse opened the season at Miami with a personal best, NCAA Regional qualifying throw of 189-8 (57.81m), a six-foot improvement on last year's throw.

Rouse continued to show marked strides in the hammer, becoming just the second Longhorn ever to throw 200-feet in the event. He improved his lifetime best mark to 201-8 (61.46m) in winning the event on his home track.

"I just wanted to get better," said Rouse. "It's hard to gage a certain mark on your throws; I just wanted to PR every meet and having a jump this big (18-feet from personal best mark entering this year), it was exciting but I wasn't expecting that big of a jump. Everything clicked so we have to make it happen more often."

With that throw, Rouse moved from fourth-place to second-place on the UT all-time performers list. He also improved from the ninth longest throw ever to the seventh longest throw. UT school record holder Dylan Armstrong has the top six performances.

The special part of his record-setting throw was that it came in front of family and friends at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin.

"It meant so much to have my family here," said Rouse. "My sister and my grandparents were able to join my parents here. A lot more friends were able to show up and the definitely helped, having that support."

Even with such a trying sport, Rouse still feels the most difficult aspect of being a student-athlete is time management. With a full-course load and 20-hour a week practice schedule, anyone would find it tricky to manage.

Not only are student-athletes required to go to class but they have additional criteria set forth by the NCAA, the Big 12, and The University of Texas. This includes maintaining a GPA of 2.0, declaring a major by junior year, and following precise schedules to work towards fulfilling degree requirements.

This, of course, leaves little room for a social life. Whereas the average college student has several nights a week to relax, the student-athlete must make adjustments to accommodate their busy schedule.

"We all have to make sacrifices in our social lives," Rouse stated.

But Rouse certainly is not one to complain. Being a University of Texas athlete definitely has its perks, as Rouse describes, "Just wearing UT stuff, everywhere you go, everyone's always impressed; no matter where you go in the country."

While time may not be on his side, his father, John Sr., certainly is. Having your dad as your hero may seem cliché, but in this case, it is genuine. With a football coach as a father, you tend to grow up around athletes, and athletics programs. With Rouse competing in basketball, football, baseball, and track, his father was always there supporting him.

John Sr. was there especially in his most memorable moments: his last track meet and basketball game in high school, and his first track meet at UT. In fact, Rouse was ready to go to Louisiana for school, when Texas approached him at the state track meet.

"It was my and my father's dream come true," says Rouse.

However, it's not just Rouse's father that helps to motivate him. He gets his motivation from all the people who count on him. Rouse says his drive comes from "the fear of disappointing Bubba [Thornton], Mario [Sategna], my family and friends. And trying to keep everyone's expectations high, even my own."

Even with all the pressure of school and athletics, Rouse seems to be one step ahead of the game. Tossing out his old superstitions from high school, he now has only a simple Celtic Trinity necklace that he wears at all times. He realizes that it just isn't worth it to spend time on such things as wearing the same socks, shoes, and shorts.

Rouse has undeniably matured, and it is obvious in his progressing athletic ability and attitude, which can be illustrated through his goals.

"Last year, my goal was just to qualify for the [NCAA Midwest Regionals], but this year my main goal is [NCAA Indoors] and contributing to another Big 12 conference title. I want to throw better each meet with as little setbacks as possible," declared Rouse.

Rouse also finds it easy to draw a connection between the world of athletics and the world of business.

"Not necessarily just track, but every sport applies to the real world. That's probably one of the first things I learned from my dad, and all the other coaches. You can't be successful unless everyone comes together," said Rouse.

The value of accountability and time are often overlooked, but both hold so much weight in our day to day lives. Rouse makes a statement referring to track, which actually, transcends into daily life.

"You can't pass the buck to someone else; you either took care of business or you didn't," explained Rouse. "You can't blame the coaches, you can't blame the trainers, or the equipment managers, it's just you. There's no one else in the ring."

With an attitude like that, it is easy to see how Rouse is successful in school, competition and life.

The University of Texas at Austin Athletics

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