JOHN DARMODY
Apr 25, 2013
Definition of "Champion" - "ONE who always gives their best and always has a kind, encouraging word for everyone".
The LIVE UNCOMMON roster is teeming with Champions. Today, we celebrate JOHN DARMODY.
JOHN DARMODY lives the same way he runs a race - with determination, intelligence, integrity, and ALL IN.
This LU article has been in the works since Febrary, when JOHN was in the press for doin his wicked fast thing to help his collegiate team - the St. Ambrose Bees - capture the Men's Indoor Track title at the Midwest Collegiate Conference.
At that time in February, JOHN had just taken first place in the 800- and 3,000-meter racess and the 1-mile run at the meet, and had finished third in the 600. He had gone on to also anchor a conference record-setting 3,200 relay to a first-place finish.
JOHN had been named earlier that week as the Midwest Collegiate Conference Athlete of the Week in Men's Indoor Track.
After his MCC performance in Sterling, JOHN was named the MCC Men's Track Athlete of the Year.
Um. .. we said ATHLETE OF THE YEAR.
Kind of a big deal.
Yeah, JOHN DARMODY is kind of a big deal.
But you would not know it by chatting it up with him. Humility being an integral part of who he is, JOHN's running, his peers, coaches, fans, speak louder about JOHN's gifts, talents, successes, than he will himself. Humility - we dig it.
So, JOHN was in the press in February. But that wasn't the first time. No, no. And we are confident it won't be the last.
Allow us to touch on a just a few of the athletically-based headlines JOHN has earned during the past several months, before catching you up to current.
October, 2012 -- "In cross country, John Darmody was selected athlete of the week after finishing first in the Fighting Bee Classic, winning the 8K race in a course-record 25 minutes, 43 seconds."
November, 2012 -- "The St. Ambrose men’s and women’s cross country teams are bound for nationals. Both teams claimed top honors at Saturday’s Midwest Collegiate Conference meet at Crow Creek Park to seal their spot at the NAIA meet in Vancouver, Wash., on Nov. 17. St. Ambrose’s John Darmody finished first in 25 minutes, 59 seconds to send the Bees to their first national meet since 2009."
March, 2013 -- "Lee Calhoun Invitational - 1600 sprint medley -- 1. St. Ambrose (Raimon Clay, Evan Frazier, Jim Warren, John Darmody), 3:28.06"
April, 2013 -- "Meet of Champions (how apropos, yes?) - 800 run -- 1. John Darmody (Ambrose) 1:51.65"
JOHN's 1:51 effort in the 800 set an SAU record and ranks JOHN 4th in the country. Yes - 4th in the country. Um, so like 'the country' is a pretty big, wide place, yes? Yeaaah. JOHN DARMODY is ranked 4th in the country.
Okay, so if you're keeping track of JOHN's track, you can see that we're just about current with his achievements.
But, JOHN is true bLUe LU SAU. Meaning --- JOHN is NOT just about running.
No, no.
JOHN DARMODY serves the Movement like many of his, your, Teammates. He inspires, on and off the field/track.
It speaks loudly about a person, when a peer 'speaks up' for them. Humility is a quality common among the UNCOMMON, and it is not easy to get a Champion to tell it like it is, when it comes to their personal accolades.
So. . .the Crew turned to your Teammate and JOHN's - fellow Fighting Bee - JAY WHITMORE - to help us fill in the blanks. We've gotta say, it's pretty cool that JOHN DARMODY inspires this kind of "looking up to" from a peer. Like, it's way cool, actually. And says alot about JOHN, we think. LU is also a believer in the "birds of a feather flock together" adage. Ya know - the company you keep says something about a person's charachter. Well, JAY is a friend and a fan of JOHN DARMODY, and that is a solid charachter reference in LU's book. JAY WHITMORE, we dig ya. Thanks for keeping us on the heads up with JOHN's UNCOMMON goings on.
JAY WHITMORE - friend, teammate, fan, of JOHN DARMODY, says it well:
"John Darmody truly is Live Uncommon. Running is part of John, but that’s not the only thing that makes him Uncommon - it’s his Giving Back mentality. Whether John is fitting someone in a new pair of shoes at Running Wild, where he works, or serving as an Assistant Coach, while still running on the team for St. Ambrose University, John is always sharing his knowledge and passion about running with others.
I (Jay Whitmore) met John four years ago as a teammate and we have been friends ever since. Day-in and day-out while training, John not only pushes himself in hopes of getting stronger and faster, but also motivates the rest of the team to do the same. I have personally trained beside John for most of my collegiate career as well as ran in many of the same races. Even though I would be seeing John only from the back for most of the race, he doesn’t flaunt it. John, an All-American standout and someone many competitors fear, is the first person to wish everyone good luck at the start of the race and to congratulate everyone on their finish.
Previously as a captain and now serving as that dual-roled athlete/assistant coach, John stresses the importance of our teams’ four Core Values: Trust, Commitment, Respect and Tradition.
Trust --- Trust in the training, your coaching staff and your teammates.
Commitment --- Give 100% in everything you do. Commit not only to the team but also to your academics; we are primarily here to obtain an education.
Respect --- Respect yourself, coaches, teammates, school and community.
Tradition --- Ambrose has a tradition of developing competitive and dedicated running teams. Be part of this tradition.
Looking back over the time I have known John, we have had a roller coaster of a ride from the highest of highs to times we need to lean on the team for support. John started out his career at Ambrose by traveling halfway across the country from Everett, Washington to Davenport, Iowa following his sister’s footsteps. Family and faith is extremely important to John. Once John arrived his freshman year, he was a standout addition to the team from the start. John’s sophomore (my freshman year) was no different. John made everything look so effortless and was outstanding at everything he did. This was the year John led the guy’s team to a cross country conference title and a national team bid.
JOHN's junior year (my sophomore year) was a year the cross country team became very close and leaned on each other for support. Partway through the season and the week leading into the National Catholic Championships, a big mid-season race for St. Ambrose, John received some of the worst news someone has to hear. John’s mother was battling cancer and was not doing well. John knew where he needed to be and his sister and he flew back to Washington. The coaching staff and team stood behind John in this time of need. I still remember this like it was yesterday; the team captain’s calling an impromptu meeting the following evening to inform us that John’s mother had passed. John took the time he needed to be with family in Washington, as he had his family back at Ambrose standing right beside him. Later that week, we had the choice to make whether to go to Indiana and race at the National Catholic Championships or bow out. The coaching staff and varsity squad knew what John would want - compete. We raced that weekend with John and his mother on our minds. John returned later in the season to a team that became a family. We were all brought closer together over this tragedy.
John’s fourth year at Ambrose should have been his last year of running, but that was not what he had planned. John wanted to take an extra year and train, at one time thinking about the Olympic Trials in the 1500m. But ultimately John wanted to spend his last year of eligibility running when there were four other varsity members who were seniors (this included me). By having John take that year off, everyone had high expectations resting on a National Team Qualification.
So what did John do his fourth year of college when he “red shirted”? John became an assistant coach, using this year as a building year for the team, and finished up his undergrad degree. This year, John duals as the Grad Assistant for the Cross County/Track program and as an athlete. Since John finished his undergrad last year, John is enrolled in the Masters of Organizational Leadership (MOL) program here at Ambrose.
So not to leave anyone hanging, John’s last year of college eligibility was the season that has been in planning for 1 ½ years and was one to go down in the record books for Ambrose. Not only did the guys’ squad qualify for the National Cross Country Meet (last time at the national meet was 2009), but so did the ladies’ squad (last time at the national meet was 2005). So in late November, the coaching staff took seven guys and seven gals to the National Cross Country meet in Vancouver, Washington. Not only did Ambrose get to compete with top athletes in the nation, but we also got to spend some time taking in the sights and attractions. We took a trip to Track Town USA in Eugene, Oregon and spent some time in Hayward Field. This historic venue and area is where the Olympic Trials take place and where Steve Prefontaine’s (Pre) rock and trail are.
The whole week out in Washington was beautiful weather, until the day of the race. It down poured the whole race, but it didn’t stop the Ambrose Fighting Bees from finishing 27th overall for the guys and 21st overall for the ladies. John ran a National meet 8K time of 26:33 to finish 123rd place overall.
John is a respectable athlete that is humble in every way. Whether John is hanging out with Galen Rupp, Kara Goucher or just an Ambrose teammate, John knows the true meaning of sportsmanship. Just recently, John Darmody and teammate Tina Eden were named the 2013 NAIA Track and Field Individual Champions of Character. The St. Ambrose men’s team was also awarded the Champions of Character Team Award. “Teams that receive this prestigious award demonstrate in every day decisions integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership. These institutions and athletic programs strive for excellence in and out of competition and are part of the communities throughout the country dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics.”
John is the person I must thank for bringing me into this amazing organization. A little over a year ago, John worked with my parents secretively to make a custom Live Uncommon jersey for a Christmas gift. Before that, I really didn’t know too much about the organization, but I’m glad I do now! Needless to say, John and I have been wearing our Live Uncommon jerseys with the
St. Ambrose bee on the back and have been part of the organization ever since."
When the Crew interviewed JOHN DARMODY back in February, when this article began it's life, JOHN clarified for us some of his recent achievements (at that time) and his pending goals. What became very evident in the writing of this article, is that THAT is what JOHN is about -- setting goals, achieving goals, setting goals, achieving goals.
You see that pic LU pic strip up there on the left? That is from the St. Pat's 5K. Okay, so check this out. This race was at the tail end of a lot of school's Spring Breaks, including St. Ambrose's. So, JOHN was in Florida the week before this race - having a nice-little-college-laid-back-do-whatcha-do-in-the-Florida-sun-kinda-thing. The Russells, as Title Sponsor, had asked JOHN to run, but realizing and respecting JOHN would be, literally, just arriving back to town after a 17 hour car ride, the night before the race, were like - "hey, man, do not feel obligated ot run in this race." Like, they literally asked him "are you sure you're gonna be up for it?" What was JOHN's reply?? "Yeah, I'll be okay, it'll be fun."
This LU pic strip is the last 200 meters of the 5k. Look closely. It was a tight race. Like, wicked fun to watch. You can see JOHN put his head down, put the pedal down, and GO.
Okay, so we are finally getting to the best part of this article -- the REASON it was assigned to the Crew. It was not motivated by intentions to celebrate the tremendous ATHLETE who is JOHN DARMODY (though he IS a tremendous athlete).
This article is a celebration of the tremendous PERSON who is JOHN DARMODY.
In February, JOHN was halfway through his senior season of track. He had just finished the indoor season and was preparing to transition into outdoor track. He had just finished 5th in the mile at the NAIA Indoor National Championships. This was his fifth All-American award, the top eight finishers are All-Americans.
JOHN was also honored as an NAIA Champion of Character as selected by his university as a student athlete who embodies the core values of respect, responsibility, integrity, servant leadership, and sportsmanship both on the team and in the community. This is the second time in JOHN's college career receiving this award, he also received the honor in cross-country in his junior year. JOHN has earned the most All-American honors of any athlete in the history of St. Ambrose University.
We've GOT to say that again -- JOHN has earned the most All-American honors of any athlete in the history of St. Ambrose University. Yup. Big statement there.
At the time of our interview with JOHN in February, JOHN declared hs goal for outdoor track as "hoping to compete in both the 800m and the 1500m at the National Championships and hopefully will earn All-American in both of those races to conclude my collegiate running career".
As mentioned above, JOHN DARMODY is currently ranked 4th in the nation. He competes at 5:00PM today (Thursday April 25) in the 4 x Mile Relay with fellow LU and SAU teammate JAY WHITMORE at the prestigeous Drake Relays. Tomorrow, JOHN runs the 800 Meter leg of the Sprint Medley Relay, which is favored to take Gold! Email JOHN here. Follow JOHN on FB here. Do it - it really does make a difference. We know it, YOU know it.
JOHN stated that, "While running I also serve as a graduate assistant coach for the track team. In this capacity I am able to help the coaching staff out a lot with the administrative aspects of coaching as well as lending my own insight to my teammates on their own running."
We believe JOHN inspires his teammates (SAU and LU), every single day, on and off the field. Well done, DARMODY.
At that time in February, off the track, JOHN was in the process of applying to law school. "I have sent applications in and am now waiting to hear back. Law school is a three year program that I will start this coming fall. I expect to graduate and immediately start a job as a lawyer. Also, I recently started working at Running Wild running store in Davenport as a way to have a job close to my love for running which enables me to share my knowledge and experience with newer, younger athletes."
The Crew is excited and honored to share with the Team that JOHN has been accepted and will be attending INDIANA UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL in the fall. Can you say "NICE!"??
So, LU Team of Champions, give it up for fellow Champion -- JOHN DARMODY. Setting goals. Achieving goals. Setting goals.. . What's next for JOHN besides Law School? Only one thing for sure -- NO LIMITS. Doin it all. All in. True bLUe LU SAU.