Is Anthony Arcari a football player that runs track, or a track athlete that plays football? Actually, he is part of a very rare club that is truly both. Many high school athletes claim to be both, but there is usually a noticeable difference in their dedication (and consequently their performance) in one sport over the other. Arcari has realized that participating in both sports can be a mutually beneficial relationship; even at the highest levels. “Track has helped me in my football career tremendously. Anyone can be fast but it’s that top end speed and the explosiveness that you need when playing a sport like football. Track has allowed me to have that breakaway speed.”
It’s that breakaway speed that has earned Arcari a multitude of honors in both sports. He has been named as a MVC All-Star in both football and track; is the school record holder in the 55m (6.53); and has been the team MVP in both sports. The culmination of his elite level performance in both sports resulted in Arcari being named the Tewkesbury Town Crier “2010 Male Athlete of the Year”.
But Arcari has much more substance to his personality than just being a multi-sport athlete. He currently has a 3.54 cumulative GPA, plans on studying computer science in college, and has been named team captain in football, winter track, and spring track. So how does an athlete of his caliber find time to be a good student and a good teammate? He has a tremendous support system.
The Arcari family has been highly involved with Anthony’s athletic and academic success from the begining, and they realized early on that raising an ambitious young man comes with demands for the entire family. John and Laurie Arcari have spent the last two decades scrambling to get their three children to a variety of sporting events. “We try to attend as many track meets as possible, making sure our children know we are there to support them.” The busy schedule has become a way of life in the Arcari household, and John Arcari thinks there is a valuable lesson to be learned. “Anthony has a full plate being a captain in three sports, practices, track meets, games, school work and working out at the weight room lifting, while maintaining a 3.54 GPA. He does an excellent job managing his time, which will prepare him for college, where he will play football, winter and spring track while studying in school.”
Arcari’s coaches have also realized that they have a special athlete on their hands and he is thankful for their support of his ambitious endeavors. “Both coaches are supportive in doing both sports. They have told me for years that the best running backs in the NFL and in college usually always run track to increase their speed and quickness.” There are countless examples that support this statement but the general perception of most high school football players and coaches is that running track slows your 40 yard dash times and causes too much weight loss. If that fallacy has any merit, then Arcari’s athletic accomplishments are even more impressive. He recently set a 40 yard dash record (4.36) at the 2010 Reebok All-American Showcase, and can bench press 20 reps of 185 lbs. Running track has certainly not made him slow or skinny.
Thankfully for track fans, the philosophy of the Tewksbury coaching staff is not the norm. Today’s youth sports are rapidly moving toward increased specialization and club sports have watered-down the prospective athlete pool at schools across the country. The end result may be the eventual extinction of the multi-sport athlete, but the Tewksbury coaches have helped Arcari find the most efficient way to balance the two sports. “It’s easy to balance these two sports because they go hand in hand. Running before your workout helps with the lifting portion of football and because these practices aren’t too long there is always time to work on the fundamentals of football.”
Anthony Arcari’s future is bright. He recently accepted an athletic scholarship to play football and run track at Merrimack College (pictured right) and he has his sights set on improving on this 4th place finish at the 2010 New England Championships. “Making it to New England’s and placing again is my goal but I know I have to do well in States and All-States to achieve this. I got hurt for the post season in winter track which killed me, but I will run even faster in the next couple of meets to show where I belonged in the winter.”
There is no slowing down for Arcari in the next couple of weeks. Coming off a second place finish in the 100m at the Merrimack Valley Conference Championships on Saturday, Arcari will spend the next few weeks balancing two sports as he prepares for the Massachusetts All-State Championships on June 4th, and the Shriners Football Game on June 17th at Gillette Stadium.
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