Wise, hilarious, courageous: these are words most people fond of Michael Jurasek would use to describe him. Many students know Jur from him being our track coach and Global Studies teacher. He is only seen a little before lunch, in the afternoon, and during sports; he is still greatly valuable to this school.
Jurasek says he feels like leaving this school is ”bittersweet.“ He claims, “I’ll miss the kids the most, I really will. I still like being around a bunch of immature little children. But I just, I really like class, the classroom, and coaching, opening the gym at least once. All those things have been really fun.” He also adds, “But I am ready for the next phase of my life. I will continue to coach with kids, my granddaughter, and my grandson at Sturgis.”
Jurasek graduated from Concord High School in 1976 and from Albion College in 1981. He graduated with a Social studies major, an economics degree, and a teaching degree in social studies. Jurasek states, “I’ve always taught government, econ, world history, American history. I think one of my favorite classes I taught was world religions, and ethics was also my favorite.”
When Jurasek was still in high school, he explained that sports kept him motivated, although he was a good student anyway; they made him better. When Jur explained to me his greatest accomplishments in his high school sports career, he said, “Our team won the first state championship in Concord’s history. I was in the state championship for cross country in 1975, and I was on all-state basketball. I also stayed on track.” He adds, “Those three sports I continued into college, it’s been the center of my life.” After Jurasek graduated from college, he decided to start teaching at Albion until the school shut down, and then he started teaching here for 12 years. Coaching and teaching were the obvious choices for him as he explains that, “A lot of my high school career was centered around athletics, so that’s why I kind of continued on coaching afterwards.”
Jurasek’s classroom is a space where debate is welcome, where his life experiences are shared, and where questioning is encouraged. Current sophomore Jessica Clouser explains that, “Jur has always been extremely supportive of all of his students. He forms special bonds, and I always look forward to his class.” Whether it’s giving students a special nickname or teasing them about anything he finds funny, he builds connections with his humor. Clouser continues, ”He’s always someone that I can go to and have a good conversation with.”
Bradie Lehman and Annie Saenz both have known Jur their whole life. They’ve had such a knowledgeable experience with him involved in their lives, including their sports life. Bradie states, “He’s always been this just enthusiastic guy who’s always been supportive. He’s always been a really good role model for me.”
While Saenz explains, “When I first met him, my brother was in high school, and I’ve always thought he was this great guy. I always looked forward to becoming one of his athletes.”
When I asked both of these valuable athletes how their experiences have been while being coached, Saenz says, “He pushes me to be the best I can be. He’s always just trying to have as much fun while making us work.”
Lehman adds, “He’s always inspired me to be a better runner and an athlete overall.”
Jur’s impact on students and athletes doesn’t last merely during their high school years. Vincent Giuliano, an alumnus coached by Jurasek, experienced great things with Jur. He explains that, “Jurasek was a pretty prominent figure for me in high school. He’s a big reason I stuck with the sport and went to college for it. I won three state championships under him in high school. He really helped me understand that if you really want to get somewhere, you kind of have to put in the work for it. There aren’t shortcuts in sports, especially track and field, in the sense that if you haven’t been putting in the work to get better, it would show with the workouts we did. He had a good balance in that he knew when to have fun with us, but then knew when it was time to get serious. Many of the skills like this that I learned from him in high school have stuck with me through my life, which I believe is part of the reason I continued my education, and if it wasn’t for track and field, I may not have gone back to school. Overall, he’s been one of the most influential people for me in my life and really taught me to follow through with things, so for that I appreciate him.”
Sometimes what begins as coaching becomes life long friendship. Dan Davis has been a coach since 1988, many of those years with Jurasek. Davis proudly calls him, “My brother from another mother.” When Coach Davis asked about his chemistry while coaching with Jur, he said, “We’ve been coaching together since 1997, and the chemistry is great because we’re always on the same page. The success over the years is evident as we’ve coached multiple State Championship teams as well as numerous all-state athletes and have assisted many in getting into college.” These two coaches have made a significant impact on the numerous athletes who have run both cross country and track at Concord. They leave behind a legacy that will be difficult to match.
Mr. Lehman, Concord’s athletic director, says he is unique with his coaching and teaching style in a memorable and valuable way. Lehman explains, “I think the biggest thing with Jurasek is the fact that he is flexible with students. He’s adjusted his coaching style, and I think he gets how kids are different from the way they were 35 and 40 years ago when he first came into education.”
Lehman explains that Jur is fascinating with his teachings and perspectives, he states, “He travels a lot, so he’s been to a lot of countries, and I hear him tell give real stories about real people and I think he changes perceptions of places because he’s been there, and he will tell you how a country is and how it’s filled with the nicest, most kindest people.” Lehman‘s respect and admiration for Jur is obvious during this interview. Lehman continues, “ He’s probably one of my best friends on staff…you’re not going to find many better people in education than him.”
Although Mr. Jurasek is leaving and we will miss him dearly, we wish him the best of luck on his retirement, as well as the rest of his coaching career. Thank you for being an inspiration to us all here at Concord.
