(Photo by Island Trees School District)
Track and field. The science Olympiad team. The quiz bowl squad. That’s not all.
Very few student-athletes manage their time as well as Tommy Zamroz. But the senior at Island Trees High School is not your normal teenager.
“There might be some days when he has to come to practice a little late because he’s with orchestra or something,” head coach Joseph Manna said. “You have to work with a kid like that because he’s not screwing around. He’s doing something beneficial for the school.”
Zamroz is a two-time Nassau County weight throw, a multi-time All-County representative in the shot put, a record-holder in the weight throw at Island Trees and on top of that, he’s the vice president of the school’s quiz bowl squad.
He holds the school record in the weight throw, his specialty. At the Saint Anthony’s developmental meet on Dec. 1, he threw an astonishing 55-feet, 5 inches.
And Zamroz’s success qualified him for the NYSPHSAA state championship meet, where he finished 21st. The weight throw certainly isn’t as easy as it sounds.
“It’s a spin, then I do two spins and release it,” he said. “There’s speed, technique and a few other things that come into play.”
All of this makes Zamroz a busy bee, and it’s something he’s quite proud of.
“I enjoy doing everything that I do,” Zamroz said. “That’s the most important thing in deciding everything that I want to do. I love it all.”
Even with the busy schedule, Zamroz is excelling at all levels. The senior is seen as a leader for the track and field team. He does everything from teach his younger peers the ways of the sport to helping coach Manna put equipment away.
It’s just who he is.
“Over the years, I got really good at budgeting my time,” Zamroz said. “I’ve always been dividing it so I always have something. Sometimes, it’s hard because things overlap.”
Zamroz is one of the founders of the school’s science bowl team. With that comes an even busier schedule.
And if that isn’t enough, he is also an All-County trumpet player. Each year, he participates in the New York State School Music Association festival, dedicating plenty of time to his love of music.
It’s Zamroz’s work ethic and determination to succeed that places him as one of the Bulldogs’ top athletes.
“He does it all,” Manna said. “I always try to work with him and be flexible with him.”
