HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Jesuit high school sprinter Donovan Terry holds school records in the 100-meter dash (10.63), the 200-meter dash (21.45), and the 4x100-meter relay (41.67). He's also working on adding a 400-meter record to his resume. But Terry is just as proud of his classwork as his work on the track.
The junior speedster is an aspiring artist with his eyes on a career in graphic design and animation. Donovan says he started doodling when he was younger and caught the art bug for good. He started drawing anime characters he studied on his iPad, and now he's moving forward to AP art classes at Jesuit.
"Once I had seen myself improving and improving, I was really drawn to, like, this is my passion," Terry explained during one of his drawing sessions. "I think I just found something that is my peace and my meditation."
Donovan often uses his lunch hour to get some extra artwork done. Kevin Ball's instructor gives him advice that any athlete would like to hear from a coach.
"I just advise them. I give them some options. There's no one way to do everything or anything. This is art, not a science," Ball said while watching Donovan draw his latest creation. "You've got a lot of blank canvas to fill, Donnie. Fill it up!"
Terry's a true perfectionist. When he finishes a piece of art he likes, he always wants the next one to improve.
"Ooo, I wish I could do it again or have a more crazy idea," Donovan said. "It's heartwarming. And I'm really satisfied by this one. Because I'm really competing with the one I did last time, this has to be my best one."
Drawing is about the only thing Donovan does slowly when he's at Jesuit. His dedication on the track speaks for itself.
"It's the little things, the intangibles, that make him a great leader," explained Jesuit head track and field coach Andy Wood. "How he leads by example. His personality, his demeanor. His just general enthusiasm every day at practice."
Donovan's one of the best sprinters in the state, so he's a marked man every time he puts on his spikes. But he says his work to prepare for a race takes away all the pressure.
"All the training that I put on the track during track practice- I should know and trust myself that when I step on the track for the meet, all of it should just go as planned, as I want it to go."
Donovan's father, Jonathan, is Jesuit's sprints coach. He says his son's success on the track and in the classroom isn't a surprise because he puts in the time to be great at both.
"Just coming out here on the track, and in his art, he takes a real focus to it and loves it, and he gives it his best," Jonathan said after a recent practice session. "Going in there, focusing, understanding strategy and being able to visualize what he wants to do. Whether he's on the track or he's drawing on his canvas. Just to be able to use his imagination to take it to the next level to execute everything that he desires."
Donovan uses the same disciplined approach to succeed in two completely different worlds.
"It's different from art and track. Because in track, you have your goals, and you have a mindset where it feels like, 'I have to do this today. I'm going to go get this goal today.' When it comes to art, it feels like silence," Terry added. "It's just me in my own zone, and it feels like I have control of any situation."
Donovan and his teammates will compete at Tuesday's district meet at Braden River.
