Navy getting a ‘superstar’ in Marble Falls High’s Castro

Four years ago, few could imagine that Marble Falls High School’s Javier Castro, Jr. would be entering the Navy.

But the senior is doing just that after impressing Navy personnel in tests, including the U.S. Military Fitness Test, which is part of the enlistment process.

That’s a far cry from where he started when, as a freshman who showed up for the first day of cross country head coach Chris Schrader’s practice, Castro was the only boy who didn’t remove his shirt in front of his male teammates.

“He weighed 190 pounds,” Schrader recalled. “And he ran an eight-minute mile (considered very slow for high school runners). I told him, ‘Where you are today isn’t where you’ll finish. Trust me. Let’s go forward and let’s not look back. We’ll get together, and we’ll work on it.'”

That commitment and dedication to a long-term goal is why Castro is headed to the military, following in the footsteps of two other family members. Dad Javier Sr. was in the coast guard, while sister Nydia Castro is in the Army. His mother is Gabriela Castro.

“I’ll be part of the (U.S. Navy) Master-At-Arms military police,” he said.

He noted he and his sister have already pestered each other about the other’s military branch, demonstrating the Army-Navy rivalry, one of the most oldest in the country.

“The (Navy) uniform is pretty cool,” he said. “We give each other a lot of (teasing). We love each other to death.”

The younger Castro said he wanted to enlist in the Navy “since I was little” and credited his parents for instilling in him a desire to “give back.”

“I can give back in a big way,” he said. “I realized how much it can help me with community and others.”

As for being a high school runner, Castro has been off the eight-mile list for quite awhile, Schrader said, noting the athlete can finish the distance in 4:44.

“Coach Schrader helped me through it all,” he said. “I have to give the biggest thanks to him, even the very tough times. He’s helped me.”

The coach, meanwhile, credited the athlete and new Navy man for not quitting.

“He’s coachable, he’s done everything I’ve asked him to do,” Schrader said. “He made a decision to stick with it. He’s a workaholic. He can beat any of his (physical training) requirement testing. He out-surpassed all his peers in the military. He’s so far ahead of it. Now the military is going to get a superstar. I loved working with him, I’m going to miss him.”

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