![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Before becoming the coach of the “World’s Greatest Athlete” Ashton Eaton or being named “Coach of the Year” twice by the Northern California Athletic Conference, Harry Marra was a deeply dedicated participant and educator in track and field.
Born and raised in Cohoes, New York, he was an involved athlete since his youth.
“The sport was very good to me in my developmental years, and I wanted to give something back [for] others to hopefully have the same experience,” Marra said.
Appearing only briefly to visit family members working on the Upper School campus, Marra was available exclusively through email interview.
Through high school, Marra also participated as a pole-vaulter and decathlete. According to the biography on his official website, Marra has spent over 51 years in total doing track and field, with more than 30 coming from his coaching experiences at high school, collegiate, and professional levels. He has served as a coach for Track and Field at San Francisco State for 12 years, devoting four years to Springfield College and the University of California at Santa Barbara. During his time as Head Coach of the USA National Decathlon Team from 1990 to 2000, the team set every single possible world record.
“I like the Heptathlon and [the] Decathlon; I really enjoy the challenge [of preparing] an athlete for seven events for the women and 10 events for the men,” Marra said, upon being questioned further about his preferences concerning athletic events.
More recently, Marra also coached Olympian Eaton, his current highest-scoring athlete. Eaton set the world record for the decathlon and two individual decathlon events during the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. He also won gold during the London Olympic Games themselves, further supporting his claim to fame as the “World’s Greatest Athlete.”
“[My favorite part of coaching] is being there each day [and] working with wide-eyed, optimistic youth who think [that] nothing can stop them,” Marra said. “[It’s] very rewarding to see the satisfaction in someone’s eyes [or] face after they have established the skill level they desire in a specific event.”
For other young athletes, Marra offers words of encouragement.
“Never give up. There will be way more failures than successes along the way. Learn from the failures so that the successes are that much more rewarding,” he said
Since 2010, Marra has continued to work with the Oregon Track Club. After a long day on the track, he especially likes watching old reruns of Seinfield.
