Erin Demchko - Pearl River High School - Class of 2003
Erin Demchko played an assortment of team sports while growing up in Pearl River, but actually enjoyed the punishment and conditioning exercises that involved running. Thus it was no surprise she pursued an ambition for track at the high school level. An excellent all-around athlete, Erin played soccer during the fall, basketball in the winter for two years before switching over to indoor track, and competed in spring track four years. Erin's parents, Peter and Catherine Demchko, set the conditions that allowed her to participate in sports after school during her high school days. They supported her running throughout a four-year career at the U.S. Naval Academy, and have continued to support her during a post-collegiate military career with the U.S. Marine Corps.
Erin ranks as one of the premier runners to have worn the Pearl River uniform. She won 11 individual Rockland County titles ranging from 800 meters to the 2,000-meter steeplechase, as well as five individual Section 1 Class B crowns. Her greatest success came in the steeplechase, a demanding event that she embraced because “it added an extra element to the race and training.” She captured the New York State Class B championship her junior year – her top thrill in high school – and finished second in Division II as a senior. In those races, she placed third and second respectively in the state Federation, encompassing all divisions, and ran a leg on the Pirates' runner-up 4x800 relay at the 2003 State meet. Erin also performed well on the national stage, placing fourth, second and third in the steeplechase in successive years at the Adidas Outdoor Championships in North Carolina. Her personal-best time of 6:58.28 was forged in her runner-up showing at the 2002 Nationals.
Competition in the distance races has always been keen in Rockland County and Section 1, and Erin's era was no exception. She matched strides with such worthy opponents as Catha and Caroline Mullen of Bronxville, Rebecca Quimby and Kara McKenna of Suffern, Kate Dobransky of Clarkstown South and Emily Graney of Tappan Zee. Pearl River teammate Vanessa McKay helped push her in training and races, and Erin's younger sister, Caitrin, benefited from Erin's positive example. “Though we were on the same team for only one year, I really took it seriously that I had to set the example for her, show her how to work hard, be a good teammate to her so she could take on those traits, progress in her running career and be a good teammate as well.”
Each of Erin's coaches have exerted a significant impact on her running career. Dan Doherty, her coach at Pearl River, taught her how to push through workouts and past pain thresholds. Karen Boyle, her coach at Navy, inculcated lessons in how to be a good leader and follower, while her coach in the Marine Corps, Joe Puleo, has offered guidance in how to balance running and life demands.
At the Naval Academy, Erin took up cross country running and competed all three seasons for four years, earning 12 letters. One of the highlights of her collegiate career was running the third leg on the school-record indoor 4x800 relay (9:04.81) during her freshman year. She also had the honor of being selected captain of the women's cross country team her senior year.
Upon graduating from the Naval Academy with a degree in political science, Erin was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. She attended Basic training at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Va., and a logistics officer course in Johnson, N.C., before a three-year stint with the Marine Wing Support Squadron 371 based at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Ariz. From March to October in 2009 she was deployed with Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. During her deployment, then-Captain Demchko served as a logistics officer and on a Female Engagement Team (FET). Marines assigned to FETs build trust with local civilians to gather information and improve relations with the community.
Erin then attended Officer Candidates School in Quantico from 2011 to 2014, and was deployed again for Operation Enduring Freedom, this time for six months in Jordan. She then spent almost three years in Okinawa, Japan, first with a combat assault battalion and then at the Headquarters Battalion of the Third Marine Division.
Erin has continued to excel as a runner during her 12 years with the Marine Corps. She competed for the All-Marine running team in seven Armed Forces cross country championships, four Armed Forces marathon championships and two Challenge Cup races – a half-marathon run in England, pitting the Marines running team against the British Royal Navy. Her top accomplishment as a military athlete is an impressive 3:11 marathon achieved at the Armed Forces championships.
She also attained a measure of notoriety by being chosen to play the part of a female Marine leader and role model in a commercial aimed at recruiting more women into the Marine Corps. She is quoted as saying, “It takes adversity to reveal what you are really made of.” She attributes her selection to appear in the spot as “more a result of being in the right place at the right time, which happens a lot in the military.”
Erin, who is 34, holds the rank of Major. She transferred in May 2017 from Okinawa to Monterey, Calif., to enroll in Naval postgraduate school and pursue a master's degree in modeling and virtual environment simulation, involving computer-based simulations of battlefield situations. She is on target to graduate in June 2019.
Aside from her parents, Erin also receives continual support from her sister, Caitrin (Demchko) Paladino and her husband, Vincent; and brother Patrick Demchko and his wife, Vanessa. She appreciates the family backing and extols the virtues that running has offered her.
“Running has been a large part of my life and brought many positive rewards – from setting a foundation for sportsmanship, competition and fitness in high school to learning teamwork and leadership in college and continuing to utilize running as a base for military fitness and lessons learned while running as a leader in a military unit. I have made many lifelong friends, coaches, mentors and teammates through running and I highly value everything running has brought to my life.”
Erin Demchko played an assortment of team sports while growing up in Pearl River, but actually enjoyed the punishment and conditioning exercises that involved running. Thus it was no surprise she pursued an ambition for track at the high school level. An excellent all-around athlete, Erin played soccer during the fall, basketball in the winter for two years before switching over to indoor track, and competed in spring track four years. Erin's parents, Peter and Catherine Demchko, set the conditions that allowed her to participate in sports after school during her high school days. They supported her running throughout a four-year career at the U.S. Naval Academy, and have continued to support her during a post-collegiate military career with the U.S. Marine Corps.
Erin ranks as one of the premier runners to have worn the Pearl River uniform. She won 11 individual Rockland County titles ranging from 800 meters to the 2,000-meter steeplechase, as well as five individual Section 1 Class B crowns. Her greatest success came in the steeplechase, a demanding event that she embraced because “it added an extra element to the race and training.” She captured the New York State Class B championship her junior year – her top thrill in high school – and finished second in Division II as a senior. In those races, she placed third and second respectively in the state Federation, encompassing all divisions, and ran a leg on the Pirates' runner-up 4x800 relay at the 2003 State meet. Erin also performed well on the national stage, placing fourth, second and third in the steeplechase in successive years at the Adidas Outdoor Championships in North Carolina. Her personal-best time of 6:58.28 was forged in her runner-up showing at the 2002 Nationals.
Competition in the distance races has always been keen in Rockland County and Section 1, and Erin's era was no exception. She matched strides with such worthy opponents as Catha and Caroline Mullen of Bronxville, Rebecca Quimby and Kara McKenna of Suffern, Kate Dobransky of Clarkstown South and Emily Graney of Tappan Zee. Pearl River teammate Vanessa McKay helped push her in training and races, and Erin's younger sister, Caitrin, benefited from Erin's positive example. “Though we were on the same team for only one year, I really took it seriously that I had to set the example for her, show her how to work hard, be a good teammate to her so she could take on those traits, progress in her running career and be a good teammate as well.”
Each of Erin's coaches have exerted a significant impact on her running career. Dan Doherty, her coach at Pearl River, taught her how to push through workouts and past pain thresholds. Karen Boyle, her coach at Navy, inculcated lessons in how to be a good leader and follower, while her coach in the Marine Corps, Joe Puleo, has offered guidance in how to balance running and life demands.
At the Naval Academy, Erin took up cross country running and competed all three seasons for four years, earning 12 letters. One of the highlights of her collegiate career was running the third leg on the school-record indoor 4x800 relay (9:04.81) during her freshman year. She also had the honor of being selected captain of the women's cross country team her senior year.
Upon graduating from the Naval Academy with a degree in political science, Erin was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. She attended Basic training at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Va., and a logistics officer course in Johnson, N.C., before a three-year stint with the Marine Wing Support Squadron 371 based at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Ariz. From March to October in 2009 she was deployed with Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. During her deployment, then-Captain Demchko served as a logistics officer and on a Female Engagement Team (FET). Marines assigned to FETs build trust with local civilians to gather information and improve relations with the community.
Erin then attended Officer Candidates School in Quantico from 2011 to 2014, and was deployed again for Operation Enduring Freedom, this time for six months in Jordan. She then spent almost three years in Okinawa, Japan, first with a combat assault battalion and then at the Headquarters Battalion of the Third Marine Division.
Erin has continued to excel as a runner during her 12 years with the Marine Corps. She competed for the All-Marine running team in seven Armed Forces cross country championships, four Armed Forces marathon championships and two Challenge Cup races – a half-marathon run in England, pitting the Marines running team against the British Royal Navy. Her top accomplishment as a military athlete is an impressive 3:11 marathon achieved at the Armed Forces championships.
She also attained a measure of notoriety by being chosen to play the part of a female Marine leader and role model in a commercial aimed at recruiting more women into the Marine Corps. She is quoted as saying, “It takes adversity to reveal what you are really made of.” She attributes her selection to appear in the spot as “more a result of being in the right place at the right time, which happens a lot in the military.”
Erin, who is 34, holds the rank of Major. She transferred in May 2017 from Okinawa to Monterey, Calif., to enroll in Naval postgraduate school and pursue a master's degree in modeling and virtual environment simulation, involving computer-based simulations of battlefield situations. She is on target to graduate in June 2019.
Aside from her parents, Erin also receives continual support from her sister, Caitrin (Demchko) Paladino and her husband, Vincent; and brother Patrick Demchko and his wife, Vanessa. She appreciates the family backing and extols the virtues that running has offered her.
“Running has been a large part of my life and brought many positive rewards – from setting a foundation for sportsmanship, competition and fitness in high school to learning teamwork and leadership in college and continuing to utilize running as a base for military fitness and lessons learned while running as a leader in a military unit. I have made many lifelong friends, coaches, mentors and teammates through running and I highly value everything running has brought to my life.”