Senior Rider Cooper sprints down the track and passes his competitors to win the 100-meter race. As he crosses the finish line, knowing he gave it his all, the timer reads 10.39 seconds, a new school record.
Since starting track and field in his junior year while juggling baseball, Cooper’s athleticism has allowed him to break multiple school records: the 100-meter in 10.39 seconds, 200-meter in 21.41 seconds and 400-meter races in 48 seconds. Cooper holds the school record in the 200-meter race, placed second in the state and top 25 in the nation for both the 100-meter and 400-meter distances, according to head coach Cale Kavanaugh.
“I kind of describe him as a golden retriever,” Kavanaugh said. “He’s a fierce competitor and he likes to win. But he’s also just genuinely really nice. I see him talking to the competition, and the guys he’s competing against. He’s always really friendly. He’s always making friends. He always wants to talk to other people and kind of get to know them and things like that.”
Cooper has committed to California State University, Fullerton for Division 1 Track and Field and hopes to finish his high school athletic career off strong by placing first in the 200-meter at CIF Finals on May 11 and in the 400-meter at the state competition.
During his first time running in the 400-meter race, Cooper broke the school record by three seconds, blowing everybody away and showcasing his skills to be a valuable addition to the team, according to Kavanaugh. In order to train for races, Cooper practices block starts, improves his running form and does speed endurance workouts that include 150-meter repetitions and short sprints.
“I’m passionate about track and field [because] everything is based on statistics and the times that you run, whereas in other sports I feel like there is a lot of luck involved,” Cooper said. “Track is completely different. It’s just you alone and what you can produce on the track and how fast you can go.”
Putting in consistent effort and having a supportive group of teammates is the key to success because practice makes perfect, according to Cooper. Cooper consistently demonstrates unwavering determination and actively seeks out constructive criticism to improve, according to his teammate and senior Jason Liu.
“He just pushes you because he’s always there, and he has a really good work ethic,” Liu said. “That guy is not even human. He came out of nowhere, and he broke almost every single school record we had. He’s insanely fast; he has a lot of talent, and personality-wise, he’s a very sociable person.”
