Cody Cook, teacher and coach

As crazy as it seems to be a runner, Coach Cook is the reason I started to enjoy running, learned how to push my limits and love to exert my energy.

Of course waking up at 5 a.m. to run every morning is mentally and physically hard, but I love how Coach Cook can make practice enjoyable. He is able to get us in a growth mindset, so we can improve and get better. He has a quirky personality, spinning in dad jokes and informing us of his funny food opinions when we finish a hard workout. There have been many practices where I have toppled over with no energy left, and he always is proud of how I do, which has really impacted me, giving me the motivation to keep working hard.

Cook does a great job of taking on the stressful responsibility of coaching runners and making it a great experience. He is serious and stern when needed, and gets on girls to make sure they put school first before sports. He is very understanding and cares not only about our school life, but also about our home life. He values our physical and mental health, especially since cross country and track are daunting sports, and are a big priority. He allowed us to take care of our bodies, and get extra strength and conditioning in so that we wouldn’t get hurt. As a teacher and a coach, he strongly encourages all of his students and athletes to manage their time wisely. He makes sure that we all keep what we learn in running, and apply it to life so we can be successful in the future.

This year, Coach Cook pushed us really hard, and brought our whole cross country team to State, where we competed together for the first time since 2013. He also organized everything well in the track season, with many more girls and responsibilities, and helped us become District Champions. Coach Cook communicates well, and fosters creating bonds as a team, so there is no drama or problems.