Q&A with Coeur d鈥橝lene baseball senior Cooper Larson
COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — Cooper Larson, 18, is a two-sport athlete (baseball and basketball) and senior at Coeur d鈥橝lene High School.
What are your personal goals within your sport/athletic dreams?
Cooper Larson: I want to play baseball as long as I can in the best competition possible. The ultimate goal is to receive a D1 Scholarship after attending Lower Columbia College.
What is your biggest challenge in your sport, and what do you do to manage this challenge?
Larson: The biggest challenge for me is how to deal with failure. Baseball is a game of failure and it can be a struggle to deal with this sometimes. For me, I give myself 15 seconds to be frustrated with myself and then I brush it off and get ready for the next play or at bat.
What was the best advice you were ever given?
Larson: The best advice I have received was to trust my hard work and craft. Have the confidence that my hours of hard work will present itself in the games.
What do you love about your sport?
Larson: What I love about baseball is the mental game it plays with you. The better you are up in the head, the better you will be able to perform on the field.
Do you have a pregame ritual you follow?
Larson: Before every game, I will always take a pregame shower. I can鈥檛 tell you why I do this, but it helps me focus and start getting prepared.
What do you like to do outside of your sport?
Larson: I like to go out and hang with friends, or you can catch me on the boat, at the beach, playing pickup basketball, or anything outside.
What has being a member of a team taught you?
Larson: What I鈥檝e learned the most about being on a team is that everyone has a role on the team and you are all just as important as the next guy. I鈥檝e been on 鈥済ood鈥� teams that had all the potential in the world to win, but were unable to progress because of certain teammates. You really are as strong as your weakest link.
What is the best piece of advice you received from a coach or mentor?
Larson: Best advice my coach has given me is to play every game like it is your last. Baseball is a privilege. Some are unable to play and baseball won鈥檛 last forever, so enjoy it while you can.
Describe a mistake you made while competing and how you overcame it.
Larson: I was playing in a big district game and was not having a good offensive game at the plate. I was able to brush it off and on the defensive end I made two plays to save the game and our season.
Anything else you鈥檇 like to add:
Larson: Baseball has been a great blessing in my life and has not only made me grow as a baseball player, but a better young man. I鈥檝e been taught things that I would have never known if I didn鈥檛 play baseball. It is a great game and I am glad I will be able to continue playing in college.
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