Cook's balancing act

NORWALK — The scene didn't make sense. St. Paul basketball players couldn't be out on the floor — and certainly not talking on a cell phone prior to a district tournament game. So when Steve Minor saw Garrett Cook pacing and talking on his phone, the head coach was surprised. The senior player had never broken a rule of any kind. He was a model teammate and one of the top students in the school. "The absolute last kid you would think you'd have to say something to," Minor said. But as Minor walked over to shut down the conversation, he recognized the situation: this was Garrett's second phone call that day about his college application. The first one had come from a U.S. Congressman. Hours before the Flyers played in a district semifinal on Feb. 28, Garrett had heard about his acceptance to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. He had just spent several months going to three practices a day in addition to schoolwork when he got the news. "The second call that night is when they completely validated it and told me congratulations," Garrett said. "It was both a combination of relief and 'what's next?' — there's always a new step to be done. But it felt good. I had been working for it for so long." Minor also got caught up in the moment. "Everything you thought or are thinking as a coach was out the window," he said. "Suddenly you're not his coach, but someone who is just genuinely excited. Now I was the one with questions: 'Can we tell the rest of the team? Do you need to call your parents? What do we do?' "Then I had to remind myself, 'oh wait, we still have a tournament game in an hour.'" At St. Paul, Garrett pushed limits this school year. In addition to playing basketball, he was also critical to the competition cheer team in lifting teammates for stunt routines. And he shared the stage with his triplet siblings, Bryce and Isaac, in the SPHS musical production of "Big Fish." As busy as he was, Garrett also undertook the nearly one-year rigorous admissions process for the nation's military academies. With a 4.23 grade-point average, he is St. Paul's Class of 2025 salutatorian at the May 25 commencement. "It means a lot, because of the amount of work put in," Cook said. "I've always kind of played it on the down-low with recognition and awards. But it's something that will be nice to look back on. "I can use these accomplishments to show others they can also achieve these things in the future." Long days At St. Paul, Garrett served as captain of National Honor Society, president of marching band and also played in concert band. The son of Jeff and Vanessa Cook, Garrett participated in Teen Leadership Corps and was a winner of the Academic ACE award (4.0 GPA) all four years of high school. Within the church, he served on the liturgical ministry team and was the rector of the Kairos team as a key organizer of the senior retreat. As the season turned to winter, Garrett became really busy. Starting with the seven-hour school day, he moved on to basketball practice and rehearsals for the March musical. Four or so hours later, Garrett was back in the gym for a couple more hours of cheer practice until 9 p.m. Afterward, homework awaited. Weekends brought basketball games and additional cheer and musical work. Sundays often saw the cheer team competing in the Columbus area, with departures as early as 5 a.m. for their performances. At the same time, Garrett was working on his West Point application, which requires a congressional nomination. He received his from U.S. Rep. Robert Latta, R-5 th , who represents the local area. "You get through that application and interview process, then you apply to any of the academies, which can take a while with medical and vision exams and background checks," Garrett said. "After that, you have to train for and pass the fitness test." When a candidate is accepted, students then have another list to complete. "The process is a lot to take in," Garrett said. "Through it all, I've learned a lot of patience and adaptability. There are some things I never thought of or tried before, and just a lot of learning." To say the nights were long is an understatement. Even in top shape, Garrett's body won many arguments with his brain, he said. "Some of those long days, back-to-back, oftentimes I'd just fall asleep doing homework right when I got home," he said. "There were a few rough nights where I fell asleep and would have to get it done in the morning." Key to the process is not letting self-doubt creep in, he added. "I had to keep reminding myself that hard work will get me somewhere," he said. "It definitely got difficult at times. It felt like I was doing so much but not really getting anywhere. "It's really easy to fall behind with three practices and then (getting) assignments done on time. That was the hardest part, along with getting the application done." Garrett's work ethic left an impression on his coaches. During the musical, his character was a giant, meaning he had to be on stilts for nearly all of his scenes. "Watching him juggle his activities was a marvel," said Jacob Conley, director of the musical and marching band. "I've never seen a person be a basketball player, cheerleader, and actor all at the same time — yet Garrett pulled it off with ease, and in the end, with great success. "It definitely took some flexibility and support from his coaches and directors, but his diverse passions and talents were on full display. It was really awesome to witness." Garrett would wolf down some snacks, then quick-change from a practice jersey to his costume, then back to athletic clothes for the late-night cheer practices, Conley noted. "It just takes a lot of dedication, energy, and consistency to really excel at that many activities all at once," he said. "Garrett did it admirably. He is a special young man and definitely one of the most well-rounded students I've ever worked with. "He is an incredibly successful person and student, yet he leads with humility and treats everyone as an equal. Garrett is someone that sees and values the unique gifts in everyone. His ability to recognize and encourage those gifts — while making all feel included, respected, and valued — is a trait not often seen in a teenager." Cheer coach Katie Weisenberger worked with Garrett on the team for the first time this school year. "He dedicated himself to all three things while still maintaining excellent grades and being involved in other groups, which was no easy feat," she said. "But he did it all while giving maximum effort. His hard work and dedication he has shown are going to help him excel next year at West Point. "He is a great student, a great athlete, and an even better person." Minor noted the most impressive aspect of Garrett's workload was how unassuming he was about it. "You'd never know he was doing those things unless you asked him," he said. "There were many nights where you weren't sure how it could work, but he made it happen. I don't know how, to be honest. "But nothing was ever different with Garrett. Even though he wasn't in our top six or seven guys in the regular game rotation, he was always present and always ready to go in practice. None of that fazed him or got in the way." That night in Shelby prior to the tournament game will stay with him, Minor noted. "You get into coaching, and you always think of these core memories to create that involve winning championships and building bonds with your players," he said. "But seeing Garrett take that phone call is something I'll never forget and will easily be one of the highlights of my coaching career." The pay-off Garrett's schedule didn't just pay off with West Point or the No. 2 spot academically in his class. The Flyers' basketball team won 20 games, a Firelands Conference championship, and a district title. He cut down three pieces of nets with his teammates in a matter of three weeks. The competition cheer team, which also included his brother, Bryce, won the program's first-ever OASSA state championship trophies, which came on the weekend between the FC and district basketball titles. With a family devoted to musical productions, he then got to share the stage in leading roles with Bryce and Isaac in their final show together. "I'm really happy that I took the opportunities," Garrett said. "That's one thing I've really learned: if you take advantage of the opportunities you've been given, you will get a lot more out of them. If I did one of those things, it would be amazing — but not as memorable as it's been." Why jump into so many activities with all the long hours? "It gives a lot of different perspectives," he said. "All of these activities that I do are different in their own way. Sports, music, community service, and academics — they each offer certain lessons of life in their own way. "You learn teamwork in sports, formation of the brain in academics, and music teaches you how to use different parts of your brain you never thought about using before. "But a lot of it is about meeting more people. I like to center my life around helping and serving others. It gives you more of the opportunity to meet more people and form more relationships." When he addresses his classmates as salutatorian, his message will center on being present in the moment and taking advantage of opportunities. "Had I not done that, I wouldn't have experienced the many joys in my life as a result," he said. "Things are going to happen in life. Doors are going to open and close. Take it as it is and make everything out of it that you can." Garrett's main inspiration for joining the military comes from his father, who served in the Marine Corps. "Growing up, he's always taught us the importance of service," Garrett said of Jeff. "How can I best serve my community? So I figured, why stop at community? I'll serve the whole country." Also accepted to Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, Garrett settled on studying chemical engineering, which is offered at West Point. That major could lead to working in areas of detection, decontamination, and defense against chemical warfare. "I'm hoping to stay in and make a career out of it as long as I can," he said. "My experiences at St. Paul was about giving everything I could with the time I was given. I want to continue to do that in the future."