A large number of students only had passing interests and aspirations as children, and this still remains a reality for many high school students today.
And that’s okay!
Not knowing what you want to pursue now or later in life is a commonality between a lot of us. Balancing homework, extracurriculars, jobs, and social activities is plenty enough work as it is.
Although, for Cooper Rogers, these ‘essentials’ are probably the least of his concerns.
His introduction to karate occurred at the early age of four. No one could have predicted the following years of dedication that have lead to his international acknowledgment and world-class success.
“When I was four years old, my parents got me into karate and that paved the way to where I am now,” Cooper explains. What initially began as a casual endeavor turned into a passionate and disciplined effort to become unbeatable.
The sacrifices and dedication displayed by Cooper throughout the course of his karate career led him to obtaining his first world title this past year.
Following these events, Cooper has now earned a spot of prestige on Team USA. There, he will be representing the nation, as well as his karate school, as he travels to Wales, England for this year’s World Championship.
“On Team USA there are 180 members, and 10 of them got a paid trip to Wales,” Cooper describes.
This opportunity is extremely valuable, as Cooper was not only picked out of a number of people to be a member of Team USA, but additionally he was picked as one of the ten to qualify for a free trip.
“There were some scouts at several international events that I was at and I was one of the ones picked out of ten that got this expense-free opportunity.”
Initial thoughts were rooted in the weight of competing at the national level, as well as the nerves that must accompany that kind of pressure.
But Cooper’s approach to the expectations following his past achievements are fairly collected, stating, “I’m a little nervous, but not really, because I’ve competed internationally several times and been to lots of world-class events.”
In fact, he seems more animated than anything else, confiding that he’s, “Excited about being able to represent my country and my karate school.”
Achieving his level of expertise has required immense time and energy. “It takes a lot of practice to get to this level. I practice Monday through Friday,” the student-athlete expresses. “Sometimes I have weekend events, this year I’m not doing quite as much because we’re using a different organization for our competitions.”
Despite this, his work ethic remains consistent and he’s working to accomplish just as much this year as he did the year before.
Similar to many of us, Cooper has an inclination to pursue other extracurriculars. “Sometimes I wish I had the time to play other sports because I definitely could, and I would be interested in doing so. I just am not able to get to practice and invest the necessary time.”
While he may not recognize the extent to which his abilities have manifested within his sport, it is quite evident to his peers that the sacrifices have proven worthwhile.
As a school, we applaud his dedication and past triumphs, and wish him the best of luck going forward on Team USA and competing this year.