Worth County Middle School

TylerCooper

Named after Hall of Fame baseball player Ty Cobb, it is safe to say that Tyler Cooper’s parents had big plans for him athletically. Little did they know that he would lead such an impressive life by the age of fourteen. As a child, Cooper participated in soccer and base-ball through the Worth County Recreation Department. He was played-up in soccer, but certainly didn’t lack what it took to play with the “big” boys. In the four years that he played soccer, he made the All-Star teams for three of them. Even so, soccer failed to keep him interested. Baseball took the leading role in Cooper’s life after soccer, and he played catcher and first base “like a pro-fessional,” says his father, Jeff. Once he was old enough to be eligible, Cooper made the Worth County Rams’ All-Star team every year. One game stands out to Cooper, though. Down by two, he came to bat in the bottom of the sixth, and last, inning. With two runners on base, Cooper hit a homerun for the win. “That was so ex-citing,” he says with a grin. He continued playing baseball until April of his fifth grade year when he suffered almost fatal injuries from a freak accident. While playing in the yard like any other day, Cooper was rid-ing his dirt bike when he accidentally got too close to a pine tree. “He’d done the same thing a hundred times,” his dad recalls, but this time when he rode past the tree, the handlebar of Cooper’s dirt bike clipped the tree’s trunk and spun around, hit-ting him in the stomach. “He had no bruises, and he didn’t look like he was hurt too bad,” says his father, but upon taking him to the hospital they found out Cooper’s spleen had been severely dam-aged, causing major internal bleeding. After removing four pints of blood from his stom-ach, doctors said Cooper would be in the hospital for at least seven days. Miraculously, he was discharged after only four. Doctors also told his family he would not be able to perform any physical activity for at least six months, and again, he surprised everyone when doctors cleared him after just one month. When he left the hospital, though, Cooper had made an unusual decision; he wanted to quit baseball and begin playing golf. His doctors gave him per-mission to do so, and his parents bought him a brand new set of clubs as encouragement. Cooper had always hung out with his dad at the

golf course, just a mile or two from their house, but he didn’t begin seriously playing until after the dirt bike ac-cident in the fifth grade. After he took an interest in the sport, he began practicing with the high school golf team and even played a few, but uncounted, matches. Cooper himself had only been given two official lessons, and his dad says he “took to golf naturally.” Since Cooper has been playing golf, he has partic-ipated in several tournaments, and even placed second in the Albany Junior Open. His nine-hole average is a 40.8, with his best being a 34 with no bogies. His eighteen-hole average is in the high 70s, low 80s, with his all time best being a 69. Cooper is known for his solid game and ability to put the ball where he needs it to be. “He’s just a straight shooter,” says his father. As most student athletes know, making good grades is a top priority, and Cooper is no exception. “I

never worry about his homework,” says his dad. “He’s always tell-ing us when it’s time to study.” Cooper has maintained all As eve-ry year he’s been in school, and has never received a B on any report card. He even ended his last year with a perfect (100) av-erage in Algebra, which is outstanding. “The thing I’m most proud of is his grades,” his dad beams. This summer, Coop-er will be working at the golf course picking up range balls and plans on conditioning himself to be ready to play high school golf. He also

qualified for and received an invitation to play in the USA Amateur Athletic Union Junior National Championship, June 20th – 23rd, in Kingsport, Tennessee. Not only is this a major accomplishment for Cooper, but children from seven other states will be competing there against him as well. One day Cooper hopes to attend a major universi-ty on a scholarship of some sort. “The University of Geor-gia is where I really want to go,” he says, “but any univer-sity would be great.” After college he says that he would love to play golf on a professional level. Over the past few years Cooper has definitely earned the title “Rising Star,” and as he continues to mature, as a young man, student, and athlete, he also continues to prove that he is worthy of such recognition.

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