On the fast track

Mike Sciacca

It’s late-March, and the Laguna Beach High track and field program

has yet to compete.

But for Paul Cook, the Breakers’ Pacific Coast League and season

opener on March 27 at Calvary Chapel might just give the first-year

head coach enough time to better acquaint himself with his new team.

“I am new to this league and school,” he said. “What I do know is

that we do have a great group -- although small in numbers -- of

hard-working and dedicated athletes.”

A reflection of the new walk-on coach can be found in his team

which, he says, will be very young and talented.

“That means that we have a lot of ninth- and tenth-graders,” he

said. “Our future looks very bright and exciting, as I truly believe

that we are properly focused on building the foundation and

fundamentals for the future.”

The present looks pretty good, too.

Brendan Bowler returns for his final season at Laguna. He is the

defending boys’ Pacific Coast League cross country champion and will

run the mile and two-mile events, Cook said.

“Brendan has a great work ethic and desire to be successful, and I

am positive that he will do well in his two events,” Cook said.

Cook also signaled out the talents of long jump/triple jump

athlete, Mark Todd.

Cook comes to the program having replaced Dave Brobeck.

He is a credentialed teacher with a master’s, and teaches the

fifth grade at Madison Elementary School in the Santa Ana Unified

School District.

A former successful athlete, Cook turned to coaching and his

primary focus has been with elite athletes.

“My experience has included coaching at the Division I level at

Long Beach State where I coached the men’s and women’s cross country

teams and the distance runners in men’s and women’s track,” he said.

“Also, I have traveled around the world as a competitor and most

recently as a clinician and coach working with youth programs,

Olympic-level coaches and athletes.”

Cook said returned to high school coaching at the encouragement of

his wife, Lourdes.

“I have a very loving and supportive wife who encouraged me to

seek and accept this position,” he said.

Since Cook is new to the program, he says he can’t fairly access

the competition in the Pacific Coast League. He does, however, know

and respect Corona del Mar coach, Bill Sumner.

“I am sure that he will field a very good team,” he said of

Sumner. “The other league schools also have fine coaching staffs and

I am positive that they, too, will be worthy competitors.”

Team goals, he said, are simple.

“We want to be as competitive and successful as possible through

proper training and proper fundamentals, and build personal and team

confidence and fitness that will maximize each one’s potential

without injuries,” he explained.

“My desire is that each athlete become well-coached in technique,

the principals of training and in the ability to compete successfully

so that they will have the best experience possible. Then they would

have the tools, desire and ability to continue a healthy lifestyle of

training and competing in track and field for the rest of their

lives. That is possible due to the highly competitive and organized

nature of our sport.”