From an early age, sophomore Cooper Eldon has been involved in various sports and is currently finding success in both track and soccer.
Eldon began his soccer career at an early age at the recreational level until he was about 12 or 13, and when his team disbanded he decided to take the next step by joining a competitive team.
At La Salle, he plays the outside wing and center forward positions. Eldon’s favorite thing about soccer is his team because he enjoys being friends with more upperclassmen. The sport allows him to be exposed to “more people that I normally wouldn’t really talk to,” Eldon said.
Last year, his most memorable moment was the game against McKay High School, which ended in a 3-2 victory for La Salle. “Everything was just on fire that night,” Eldon said. His goal for next year’s season is to win state.
One of the ways Eldon contributes to his team is by using his speed to create goal-scoring opportunities. “I just use my speed to get us forward and I strike a problem to defenders which makes them worry about me more,” he said.
During the spring, along with club soccer for the Eastside Timbers, Eldon partakes in track at La Salle, running the 100m dash, 200m dash, 400m dash, 4×400 relay, and the 4×100 relay. Before high school, Eldon ran track from second to sixth grade and decided to pick it back up again his freshman year to work on his speed for soccer.
“It’s a really mental game,” he said. “It’s kind of like you versus yourself.”
To combat these mental challenges, Eldon enjoys listening to music because it helps him focus. He also likes to surround himself with people that he is comfortable with and knows won’t judge him.
Eldon plays an important role on his 4×100 team, which recently won the NWOC District Championships. “I think we’re a pretty dangerous relay,” he said.
Senior Milan Cieslak acts as an inspiration to Eldon because of his dedication to the sport — breaking the school record three times. “I aspire to be able to work that hard and be able to run that fast,” he said.
By his senior year, Eldon wants to run a sub-11 in the 100m.
“That’s my main goal, which I think is very within reach,” he said. “I just need to put hard work in and do my part in the offseason,” he said.
Not only does Eldon put in the work during training with his team, but he always does what he can to improve on his own. “I sometimes get together with friends and just do whatever sport,” he said. Sometimes he will play soccer or go on a run alone; even just juggling a ball around the house is a way he stays active.
Being such a dedicated athlete can create challenges when it comes to balancing both sports and school, but Eldon makes it work. “I try to do as much as I can and then I’ll just sometimes stay up a little too late,” he said.
Eldon isn’t sure about whether or not he wants to play in college yet, but he might continue with either sport if the opportunity arises. Despite the risk of possibly getting injured, he still thinks it would be really fun to play a sport at the collegiate level.
Ultimately, throughout his journey as an athlete, Eldon’s dad — who has always been there to support him and make him feel comfortable in everything he does — is the one pushing him to do better. “If I ever need help or if I ever need somebody to lean on, I can always trust him,” Eldon said.
