High School Sports:

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor

This might come as a surprise to some, but not every young boy grows up with the dream of becoming a star athlete.

And Cooper Dammann would fit that billing.

Early in his life, he took up tennis, soccer and baseball.

His father, Brett Dammann, was a talented athlete and loved playing sports, especially football, baseball and basketball.

But as far as Cooper went, he didn’t enjoy anything his parents signed him up for.

Then one day, his mom, Kim Dammann, gave her only child what he took as an ultimatum.

“I’m not sure how serious she was at the time, but my mom told me I could either go to a math camp or try gymnastics,” he said. “So many kids my age play video games, watch TV or find other ways to pass their time, and she wanted me to be productive and help prepare myself for life.”

Cooper chose gymnastics and it turned out to be one of the best decisions that he’s made in his young life.

Dammann, who just completed his freshman year at La Salle High School, said that competing in gymnastics has improved every phase in his life, because of the discipline, dedication and time management skills that it takes to be successful in that sport.

What makes his ascent as an athlete so remarkable is the fact that Cooper’s succeeding in a sport, which, along with wrestling, are arguably the two most demanding sports, both physically and mentally.

Just like the rest of us, Dammann gets knocked on his butt and fails daily.

But his coaches and the sport of gymnastics teaches Cooper to get up, learn from his mistakes, and he’s challenged to be a better person and gymnast tomorrow than he was today.

Initially, Dammann went into this as a way to avoid math camp, but gymnastics has become his passion, and through competition, it’s also allowed this young man to see much of America.

Between 5:00-7:45 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday nights, Cooper spends his time training at The Klub Gymnastics in Los Angeles.

If you ask Cooper, he’s not nearly as good as his coach or resume would indicate.

The biggest event Cooper ever medaled in was Western Nationals in May of 2022.  He won the Gold medal on Floor and Bronze medals in Vault and Parallel Bars.

Aside from Westerns, his biggest accomplishments in gymnastics are being named to the Regional All-Star team three years in a row (2020, 2021, 2022) and winning Regional Championships in 2021 and 2022.

This meant that he won Gold (1st) in All-Around at the 2021 and 2022 Regional Championships.

I asked his coach, Scott Picquelle, to touch on Cooper’s improvements as a gymnast and a young man, as well as what he thinks athletes get from competing in that sport.

Said Scott Picquelle: “Since the day Cooper tumbled into The Klub Gymnastics, I have seen him grow physically and mentally. Just as he mastered one skill, it was time for the next. Cooper developed the belief in your abilities to grow, improve and tackle new challenges. Growth in the sport of gymnastics doesn’t come easily, it requires picking yourself up when you are down and continuing to work hard. Cooper embodied all aspects of what The Klub Gymnastics teaches, strength, self-esteem and success. I have most liked seeing Cooper grow through his journey in the sport of gymnastics, his progress and success.

Coaching Cooper to become a Regional All-Around Champion was great, but, aside from teaching the gymnastics I’ve enjoyed helping him grow his confidence and mold his mind into becoming the person he wants to be. The sport of gymnastics has helped Cooper adapt and transfer a different skill set to the game of volleyball. I believe gymnastics is a great sport to be involved in no matter what sport the athlete is competing in. Gymnastics develops strength, flexibility, balance, agility and coordination. Whether you become a competitive gymnast or participate in other competitive sports, gymnastics gives you a great foundation to succeed.

Another important aspect of Cooper’s success are his parents, Kim and Brett. Parents like his played a paramount role in his gymnastics by giving him encouragement and support throughout his years of competing. I have always found it a pleasure coaching Cooper. He has always demonstrated respect towards me during both gym training as well as out on the competition floor. I still believe Cooper could be a competitive Tumbler and Vaulter at the collegiate level if he decides to continue competing after high school. I will always support Cooper’s decision to be a dual sport athlete.”

Coach Picquelle touched on an important topic, and that’s whether Dammann wants to extend his career beyond 2025.

While visiting his grandma in Phoenix a few weeks back, Cooper said in a phone interview that he wasn’t too sure he’d want to compete after earning his diploma from La Salle.

But if he were to change his mind, his coach believes that Dammann would certainly have the skills to be competitive in collegiate gymnastics.

With all the time he spends training and competing, one might wonder if it’s taken a toll on his grades.

It has not.

Cooper held a 3.8 GPA during his freshman year at La Salle, and he said that he intended to challenge himself more academically next year by taking more difficult classes.

While gymnastics is not a sport that La Salle competes in, Dammann has recently taken on a new challenge.

On his first day at La Salle, Dammann literally didn’t know a single person, but immediately made friends.

One of his buddies asked him to go out for freshman volleyball in the spring season so they could play together.

Being the good guy that he is, Cooper said yes.

What he couldn’t have known was how quickly he’d take to the sport.

In fact, La Salle’s varsity coach, Tiare Tuitama, a two-time CIF champion, called Cooper “a natural that will play on the varsity team this coming season.”

You can read Coach Tui’s full statement in the quotable section below.

It seems hard to believe that Kim Dammann could have expected things to go this well after her ‘sort of ultimatum,’ so I asked her what she would tell parents of youngsters who show no interest in sports, what the benefits have been, how she’s seen her son grow and what makes her most proud.

Said Kim Dammann: “As Cooper probably told you, I did not want him spending too much time in front of a screen, watching TV or playing video games, so I pushed him to do something productive or be involved in some sort of sport. It took him a while to find something that he enjoyed and I believe gymnastics was like the sixth different sport he tried. He just loved it and couldn’t get enough. It also helped as Cooper was a ball of energy (just like other boys his age) and sports was an outlet of release for him. Overall, the structure of organized sports, especially gymnastics, has taught him so many important life skills, particularly time management. When balancing so many practice hours a week and travel, he has to be able to plan out his day and week. Figuring out time to do homework, school projects, etc – it has to be all planned out. This has really translated well when it comes to academics. He gets things done because there’s a plan to do it. I really believe this is a big reason he made First Honors at La Salle and earned the Academic All-American award in academics from USA Gymnastics.

Another benefit has been how much confidence he has gained from his success with gymnastics. In the world of boys gymnastics, he’s on the older side and I love seeing him with the younger boys, where he acts as a role model. Many of them look up to him and he helps them when he can. The thing that makes me most proud is that he has so much to balance in life (sports, academics, social life) and yet he does all these well. I may be biased, but he’s athletic, smart and liked by his peers and teachers – just a well-rounded kid. I believe I mentioned earlier that he once earned a Gymnast of the Year award at this previous gym. This was for his hard work, dedication and leadership. He went from not qualifying to regionals one year to becoming a two-time All-Around State Champion and a two-time All-Around Regional Champion in the past few years. It makes me proud to know that when things are hard or not easy, he is resilient. When he puts his mind to something, he will work hard towards achieving it the best he can.”

What I haven’t mentioned is that Cooper is four-to-six inches taller than the typical male gymnast.

At 5-foot-8 and 165 pounds, some events are more difficult for him to train for than others, because much of the equipment is built for those with a smaller stature.

A typical day in his life starts at 6 am and ends around 11 pm.

He’s proud to be a Dammann, a La Salle Lancer and loves representing his country.

Cooper’s appreciation for his parents, Kim and Brett is endless (in a good way) and what gymnastics has done to shape his life are many.

I asked Cooper to talk about the rigors of his sport, how it’s improved his life and the role his parents have played.

Said Cooper Dammann: “I struggled with my confidence and the sport of gymnastics and my coaches have helped me deal with that. I have learned through hard times and hard work to believe in myself and that hard work does pay off. The dedication and discipline we all put in translates to every part of your life and it’s preparing me well as I grow older. My parents have been incredible in supporting me. My dad has made so many sacrifices for me. He played baseball, football and basketball, but he’s never pressured me to do anything I didn’t want to do. He always puts me first, and has given me the best childhood that a kid could ask for. My mom is the most supportive person in my life. She takes me everywhere I need to be and makes sure my needs are met. I don’t think they know how amazing they are. This sport has built me into the person I am today. It has helped improve my life in almost every way and it’s something I love to do.”

To view a photo gallery of Cooper Dammann through the years, click on the Facebook link here: Facebook

Quotable:

La Salle boys volleyball coach, Tiare Tuitama: “I was very impressed with Cooper at the beginning of tryouts. I thought he was a transfer junior. When I found out he was a freshman, I began to ask questions. Where did you play? Do you play club or anything and much to my surprise, he was a gymnast. And apparently a very good one. Cooper was the OH 1 on JV and played six rotations this year. He sometimes would stay for varsity practice after his JV practice and we noticed he was catching on very quickly. We brought him and two other freshman up to varsity for the playoffs. We were lucky to have an amazing freshmen group of boys that came out this year. I am very much looking forward to coaching Cooper next season and seeing what talent he and his teammates brings to the future of our Lancer program.”

Cooper’s close friend at La Salle HS, Isabel Moya: “For as long as I’ve known Cooper, sports has been that one thing that he has always been incredibly dedicated to and always determined to get better at. In gymnastics, even with long practices he loves coming to school and telling me and our friends about a something he won recently or showing us a video or skill that he mastered. For volleyball, it is a new love Cooper has found. Cooper has this way of being a sponge with his coaches or even just watching someone do things, whether it’s passing, hitting, etc. It’s an incredible quality that I look up to . Overall, Cooper is not only an amazing person, but a great teammate and a wonderful gymnast.”