Cook brings championship experience back from Hawaii

“It was amazing,” Cook said. “The plane trip was pretty boring, but once we landed it was a different story. 

“I’ve never been out of (North America). Swimming was able to get me here.”

That’s not to say the trip was all fun and games. Cook swam multiple events over a four-day stretch. He would leave the hotel at 5:30 a.m. and return to his room at 7:30 p.m.

“It took a lot of adjusting,” Cook said. “The time zone is different, and staying at the complex all day took a lot out of me.”

One thought kept Cook’s arms and legs cutting through the water — his swim team back in La Grande.

The members of the La Grande Swim Club left a message on his cell phone.

“I can’t believe how much the team supported me,” Cook said. “When I landed I had a message of my teammates cheering for me.

“It gave me a little boost during my race. It just came out of nowhere.”

Cook did leave Hawaii with one regret — his 100-meter race. His preliminary race seeded him fifth in the finals. However, Cook took sixth.

“It’s a little frustrating,” Cook said. “I tried a new race strategy. I just shouldn’t have done it in the finals. It should have been tried in the preliminaries instead.”

Still, Cook came back to La Grande after finishing second in points for his age group with 40. Clark Smith of Colorado took first with 43.

The most exciting and nerve- racking swim came on the final day, an 1 1/2-kilometer open swim through the Pacific Ocean. Cook took first.

“It was really tough because you had to battle the waves,” Cook said. “Plus, it was different not being in a pool.

“The scary thing was seeing dark objects below and not knowing if they were sharks or not. It made you swim a little faster.”

Now Cook plans to take his experience to the upcoming swim season.

“I learned how to race better,” Cook said. “You have to be ready for anything that can come up during a meet. This experience is only going to make me better.”