Members of the Mira Costa community gathered at the 8th street lifeguard tower in Manhattan Beach on Oct. 27 for a paddle out, followed by a service at Waller Stadium honoring the life of Mira Costa’s Athletic Trainer, Tim Cooper.
The paddle out took place at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning, with a group of about 15 people who met to paddle out and honor the life of Cooper. Gigi Franco, the organizer of the paddle out instructed people to bring flowers, to later throw in the air in honor of Tim. After they paddled out, they gathered in a circle in the ocean, holding each others hands and taking turns sharing stories about Cooper and how he impacted their lives.
“The paddle out was a very good experience for me as I am sure it was for others who joined,” senior Cole Trejo said. “Overall, it was a very deep and emotional experience. I was very grateful to speak in honor of Tim, as he was a very inspiring person.”
After taking time to speak about Cooper and their memories of him, paddlers gave a subtle shout, while throwing the flowers in the air, all for the sole purpose of celebrating Cooper’s life.
“I went to the paddle out, as I am the surf team coach and I figured if anyone should be at this paddle out it would be me,” Surf Team Coach Tracy Geller said. “But I felt like it would be important for me to be there to honor his life because he was the kind of guy that was there for everybody no matter what was happening.”
Cooper’s memorial service began at 3 p.m. in Waller Stadium where photographs of Cooper surrounded the stage. The ceremony began with band members, Mariah Leontopoulou-Cochran accompanied by Jesse Eads playing the piano, singing “Wind Beneath My Wings” by Bette Midler for the audience. After, friends of Cooper’s spoke about their favorite qualities he possessed and memories they had of him. Additionally, past Costa athletes and parents who knew cooper were reserved for last as dedications.
“I thought the memorial was very moving,” junior Casey Meyer said. “Having seen so many staff members, students and parents, along with hearing all of their stories and how he single-handedly impacted thousands of different people really amazed me.”
Following the ceremony, a reception took place in Mira Costa’s Fisher Gym, where food was served and pictures were hung up of Cooper throughout his years at Costa, scattered on the walls. Everyone who attendees were also able to write notes about things they loved about Cooper. Costa Principal Dr. Ben Dale allowed everyone to write directly on the walls, as the gym will be torn down in January.
“No matter who he was working on, he treated every person the same,” Assistant Trainer Cameron Bowles said. “Tim would have multi-millionaires walk in, and would make them wait because a freshman had a sprained ankle.”
On October 15th, emails were sent out to the Mira Costa Parents and the community stating that many people had asked for Cooper’s name to be on the new gym, Dale said. Dale went on to state that He will send in paperwork to the Manhattan Beach Unified School District to ensure that Cooper’s name is represented in the new training room.
“If you had any connection to Mira Costa athletics over the last 30 years, as a student/athlete, a parent of an athlete, or an alumni that attended Mira Costa sporting events over that period, and were fortunate enough to have made Tim’s acquaintance,” Mira Costa Alumni Jay Russell said, “There would be no doubt in your mind as to why the training room in the new gym facility should be named after Tim.”
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