Q&A with Rosemount wrestling coach Tyler Cookas
ROSEMOUNT, Minn. — A Q&A with Tyler Cookas who is a head coach for the Rosemount High School wrestling team.
How long have you been coaching?
Tyler Cookas: This is my 13th year with the Rosemount wrestling program and I have been co-head coach since 2017.
What is your background in this sport?
Cookas: I spent my whole life wrestling beginning at a very young age, through both competing and coaching, it’s probably been 30 years of my life that I have been involved with wrestling.
What is the biggest life lesson you’ve learned from being a coach?
Cookas: Every year we have about 40-50 kids walk in our wrestling room doors, which is 40-50 different lives, different family dynamics, different backgrounds, etc. As a coach, you get to know these kids on a much deeper level than your average person. Through the several hundred wrestlers I’ve coached, I’ve been amazed at the type of situations we’ve had to deal with as coaches behind closed doors that not a single person would ever know about. I’ve learned you can’t be so quick to pass judgement on somebody because everybody has their own individual story that might not be quite as fortunate as your own.
What are one or two things that the team does in training that are keys to their success?
Cookas: One of the fundamental components of wrestling that separates wrestlers is what they do in the off season. We have a strong handful of wrestlers who partake in off season training that are key wrestlers in our lineup and are off to a great start to the season.
How do you encourage the team after a disappointing loss?
Cookas: We focus a lot on perspective. We’ve dealt with a significant amount of injuries this year, which has led us to forfeit some weight classes and has forced people into a varsity role that maybe they’re not quite ready for. It puts our team in a difficult position to win, which is where we don’t put the emphasis on winning and losing. We talk a lot about the attitude and effort put forth, not the result of the match, especially by those wrestlers who are newer.
Describe your proudest coaching moment.
Cookas: I’ve certainly had more than one, but the one that stands out to me the most is when we had an undefeated state champion in 2019. When you watch somebody pour their heart and soul into the sport and train the way he did, it was a truly special moment watching him achieve the ultimate goal of not just being a state champion, but going undefeated in the process. I’ll never forgot that moment.
What legacy do you hope to leave as a coach?
Cookas: Being a wrestler and a coach has taught me several values and lessons. It is my wish that when a wrestler leaves our program that I’ve done some part in helping instill some of those values and lessons that I’ve learned over the years. I hope that I’ve impacted a life where in 10, 20, or how many ever years a former athlete looks back and can be thankful for something I’ve done for them.
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