About me: Cooper DeRudder

Early Life

My name is Cooper Joseph DeRudder and I was born in Torrance, California. I grew up in Manhattan Beach my whole life, which really shaped what activities I enjoy today. My mom, dad, sister (2 years older), and I lived in a small house near the beach and we did everything together. My dad was a volleyball player and a surfer and he spared no time in getting me to start those activities. I quickly found myself surfing, scuba diving, and playing beach volleyball at a young age. Having little to no family besides those who I live with, we were all very close. Family dinners happenned almost every night of the week, walks on the beach were common, and going to my dads pick-up beach volleyball games were amongst a few things we did. Later we moved a little farther from the beach, yet little changed. Where I grew up and my family are the factors that shaped me into the person I am today.

Athletics

As mentioned before I started surfing and playing beach volleyball at a very young age. While few consider surfing a sport I loved what I did, yet sadly it became a less common activity as I got older. I switched to mostly volleyball, basketball and soccer for the following years of my life, then finding my true “groove” in soccer. While I loved soccer there was one problem: I was slow and big. I soon realized that it was not the sport for me and I began to row/crew at the start of high school. Rowing played a big role in my life because it taught me how to work hard, for it is very little based on natural talent. Growing and getting in shaped helped me succeed and I still row to this day for the University of Notre Dame. Sports are thebest: they are a great destresser and an amazing way to make new friends. 

High School

High school was a tough time for me. I was short and pudgy, but was blessed of going to a very good public school where the kids were very nice. I worked hard every day in my classes in hopes of attending my parents’ alma mater: the dreaded USC. School, in the grades category, was going great until junior year where the Bs began to flow in. I was panicking, as were my parents and sister. The time I spent at rowing was starting to show its large impact on my grades. Luckily, I made it through the year and couldn’t wait for senior year. I hit a growth spurt and went from 5’9″ to 6’2″, it was one of the best things to happen to me. Rowing became easier, highschool was going great, but college was around the corner. The dreaded acceptance day was upon me and I was rejected or waitlisted from nearly everyschool except for Clemson and Georgia. The biggest heartbreak was getting rejected from USC: my dream school. I was depressed to say the least, but knew I was still blessed to have the opportunity to attend a univeristy. After a month on the waitlist at Notre Dame I recieved a call saying I was in. It was the best day of my life. Everything I did had payed off: all the parties I had skipped, the football games I missed for rowing practice, and the non-existent dates had finally payed off! 

Current Life

Currently, I am loving my life at this Univeristy. After getting rejected from my parents’ alma mater, I am now attending their biggest rival. While proud of me, we have a very competitive environment when it comes to football and I could not have asked for anything better. I am enjoing my classes at school instead of just going through the motions as I did in high school. I learn for the joy not for the letter “A”. And finally, I have met so many great people who I never would’ve met if I did not attend here. While I am sure I would have been just as happy anywhere else, I am so lucky and blessed to be attending such a great school with such great faculty and students.