More Than Athletes Summer Camp: Evan Cook Discusses his Holistic Approach to Student-Athlete Development on The Day With Trae
Photos by Jordan Somers
In this segment of The Day With Trae, host Trae Holiday welcomes back Evan Cook, a Federal Way-based community leader, author, and founder of Restoring Mindz. Cook, who has become a cornerstone in South King County through his work as a football coach, joins Holiday to discuss his latest initiative: the More Than Athletes Summer Camp. Cook created the foundation of this camp after a mental health crisis while searching for an identity beyond sports following his college football career at Eastern Washington University.
"I built a program called More Than Athletes, and it was catered to helping athletes discover a purpose outside of just sports and identity beyond their uniform, and helping them see themselves so when the uniform comes off, they can say, all right, I am more than just this football player or this basketball player or this track star," Cook explained. "I am an engineer, I am a doctor, I am peaceful, I am happy, I am whole."
Initially centered on football and athletic development, Cook is transitioning the camp to emphasize mental health alongside physical health.
"We just wanted to bring an atmosphere where student-athletes can really get mental health advice, health, and nutrition advice, aside from just that skill development, aside from just that, "rah toughness, I need to go be the best athlete," Cook said. Instead, the camp's work will prioritize balancing sports and developing skills that support professional and community growth off the field.
"My goal, in terms of what I hope to gain, is just really that opportunity to provide those resources, and I hope that the youth is able to gain just that mirror, that deep dive into themselves," Cook said.
He continued, "I hope it doesn't take away from that hunger to be a great student-athlete and a great competitor because that's not the goal. The goal is to increase that desire to utilize your gifts as an athlete, to really go and make an impact on the game, but also utilize those same gifts that you have and put them into other areas of your life and dive into your life. It's my hope that they become more well rounded, and they see themselves as kind of a larger person."
For Cook, this professional development is crucial for student-athletes today, where they now have the options to secure brand deals, sign contracts, and earn money.
"Now that students have that market, and they have that ability to utilize themselves as a product and utilize themselves as a brand, how do they do that in a healthy and holistic manner," Cook said. "We know how corporations are? We know how easy it is for energy to be manipulated and taken and utilized for capital gains, but what's pouring back into these athletes and helping them get the most benefit out of this for themselves."
As for the camp, it will run for three days: June 27th, 28th, and 29th, and is open to all athletes in grades six through twelve, targeting kids aged 12 to 18. The first two days will feature on-field activities with trainers, sessions with motivational speakers who will share their experiences as student-athletes, and catered meals. The third day will host a resource fair offering various workshops on mental health, leadership, future careers, education, and more.
"I've hosted football camps in the past, and just with sports, there's always a huge emphasis on just a lot of male-dominated and male-centric sports," Cook said. "That isn't the point of this camp. The point of this camp is to enhance all athletes and anybody who has a desire to go out and play college sports and play sports in general. Whether it be middle school or high school sports, anyone can come to this camp."
Visit Cook's website to sign up for the camp and explore more of his work.
For more stories about inspiring individuals like Cook making a difference in King County, tune in to Trae every weekday at 11 a.m. on all Converge Media platforms and The Day With Trae YouTube Channel!
