After a long day at the whiteboard, math teacher Ian Mook trades the classroom for the track. As the head coach of both the varsity boys and girls track and field teams, his passion, energy and dedication have helped Masters athletes cultivate their skills and love for the sport.
Mook has been coaching at Masters since 2022, and through that time, he has constructed a program that does not only focus on athletic improvement, but also the cultivation of a culture. Mook said, “I think that balance of individuality, collectivity, having a highly structured environment, and [someone being able] to find their place in it, is definitely a core value of mine that I’ve tried to instill in the program.”
Junior Malcolm Giles has not only been able to experience Mook’s mentorship through the perspective of an athlete but also as Mook’s advisee. “Mr. Mook has taught me a lot of lessons about perseverance and going above and beyond,” Giles said.
He continued, “I remember when I was racing, and I was leading the race. And then I got passed by another runner behind me, and I felt completely defeated and exhausted. But then I heard Mr. Mook’s voice, and he said, ‘Don’t give up, Malcolm,’ and I ended up winning.”
Liam Chappelear ‘27 has been a member of the varsity track and field team since his freshman year. Chappelear said, “He really has been the glue for the team and really helped pull it all together. In these past couple years, we’ve seen a lot of improvement. I think that’s largely because of how much he cares and how much he’s pushed the team to strive forward. ”
Through Mook’s guidance the track team has been able to participate in the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) championships. This year, Masters track placed 41 out of 500 in the boys 4×400 meter at Penn Relays. According to Mook, the team’s competitive standards have been elevated over the past few years.
Mook said, “It used to be that a goal might be to run at Penn Relays, and now the goal is to win Penn Relays. The goal used to be to qualify for the Nationals, but via the lowest tier and easiest to qualify for the tier, which is kind of like the emerging elite division. Now the goal is to win nationals.”
Mook continued, “ So I think we’ve been able to build a sense of what is possible and what we could achieve. And that’s so important in this sport. Because if you can’t dream of something happening, it won’t happen.”
