Lone Peak wrestler Ronnie Cook competes in the 171 weight class. He's having a solid season at 21-11, finishing fourth at the Layton Invitational for the second year in a row and going undefeated at last weekend's 5A Duals.

Soft-spoken and mild-mannered off the mat, people who have never seen him practice or wrestle can totally miss the steel spine that's central to everything he does.

"He's probably been my hardest-working captain this year from the get-go," said wrestling coach Lyle Mangum. "He's great in the classroom as well as working hard in the weight room."

Cook's GPA is about 3.8.

"He never has to be disciplined," the coach continued. "He's a good motivator and tries to get the other kids to give 100 percent.

"When we get to practice, he's the one to tell the other kids to get with it," Mangum added. "He's a good role model in the family and on the team."

His family, it turns out, is one of the keys to understanding his nature. The son of Brent and Jackie Cook of Highland, Ronnie is the middle of seven boys in a family of 10 children who are all athletes.

The girls play softball and run track. The boys, not coincidentally, are all wrestlers.

In the Cook household, there seems to be somebody tussling around just about all the time. Ronnie admitted the boys have broken stuff, although not each other, yet.

His parents decided to invest in a mat to hopefully reduce the wear and tear on the rest of the house.

"We're very competitive," Cook said of his siblings. "We're always trying to outdo one another. We trash talk a lot, but we're always supportive of each other afterwards, no matter who wins."

Oldest brother Josh got the family started in the sport. He wrestled 140 as a junior, but grew enough during the summer to jump to 189 his senior year and finished fourth in the state tournament.

They younger brothers got a lot of their wrestling lessons from Josh in the pool, which helped equalize his size advantage.

Following in Josh's footsteps, as older brothers Nathan and Brandon also did, Ronnie got started in the junior Caveman club wrestling program when he was in kindergarten.

"I thought what Josh was doing looked cool, so I decided to try it," he said.

In fifth grade, he wrestled up in the junior high program. In sixth grade, he moved into Lone Peak's junior high program and came up to the high school program as a freshman.

Younger brothers Clayton and Andy are on the high school team now, and seventh-grader Joseph is following right behind them in the junior high ranks.

He also played baseball through eighth grade and three years of football, but he's focused on his primary sport the past two years.

So, what's the appeal of wrestling?

"I like working hard," Ronnie explained. "I just like going out and trying my best against someone else doing the same thing."

Although the execution of wrestling skills is on an individual basis, Cook also enjoys the group aspects of the sport.

"I like getting together with the whole team and making friends," he said. "I like being around others who like to work hard."

When he isn't at school or practicing, Cook enjoys hiking and camping with his family. The Cook men are also accomplished hunters, going after deer and elk during the archery, muzzle-loader and rifle seasons.

About a year ago, Ronnie added rock-climbing to his list of outdoor pursuits. He goes with friends, up the canyon when it's warm and there's no snow, otherwise to places like the Quarry in Provo.

Unsurprisingly, the main thing he's learned from his wrestling experiences is how to work hard. He's also learned to join his efforts with others.

"Even though this is an individual sport, the team won't do as well if you don't get along and help each other," Cook said.

He gives his teammates and his younger brothers the same advice. "I tell them to do their best and work hard even though you don't always win, and you can still hold your head up," he said.

"I tell them it's fun, and the chance to stay physically active is a bonus."

More than that, though, Cook sees the sport as a ticket to gaining a mental edge that carries over into all aspects of his life.

"It's a good way to see how you are and to get a measure of yourself while you are helping the team," Cook concluded.