Jacob Cover

Musical Athlete Hanging Up the Cleats Picking Up the Guitar

Many student athletes have a hard time balancing their activities. For senior, Jake Cover, soccer and music collide. Cover is a talented athlete as well as an exceptional musician. He finds a way to make time to work on his foot skills and his musical skills.

His interest in soccer began when he first started walking. Freshman year of high school, Cover became an important asset to the team. Scoring an outstanding amount of goals for the team, he stood out as a playmaker. As a result of all this work, Cover is eight goals away from beating the record of goals scored in a high school career. In 2002, Brock Karloff set the record of 55 goals scored in his 4 years of high school. It should be no problem for Cover, having scored 14 goals his junior year.

“My biggest concern of this upcoming season is not being able to play with my older brother, John. He was the best competitor and my motivation to push harder, and not playing with him will be difficult to adjust to,” Cover said. “That being said, my goal is to score the most goals. I’ll really work to put myself in a

position to score, and hopefully when I shoot, I’ll make it.”

Unfortunately, Cover acquired a sports hernia causing him to experience pain when he runs. He recently went through a surgery, and is in the process of recovery. Cover will be healthy by the time his senior season kicks off.

Soccer was not keeping Cover busy enough, so he picked up a new interest. Two years ago, he started playing instruments. He took a liking to the piano and the guitar, but his favorite is the guitar. He does not participate in any bands or groups; he plays solely for fun. His inspiration to play came from Youtube and one of his best friends.

“One day, my friend, Andrew, and I were looking up videos on how to play the guitar. We could not stop searching for new songs and learning how to play. After mastering the piano, we went out and bought our own guitars and learned how to play those,” Cover said. “Chewie and I have had a competitive friendship for years. It started with soccer and now playing the guitar is our newest competition. He has great parents and sets steady expectations for himself, and I’m proud to call my best friend my inspiration to do great.” A motivating brother, an inspiring friend, and steady expectations have helped Cover become an excellent athlete and

guitar player. Many athletes endure surgeries, and Cover shows no fear during his recovery process. During this time, Cover mentions how he has more free time to practice playing the guitar.

“I’m almost at the end of my recovery, and it’s unfortunate that I can’t play soccer to my full ability, but I’ve been playing the guitar a ton,” Cover said. “Playing calms me down when I am frustrated about my surgery.”

Cover continues to work hard in hopes to get back to his full potential on the soccer field. He also continues to improve his skills with the guitar as well as the piano. Cover is ready to kick off the soccer season with motivation to set a new record high in goals for Gretna High School, and in his down time, learn how to play some new songs.