Boca Ciega track star Chaise Cook-Martin put the finishing touches on an eventful week Thursday, signing with George Mason at the school’s medical magnet auditorium. Cook-Martin is fresh off winning gold last weekend in the triple jump at the Class 3A state meet in Jacksonville where she jumped 38 feet, 4 inches.
“I had a lot of offers and at times it was pretty stressful,” said Cook-Martin, who was flanked by her parents, Jerry Martin and Jamie Cook-Martin. “But when I took my visit to George Mason I knew it was the right place. I talked to a lot of students, not just athletes, but students. And I liked the coaches. It’s a relief to have this done.”
Cook-Martin has been on the track team since her freshman year. She also played basketball as a freshman and sophomore.
“She’s a tremendous athlete,” basketball coach Will White said. “I remember in her freshman year before one of our first practices, all the girls were in the gym seeing how much of the net they could touch. Here comes this tiny little freshman and she jumps up and touches the rim. I couldn’t wait to talk to her about playing basketball.”
Cook-Martin stuck with track, and it paid off.
“She reminds me of myself when I was in high school,” Boca Ciega track coach Cheryl Greene said. “I was a phenomenal athlete also and won a state championship in the long jump (in 1979 for Boca Ciega). And now she has a state championship. I told her that her gold medal isn’t just for herself, but for her family and for Boca Ciega High School.”