THOUSAND OAKS : Athletes, Coaches Deliver School Pep Talk

He may be the tallest boy at Westlake Elementary School, but Eric Trenchard-Smith felt downright shrimpy Monday morning when he tucked his 5-foot, 9-inch frame under the outstretched arm of former Lakers guard Michael Cooper.

“He makes me feel really small,” the sixth-grader marveled.

Small but determined.

When Cooper told 100 rapt elementary students how he eliminated the five Ds on his report card by focusing on the five Ds of life (determination, dedication, desire, discipline and decision-making), Trenchard-Smith listened hard.

“I’m trying to improve my grades,” he said after the ex-Laker star’s pep talk. “I’m trying to bring them up to A’s.”

That can-do attitude was exactly what Westlake Principal Linda Spellman had dreamed of when six well-known athletes and coaches agreed to participate in an annual ritual: a morale-boosting rally before the school’s jog-a-thon fund-raiser.

While Cooper won the most applause, the students also listened earnestly to L. A. Raiders wide receiver Sam Graddy, former Dodger third baseman Ken McMullen, local triathlete Paul Godinez, assistant Cal State Northridge basketball Coach Tom McCollum and Westlake High track and football Coach Jim Benkert.

And they seemed to absorb the message that self-confidence, dedication and sheer effort are vital to success in all endeavors.

“I want to be a professional basketball player, and most boys say it’s impossible, but I think it’s possible if I keep my mind to it,” 11-year-old Holly Morris said.

Keeping their minds on more immediate goals, many of her classmates vowed to beat their own past performances in the jog-a-thon, scheduled for March 2. Last year, 600 kids participated in the fund-raiser, which brought in more than $20,000 for computers, supplementary arts education and other school improvements, parent coordinator Kathy Dirks said.