Top of his game

Mike Sciacca

Dave Brobeck remembers a skinny, eager 14-year-old enter the Laguna

Beach High cross country program four years ago, one who possessed

determination and dedication, he said, beyond his years.

“As much as I would like to take some credit for developing Grant

Hofmeister into the well-adjusted, balanced student that he is, I

know that he was already this person four years ago,” said the boys’

cross country and boys’ track and field head coach. His parents did a

tremendous job in raising him. He’s beyond his years, both

academically and athletically.”

Hofmeister, who has run both cross country and the 1,600- and

3,200-meters in track during his four years at Laguna, will graduate

from the school on June 17.

He is a national merit scholar, carries a 4.6 GPA and is headed

for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the fall.

Hofmeister’s excellence on the field and in the classroom did not

go unnoticed by the CIF-Southern Section office in Los Alamitos,

which named the just-turned 18-year-old as a male individual winner

in the 2004 CIF-Southern Section Academics Awards program.

“I didn’t even know about this,” a surprised Hofmeister said, when

learning the news. “It’s an honor.”

Each CIF-SS member school is entitled to name a male and female

“Student Athlete of the Year.” Recipients of the individual award

must be seniors that have maintained a minimum of a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0

scale in college-prep courses over the past three years. In addition,

recipients must earn a letter in at least one varsity sport and have

participated in extracurricular activities.

On a 4.0 scale, Hofmeister carried a 3.94 GPA.

The CIF-SS Academic Awards program, which also honors team

winners, is sponsored by the Anaheim Angels and Toyota.

Hofmeister said finding a balance between sports and studies has

come fairly easy to him.

“I like to be low-key when it comes to sports,” he said. “I did

athletics for the fun of it, basically, although I’m very

competitive. I’ve always enjoyed school work, so combining that with

sports hasn’t been too difficult for me.”

That competitive spirit was seen early by Brobeck, who recalled a

spark in the then-freshman.

“I remember him talking about his portfolio with me at 14,”

Brobeck said. “I remember him winning debates with other

scholar-athletes on the team, about the laws of physics, while

running up Mathis Trail in Alta Laguna Park.

“Grant also has a great spirit to him. He has developed a

refreshing self-effacing humor that has become a foil to his innate

seriousness. I know that there are several parents of kids in my

programs who use him as a measuring stick for the model teenager. He

is one of the really good kids that make a school and community

proud.”

Hofmeister has run varsity in both sports since his sophomore

year.

In cross country, he was an integral part to Laguna’s past three

trips in CIF. Last year, he played an important role, Brobeck said,

on securing a league championship for Laguna and advancing the team

through CIF to the State meet.

No Laguna boys’ team had advanced to the State meet since 1989 --

when Brobeck ran for Laguna.

“Grant possessed the ability to be calm, cool and collected, even

in the most critical moments before and during races,” Brobeck said.

Hofmeister also added community service to his mix of academics

and athletics.

He served this school year as vice president of Laguna’s

Interactive Club, which is committed, he said, to community service.

For the past three years, he’s been part of the club team that has

traveled to Mexico to give amenities to needy families.

He also spent two months last summer in San Juan, Argentina, as an

exchange student, immersing himself in the Spanish language, which he

has studied throughout his high school years and speaks fluently.

“I like to open myself up to new things, to different cultures,”

Hofmeister said. “I’ve always liked to experience and learn about new

things. I had a great time in Argentina and really enjoyed working

with families and children down in Mexico. Both experiences have

helped me grow.”

Hofmeister will experience a new life in the fall when he leaves

the summery days and nights of Laguna, for Cambridge, Mass., and his

first year at MIT.

He says he’s always been interested in math and science, and plans

to run cross country and track at the Division III school.

“It’s just another new adventure for me,” Hofmeister said of the

move. “I’d like to double major in business and engineering there.

I’ve studied while in high school, but I know I’ll be studying a lot

more next year at MIT. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”