Year: 2016
Major: Economics and Political Science
Hometown: Bow Island, Alberta, Canada
College: Branford
Fresh off the ice after winning the NCAA Hockey National Championship, freshman Carson Cooper sat down with me to discuss everything form his roots in Canada to his ideal date.
Where did you grow up?
I’m from a small farming town in Southern Alberta, Canada with about 1800 people. I never thought I’d end up here [at Yale].
How did you get interested in Hockey?
Well, that’s pretty much all there is in Canada. According to my Mom, when I was three years old, I ran around the house naked playing hockey, and ever since I haven’t stopped [playing hockey, not being naked, that is].
What do you order at New Haven restaurants?
Well there aren’t any Chipotles near me in Canada, so in New Haven I love the chicken burrito bowl—extra chicken and no guacamole. At Gheav I get the number 3.
Where would you go out on an ideal night?
I would go to the hockey house to hang out then to Box and back to the house.
What is your ideal date?
I would take her to the zoo and then have a steak dinner since Alberta beef is really good, and possibly a movie.
What is your dating deal-breaker?
When girls are clingy, or any sort of clinginess.
Who are your celebrity crushes?
Emma Watson—there’s something about her with her British accent and how she stays out of the gossip, she seems like a good girl. For guys, Tom Brady is a great guy, Adam Scott for golf, Patrick Sharp for hockey and Ryan Reynolds, because he’s from Canada.
What kind of party themes do you like?
I liked jammy-jam (a pajama-themed party), but I haven’t been to that many themed parties or any toga parties. I have been to an ABC party, and me and my buddy wore garbage bags covered in Hello Kitty print.
Do you collect anything?
I had this idea to collect every hotel key from the places we stayed for hockey (which wasn’t a success) but hopefully that will actually happen next year.
What’s the most romantic thing you’ve done?
I also played soccer in high school and so I was leaving to play soccer on my girlfriend’s birthday, but on my way I drove an hour one way to drop off flowers and an hour back to get to practice.
What confuses you about girls?
Everything. They’re just very confusing creatures. Sometimes they act in a way you don’t see coming.
What’s something about you that no one knows?
I was in a play junior year. I don’t remember the name of it or my role, mainly I just introduced the play and then appeared throughout randomly. Its funny since my brother acts in Vancouver and he didn’t play a lot of sports, which is the opposite of me.
Yale girls are the best because…
Intelligence is sexy.