About Unit 1
Our Story
Unit 1 Athletics was founded in the summer of 2024 by Chris Cook — a former public school teacher, coach, principal, and parent to three children in the Brookline school district — and Robert Kwak, a lacrosse coach at Brookline High School, operations executive, and Brookline parent.
As two fathers who experienced firsthand the challenges of coaching sports in the town — from long drives to far-away practices, to BHS coaches who were eager to participate but were not well integrated into the town programs, to watching practices where little meaningful skill development was happening — we knew there was a better way. Unit 1 Athletics was founded to address these issues. We partnered with local organizations to run programs in town, hired high-quality coaches from the Brookline school district and beyond, and created a high-repetition, foundational skill-focused training model based on our own coaching experience.
Our Mission
Building Better Athletes To Be Better Teammates
The mission of Unit 1 Athletics is to build better athletes to be better teammates. By elevating athletic skills and fostering community, we support a collaborative and high-achieving local athletic environment in Brookline and beyond.
Our Core Values
What We Stand For
Professionalism
We know the sports we coach, strive to get better at our craft, and consistently approach our work with conscientiousness and respect for our peers, players, and partners — and ask the same of them.
Community-Oriented
We strive to make positive connections with people across our community and believe that when we bring members together to support youth athletes, it is a win for everyone.
Intentional Effort
There are no shortcuts or hacks here. Real, significant achievements of any consequence come from setting goals, focusing on the details, and developing the self-discipline to work through the distractions and setbacks to reach the desired results.
Positivity
We bring a sense of joy to our work, because having the opportunity to help young people gain skills and confidence is a gift.
Why THE NAME?
A UNIT OF ONE. A Part Of Something Bigger
Units are by definition a complete entity and part of a complex whole. At Unit 1 Athletics, we know that a true unit is both a powerhouse on its own and the foundation of a greater team. Put simply: we are about relentless individual improvement, always in service of the squad.
The three helmets in our logo? That’s a direct nod to the Brookline High School Warriors logo and our deep roots in the Brookline community.