KAILUA — Cody vonAppen is a busy teenager these days, spending much of his time as Kalaheo High School's starting quarterback and maintaining honor roll grades in the classroom.

When he's not playing football in the fall, it's basketball in the winter and baseball in the spring.

Although a bit shy and quiet, like most 15-year-olds he is full of life. But he also knows first-hand how quickly life can be taken away.

Eight-and-a-half years ago, vonAppen and his parents saw a fun, happy moment instantly turn to tragedy during a family outing on Kaua'i. And though he barely remembers the details from that day as a 6-year-old, the lesson was ingrained and has given him a perspective many teenagers have yet to appreciate.

"I'm thankful every day I'm alive," vonAppen said. "I'm thankful to be healthy."

On March 29, 1997, University of Hawai'i walk-on placekicker Shannon Smith hosted the vonAppen family — Fred was then UH's head coach — and other friends on a mountain hike to scenic Waipahe'e Falls, just north of Kapa'a. A feature attraction at the site is a short ride down mossy rocks into a small pool of fresh water — an amusement-park type thrill that was formed by nature.

The locals affectionately call the place, "Slippery Slide."

After one solo ride, Smith invited Cody to join him, and Cody's mom, Thea, took a picture as the two slid happily down the ride.

But after plunging into the pool, Smith and vonAppen took a while to emerge from the swirling water. Thea jumped in, but immediately had trouble staying afloat in the whirlpool.

Smith and Cody finally reached the surface, but along with Thea they were struggling against the tug of rushing water.

"I was talking to Cody, telling him to hold his breath," Thea said. "But thank goodness he was used to water. Even when he was 4, he was jumping off the rock at Waimea (Bay). He didn't panic. If he panicked, he would have died."

Thea eventually was able to hand Cody over to Fred, and then he was pulled to safety by former UH quarterback Tim Carey. Thea also made it out safely, but Smith was not so fortunate.

"I didn't think I was going to make it," said Thea, who had submerged several times. "When we finally got out, we were sitting there and said, 'Where's Shannon?' Apparently, he hit his head."

According to an Advertiser story published April 1, 1997, the group called police and divers later found Smith's body nearly 20 feet below the surface wedged against the rocks. He had suffered a contusion on his head, and it was believed he was knocked unconscious while being pulled underwater.

"It's a compelling story, but a sad one," said Fred vonAppen, now retired and living in Montana. "To this day, not much time goes by without thinking about Shannon. One minute you're having fun, and then there's a tragedy. It's a sobering reality that you're just a moment away from losing someone who is very dear to you."

The incident was life-changing for Thea, who has since remarried and is now Thea Wheeler.

"I saw how life is so short and you gotta live it to the fullest every day," Thea said on Sunday. "Shannon was only a couple days from turning 21. It changed me — after something like that, you hope to live life with some meaning, helping others. I went back to school and graduated, and now I work as a nurse in the orthopedic trauma unit at Queen's (Medical Center)."

Much of Cody's life now revolves largely around athletics, but he knows the difference between winning and losing and life and death.

"I realize (sports) is just a game," he said.

Although he grew up around football, Cody had little playing experience before becoming Kalaheo's JV quarterback as a freshman last year.

In his one season with the Windward Tigers youth program, he broke his hand and missed most of the games. But Fred said Cody has picked up the sport's nuances quickly.

"He's grown up around football," Fred said. "When I was coaching at UH, he was still young but he was always around. When I was (an assistant) with the Vikings, he was at practice every day in training camp, and clearly those kind of things are going to rub off on him. But he always loved sports — every spare time he had, he was shooting baskets or playing catch or hitting in the batting cage."

Fred said he never forced his son to play football, so the decision to try out for Kalaheo last year was Cody's alone.

"My feeling was I never tried to push any of my offspring into playing a sport, so the choice was pretty much his," Fred said. "Our only thing was if he commits to it, he should stay with it at least until the season concludes. But because coaching football was my life's work, I was always reasonably careful not to put undue pressure on him to play."

Fred said Cody does not appear to feel any effects from the expectations of being a coach's son.

"That can happen sometimes, especially when you're a quarterback," Fred said. "My other son was a wide receiver in high school, so in that case you're not in the spotlight as much. When you're the quarterback, they watch your every move. But it doesn't seem to bother Cody."

Kalaheo has switched to an option-based offense under first-year head coach Russ Ramos, and the Mustangs have struggled to a 1-5 start. But Cody has exhibited signs of his ability to run the show effectively, especially when he completed 5 of 9 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns and scored on a 35-yard TD run in a victory over Kalani two weeks ago.

At 5 feet 8 and 150 pounds, Cody is not blessed with great size now but Fred said that could change soon.

"I'm a pretty big guy and his brother is big, so I expect him to have a growth spurt at some point," Fred said. "But he's already having fun with the game, and that's really all that counts. I hope he stays with all three sports."

Even if he doesn't, Fred and Thea are thankful for Cody just the same, especially after coming so close to losing him.

"You love all your children and they're all special to you, but Cody really is a special kid," Fred said. "We're glad he's still around."

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.