Kira Thomas '20 Recruiting Profile

Ever since I was old enough my parents put me into every sport they could think of. I tried skiing, soccer, karate and a lot more, but the only sport I liked and stuck with was gymnastics. I did gymnastics for 8 years and loved it, until I was diagnosed with a bone tumor in my shin during my freshman year of high school. Following this diagnosis I had to get the tumor removed through orthopedic surgery, and I couldn’t go back to gymnastics for a year. After 9 months my bone was still too weak for gymnastics, but I was extremely restless and needed to get back into flipping. With my doctor’s approval I talked to the swim team coach at my high school and asked her if we could start a diving team. The coach was extremely helpful, and me in addition to 3 other teammates started my high school’s very first diving team.

Originally diving was just going to fill my time until I could go back to gymnastics, but I fell in love with the sport, started diving in high school and club, and left gymnastics behind. The only adequate facility to dive at is 40 minutes away from my house, but I don’t mind the drive because I have great coaches and I get to dive! Diving can be very scary at times, but I think that’s why I love it, and learning how to work through dives that scare me has made me a tougher athlete, and has taught me a lot of respect and trust for my coach.

For the rest of my time In high school I want to keep challenging myself by taking difficult classes, as well as fun ones. In college I hope to study something that I am passionate about, and eventually make a career out of it.