Kyra Hall '21 Recruiting Profile

In the summer of 2011, a flyer went out at school for the area’s Recreational Swim League. I was new to the school, and it sounded like fun, so I asked my mom to join. I was absolutely terrible. I couldn’t do more than 50 yards of freestyle and in a longer race, I would always flip over and do the rest of the race as backstroke. I was not going to give up and with more practice, I learned to love the water. As I became more competitive, my family and I decided to join a USA team. I have been competitively swimming for 8 years now and even though I was absolutely terrible in the beginning, the atmosphere was so much fun that I quickly grew to love the sport. I knew that this was what I wanted to do, and I have been dreaming of collegiate and Olympic swimming ever since. Since then, I have qualified for four Indiana Age Group State Championships, two Indiana Senior State Championships, the 2019 Futures Championship, and two IHSAA Girls State Swimming Championship meet. I was the first girl in 17 years from my high school to qualify for the IHSAA meet as well as the first in 20 years to score points, and I was honored to represent my school and what we stand for - respect, discipline, hard work, perseverance, and community. I hope to be a part of a collegiate team in which these same values are upheld. One of the best feelings of being on a swim team is the idea that my team is my family. Being a part of a family that I know will support me and having good bonds on a team are some of the most important things to me in swimming. This sport and my team have helped to shape who I am not only as an athlete but also as an individual. I have had to overcome some mental and physical obstacles to get where I am today.  Mentally, I am quite hard on myself when I don’t race as well as I would like. But, I always try to learn from my races and try not to dwell on bad races. I expect the best from myself, just as others expect from me. Although there are mental obstacles, I can always depend on swimming to get me through times of stress, anger, frustration, and anything else. Swimming makes me feel good and it is one of the biggest and best parts of my life. The water is my home. When I’m not swimming, I feel anxious and I itch to get back in the pool. During races, I know that all my hard work is being put to good use, and it makes me feel good about representing myself, my team, and my family. When I hear the starter go off and I feel myself hit the water, I get an insane feeling that the pool is exactly where I am meant to be. Through swimming, I have learned that I am a flexible and coachable athlete, and I try my best to do what my coaches and teammates ask of me. I am accountable and take responsibility for my actions and am determined to do my best in all aspects of my life from athletics to academics as well as being a good friend, sister, and daughter. Swimming has also taught me valuable time management skills, setting realistic goals, how hard work leads to improvement, and how to be gracious even if my race is not the best. 

My academic goals for high school are to graduate with an Indiana academic honors diploma, as well as receiving both academic and athletic scholarships. My freshman year, I held the highest GPA of both girls and boys on my team. I continue to excel in academics and have taken college courses at Ivy Tech as well as Dual Credit Courses at East Central High School. In college, I want to study to become an athletic trainer and physical therapist. I know that I will have to balance my coursework and swimming at the same time and am ready for that challenge. 

My parents, sisters, and grandparents have influenced me to be the best athlete and student that I can be. Their unconditional love and support have helped shaped me to be a respectful, kind, and caring person, who tries to see the best in everybody. In July 2020, my dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer and I decided to dedicate my Senior Year Swim Season to him - he has always inspired me to be the best I could be and to never give up, no matter what the challenge may be. I aspired to have the best season I could have and follow his lead and tackle each day and practice with the same fierceness that he did. Unfortunately, my dad passed away on January 16, 2021 - 3 weeks before I was to compete in our Sectional. I was determined to keep my promise to him and myself and not give up on my goals and swam with my mind, body, soul and heart! I believe that I have risen up to any challenge that life has thrown at me and faced it head on. My season has been successful for me and my grades and consistent time improvements in the pool have shown this.

My coach has also influenced me in becoming who I am. He is there to listen to my needs, encourages me, and pushes me to do my best in and out of the pool. Along with these people in my life, my teammates also have influenced me to be who I am. They are all so supportive and welcoming of everybody they meet. They are a big part of why I was able to make it to the IHSAA State Championships because they never let me give up this season and were behind me the whole way there. 

I am a very funny, appealing, and positive person to be around. I like to make people laugh and hope that my positive nature will inspire those around me, especially the young children that I coach on our club team. I am a good listener as well as empathetic and am willing to help anyone who reaches out to me. I also have good verbal communication skills and can work a problem out with others when needed. Along with these qualities and my work ethic, I know that I will be successful as a collegiate swimmer.