FEATURED SENIOR ATHLETE: Wyatt Kendall, South Putnam

Wyatt is a senior at South Putnam and participates in three sports, football, swimming and track.

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Banner Graphic: How important are sports to you, and what have you learned from them?

Wyatt Kendall: “Sports are so, so important. Sports are a great way to keep yourself accountable. I’ve found when I do a difficult sport, a lot of the time, even my academics improve. Because you’re on a time crunch, it forces you to manage your time. I’m a competitive person who loves winning but hates losing more. It’s been great to explore that side of me and try new sports. I had never kicked before my freshman year; I did it for four years and had a blast. It’s a great way to meet new people and see a different side of yourself.”

BG: Talk about your sports.

WK: “Kicking is more of a mental battle, not so much a physical one. It’s great to be your own unique position on the team. It’s weird when I roll into my winter sport, swimming, as it’s almost the complete opposite. I put my head down and go. Swimming has been a big part of my life; almost from the time I could walk, I was thrown into the pool. It’s been a lot of fun. Through all my teams, swimming has had a great culture and great group of guys all the time who are accountable. I’ve also realized what a great culture track has since most of the same guys that swam also run track. It’s been great to come back and it’s a chance to work hard and move forward. I also play travel soccer and have picked up pickleball recently.”

BG: What’s the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you in sports?

WK: “I’ve missed a fair few field goals and kicks in my life. You know you have 100s of eyes on you when you miss. If you have your goggles off in swimming, only a few people see that.”

BG: What does your game day routine look like?

WK: “For track, the day of the meet, wherever it is, it’s important to go about the day like I would any other and not make it special. I focus on my academics and schoolwork, keeping my mind off the meet. Once school ends, then you can start mentally preparing for what you’re putting your body through and what’s important that day. Music has always been important for me so I’ll have a pair of headphones on, listening to a gameday playlist an hour before the meet. Getting in the zone is important and music is a good way to do that.”

BG: Do you have any favorite college/pro sports teams or athletes you follow?

WK: “I don’t keep up with much swimming stuff but I watch a lot of NFL games and highlights, watching the kickers. Jason Myers of the Seattle Seahawks is a lot of fun to watch. It’s a lot of fun to watch someone do what you do but flawlessly and effortlessly. It’s great to watch what he does.”

BG: You’ve been out of track for a couple of years but also noted earlier many of the same people who swam also run track. How have those connections helped ease you back into the sport?

WK: “The similar culture between swimming and track, as you have a lot of the same guys going through both, has been great because while it’s an entirely different sport, being on land instead of being in the water, the people I’m around with are still the same and the vibe is the same. Nothing really feels that different other than what you’re doing.”

BG: What else do you do at school besides things involving sports?

WK: “I’m involved in some student organizations like NHS and student council. It’s a great way to keep tabs on friends but also a great way to meet new people. Even in NHS, you’re doing community service, which gives you the opportunity to participate in things like Teen Court at the courthouse and explore new areas of the community you wouldn’t otherwise.”

BG: What do you like to do outside of school and sports?

WK: “Usually hanging our with friends and families. Last summer, I met up with a friend who graduated the year prior from South Putnam and we would go play pickleball every other day or play airsoft with friends on the weekends. I’m a very social person and any chance I get to be social and interact with friends is good. As a senior, you realize time is running short with your friends and classmates.”

BG: What are your favorites in reading, movies, TV and music?

WK: “When it comes to shows and movies, I’m a big drama person but also like documentaries. I like movies like ‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘Darkest Hour,’ ‘Interstellar’ and ‘Inception’ are great movies that make you think while you’re watching them. Any kind of film stuff along those lines I enjoy a lot. You get into your own mind watching those, trying to figure out what’s going on and try to think you’re way through them. I’ve read some nonfiction books recently but grew up reading the ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Percy Jackson’ series as it’s fun to let your imagination go wild, to think about the possibility of what those books brings.”

BG: Are you a person who wants to watch TV shows and movies or stream something from YouTube, Twitch, TikTok etc. or do something else with your free time?

WK: “If any of my family members are at the house, I would invite them to play ping pong. We got a table a couple of years ago for Christmas and the amount of fun memories I associate with that piece of equipment are uncountable. It’s a great way to indulge my competitive side and still bond with the family. It’s been a lot of fun doing that.”

BG: What is something you have never done before that you would like to do someday?

WK: “Skydiving. My mom went when she was 18; I’m sure it terrified her but I think it would be interesting. If I had Tom Cruise as my neighbor, I’d ask him to take me skydiving every day. It seems like a lot of fun.”

BG: What is your biggest fear?

WK: “Letting people down. I hate that feeling. I want to be respected but also counted upon. Being loyal is an important attribute in my life. When someone asks you something and you don’t pull through, it’s very frustrating. I care about the people I’m around and don’t want to put them through something they don’t want to.”

BG: You’ve been placed in charge of making dinner. What’s on the menu?

WK: “I can make breakfast foods; I’m decent at that. I would make some sort of breakfast burrito. I can make decent scrambled eggs; we have chickens at home, so I’d take a couple, whisk those in a bowl, add milk and 21 Saloon seasoning, which is amazing, let the eggs cook, make some bacon, maybe some chorizo sausage and add some cheese. I know how to wrap a burrito, so I’d make four solid burritos and call it a night.”

BG: Do you have any pets?

WK: “We did have a dog named Ada that I grew up with. It was an awesome dog. As a family, we’ve been thinking about getting another animal; I’m hoping it’s a dog. I love having companions and animals. I’m hoping it’s something that will happen.”

BG: If your house were on fire, all living things were already out and you have your keys, cell phone, wallet/purse etc., what is one thing you would go back and get?

WK: “If I could take it out, I’d get our ping pong table. I don’t own a lot of items in my room I value but that ping pong table, I’d hate to lose that. If I could lug it out, I would.”

BG: A family member has hit the lottery. After everything is paid off and money is set away for the future, you’ve been asked to buy something you have always wanted to get. What are you asking for?

WK: “The first thing we would agree to do is probably take a trip to a different country. My parents went to New Zealand last summer and said it was great, so some place like that or Switzerland. It would be cool to spend two weeks out in a whole different county and culture.”

BG: If you were to describe your personality in one word, what would that word be and why?

WK: “Determined. I’ve always been great at focusing on one thing. I’m not great at multitasking. If I’m taking notes in class and a teacher is talking, I can’t do both. When it comes to doing one thing, I’m very good at buckling down and doing the work, whether it’s academics or sports. I strive to be the best and hate walking away from something knowing I could have done better. I’ve always been very determined to make sure that doesn’t happen and if I feel I could do better, I’m determined to keep pushing and improving myself in any way I can.”

BG: What has been your favorite place to visit?

WK: “I went to Italy over fall break sophomore year. It was a whole different culture and I didn’t know what I was doing but it was still a great experience. The food and pasta was a lot better, the sights in Venice and Rome, it was just something you can’t replicate here. It was awesome.”

BG: What was your favorite school field trip?

WK: “The Italy trip. It was part of the service the school provides, bigger trips to different countries. We’ve taken some smaller ones, like to Chicago, but nothing prepares you for a whole different country.”

BG: How important is support from your family and classmates to your success?

WK: “Moderately important. It’s always great to feel and be supported from your family. It’s nice to come home at the end of a semester and your parents congratulate you for making all As for a semester. It’s also great to have a friend congratulate you after swimming a PR. I wouldn’t say I necessarily need or rely on that support. I’m OK doing my own thing if I know it is the right thing, to take actions to succeed. I’ve grown to accept that you don’t always get support for things and you just have to keep plugging away at it.”

BG: Describe your overall school experience both academically and athletically.

WK: “When I started in middle school, I didn’t really know what I was getting in to and maybe didn’t enjoy South Putnam at first. Then again, most people don’t enjoy their life as a middle schooler anyway. Once you’re older, are a little more mature and understand what other schools offer academically and in terms of sports, I realized that I’ve been really happy here. It’s a small world here at South Putnam but I’ve been blessed with a great senior class. It’s been awesome to do a lot of the same extracurricular activities. There have been a lot of wonderful teachers at South Putnam like Mrs. Hodge and Mrs. Dickson. It’s great to have role models like that in your life who have supported you all along the way. It’s a small school but because of that, the teachers know you personally and help you develop academically. I’ve been very satisfied with my time at South Putnam over all these years.”

BG: If your school was to offer a class it currently doesn’t, what would you want to see taught?

WK: “I would love for them to teach psychology. The school used to offer it when I was a sophomore but when the teacher left, they stopped offering the course. Psychology is so fascinating to me. It’s so fascinating to see how the brain works and if you understand how your own mind works, you can make better decisions and be a more informed person. It’d be beneficial for anyone to take it and fascinating I’ll get out.”

BG: What are your plans for after high school, and what career are you headed toward?

WK: “I plan to attend Carthage College, a smaller to medium size college in Wisconsin, planning to do a dual major in exercise science and psychology. After completing a bachelor’s degree in both, I want to move on to graduate school to obtain a master’s and PhD in sports psychology. I love sports and psychology and it is a great way to find out what is going on in athletes’ minds during a performance. Then I want to return back to a college in the area, like a DePauw or Butler, to help those athletes in the future.”

BG: Is it difficult to keep up with your school work being an athlete?

WK: “There is a stereotype that there is; personally, I say no. Sports teaches you to better manage your time, so I think it’s the opposite of what people think. Being an athlete helps your academic studies as you have to learn how to not procrastinate, or at least not as much. Some people still will, but it’s beneficial in that sense.”

BG: Which particular classes and teachers have helped you the most in high school?

WK: “I had good classes and teachers my junior year. I took an AP Biology class with Mrs. Hodge and that was just wonderful; a wonderful teacher who knows how to teach well in a class that was tough but also a fun class to learn about. I also took an AP U.S. History class with Mr. Welti. There was a great group of people who took that class, around 20 or so, many of them my closest friends, and so it was great. We had a great teacher in Mr. Welti, who is fun to be around, and also learned a lot about U.S. history.”

BG: In the future, once you’ve established yourself, if you had your choice, would you want to live in the mountains, on the beach or in the neighborhood?

WK: “I might be biased from growing up in a rural area, but being able to drive around, having your own land, property, woods etc. but also a close enough drive to get to places means I would rule out any urban or city properties. I don’t think I would want to live in a big city, so I would live some place rural, but suburbs do appeal to me. As long as I have a lawn, fresh green grass or trees around.”

BG: Do you think high school has gone fast, and are you going to miss it?

WK: “For the first three years of high school, it goes pretty slow, but as a senior, it flips on its head and you realize things feel like they’re going very fast. I’m going to be a little sad to graduate. I know a lot of people are happy to go to college but for me, it’s weird, being in this small world for so long, to finally leave it. I almost don’t want to leave it because I know it so well and am so familiar with it. It’s going to be weird to be in a different environment and setting.”