Editor’s note: This is a regular feature profiling senior athletes at Bryant High School.
Kyle Thompson
NAME: Kyle Thompson
PARENTS: Andrea Thompson and Barry Thompson
SIBLINGS: I have a brother named Christian Thompson and a sister named Catherine Thompson. My brother is 21. My sister is 22.
FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL: I enjoy Math
FAVORITE SPARE TIME ACTIVITY: I like wrestling.
FAVORITE FOOD: Pretty much any type of seafood.
FAVORITE MUSIC ARTIST OR GROUP: I like Kendrick Lamar
FAVORITE MOVIE: The Guardian
FAVORITE TV SHOW: Family Guy
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A KID? We had this parachute like the one in elementary school. It was my favorite.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL? I’m probably going to a scrub tech school at UAMS to become a scrub tech.
OTHER THAN YOUR PARENTS, WHO’S HAD THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR LIFE? HOW? Probably my coaches; Jeff Baldwin has had a really big influence on my high school career. And a guy who also came in and helped for a little bit, Aaron Walker. They just pushed me harder to make me believe in myself, pushed me to my full potential, what potential I’ve achieved.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT WRESTLING? Just knowing you don’t depend on anybody but yourself. You just go out there and, if you lose, it’s on you. There’s nobody to blame but yourself. You can do what it takes to get better.
WHAT’S YOUR WEIGHT CLASS? 160 pounds
WHAT’S YOUR APPROACH TO A MATCH? I just go out there and take it to them. I repeat before my match, “I’m the best there ever was. I’m the best there is. I’m the best there ever will be,” just to make my confidence go up.
WHAT’S BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT TO THE SEASON SO FAR? We’ve done a good job of coming together as a team when we face opponents. The highlight for me is when I’ve won matches that I didn’t think I’d win or I didn’t think I’d do as good as I did. I went out there and pinned somebody.
WHAT’S IT GOING TO TAKE FOR THE TEAM TO BE SUCCESSFUL THE REST OF THE SEASON? We’ve got to work hard, listen, run through our moves.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST CONFIDENT IN YOUR ABILITY TO DO? Come out from on bottom, get off the bottom.
WHAT DO YOU WORK HARDEST TO IMPROVE ON IN PRACTICE? I really try to improve my neutral game with my takedowns and my bottom, just standing up and not just staying on the bottom, working off bottom.
WHEN YOU’RE THROUGH WRESTLING AT BRYANT HIGH SCHOOL, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL LOOK BACK AND REMEMBER MOST FONDLY ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE? Just the guys that have sharpened me as a wrestler and all the guys that I’ve wrestled with since I was a freshman. They’re all gone now but they really influenced my life because they were there for me. Metal sharpens metal. They made me the wrestler I am today.
