Beginning high school, senior swim team captain Kyle Blount had a plan of playing soccer. He had a good first season, until his plans changed after his doctor told him that he could no longer play soccer. 

Blount played as a right back on the boys soccer team, but during the beginning of sophomore year, Blount was told that he has labral hip tears, which causes problems with hip movement and pain, and was not advised to keep playing. 

“I still had a few options,” Blount said. “I could take steroids and play for two more years before I would have to quit, but that would cause arthritis around 25, which is not a good option. The doctors also said I could continue playing soccer, but with that I would develop arthritis at 20.”

Blount decided that he needed to stop playing sports that included running and that put pressure on his hips and try something new. 

“I was disappointed in the moment,” Blount said. “But I was just playing for the high school for fun, and I started to not like my club coaches. I realized I was kind of done with soccer, despite my situation.” 

Some of Blount’s friends joked with him that he needed to try swimming because he could no longer play soccer. Blount said that he decided he might as well give it a try. 

“Changing sports from soccer to swimming was hard,” Blount said. “I would basically have to sprint everything just to keep up with the intervals.” 

Blount joined the Lost Creek Aquatics club swim team to help him develop more skills and technique, along with improving his times. 

“I remember crashing into the wall and hitting the lane line often,” Blount said. “I didn’t know how to dive and my goggles would fall off at all of the meets.”

Blount attends an average of 10 practices a week, between club and high school practices, preparing him to improve at upcoming meets. 

“I went to state as part of the relays,” Blount said. “I swam the fly in the 200 meter medley relay and the third leg in the 200 freestyle relay.” 

Blount made quite the transition from playing soccer to learning the strokes to competitively swim. He also qualified and went to regionals all three years that he swam for CPHS. 

Blount will be attending Texas A&M next year studying Engineering. Blount had considered swimming in college, but decided against it. 

“I am so glad I chose to swim after I couldn’t play soccer,” Blount said. “The swim community is such a tight-knit place and it is really easy to make friends. I wouldn’t have changed a thing.”