At the beginning of freshman year, senior Kyle Redfern was a member of the band and an avid baseball fan. At the end of his senior year, Redfern is preparing for college after commiting to the University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA) for bowling.

Redfern, who has only been bowling since his sophomore year, signed with UTSA in February and will be bowling alongside other bowlers from all across Texas, an opportunity that took him by surprise, according to Redfern.

“When I was presented with the opportunity to sign with UTSA, I was speechless,” Redfern said. “If someone had told me [at the beginning of high school] that I would be a collegiate bowler,  I wouldn’t have been able to respond and for sure wouldn’t have believed them.”

Aside from the competitive aspect of the sport Redfern says bowling has allowed him to experience new environments and meet new people.

“Bowling has helped me make new friends and branch out and try new things,” Redfern said. “It’s made me a more outgoing person.”

With only two years of competitive experience under his belt, Redfern qualified alongside his team for the state finals this year and also was selected to be a member of the All District Team for the Chisholm Trail district. Due to COVID-19, Redfern wasn’t able to compete and represent Cedar Park, which was disappointing, according to Redfern.

“Bowling has taught me how to deal with disappointment and how to stay motivated when times are hard,” Redfern said. “When I learned that state was cancelled, I was devastated. Not only was this the first time Cedar Park had ever gone to state, it was also my last year. I don’t ever get that opportunity to do that again in my life and it definitely hurts.”

 When Redfern found his love and devotion for bowling during his sophomore year, he also found an interest in the culinary program. 

“My favorite extracurricular is a tie between bowling and cooking,” Redfern said. “I love them both and I’ve discovered two new things that are my passion now. I love being able to try new recipes [in culinary] and having luncheons for the teachers.”

After taking business classes Redfern will major in Cyber Security at UTSA. Whether it be on the lanes or in a classroom, Redfern said he is very excited to test out new bowling tools and explore new ideas in college.

“I am most looking forward to using the new technology in college and getting to travel across the country with my team,” Redfern said. “[I’m excited that] something I have worked so hard at has finally paid off. It feels amazing.”

With Redfern’s senior year coming to an unusual end, his friend group is the thing he said he will miss the most when he heads off to college in the fall semester.

“What I’m going to miss most about high school is my friends and being surrounded by a close group of people,” Redfern said. “I’m going to miss week one versus Vandy. All the hype and excitement [at Cedar Park] is unmatchable.”