Kendall Salter has quite the agenda for a high school senior. She is a competitive athlete at Thomas County Central High School, she has an impressive 3.75 GPA paired with other educational honors, she is duel enrolled at Bainbridge State College, she’s involved in numerous clubs, she does a variety of charity work, and she is heavily involved in activities at her church. However, out of all the activities she dedicates her time to, her heart is most invested in her position on the swim team.
“I fall in love with the sport more and more every day,” Salter said. “I think this is the most passionate I’ve been towards one sport in my life. When I get in the water, I can challenge myself, and it motivates me to be a better athlete.”
Her passion for the sport is paired with natural ability. A friend suggested to her during her freshman year that she try out for the swim team, and although she had no experience swimming competitively, she decided to give it a shot. That spontaneous decision to dive on in was one that proved good for her and her high school. Salter is a staple to the team and has qualified for state two years in a row with the school’s 200 Yard Relay team. Individually, she competes in the 50 Yard Freestyle and the 100 Yard Freestyle.
“Every year I’ve been close to the same time in the 50 Yard Freestyle, but this year I’m only 0.2 seconds away from the cut to qualify for state, and I know I can do it because I’ve beaten that in a relay before,” Salter said. “So that’s my goal this year, to not only beat that, but blow it out of the water.”
If Salter achieves her time goal in the 50 Yard Freestyle this season, she plans to go ahead and push to get her 100 Yard Freestyle time which is currently only two seconds away from gaining her a ticket to the state meet at Georgia Tech in February. Both times will give her two high school records to round out her impressive resume.
What all else does that high school resume consist of? Prepare yourself. Salter is a competitive and sideline cheerleader and as mentioned, a swimmer. She is a member of the National Honors Society, the Diamond Dolls, Future Christian Athletes and 4-H. She has volunteered at Camp Heal, the Plantation Wildlife Festival, Sway-J and the Special Olympics. With the First Baptist Church, she participates in Fuse and also participates in D-Now, Student Life and Vacation Bible School.
What may be extremely overwhelming to some, is a way of life for Salter. She has a confidence in herself that makes her shine in every activity she touches. Her advice?
“Believe in yourself,” Salter said. “If you don’t believe you can do something, there’s no point in doing it. That’s what I always tell myself whether I’m racing, taking a test or doing something like talking in front of a big crowd, just believe in yourself that you can do it, and do the best that you can.”
She’s a self-motivator, but she’s also isn’t one to not give credit where it’s due.
“My parents help me do everything,” Salter said. “Without them, I don’t think I would be able to do it. They’ve always been my backbone. I love it when they push me, I feel like they are making me a better human being.”
What’s next for Salter? She certainly plans to continue her secondary education. She wants to major in either early childhood education or pediatric dentistry. And as far as swimming competitively goes in college, she would like to. “I hope I will, but if I don’t, then God has another plan for me.”
Thomas County Central Swimmer Blows Standard High School Expectations Out of the Water
In the Game South Georgia | January 2017
By Sarah Turner
