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05/16/2023 12:24 PMKyle Hoffman loves and aims to see his numbers and times continuously drop each time he gets into the starting blocks for the Hand boys’ outdoor track team, and his need for speed has taken him to masterful, almost mach-10 movement to the finish line.
The Tigers’ junior sprinter and relay man played baseball until the age of 12, while starting basketball (which he currently still plays for Hand) around third grade. After additionally tacking on football during his junior high school years, he joined the track team at Hand after being friends with members of the team.
This season in the 400, Kyle has produced an undefeated mark in the event. Even more impressively in that race, he has broken the 50-second barrier on three separate occasions with 49.5 seconds being his top showing.
“In my freshman year, I started doing time trials and ran the 400, and I did well so I was put on the 4x400 relay team,” says Kyle. “I did both the 400 and 4x400 every meet, and I progressively got my times down. There are fewer kids that run the 400 than the 100, and I started to really enjoy the 400 because I saw I was gifted at it. I latched onto it, and I have been doing a lot of training ever since.”
And that practice has nearly made perfect for Kyle with regards to his personal-record times. Not only does he find it personally rewarding to get below the 50-tick threshold, he also sees it as a measuring mark for masterful company.
“I have heard people talk about getting under 50 seconds in the 400, and I always thought that was an elite time,” Kyle says. “I am always chasing numbers and, at first, I was just trying to qualify for states. But I kept pushing myself, and it was such a great feeling knowing you reached an elite time like that.”
From a casual observer’s eyes, the 400 may seem like a brisk and swift sprint, but much like the lengthier runs, it can be compartmentalized into smaller sections–something Kyle knows all too well as a terrific track tactician.
“The strategy I use is I get out to a hard, but not yet full, effort in the start,” says Kyle. “I keep pace, or ‘float’, for the next 100 meters, staying relaxed. Once I am around the second turn with about 180 meters to go, I start shifting things up a gear. Then, for the last 100 meters, I just grind it out.”
No matter his age or grade at any juncture, Kyle has never once been intimidated by going up against teammates his senior. He notes that this mindset, along with using any and all training resources available at his fingertips, he has been able to continually and consistently produce as a prime performer.
“My freshman year on the team, I tried to compete with the older guys and stay with them,” Kyle says. “I have kept that mentality of competing hard with my teammates while also helping to make them better in the process. I also keep listening to my coaches, and I also find online drills I can do in my down time.”
Hand boys’ track Head Coach Tim Geary describes Kyle as the ultimate team player—someone who is all about doing what it takes to enhance the squad’s collective fortunes while strengthening his own in the process.
“Kyle is extremely dedicated and focused on having an outstanding track season. He is very coachable and will do whatever it takes to help the team succeed,” says Geary. “His hard work and positive attitude rubs off on others, and he has led us to our second undefeated [dual-meet] season in a row. His experiences from last year have made him stronger and more determined this year. We are very fortunate to have someone like Kyle on our team.”
Knowing Kyle since his youth basketball days, Madison Hoop Dreams summer ball Coach Bill Barker knows he had the athleticism and leadership skills within him from an early age.
“I first met Kyle when he attended one of our summer basketball camps when he was in third grade. While in high school, Kyle has been a coach for many of our programs,” says Barker. “As a freshman, Kyle started on the varsity basketball team. He had a terrific season and was selected to the All-SCC East Division Team. So, Kyle is a terrific basketball player, but he excels in track. As good as he is athletically, he is an even better person! His handsome appearance, great smile, and the art of being a good listener endears him to adults, his peers, and young kids.”
Kyle’s accolades are not limited to the track, as they also extend to the basketball court as he was a solid contributor to the Tigers’ Division III state-championship campaign his sophomore season. He recalls it actually all started from the opening game his freshman campaign with critical strikes from downtown that gave him the free pass to drive.
“It was a strange year, because we still had the COVID restrictions, and things were not running as smoothly as they could have been,” says Kyle. “But I moved up to JV to start my freshman season and went up against both varsity and JV in practices. Our first game against Lyman Hall, our assistant coach wanted me in. I got into the game, hit two three-point shots in a row to bring the team back up. I gained a lot of confidence in myself and trust from the coaches. I knew I was given the green light to play my game.”
As he moves towards the final legs of his high school career and senior seasons, Kyle aspires to have a mutually exclusive relationship between his academic and athletic feats and reap massive benefits from each. In terms of his immediate incentives, no matter how solo-centric track and field may appear, Kyle is driven by his fellow peers.
“I would like to run track in college at a Division I school and use my athletics to get me into a high-standing academic school which can help me achieve my academic goals of doing well in college,” Kyle says. “I love being with my team; they are great people to be around and my coaches push me. I know that if I do well, then it helps the team in great ways. Seeing my team do well is a big motivating factor for me.”