Kristopher Bryant has always been an early starter. He began swimming at the age of 6 months, and by the time he was 4, he had joined a swim team for 5- and 6-year-olds at the Dynamo Swim Club in Atlanta.
[Bryant’s] victories over 6- and 7-year-olds when he was 5 showed the potential he had, and he continued his hobby by competing in the Dunwoody Country Club Swim Team, where he rarely placed lower than first in any of his events, according to a Feb. 1, 2003, article in Lakeside e-Lines.
“I would have to say that the most exciting moment for me in swimming so far was going to the 2004 Southeast Sectional Meet last March in Charlotte, N.C., and placing in the top five in nine different events,” said Bryant, who swam with the Darlington Middle School swim team during his fifth grade year. “Although I did not place first in any event, I did earn two second place and two third place medals. This was awesome for me, since in the Sectional Meet we swam against the very best swimmers from 10 southeastern states.”
Bryant, a sixth grader, recently placed first in the state in the 50-meter breast stroke, the 100-meter breast stroke and the 50-meter butterfly at the Georgia Long Course State Championship meet. He was also a member of the first-place four-man 200-yard medley relay team.
“I like most of the events that I swim, but I would have to say that the two I like most are the butterfly and breaststroke because I swim them very well, even though they are very difficult strokes for most people,” said Bryant.
Held July 15 through 17 at the Dynamo Swim Club, the Georgia Long Course State Championship meet also saw Bryant place second in the 50-meter freestyle, the 50-meter backstroke, the 100-meter backstroke, the 200-meter individual medley and the 200-meter freestyle relay, and third in the 100-meter butterfly.
“Doing as well as I did in the Georgia State meet was also awesome, but the competition was not nearly as intimidating as at the Sectional Meet,” he said.
Bryant trains year round with the Tidal Waves Swim Club in Kennesaw as well as in his training pool at home, a full-length 25-yard lap pool with two lanes, an official starting block and a lane divider. Equipped with a retractable cover, backstroke flags and a pace clock, the pool is heated year round with a heat pump and a gas furnace. According to Bryant, it has everything that a professional pool has, except for a scoreboard.
“We have had the training pool for more than a year now, and it has helped me very much in my training,” said Bryant. “Because it is a 100-mile round trip to my swim practices at Kennesaw State University, my mom and dad can only take me to practice three or four times per week. Having the training pool right behind our house gives me the opportunity to swim every day.”
Bryant added that he also takes private lessons at home to get more individualized training than he gets on the team. “Anyone that goes to the Olympics needs private coaching to fine tune their strokes and techniques,” he said.
Bryant is an “A” student, and is also an accomplished pianist
