This Week's Whiz Kid: Kyle Chesterman

Whiz Kid's Age: 14

Whiz Kid's School: Nanuet Senior High School

Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: Kyle has been a successful Varsity Cross Country  and Track & Field athlete since 8th grade.

Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness: 

Freshman year of high school to many is a time of just getting adjusted to a new school, getting used to the new responsibilities and staying clear of the upper classmen for fear of intimidation.

But for Kyle it has been a time for excelling in what he does best: running! Nicknamed the 'Freshman Sensation,' he has taken the Nanuet High School Long Distance team by storm. 

"The team's top runner, Kyle Chesterman, finished seventh in the League Meet, 16th in the County Meet, and 13th in the Section. He accomplished all of this his freshman year," said coach Chaflin at the

At this banquet he was awarded MVP, All-League, 3rd Team All-County, and Scholar Athlete.

He can run one mile in 4:57 minutes. His two mile time 10:32 minutes.

Kyle started running in 7th grade on the modified team for Nanuet Middle School. That summer, while completing a Merit Badge for personal fitness for Boy Scouts, he had to log his training time and keep track of his diet.  By the fall when track started again he found that all the training and tracking he did over the summer paid off.  He has continued the same routine ever since.

"I usually log my runs in a log book which I record all of my road runs, practices and races in. It helps me see how I progress throughout my seasons," said Chesterman.

This dedication, persistence and diligence has paid off greatly for Kyle. He has come in first place in the Roswell Freshman Championships.  Second in the Manhattan Invitational and second in the Bob Pratt Invitational.  He ranked 16th in the Rockland County Championships and 13th in the Section 1 Class B Championships. And he's only a freshman!

"My favorite Meet so far was during the cross country season. The race was the Six Flags Wild Safari Invitational.  The race ran through the wild safari and many of the animals could be seen and I thought that was really interesting," said Chesterman.

"The amazing thing about him finding a sport that he excels at is that when he was 6 years old he was diagnosed with Perthes disease," said his mother Lynda. "It is a debilitating disease in the hips. He had it in both hips and was no longer able to play soccer that season, go to recess or participate in PE at school.  Through physical therapy and time his condition improved and he began participating in some  gym activities and was able to go to recess with some restrictions by third grade. There were still some sports restrictions (no karate or anything contact which could cause him to fall or land on his feet with force) so he played baseball as long as he didn’t slide into base. Despite having to deal with the disease as a child he has overcome this boundary only to excel in what he set his mind on."

In addition to his school work and track training and meets, Kyle is also a Boy Scout with Nanuet Troop 33. He is a Star and working towards a Life Rank.

Over the summer Kyle attended the Nanuet Track Club program geared for younger kids as an introduction to track.  He could be seen on the track encouraging the younger runners and would run with them giving them pointers. He was showing kids half his age how to breathe properly to alleviate cramping while they ran the mile race. 

Kyle has a promising future in cross country and track & field. It will be very exciting to follow his success and see where the path leads him in his future. If you see this star around town be sure to give him a high five as Nanuet continues to cheer him on!