By Kyle Coppola
Mount Dora High Junior Impresses in the Sports World and Beyond
Blakely Kite
Mount Dora High School junior Blakely Kite is not your average student-athlete.
Blakely is a determined hard worker, juggling a demanding academic schedule, active participation in the school’s volleyball and softball program and a full-time job.
Despite her hectic schedule and just before the 2023 softball season, Blakely took a job at Chick-fil-A in Mount Dora to not only bring in extra income but to foster independence.
“I strive to become more independent. I wanted to learn more life skills as well as meeting new people. I also enjoy making money and eating their food,” says Blakely, who is also dual-enrolled at Lake-Sumter State College and on track to graduate high school with her associate degree.
Blakely remains goal-oriented, with aspirations of becoming a doctor.
“I am always competing against myself to do better, whether it be on the field or in the classroom. I have a long-term goal of being a doctor and it requires many years of hard work. I want to make my family proud of all the work I have done,” she explains.
Blakely is ranked sixth out of 300 students in her class and boasts an impressive 4.9 cumulative GPA.
Her dedication is further highlighted by her achievements on the softball field. Blakely emerged as one of Mount Dora High’s best softball players, leading the team with a remarkable .464 batting average. She contributed significantly with 26 hits and showcased her speed, scoring more than 33 runs during the 2023 season.
Despite facing challenges in the past, including a diagnosis of Sever’s disease that caused her extreme pain in her heel, Blakely never relented and has focused on being the best she can be.
Blakely acknowledges the support of her coaches and credits the turnaround of the Mount Dora softball program to Head Coach Mike Ganus and assistants Adrianna Newkirk and Matthew McDaniel.
As Blakely continues her academic and athletic journey, her determination and achievements promise a bright future.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
