September 12, 2025
South Lake High’s Hailey Bronson Thrives as Multi-Sport Athlete and Student Leader
By Kyle Coppola
South Lake High’s Hailey Bronson Thrives as Multi-Sport Athlete and Student Leader
South Lake High School senior Hailey Bronson has never shied away from trying something new. A three-sport athlete this year and a standout in the classroom, Hailey is the definition of a student-athlete.
Hailey, who maintains a 4.0 GPA, balances athletics with her work in South Lake’s Certified Nursing Assistant program under instructor Kristy Carroll. She plans to graduate with her CNA certification and pursue a career in health care, a goal reinforced by her volunteer work in the emergency room this past summer.
(Hailey has never backed down from a challenge. Despite a serious knee injury she’s come back strong mentally and physically.)
On the field and in the gym, Hailey has been guided by an array of coaches including Jarod Fullerton (softball), Matt Sanderlin (bowling and weightlifting), and Paul Prince (golf). Before reaching high school, she also competed in soccer, basketball and volleyball, and even earned her black belt in karate.
Her athletic journey has not been without setbacks. The summer before her junior year, Hailey tore her ACL and meniscus during a softball tournament, an injury that required two surgeries. Despite being sidelined, she continued to attend practices and games, supporting her teammates from the dugout. Coach Fullerton recognized her dedication by naming her the program’s “Heart of the Team” award winner.
Despite the injury, Hailey was able to work hard and keep her grades up. She didn’t let the injury slow her down and she was able to maintain her 4.0 GPA. And best believe she worked insanely hard to be able to make it back for her senior year and ready to contribute to South Lake High, any way she can.
(Hailey maintains a 4.0 GPA and is a multi-sport athlete. She also has her “Black Belt” in the sport of Karate.)
Now fully healed, Hailey has taken on a new challenge. With no prior experience, she joined South Lake High’s girls golf team as a senior. Week by week, she is learning and improving, embodying the same positive attitude that has carried her through her high school career.
Her advice to younger athletes? “Have fun and always be positive,” she says. “Those two things will help you and your teammates be successful.”
When asked about her favorite memory from high school sports, Hailey pointed to her years on the softball diamond.
“Our softball team won districts three years in a row, and that is my favorite memory,” she says. Hailey hopes to win one more district championship this year and be in uniform to celebrate with her teammates this season.
Hailey has been more than just a multi-sport athlete. She has been a role model for teammates and a reminder that leadership often shines brightest in the face of adversity.
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.
