The Kale Pylant Fund

Kale Pylant was a 2016 graduate of Mountain View High School. As a boy, Kale was always full of energy! He attended gifted classes from first grade through the end of high school. Kale thrived while attending Dacula Elementary School and Twin Rivers Middle School. He received good grades and very rarely missed a day. He made friends easily and was always happy. He was excited to become a big brother when he was seven and was proud of his little sister, always bragging about her. He played T-ball and then baseball beginning at age three. He made All-stars each year and played on travel teams. He was a great teammate and a good baseball player, with great instincts on the field.

In high school Kale was small in stature and although he still played baseball well, he was not keeping up with his peers in size. This was very frustrating for him, as he felt the baseball coaches were limiting his opportunities to play because he was small. Worst of all it damaged his self-esteem, and he felt separated from all his friends that he had played with since T-ball. His freshman year he decided to go to an interest meeting for wrestling. This was something different for Kale. He had always played team sports. Wrestling challenged Kale in ways that he had never been before. It was a sport in which he won or lost based only on his performance. He had to have discipline, be able to think quickly and be willing to put in the work needed. If he did not win a spot for a tournament, he would support the other wrestlers, helping them warm up and cheering them on during their matches. He grew to love the sport of wrestling and his wrestling teammates. He was proud of himself when he won a match or when he was able to add points to the team’s score during duals. He really cared about the guys that he made friends with and hoped he would not lose touch with them when high school ended. Kale, like many young men, made a couple of bad choices during high school. His coaches were always incredibly supportive, and Kale had an abundance of respect for each of them.

Kale was the only two sport athlete on the baseball team all four years of high school. No matter the adversity or how frustrated he might have been, he never quit baseball.

After graduation Kale enrolled in the Corps of Cadets at UNG in Dahlonega with hopes of someday working for the FBI. He was offered a Georgia Military Scholarship and joined the Army National Guard. He went to basic training after his first year of college. We believe that his years of wrestling helped him with the discipline and hard work needed during basic training. After returning Kale decided that college was not for him, and he wanted to work. He worked for Federal Express where he did well and received a promotion to warehouse manager.

Kale had a great future with endless opportunities. He was smart, good with numbers, hardworking and a logical thinker. He was funny and had a contagious laugh. He was competitive and loved playing sports. He was empathetic and had a big heart, always wanting to help others. Kale had a special love for cats, always texting funny cat videos. He was an avid University of Alabama football fan and enjoyed following major league baseball. He was a loyal friend and always made it a point to be supportive and go out of his way to help when needed. He would do anything for his friends. He loved his family, saying that family was the most important thing to him, and he looked forward to having his own family someday. He was proud to follow in his grandfather’s military footsteps and proudly served in the Georgia Army National Guard for four years. But more than anything Kale always enjoyed the camaraderie of being a part of a team.