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Former Katy Taylor star Bryce Foster was named Gatorade's Texas Track & Field Player of the Year on Thursday, July 8.
More than Gatorade's Texas Track & Field P.O.Y, Foster's impact transcends sports
What advice would he give those kiddos idolizing him?
"A big thing is stay consistent," Foster said. "You're going to have days where you just don't want to do it anymore and you want to quit. But everyone has those bad days. You want to look for the good ones and have fun. For me, at the state meet, when I was throwing the shot, I was having a really bad meet and trying to figure out what was going on. I just went back to whatever my dad told me, which is whatever happens, you have to forget it. The most important throw is the next one, and as soon as I remembered that, I flipped a switch and turned it on. Just continue to do what you're good at and don't listen to too many people, because you'll confuse yourself."
But more than the vast athletic prowess that belies his physicality, or his affinity for throwing small objects very, very far, it's Foster's humanity that is perhaps most impressive. He is a role model away from sports as well.
The last two years, as part of his high school's PALS program, Foster mentored at-risk students at Memorial Parkway, Nottingham and Pattison elementary schools.
When people speak about Foster, they talk mostly about his empathy and care for others. During his sophomore year, Foster's chemistry teacher, Julie Wells, who also helped lead the PALS program, noticed the same and recommended he interview for the program.
"Bryce is one of the hardest-working, most respectful and genuine young men that I have run across in 34 years of coaching," Taylor head football coach Chad Simmons said.
After an intensive interview process that dove deep into who he was as a person and his character and make-up, Foster was one of 40 kids selected for the program out of his entire class. He mostly worked with one kid from each school, but oftentimes worked with more than one at a time. Teachers learned to pair other kids up with Foster because of his sincere interest in their well-being.
"It was a lot of fun seeing the improvement from those kids, whether it was a troubled kid who bullied who's now one of the most-liked kids, to someone who was getting bullied and is now comfortable expressing himself around peers," Foster said.
In particular, Foster identified closely with kids who were bullied.
"Whenever I was a kid, I was never a fighter, outside of football," he said. "So, people saw me as being big and thought I looked weird. I was made fun of and everything like that. So, whenever there are kids that look different or have something maybe wrong with them, I'm able to relate in a sort of way. I can help them get through it and help them express themselves."
Former Katy Taylor star Bryce Foster shown after announcing his signing to Texas A&M for football and track and field in December at Katy High School.Dennis Silva II | VYPE Media
Foster grew up around parents, Eric and Heidi, who stressed the 'golden rule' of treating others how you want to be treated. He took that to heart. Foster is a people-pleaser, which is why the recruiting process was one of the most stressful and difficult things of his young life. As much as he loved pledging to Texas A&M, he was aware that he had disappointed so many other schools. That dampened his spirits.
When other people smile, Foster said, his days are better.
"No matter who you are, I'm going to treat you with the utmost respect," Foster said, "and I feel like I deserve to be treated the same way back."
2021 VYPE Awards: Public School Men's Track & Field Athlete of the Year Finalists
The winners will be honored in a one-hour virtual show on Sunday, June 27 at 6 p.m. on VYPE Houston's website, Twitter account and on the VYPE Texas Facebook page and YouTube Channel! It will be an event to get dressed up for and to tune in to as it will be an evening full of special moments!
Let us get it started! Here are the finalists for Public School Men's Track & Field Athlete of the Year!
PLAYER OF THE YEAR FINALIST: Connor Washington, College Park
So, Connor Washington is a thing.
College Park finished third at the state track meet with 38 points -- Washington was a part of them all. Washington won the 200 meters with a time of 20.39 seconds and anchored the College Park 4x400 relay team to a blazing 3 minutes, 13.37 seconds. Washington also finished second in the 100 meters as he and Harlingen's Jose Garcia had to go to a tiebreaker.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR FINALIST: Bryce Foster, Katy Taylor
The "Mountain" took home the gold medal in shot put for Class 6A as he tied his career-best with a monster toss of 71'1". He finished third in the discus. The Texas A&M-signee for football will be a big-time OL prospect for the Aggies and will also participate on the track and field team. He was the Max Preps Male Athlete of the Year for the State of Texas.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR FINALIST: Jalan Rivers, Summer Creek
The Summer Creek boys track and field team won the UIL Class 6A state track meet. That's a big deal. Jalen Rivers had the highest jump in the nation at 7-feet for several months and won state, clearing 6-foot-9.
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