Editor’s note: This is a regular feature profiling senior athletes at Bryant High School.
Tyler Purtle
NAME: Tyler Purtle
PARENTS: Tanya and Chris Notias
SIBLINGS: I’ve got three sisters and three brothers. There’s Shara and Blaine, they’re my half-brother and sister. Shara’s 33 and Blaine is 32, I believe. Then I have Amber and Jason. Jason is 30 and Amber’s 26. Then Aaron and Ashley. Aaron is 28 and Ashley is 24.
FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL: Not being at school.
FAVORITE SPARE TIME ACTIVITY: Workout
FAVORITE FOOD: Mexican
FAVORITE MUSIC ARTIST OR GROUP: T-Pain
FAVORITE MOVIE: Shooter
FAVORITE TV SHOW: House
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A KID? I liked my bike.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL? To be successful. I want to be an electricianal lineman.
OTHER THAN YOUR PARENTS, WHO’S HAD THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR LIFE? HOW? I’d say Coach (Steve) Oury; he’s awesome. Whenever I ran, if I had a down race, he would find a way to bring me back up, like ‘It’s okay, Purtle.’ He was my cushion. He helped me out a lot.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT TRACK? Everybody coming together as a team. I love us being like a family in there.
EVENTS? I did the 4×800, the 800, the mile and the two-mile.
WHAT APPROACH DO YOU TAKE TO YOUR EVENTS? Go out as hard as I can and finish as hard as I can.
YOU’VE BEEN OUT FOR A WHILE, WHAT HAPPENED? I ended up getting a stress fracture in my navicular and I was out for six months. I got back into running at the end of the cross country season and ran the last three meets and placed for State. Then we had track trials and on the second day of track trials after the two-mile, my foot was feeling kind of funny. It wasn’t bad. It was just uncomfortable. The next day I tried running on it and I guess I broke something, right around my metatarsal over here. It just broke. I guess it was because I ran weird because of my navicular fracture. I went to the doctor and he said I could run as long as I got a bone stimulator and I did all these medicines and stuff. Well, the bone stimulator was like $2,000 and my parents’ insurance wouldn’t cover it because it wasn’t necessary. So I had to quit running, basically.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE SEASON SO FAR? I think they’re doing good. I wish I could be in there with them. I’m proud of them.
WHAT’S BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE SEASON SO FAR? I’d say hearing about Clifton Hampton and Charlie (Terry) and Mark (Winn). They’re doing awesome. Clifton ran a two-flat in the 800. Then Charlie broke 10 in the two-mile. Mark, he’s recovering back from his injury and he’s running in the low 2’s again. I’m just glad they’re doing good. Everybody’s doing good but those are some good highlights. John Winn’s doing good too, getting a 49 (in the 400) when he though he was going to pull a hammy. He didn’t. He just ran that 49 and he plans to break it, which I’m sure he will.
WHAT’S IT GOING TO TAKE FOR THE TEAM TO BE SUCCESSFUL AT CONFERENCE AND STATE? To give it all they’ve got and don’t ever doubt yourself. Just go in it to win it.
WHEN YOU’RE THROUGH RUNNING TRACK AT BRYANT HIGH SCHOOL, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL LOOK BACK AND REMEMBER MOST FONDLY ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE? Morning practices; whenever we’d go out at like six o’clock in the morning and have our little group run. That was always fun.
