New challenges

Expect Kali Kingsley to thrive in the Air Force as she did in the pool.

By KELLIE DIXON
Published July 22, 2007

Kali Kingsley can't help but smile.

Her instructors don't ease up when it comes to barking orders at the Air Force rookie in cadet training, but the sharp words don't faze her. She just smiles.

Only she's not supposed to smile. So she receives a demerit.

Fortunately for her, she makes up for it. She earns bonus points by keeping her room super clean - something her dad joked rarely happened at home.

Kingsley is tough (see above) and smart (3.98 grade point average). And now the Nature Coast valedictorian, who set practically every school record in swimming, is taking a dip in more challenging waters. She has accepted an appointment to the Air Force Academy.

All those factors made her the perfect choice for the Times in its search for the best student-athletes in Hernando County.

Growing up, Kingsley was a girly girl. She was more into dolls and collecting beanie babies than camping, which she does now as part of her training.

When it came to taking trips, she was a bit of an overpacker. She made a deal with her dad as a sixth grader that if she earned a 4.0 or higher when she graduated, they would go to London. She finished with a weighted 4.512. She filled up two big suitcases for their trip.

By contrast, she toted a small backpack to the airport on her way to cadet training in Colorado Springs.

She has been training most of the summer. And the only way she can communicate with her family and friends is by written letters. There is limited phone and computer use during training.

When she writes, she tells her parents things are going well. Her day typically starts at 4:30 a.m. and ends around 10 p.m. The food isn't bad, either.

Kingsley's parents miss their only child. Her mom might shed the occasional tear, but she and her husband both know this is a great experience. And they both take time to communicate with Kingsley the old-fashioned, handwritten way.

"I just tell her to be strong," said Chris Kingsley, Kali's father. "I just sent her some pictures of her at her prom this year and stuff like that because they really have nothing from the outside."

"We tell her we miss her and we love her."

Fast Facts:

Kali Kingsley's statistics

School: Nature Coast Sports: Swimming, golf, track

ACT score: 29 Class rank: Valedictorian

Academic bonus: Graduated from Pasco-Hernando Community College with highest honors.

College plans: Appointed to and chose to attend the Air Force Academy over appointments to West Point and the Naval Academy. Plans to study behavioral science.

[Last modified July 21, 2007, 22:05:10]