Marine veteran and St. Thomas diver Kyle Reid is finishing out his final year of school with the goal of opening up his own family-run CrossFit gym post-graduation. Fitness has helped Reid cope with post-traumatic stress disorder, which he hopes to share with other veterans at his gym.

Reid got a late start to school due to his three-and-a-half years of service in the Marine Corps, seven months of which was spent in Afghanistan. He was later diagnosed with PTSD.

Reid swam and ran for the Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment in 2013. He later trained to pursue swimming while attending Montana State University. Due to the lack of a proper coach at MSU, Reid transferred to swim at St. Thomas in 2015 with his wife, Andee.

“During the week of tryouts, my shoulder dislocated five times in the first six days,” Reid said. “It was kind of a reoccurring injury from my deployment to Afghanistan.”

The higher volume of practices put too much pressure on his shoulders, but he wanted to stay on the team, so the diving coach contacted Reid. That’s when his diving career began. Though a diving novice, he took to the sport quickly and placed in the top eight in the conference his first season. The swim and dive team welcomed Reid with open arms.

Reid’s brother Casey Reid recalled in an email interview the progress his brother has made over the years with his PTSD. This couldn’t have been achieved without his team and fitness, he explained.

“Kyle, from my memory, was having 300-plus seizures a year; nearly one each day,” Casey Reid said. “I believe his positive attitude, inclusion in a sports team and surrounding himself with great people have lead to his improvement.”

“My first Veteran’s Day here, I was having a pretty tough day that day, and I

was getting ready for dive practice,” Reid said. “Every swimmer in the pool stopped mid-set and got out of the pool and gave me a hug and thanked me for my service.”

The team supports Reid in and out of the pool, whether with the sport or with life in general. As he begins pursuing his dream of owning his CrossFit gym alongside his brother and wife, this kind of support will be needed. The Reid family has already started buying gym equipment and hope to start the gym out of their garage before renting a larger space.

“Our purpose is to change lives; We want to be writing success stories each year for each person who spends the time in our gym,” Casey Reid wrote.

The brothers’ hope is that the facility would stand out from other gyms by having massage therapy, yoga classes, nutrition coaching and CrossFit training all combined in the same building.

“What we have discovered as a family is that yoga, CrossFit and massage therapy is very vital,” Reid said. “Not only to exercise but your overall health as well.”

According to Reid, they want to target everyone, but they would particularly love for veterans to come join their gym.

“Not only do I want to have a CrossFit gym, but I also want to target the veteran community,” Reid said. “Because exercise for me has worked wonders for my PTSD, stress and even my chronic pain.”

Reid noted that he has been in athletic competitions since the age of three, which has helped him battle past the largest obstacles. Reid wants to share his passion for fitness with other veterans in the community after he graduates this May.

“Our plans are still unfolding in terms of specifics but our one goal is to leave a #legacyoflove and change lives daily,” Casey Reid wrote. “I believe it would be extremely hard to do without my brother, Kyle.”

Reid hopes that the gym his family will own will provide the veterans who come with a way to cope and relieve stress.

“Being able to find that fitness has given me a second chance at life and a refocused purpose,” Reid said. “It’s something I want to pass on to other veterans.”

St. Thomas head swim coach Scott Blanchard recognizes the positive attitude and work ethic that Reid brought to the team and will put into anything he does in the future.

“Kyle is an incredibly positive individual, he looks for the good in everything and works hard at always moving forward,” St. Thomas swim coach Scott Blanchard said, “Kyle is going to find a place he fits in well and get a lot out of life.”

MacKenzie Bailey can be reached at bail7757@stthomas.edu.