Despite being legally blind, Butte County high jumper Kayden Siler soars to new heights

ARCO – It’s OK to be different.

It took some time, but Kayden Siler can finally admit it.

Siler, a senior at Butte County High, is different.

He was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a progressive vision disease, by age 8, and said he was frustrated and angry at times. His friends played sports and he usually felt left out as his eyesight continued to worsen.

It wasn’t bad at first. Siler played basketball in junior high and had fun until his vision loss eventually kept him off the court.

Retinitis Pigmentosa can be unpredictable. Siler said doctors have told him his sight will likely worsen over the coming years or he could wake up tomorrow and be completely blind. Although complete blindness is not a guaranteed outcome, Siler is legally blind now.

“So I just kind of accepted it,” he said. “There’s nothing I can do about it.”

But that wasn’t going to stop him.

After two years of “not doing anything,” Siler started to get motivated to join his friends in sports the best he could. He became a manager for the football team last year.

During team workouts, he stepped up to test his vertical jump and had one of the highest jumps among the players.

Siler’s natural leaping ability piqued his curiosity about track and field, specifically the high jump.

Friends and classmates encouraged him to give it a try, maybe he could even compete in running events or throwing. But after the first practice in the gym, Siler wasn’t so sure.

The orange lighting in the gym and the reflection off the court combined to impact Siler’s vision as he attempted the high jump.

“I told the coaches I can’t do this,” he said. “I can’t see anything.”

But it was different outside. The natural afternoon light helped Siler’s vision enough that he could at least attempt to practice the high jump.

“I had no idea he was sight impaired,” Butte County high jump coach Boone Barnes said as the new kid came out to try a new event.

Despite his condition, Siler was adamant about making it work. High jump competitions usually start with the bar at 5 feet. That was the initial goal for Siler and Barnes.

Footwork is key to the high jump, and Siler worked to master his steps. It wasn’t easy, he said, but once he started clearing 5 feet, his confidence improved.

“He’s just an athlete,” Barnes noted.

After a lot of practice and perseverance, Siler capped last season by clearing 5-4 at the district meet.

“That was the biggest moment of the whole year,” Barnes beamed. “I’m just thrilled at everything he does.”

Last season literally ended on a high, but this season didn’t start that way.

As practice started for the new season, Stiler noticed his vision had deteriorated.

“I could tell he was bummed out,” his mother Natalie said. “He said ‘I hate it. I don’t want to do track any more. I can’t see the bar this year.’”

“Everything in life is going to be harder for you,” Natalie told him. “You can’t just give up because you have one bad day.”

Barnes intervened as well.

“He was distraught,” the coach said. “He wouldn’t jump. I didn’t realize his vision was getting worse … I told him we’d figure it out.”

The first thing they did was add black tape to the orange bar.

The combination of black and orange colors made it easier for Siler to see the bar as he got closer on his approach.

Being able to see the bar with the orange and black coloring helped, and although it was far from perfect, it was a good start.

“When we did that he jumped the best I’ve ever seen him,” Barnes said.

Siler said he also had a different outlook. Last year it was about being competitive in meets. This year it was about him just doing the best he could and being content with his effort.

That change was spurred last fall when Siler attended a program sponsored by the Idaho Commission for the Blind & Visually Impaired in Boise where he worked with a group of students with similar conditions for five weeks.

He said the experience was life changing.

“Having to deal with it and tell myself that it’s OK,” he said of his new motivation. “I can still do other things that other people can.”

He’s since made plans to attend Idaho State University beginning next fall and study physical therapy.

“I always wanted to go to college,” he said. “I want to help people.”

Meanwhile back on the track, Siler cleared 5-3 in a meet at Carey last week and attempted 5-4. He also ran the 100 meters and threw the shot put.

“It’s deeper than just track,” Barnes said, noting Siler is always fighting an uphill battle.

“But, he finally got a smile on his face” the coach said.

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