MOUNT VERNON – It started with a few small changes that eventually transformed his whole life.
Mount Vernon boys basketball player Carter Carpenter, who weighed 310 pounds in late December of 2019, began a journey that has seen him lose over a hundred pounds.
“A few days ago, I weighed in at 206 pounds,” the senior said. “I have never been at a normal weight. None of my friends have ever been overweight. It always seemed like I was the only one, all the time.”
Carpenter plays baseball and golf, but his weight forced him to walk away from basketball after his freshman year. He missed his sophomore season and was sitting out his junior season when he took the first steps on the road back.
“I just made small (dietary) changes here and there to start,” Carpenter said, “I didn't really know a whole lot. Then I stepped on a scale one day and I found I was down 20 pounds. Then, I really focused on it more.”
Ironically, it was the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting shutdown that gave Carpenter his biggest boost.
“I went on a really strict diet,” he said. “I didn't work out yet. I just started eating better. When I did start working out, the pounds really started coming off. During that time, nobody was going out and doing anything. We weren't going to restaurants, so everything I ate I could control. I just took full advantage of it.”
Of course, when the COVID-19 restrictions started to recede, the same old temptations were waiting for him.
“For me, it was easier to just not eat when I went out,” Carpenter said. “I got into a schedule where I was only eating at home. When I did go out, I just didn't get hungry the way I usually do. If I really did get hungry, I could snack on a little beef jerky.”
Carpenter had some catching up to do after a two-year layoff from basketball, but his team welcomed him back.
“It was almost like I hadn’t left,” he said. “Everybody treated me like I hadn’t left. I was able over the summer to just get back into the swing of things. I familiarized myself with the program we had and eventually got back onto the team.”
His coach was only too glad to see his return.
“He’s a tremendous kid,” Mount Vernon coach Nick Coon said. “He shops for his own groceries. He prepares his own meals. He’s very disciplined in what he does.”
The Yellow Jackets dropped a pair of games over the weekend. They were downed 62-52 in non-league play by Watkins Memorial on Saturday, Jan. 16, at The Hive. Dylan Banish led Watkins (6-6) with 28 points and Caleb Bodin added 13 points. Owynn Gleason scored 12 points and Hudson Rohlor had 11 points to lead Mount Vernon.
On Friday, Jan. 15, host Ashland defeated the Yellow Jackets 67-42 in Ohio Cardinal Conference play. Eli White and Grayson Streury scored 20 points apiece to pace Ashland (11-2, 6-1). Blake Meyer led the Yellow Jackets (3-9, 2-4) with 20 points and Beau Bridges added 10 points.
