Teen of the Week: Parkersburg South’s Bentley Kinzer is a man of many talents – Parkersburg News

Bentley Kinzer carved a bear sculpture out of wood with a chainsaw at his house in Parkersburg. (Photo Provided)

PARKERSBURG Parkersburg South High School student Bentley Kinzer thought he wanted to pursue a career in the medical field, and his thought was only reassured after taking Human Anatomy with PSHS teacher Christopher Meckley.

I really enjoyed human anatomy last year, he said. I have always thought I wanted to do something in the medical field and that class made me know that is what I want to pursue.

Kinzer plans to attend West Virginia University after finishing his high school degree. He wants to go there to be closer to his sister Hannah. He is unsure of what exactly he will study but is trying to decide between biology or exercise physiology. He said he could see himself working at a hospital or in a physical therapy department in the future.

I picked biology because I think that it is a major that could lead me into multiple different avenues of the medical field because Im not exactly sure which route I want to take yet, he said. I thought about exercise physiology because Ive also thought about becoming a physical therapist and that is a common major to become that.

Kinzer dreams of eventually opening up a gym and a baseball facility so he can teach kids like him how to lift and play baseball. He said his inspiration for this dream came from Mary and Dave Jeffery, friends of his family, who taught him how to lift.

Bentley Kinzer is the catcher for the Parkersburg South High School baseball team. This was taken during a game at City Park in Parkersburg. (Photo Provided)

They have been such great role models to me, he said.

Kinzer is the catcher on the PSHS baseball team and said his baseball skills have only improved since he started lifting. He started playing baseball at the age of 4 and hasnt stopped playing since. It didnt take long for him to realize how much he truly loves the game.

My interest began right when I started playing, he said. Baseball means everything to me.

Kinzer is also incredibly active in his school community.

The four years I have been here at South I have been a part of the South Side Psychos, which has been an absolute blast, he said.

From left, Hannah Kinzer and Bentley Kinzer take a photo together at Way Back Burger in Hilton Island, S.C. (Photo Provided)

Kinzer leads the PSHS student section and helps support other teams during games. He also works in the main office as a co-op student.

In his spare time, Kinzer likes to volunteer in the community. He has volunteered at local soup kitchens, the Humane Society of Parkersburg and with a wide variety of other causes.

It is truly a rewarding feeling, he said. It gives me the feeling that I am a part of something bigger than myself.

Kinzer also enjoys running his own landscaping business, spending time with his friends and carving bears out of wood with a chainsaw. He said his landscaping business, Bentleys Lawn Care, really took off this summer.

I do everything from landscaping, pressure washing and mowing, he said. I enjoy how Ive been able to hire my own workers and schedule jobs, sometimes even three weeks out.

From left, Brandon Holiday, Bentley Kinzer and Josh Smith attend the Parkersburg South High School 2022 Prom. (Photo Provided)

Kinzers chainsaw technique also took off this summer. He watched a YouTube video of someone else carving a bear out of wood with a chainsaw and thought hed like to do it himself. He tried it and was surprisingly pleased with the results.

James Dobbs can be reached at jdobbs@newsandsentinel.com.

From left, Mary Jeffrey, Bentley Kinzer and Dave Jeffrey take a photo to commemorate a powerlifting competition Kinzer participated in. The Jeffreys helped Kinzer train for the competition that he competed in at the Dils Center in Parkersburg. (Photo Provided)

Bentley Kinzer was a member of the 2022 Post 15 legion baseball team. (Photo Provided)

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Teen of the Week: Parkersburg South's Bentley Kinzer is a man of many talents - Parkersburg News