Ryan Ward
Imagine you’re 12 or 13 years old, you’re in school one day and it’s time for Phys Ed class. It’s probably the highlight of your day so you excitedly run to the gym and there, right before your eyes, is a professional athlete… and he’s your teacher! That exact scenario will be played out very soon for the 7th and 8th graders at Owatonna Middle School this month… Swarm forward Ryan Ward was recently hired to teach PE at the school beginning Monday, January 23rd.
Ward has all the necessary prerequisites; aside from being a world-class athlete, he majored in education at Indiana’s Butler University and is certified to teach phys ed to students in grades K-12. But for a guy who’s used to scoring goals (four this year in the season opening loss to Philadelphia), reaching this goal of finding a teaching job in Minnesota wasn’t easy. When he was traded to the Swarm last year from the Philadelphia Wings, Ward knew he wanted to put down roots here, so he began his job search the same way most of us would… online. During Swarm training camp this winter, Ward checked the school districts daily for openings. When one came up in Owatonna, like a loose ball in front of the net, Ward pounced on it. He set up an interview at the school, did well, was asked back for a second round of interviews, did well again and that was it. Ward scored… he was offered the job. Just last week he moved here full time with his fiancée, Laurel, a Butler University Nursing School Graduate and scholarship tennis player he met in college. The two are getting married in August and, like a dutiful husband-to-be, Ward picked up a wedding magazine at the grocery store the night we spoke. Call that an assist.
The National Lacrosse League resembles Major League Baseball at the turn of the last century; players don’t sign multi-million dollar deals so they need jobs to make ends meet… even during the season. Ward says teaching is the perfect career. “When I was in school, I knew I wanted to play professional lacrosse and I wanted to choose a career that was compatible with that lifestyle. This job at Owatonna is great; our home games are mostly on Fridays so I’ll drive up to the Xcel Energy Center after school, and our road games are on the weekends, so I’ll be back at school on Monday mornings. I might be tired, but I’ll be there.”
The life of a professional athlete, including those in the National Lacrosse League, can be a nomadic one. Players are traded practically every week as coaches and general managers try to create the exact mix they think will bring them a championship. But for the players who are trying to make a living and have a life as well, the NLL can be a risky proposition. Like any well-prepared athlete, Ward has that angle covered. “After being traded from Philly last year,” Ward says, “I wanted to stick around and not worry about being uprooted again, especially in the middle of the season. I negotiated a two year deal with a no-trade clause that will keep me here in a Swarm uniform, and in the Owatonna classroom, through 2007.”
Like most boys, Ward was a self-described “overly competitive kid” when he was in the 7th and 8th grades. Ward has developed his teaching philosophy with that in mind. “I want to make it fun and a place where kids want to be,” Ward says, “I want them to try new things but I won’t stress the competitive piece… I won’t be a drill sergeant with a whistle in my mouth making them do pushups and sit-ups. I’ll stress participation”. In addition, Ward would also like to coach lacrosse… he sent an e-mail to the Owatonna High School Lacrosse Coach about helping out this season, but has yet to hear a reply. (Coach… reply soon!). Ward would be thrilled to help spread the love of lacrosse to kids the way the game was taught to him as a youngster in Canada.
While the Swarm is beginning to become part of the fabric of Minnesota’s sports scene, Ward is paving the way for other members of the team to move here as well. We embrace the romantic notion that “our” athletes want to stay here and do more than simply represent us for a few months during the season. Something tells me Owatonna is going to take a liking to this humble athlete. And how nice would it be to see a group of buses heading up 35E from Owatonna to the Xcel Energy Center to see their teacher play for the Swarm? As Ward says… “I’m here to stay. I want to be a part of the community. Laurel and I are happy to be living here… we want to make Minnesota home.”
-Howard Green
