The Growl
10
At Home in the Gym By Casey Nierenberg Coach Natasha Ward adds to the Hoosier population here at Holy Trinity by joining the faculty as the new junior high PE coach. If you have never heard of a Hoosier, then you should know that a Hoosier is the nickname given to a person from Indiana. Coach Ward was born and raised in Speedway, Indiana which is the capital of Indy Car racing and home to NASCAR’s Brickyard 400. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a huge tourist attraction with the oldest racetrack in the country, where the Indy 500 is held every year. Even though Coach Ward says she isn’t a big fan of auto racing, she has attended the Indy 500 every year that she can remember and doesn’t plan on stopping. She loves the atmosphere and the people there. After graduating from Speedway High School, home of the Spark Plugs, she decided to move in with her family in Melbourne, Florida, and figure out what she wanted to do. She originally didn’t like Florida, so she moved back to Indiana and attended
college at Indiana University. After graduating from Indianapolis, Coach Ward moved back to Florida while looking for a job. She never thought of or saw herself becoming a PE teacher, but she believes it was God’s plan for her to meet Coach Vicki Bransford who suggested the job at Holy Trinity to Coach Ward. She has had a lot of fun with her students while competing with them during her favorite games such as handball and capture the flag. Coach Ward had a fantastic volleyball career in high school. She also played varsity softball and basketball, and was offered a scholarship to college for volleyball, until she had a major back injury and lost discs in her spine in spots L3, L4, and L5. Coach Ward was also a part of HT’s varsity volleyball program as one of the assistant coaches. “I had fun with the girls and enjoyed watching them play, and I thought they all have tremendous potential,” said Coach Ward.
She was upset about the team’s regional loss, but wouldn’t have done anything differently than Coach Barret. Coach Ward is also excited about her new upcoming job as the assistant softball coach. She is looking forward to being a big influence on the girls and helping to improve the team’s pitching and fielding skills. Athletic ability runs in the blood of the Ward family. Her brother became a professional kicker and played for numerous NFL teams such as the Chiefs and Jets, and also played for a Canadian team. If you’re ever trying to find Coach Ward outside of school, the first place to look is at one of the local gyms. She loves to workout. Another place that she spends most of her time is at her church. She also said that she is only social once in a while and enjoys spending most of her free time with her family.