Former Wolf coach Ryan King (right) has been working with Jacob Martin as he prepares to chase his college football dream. (Photo courtesy Martin)
You can take the coach out of the school, but you can’t take the coach out of the game.
For the first time in several years, Ryan King isn’t planning on being on the sidelines this coming school year.
The Coupeville High School grad, a captain on the last Wolf football team to post a winning season in 2005, has worked in recent years as a football and basketball coach for both CHS and CMS.
After finishing the middle school girls hoops season this past winter, King decided to take a break from both that sport and high school football, where he had been an assistant under Tony Maggio, Brett Smedley and Jon Atkins.
But while he’s no longer sporting official Wolf coaching gear, the lure of working with athletes is a hard one to resist, and King is reemerging as a personal coach.
This summer he’s been working with football players such as recent CHS grad Jacob Martin, who will be playing for Feather River College, and incoming Wolf senior Jake Hoagland.
The chance to impact players, and help them succeed, has driven King since he first moved from playing into coaching.
This summer’s one-on-one work has re-lit that fire.
“It’s been great; it’s really brought my love for coaching back to full-force,” he said. “There’s something there that reminds me why I’m doing this.”
King tailors his lessons to each player, based on their playing level and goals, with an emphasis on helping each of them improve their speed, skill set and attitude.
“My goal is to help them become better athletes in every way,” he said. “All athletes need one-on-one work, which they might not be able to get during a team practice, and this gives them that chance. It’s a tremendous opportunity.”
With a player like Martin, who is moving from linebacker to strong safety as he jumps up to the next level, King focuses on drills which will help the player in areas such as deep coverage and run pursuit.
“We want to work on his speed and agility, which he’ll need in college,” King said. “Jacob is a hard worker, and you can see tremendous improvement as we work.”
While football and basketball are his calling cards, King is open to working with athletes in any sport.
“Except tennis, cause I don’t know the game,” he said with a laugh. “I’d just tell them go hit the ball. I know that part!”
And while his clients so far are current or former Wolves, he would welcome working with athletes from Oak Harbor or South Whidbey.
King, who is attending school at Skagit Valley College and working at Sherwin-Williams, plans to be in the coaching biz for many years.
Whether that’s as a personal coach or coming back around to work at the school level, what drives him will remain the same.
“I love to give back to all the athletes, at whatever level and in whatever sport,” King said. “That’s why I do this.”
Cost is $10 an hour for middle school athletes and $20 an hour for high school athletes. To contact Ryan King, email him at king2233@msn.com.
Coupeville Sports 