Austin Ryf achieves the balance that has made himan exceptional student-athlete

Male Athlete of the Year Austin Ryf achieves the balance that has made him an exceptional student-athlete here is a mistaken belief that the winner of the BFS Male Athlete of the Year should be bench pressing 400 pounds and running 4.40 in the forty. Yes, the award is given to exceptional athletes, but there are other qualities that we look for when making our selections. We are looking for great students who are also exceptional athletes. We are looking for Elevens, and we found one in Austin John Ryf of Winneconne High School. Winneconne High is 90 minutes northeast of Madison, Wisconsin.

It’s a school of just over 500 students in grades 9-12, with eight sports for male students and eight sports for female students. In June 2008 the school hosted a BFS two-day clinic plus a Be an 11 seminar. BFS clinician Lance Neven came to run both the clinic and the seminar. A total of 79 athletes participated, and Austin Ryf was one of those athletes. Austin had just finished his freshman year of high school. With his strong work ethic, Austin was already excelling in football, basketball, track and field, and baseball. “Austin is a tremendous athlete on the football field. He TAustin Ryf has won postseason team MVP awards in football and basketball.

has been the starting quarterback since his sophomore year as well as a starter on defense as a defensive back,” says Mark A. Maranell, a certified BFS coach who trains the athletes at Winneconne. “Austin played a big role in Winneconne’s success in the 2009-2010 season on the offensive side of the ball. His athletic ability to run and pass made our offense tough to defend against and propelled our offense to be number one in the conference for total offense.” Austin was voted First Team All-Conference QB during the 2009 season and Third Team AllConference Defensive Back. He was also voted Team MVP for the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

Says head football coach Bill Vander Velden, “Austin is a highly competitive athlete that demonstrates command and leadership on and off the field. He is a tremendous asset to the team, a true champion.” But football is not the only sport in which Austin shines. Austin has received many honors and awards in basketball, becoming a starter on the varsity team in his freshman year. He was voted unanimously as the NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 First Team All-Conference player in the 2009-2010 season, and he led the 10-team conference in scoring for the 2009-2010 season. He was also voted Team MVP for the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 seasons.

Says head basketball coach Ralph Larson, “Austin is a very gifted athlete who makes his teammates much better through his strong team play. He is a very unselfish player. Extremely coachable and highly respected by his teammates, coaches, teachers, fellow students and fans. A coach’s dream!” And then there’s baseball. As a sophomore he was voted Third Team All-Conference, and as a junior he was voted First Team AllConference Outfielder. Maranell notes that Austin played a big role during the 2010 season, propelling the baseball team to its first conference championship since 2002.

Says Dan Snyder, head baseball coach, “Austin is a great Austin has been a talented multi-sport athlete all his life. overall player. He is talented both on offense with his bat and defense with his glove, but where he really excels is his ability to lead others. He is respected by his teammates and has the demeanor to motivate them.” Let’s look at the scorecard. Austin currently has 12 varsity letters in four different sports, and is on track to earn 16 varsity letters by the time he graduates next year. “Austin has always been athletic; his brother and his sister both played sports and he played right with them,” says his father, Jeff.

“He wants to go on to college and play sports, and he has the intensity and desire – you can see it in his face when he’s playing that he wants to win.” One reason for his success is his hard work in the weightroom. After that first BFS clinic, Austin started seeing great results in his athletic fitness that directly transferred to the playing field; he couldn’t get enough of it. His personal bests are a parallel squat of 355 pounds, a power clean of 220 pounds and a bench press of 205 pounds. Austin is not only an athlete you’d want on your team, he is also a student you’d want in your class. He is dedicated to his academics and has earned a 3.811 GPA, ranking him 18th in his class.

“Austin is also involved in the community, volunteering for a number of different community organizations, and he’s completed over 72 hours of community service,” says Maranell. “I’ve had the privilege of teaching and coaching Austin the last four years. He exemplifies the Be an 11 attitude and what BFS is all about.”

Strong family support has helped Austin become a great athlete and student. Shown left to right, Nate, Kayla, Austin, Cheryl and Jeff.

Hard work in the weightroom using the BFS program has helped Austin become, pound-for-pound, an exceptionally strong athlete. unilateral power press Total body workout for explosive training Develop strength, balance and coordination Heavy duty – for the strongest athletes DEDICATED TO HELPING ATHLETES SUCCEED SINCE 1976 7$.(29(57+(*$0(&$//

From BFS Magazine — November/December 2010. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).