Schools honor excellence — Athletes of the Year for Mountlake Terrace
Published 10:14 am Monday, March 3, 2008
Mountlake Terrace’s Ronald Bang and Ashley Grover displayed a serious side when they needed to, but they also brought a lighter side to their respective teams.
For their accomplishments on and off the field and their exceptional ability to connect with their teammates, Bang and Grover were named Mountlake Terrace High School’s Athletes of the Year for 2004-05 at the school’s annual sports banquet.
Mountlake Terrace football coach Tony Umayam describes Bang as a player who could relate to all of his teammates regardless of their age and background.
“He was probably the most popular guy on the team at every grade,” Umayam said. “Everybody liked Ronald. He was very positive. He rarely got down on himself or his teammates. He always had a timely joke.”
Bang, a defensive back and one of the Hawks’ kickers, helped to keep practices on the light side. In the spring, Bang helped lead the boys soccer team to the district playoffs. The defender earned second-team, all-league recognition.
The Mountlake Terrace football team didn’t have a large senior class so Umayam had to rely on a select few to help guide a young squad.
“He was definitely one (player) we could rely on to actually play a solid defensive back each and every week,” Umayam said. “He had great footwork with him being a soccer player. It helped him out with that and just his overall attitude.”
The spring provided one of the highlights for Bang as he and his teammates pulled out a huge upset victory over district rival and the 2004 Class 3A state champion Meadowdale.
“The whole team played the game of our lives in beating Meadowdale,” Bang said. “Everyone played solid for that game.”
For Bang, the best part about playing organized sports are the friendships he developed with his teammates. Through athletics Bang had the opportunity to become friends with individuals with all sorts of different interests.
“It’s allowed me to hang out with people I wouldn’t normally get to know,” Bang said.
Both the football and soccer teams had players with diverse backgrounds. Bang didn’t just interact with players his own age. He made it a point to get to know the younger players.
“It was fun to hang out with the lowerclassmen and watch them grow as well,” he said.
In the fall, Bang will head to the University of Washington where he plans to consider a career in pharmacy or engineering.
His athletic pursuits have helped to prepare Bang well for the future. Teamwork is important for success in any field.
“In working with co-workers, communication is really key in success,” Bang said.
Umayam will miss Bang’s presence.
“He’s a fantastic student and a hard worker,” Umayam said. “He was a great kid in the classroom and on the field.”
Ashley Grover was called on to fill many roles for the Mountlake Terrace girls basketball team.
At different points throughout the season, first-year coach Deidra Ducheane asked Grover to be a scorer, a distributor of the ball and a leader for the young Hawks’ squad.
Grover did not disappoint.
“Ashley went through a tough time having three coaches at Terrace,” Ducheane said. “Ashley had an uncanny ability to put it all together and to deal with her team under any circumstances.”
Ducheane, who was the junior varsity coach prior to assuming the varsity program, was a familiar face to the players. So the transition wasn’t quite as difficult as it could have been.
But new players joined the team and Ducheane added a few wrinkles to the Mountlake Terrace offense. Many responsibilities fell to Grover, who was a team captain.
“Getting everybody on the same page can be challenging,” Ducheane said. “As a captain, Ashley said, ‘I’m going to do whatever I need to do to have a good season.’ Ashley made sure it went right.”
Mountlake Terrace advanced to the district playoffs for the third straight season. The only time Grover missed the playoffs was during her freshman season.
Grover was especially proud to have played a role in the transformation of the Mountlake Terrace program, which improved from 8-12 during her freshman year to last year’s 15-7 mark.
While she would have preferred not to have three different coaches the last three years, Grover admits she definitely grew as a player as a result.
“There were three different viewpoints,” Grover said. “There were three different offenses … it made me a better all-around player.”
Ducheane especially appreciated Grover’s skills in leading her younger teammates.
“She has an ability to relate to people, but not in a harsh or overbearing way … she does it the right way,” Ducheane said. “Ashley is very good at teaching and being able to break down things that may be a little more complex and getting it down to their (younger players) level without being intimidating. Young players are able to relate to her.
“It’s a great quality to have especially when you have a young team. At any given point when we needed the team to be together and run as a team, she was able to get them together.”
Grover learned just as much from her teammates and will be able to use those skills in the future, possibly as a physical therapist or firefighter.
“(Sports) taught me how to build friendships and how to work with different people,” Grover said. “How I am today … is basically from playing sports.”
Last fall, Grover decided to play soccer for the first time in her life. She and Hayley Henry made an unusual agreement at the start of school year.
“My best friend said you should play soccer and I’ll play basketball,” Grover said. “It was pretty sweet.”
Grover is headed to Washington State University in the fall, while Henry won’t be that far away at the University of Idaho. Grover will be joining older brother Justin, who also is at WSU.
The two may resume their pickup basketball games that laid the foundation for Grover’s passion for the sport. Ever since she can remember, Ashley and Justin played basketball together. Going up against her older brother was a challenge.
“It’s something I always enjoyed,” Grover said. “I’m just basically a competitive person.”
