His schedule of Advanced Placement courses this year includes Statistics, Calculus AB, Physics, and Macro Economics.

 

By Mitch Silver

His schedule of Advanced Placement courses this year includes Statistics, Calculus AB, Physics, and Macro Economics. He’s already completed AP work in World and U.S. History, Psychology, and Language & Composition. Even so, Ryan Bird’s a fixture on Rye’s High Honor Roll.

He plays French horn in the band and, occasionally, takes part in the pit orchestra for school shows. And he won the Spanish Award. So, where does Ryan find the time to win 11 varsity letters for Jim Yedowitz’s track and cross-country teams?

Happily, Ryan requires very little time on the track. As little as two minutes, thirty-two seconds to run a thousand meters. He can do a mile in under 4:30, and 800 meters in 1:57.6.  All of which has made him team captain, County champ in the 1,000 and the 4×800 relay, and the winner of the March 2015 Athlete of the Month award, given jointly by the Rye Lions Club and the high school athletic department.

Even with so much recognition, young Mr. Bird refuses to hog the spotlight. “I know the article is about me, but I wouldn’t be anywhere close to where I am today without my coach, Mr. Yedowitz.”
When Ryan isn’t training for and winning 11 varsity letters in track and cross-country, he works at the Greenwich Running Company as a sales associate, fitting shoes and selling gear to fellow runners. In the summer he volunteered as a camp counselor at Rye Rec Lower Camp.

Still, his main love is running. “Middle distance events are a huge strength of our team and Jack Ryan, Andrew Willis, Jack Smith, Alec Howells, and Kenta Takatsu are the guys that I really attribute my individual success to. We ran 8:05.6, narrowly missing the indoor school record, and I can’t wait to chase after the outdoor school record this season.”

If all goes according to plan, he’ll get that record and then line up for the start of the 1,000-meter final at the State meet in May. Then, a couple of weeks later, he’ll join the other monthly winners at The Osborn for the annual dinner and the naming of Rye High’s Athlete of the Year.