Coming from a baseball background, Bryn Card knew baseball was his passion, but also had a hidden knack for teaching.
“I think growing up, the more I went through my middle school and high school years, as a person who grew up in Klamath Falls, where the schooling–you know, is nothing special, I think just watching the teachers there, I got a feeling where “I can do this, this looks fun.”
“I always wanted to work with kids with disabilities, because I think they are so cool. I mean, behind the scenes for what I get to do here with these kids is amazing. It’s so cool.”
Card, who is obviously a learning specialist here at Wilsonville, is also an active assistant baseball coach at Linfield.
“I mean, baseball as a young kid was my passion. I picked up a baseball when I was 5 years old, and from then on, it felt like it was the only thing I loved.” Card adds, “I happened to be a good enough pitcher to where I started to get recruited my junior year of high school, ended up committing to Oregon State end of my senior year, and won two national championships there, before transferring to Utah, where I was the man on campus, led our pitching staff in wins, and strikeouts. It felt great.”
“Although, winning two national championships was cool, I just feel like what I had at Utah was always what I wanted.
Transitioning Into Coaching after he graduated from Utah, Card was called as the head coach at La Pine.
“Going into coaching, I kind of knew what to expect. I think once I figured out that it’s not about you anymore and it’s about the guys you are coaching, I felt a lot more comfortable.”
After three years at La Pine, Card then took the job at Wilsonville as the head coach, where he coached there for nine years.
“Looking at Wilsonville and La Pine, those are two different baseball programs. Before I got to La Pine, they hadn’t won a game in three years. I kind of had to reinstall some culture there, where at Wilsonville, the expectation was to win your conference, have kids get NWOC honors, and compete for a state championship. I enjoyed that, but I also enjoyed building a program.
Card is going into his first official season as an assistant coach at Linfield.
Going into his thirteenth year of teaching, Card reflects on what Wilsonville has meant to him, and what he thinks it will be in the future.
“My wife and I moved here 11 years ago, and what we’ve experienced here has been amazing. We live in a great house, I love teaching and helping kids here, and the athletics we have here are also great. I mean, just in general, everything about it is great.”