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235 Hope Road, Tinton Falls, NJ 07724  /  732.542.4777

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Coach Spotlight: Anna Lazic

Coach and P.E. Teacher Anna Lazic is entering her 19th year at Ranney School. She has coached soccer, tennis, softball, and field hockey at the Middle School and varsity levels, and taught physical education across all three divisions. Here, she answers a few questions based on an interview with Athletic Director Natalie Gorman:
 
What is your fondest memory of coaching at Ranney?
I have so many fond memories of coaching wonderful athletes and teams here at Ranney. However, if I had to choose one, it would be the Independent School soccer final match versus Rutgers Prep in 2006.
 
The day had this amazing energy in the air and the team was fired up to play on a beautiful November weekend day. Ranney fans piled into the spectator area to cheer on the team through a double-overtime game. That time of year, the sun sets early, so the officials and school administrators agreed to end the match in a tie and avoid a penalty shootout due to a visual disadvantage for both sides. Ranney held onto a tie for a co-championship in the NJISAA. It was the first ever for the program, and I couldn’t have been prouder of the girls on the team for their achievement. The odds were against us because of a 3-1 loss to Rutgers Prep earlier on in the season, but the ladies did not let the stigma of being the under-dog bring down their mindset. They had a season goal and they were able to reach it!
 
Can you describe the transition Ranney Athletics went through in 2010-2011 from the Patriot League to the Shore Conference?
The transition was an excellent move for the school to make. The Shore Conference provides Ranney athletes with local competition and brings the Monmouth and Ocean County communities to our beautiful state-of-the-art facilities and campus. Many of the teams in the Patriot conference were making the move to join their district conference and the Patriot League would have eventually dissolved underneath the remaining schools. I feel as though change is difficult to adapt to at times; however the teams in the inaugural season looked at the positives. The teams spent less time traveling to games, played against their friends from neighboring schools, and set their sights on a new mission. 
 
What makes teaching and coaching at Ranney so special?
As an Age 3-Grade 12 school, I have the opportunity to see most of our student-athletes develop from a young age. Spotting natural talent and encouraging them to continue building on their skills through practice and class helps fulfill my professional goal to make a positive difference in my students’ lives.
 
How have Ranney’s athletic facilities changed since your first year here?
The facilities have change tremendously since the time I started in 1999. The turf field and track replaced a grass field and cinder track, which were both in need of an upgrade. The tennis courts used to be located where the crossing and the flag poles are in the middle of campus. The courts were cracked and not level from the roots of cedar trees that surrounded the complex. The Athletic Training room was housed inside a storage closest between the P.E. Department and Athletic Director's Office/laundry room. The only therapeutic modality available to the athletes back then was ice. The pool did not have the touch pad timing system or blocks that it has now. The weight room housed only simple cardio equipment and was used as an extra classroom. The gym had wooden bleachers and the side baskets were portable on wheels.
 
Today, the facilities and resources in the Athletic Department are phenomenal. We are able to provide a much more welcoming space for our visitors, as well as more practical usage for our student-athletes to learn, to be challenged, and to be successful.
 
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Ranney School

235 Hope Road
Tinton Falls, NJ 07724
Tel. 732.542.4777
Our mission is to know and value every child, nurturing intellectual curiosity and confidence, and inspiring students to lead honorably, think creatively, and contribute meaningfully to society. 

We envision Ranney School as a nurturing learning community, in which families, faculty, alumni, and all of Ranney’s constituents collaborate to know and value every child, foster individual talents, sustain powerful connections between children and adults, and graduate resilient, globally-minded citizens.