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Gorman Outlines New Athletic Initiatives

Junior Julianna Troccoli interviews new Athletic Director Natalie Gorman about goals for the year ahead and some exciting new initiatives.

A proud New Jersey native, Natalie Gorman is ecstatic to return home to the Jersey Shore 14 years later with her husband and son. After graduating from Red Bank Catholic in 2003, Mrs. Gorman earned a dual degree in Physical Education and Teacher Education at West Virginia University while pursuing her soccer career in the Big East, ultimately leading her team to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight and Big East Championship Title. She played professional women’s soccer for the Pittsburgh Sparks and the West Virginia Illusion in the W-League,  before becoming a Division I Women’s Soccer Coach at Duquesne University and then at the University of Louisville, where she has been coaching for the past eight years.

Since joining Ranney this past summer she has put together a very broad and ambitious strategic plan to better the Ranney Athletic Department. Her number-one priority was the coaching staff. “When I started in June, my first goal was to fill our open coaching positions by hiring the most experienced and knowledgeable coaches we could attract to help our student-athletes reach their full potential,” she explains. “I am a strong believer that a coach has a huge impact on the life of a student-athlete; they can motivate, discipline, teach, and inspire young people to be the best athlete and person they can be.  I am very confident that the staff we have assembled will bring a wealth of knowledge and energy to all of our sports across our divisions.”

Next on her list of priorities: programming. Mrs. Gorman, in collaboration with new Assistant Director of Athletics Lawrence Schuler, is introducing a program in which student-athletes will have a mandatory study hall certain days of the week during 8th period. “This study hall will ensure that our very busy student-athletes have the necessary time built into their school day to focus on academics. When student-athletes have shown that their grades are at a certain level and their coaches are happy with their progress, they will be given the privilege to volunteer coach with our Middle School sports during 8th period.  This will be a wonderful opportunity for them to gain valuable community service hours,” she says.

A primary component of Mrs. Gorman’s programming goals is to have a cross-divisional impact. “We have such a unique opportunity for our students to engage with each other across broad age gaps,” she explains. ” One program aimed at this goal is the new Lower School Sport Combo. Mrs. Gorman notes that the Athletic Department is delighted to collaborate with Lower School Head Dr. Andrea Danial to introduce our K-5 students to a broad range of sports offered here at Ranney.  “We will be holding sports clinics twice a week during the Fall and Spring, featuring our varsity coaches and athletes to teach the technical and tactical nuances of each sport.”

Middle School, especially eighth grade, for example, serves as another prime time for students to become active members of the athletic community as they prepare for the beginning of their high school career. Mrs. Gorman believes, that “the more our varsity and junior varsity athletes can set a proper example in terms of time management, respect, commitment, discipline, and humility, the better prepared our Middle School athletes will be when they make that jump to Upper School sports.”

Mrs. Gorman also brings with her to Ranney a popular collegiate athletic council format which will be called the Student Athlete Advisory Council (the SAAC). This new group of strong community leaders will “enlist Ranney student-athletes that want the responsibility to find ways to impact the community as a whole in a very positive way,” she explains. As many universities and colleges do, Ranney will use SAAC to help athletes across different sports to work together to “create a platform for presenting community service initiatives that can get their entire department involved.” To be part of the council, student-athletes will be nominated by their coach and undergo an interview process before being approved by Mr. Schuler and Mrs. Gorman.

Last but not least, Mrs. Gorman is dedicated to team motivation and school spirit. “One of my goals is to integrate the entire student body in our athletic events, to provide fun ways for everyone to interact and be prideful of Ranney,” she says. Part of this initiative will span different departments, such as incorporating the Performing Arts department to perform the National Anthem, engaging the faculty and administration as active Panther fans and the Lower Schoolers as “spirit teams. “ Hopefully, says Mrs. Gorman, we will “inspire our youngest Panthers to start their own athletic endeavors, and one day represent Ranney themselves.”
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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.