Ryker Curry proves you can be devoted to your passion for sports, but still keep focused on academics.
Ryker — along with his twin sister, Braxton — is one of six valedictorian candidates for Iola High School’s Class of 2022. The class graduates at 2 p.m. Saturday at the stadium at Riverside Park; in case of rain, the event will be moved to the IHS gymnasium.
Ryker’s dedication to baseball has been well documented, including his health challenges. In March of 2016, he had open heart surgery. Ryker was soon given the all-clear to return to competitive play, but faced another heart procedure the following year that put his baseball career in doubt. He was diagnosed with a condition that affects the body’s circulation.
He didn’t let that stop him, pushing himself through rehabilitation and learning how to take care of his body so he could continue to play.
The challenges kept coming though, with elbow surgery to repair damage to his right throwing arm and, most recently, a shoulder injury that hasn’t allowed him to pitch for the past few weeks.
Then, of course, came the COVID-19 pandemic that completely wiped out his sophomore season.
But despite the many health challenges, Ryker found a way to stay close to baseball.
He plans to continue to find ways to keep close to the sport.
Ryker has signed a letter of intent to play baseball at Pittsburg State University, where he’ll major in exercise science.
He hopes to work as an athletic trainer or in some capacity in exercise science.
“I love baseball and I think it would be cool to work with a baseball team. I just want to stay around the game, whatever it takes to do that,” he said.
THROUGH all the physical challenges, rehabilitation and playing baseball, Ryker managed to still maintain a perfect 4.0 grade-point average.
It helped having a twin sister, who shared several classes. They could share and compare notes, and help each other study.
He credits his parents, Heath and Heather Curry, for helping to push him and give him the support needed to be successful.
He also credits IHS teacher Travis Hermstein, who has a reputation for being the toughest teacher in the district.
“Mr. Hermstein’s classes are always hard,” Ryker said.
He had to work even harder and develop new study habits like note taking.
“That will prepare me for the future,” he said.
Again, COVID made his school career even more challenging.
During his sophomore year in 2020, students were sent home after spring break to continue classes from home, virtually.
“It kind of made things tough,” Ryker said.
He struggled with intermediate algebra, and worried he wouldn’t succeed. Not only that, but it turned out the math class he took during his junior year built on the knowledge he was supposed to have learned during the spring of his sophomore year.
He had to study even hard to recap those lessons and do well during his junior year, with the various restrictions and challenges of the COVID pandemic still hanging over the school.
Still, Ryker appreciates the valuable lessons he learned from those difficult experiences.
“You just have to work hard and do your work.”
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