A Ronan Resurgence Fisher guides Ronan wrestlers back to prominence

Zach Urness — Leader Staff

In 1990 Ryan Fisher was in Los Angeles for a wrestling tournament. As he stepped onto the scale for the weigh-in, the man who was keeping track of weight classes asked him for his name and town. “Ryan Fisher,” he replied, “Ronan, Montana.” The man suddenly stopped writing, looked up and said: “Ronan … the wrestling capital of Montana.”

“The sense of pride I felt at that moment was unbelievable,” recalled Fisher. “That statement has stuck with me for years.”

For roughly 30 years everyone in Ronan could have pride in the wrestling program. From 1973-1991 the Chiefs won nine state wrestling titles, titles that are proudly represented by the black and reddish-orange banners hanging in the rafters at the Ronan Event Center.

But after that 1991 banner something seems wrong. If it’s your first time in the gym, you’ll involuntarily twist your head around, looking for the rest of the banners to fill the years between ‘91 and the present. There are none, however, and while the Chiefs’ wrestlers were competitive throughout the ‘90s, including a third-place finish at state as recently as 1999, there are no more state championships.

When the new millennium dawned, things really started to go downhill for Ronan wrestling, so much so that by 2004 Ronan had dropped completely off the wrestling map in Montana.

“In the early 2000s our sports programs have declined from what they once were,” said Fisher.

Between 2002 and 2004 the program that had once been referred to as the “wrestling capital of Montana” finished no better then 20th place at state. While their rivals in Polson were placing in the top three at state almost every year, the Chiefs were lucky to have one wrestler place in the top five.

Something had to be done. So when the head coaching position became available some of Ronan’s alumni lobbied for Fisher, who was an assistant coach in Poplar, to apply for the job.

“I talked it over with my wife and she was extremely supportive,” he recalled. “But before I could take the job, I wanted to know exactly what I was getting into. I spoke with old coaches, former teammates, die-hard fans, etc. I realized that taking the position would be extremely difficult, but doable.”

And it would seem there was no one better suited to the job. After all, it was Fisher who helped to bring that last state championship to Ronan in 1991. The move also made sense because of the family connection.

“I wanted to watch my younger brother and sister through their teen years,” said Fisher. “Also, I have older siblings within short travel distance so our family unity is more cohesive now that I am in the valley.”

Fisher officially took the reins of the Ronan wrestling program in 2004-2005. And his first order of business was to build up the confidence of a team that had learned to accept failure.

“The athletes needed to learn how to win,” said Fisher. “They had been beat upon for so long, that in the back of their heads, they didn’t believe they could win. In situations like this, it is important that the team knows I believe in them. I remember telling the team three years ago that we can’t change overnight, but we can change direction.”

As Fisher worked to build his team back up, he also begin breaking down bad habits that were causing his wrestlers to lose.

“The team was lacking fundamental skills,” he said. “We had to start from ground zero. With a number of helpers, we could concentrate on individuals as well as the team. We had a number of kids in the room who had never wrestled, and others who had wrestled for years. The team from my first year as head coach was as diverse as I had ever come across.”

The work that Fisher and his staff put in began to pay off immediately, and the Chiefs surprised everyone in 2005, taking 16th place at state with a very young and inexperienced group.

Hardly satisfied with 16th place, Fisher began and to install a very demanding regimen of hard work and sacrifice.

“I push my athletes both physically and mentally more than any other sport,” he said. “I have lost numbers from the team because of the difficult regimen I put them through. But I have always maintained that I would rather have small numbers of those who go all out, than a larger number who nurse excuses. I am willing to sacrifice quantity for quality.”

The hard work produced results, and in 2006 Ronan took eighth place at the state tournament, the best finish they had posted since 2000.

This season has been the most successful for the Chiefs in a long time.

“This year’s team has responded very well to the demands of team effort,” he expounded. “There were very few duals we won this year when a team effort was not required.”

That team effort translated into a sixth place finish at state; a 14-2 record in duals; a first-place finish at the Western Montana Duals; a first-place finish at the Hamilton Invitational; a second place finish amongst class A schools at the Rocky Mountain Classic; and perhaps most impressive, a clean sweep of their rivals in Polson.

“It is really great to have some electricity back in this rivalry,” said Polson head wrestling coach Bob Owen. “Fisher has done a great job over there and it has been a lot of fun to compete against them.”

Ronan athletic director Aaron Griffin noted that while Fisher has brought success and a tough-minded work ethic to Ronan’s wrestling program, he is also a great influence in the classroom and the community.

“What I like most about Ryan Fisher is his efforts in the classroom as an English teacher,” he said. “You see the same focus and drive in the classroom out of him as you do when he is coaching. Ryan also has a strong commitment to his family and the community of Ronan.”

So can Ronan again be called the “wrestling capital of Montana?” Not yet. But with Fisher at the helm and improvement coming every year, the pride of Ronan is coming back into a program that once dominated Montana wrestling.

“We are going to continue to strengthen the program,” Fisher said. “The definitive goal of course is to add to the banners that adorn our Events Center.”