NOTEBOOK
Where are they now?
Jane Ward – U.S. Olympic Women’s Volleyball Team Captain, 1964 and 1968 Olympics
J
ane Ward describes herself as a “very competitive person,” but winning isn’t the be all and end all for her like it was when she captained the fi rst two U.S. Olympic Women’s Volleyball Teams in 1964 and 1968. She still plays golf on most Tues-
days, Thursdays and Saturdays, and she’s always up for a game of bridge. It’s just not overly important to her to fi nish fi rst. “I’ve fi nally simmered down a little bit,” says Ward, now 80 and living in a house overlooking a golf course in Vista, Calif. “It used to be the most important thing in the world to me. I kind of pushed my teammates. There are probably people who would tell you I was a pill.” Maybe. But there are also those like Linda Murphy, her teammate on the 1964 Olympic team, who says that Ward was “the best who ever played” and “made her teammates better.” And whatever pushing she did, there’s no denying the results. From 1955 to 1968, her club teams won 14 consecutive national championships, the last few with her as the player/coach. Besides, it’s not as if she was unreasonably demanding. “I didn’t yell at them; I set an example,” she says. “I worked hard, and I was always at practice, even if I was injured. I think it’s really important that leaders show an interest even when they are hurt. You can chase balls or do something. It’s a team game.” Ward grew up in Buffalo, N.Y., then moved to California after college in search of warmer weather. Her sport as a kid was basket- ball, but she transitioned easily to volleyball. With a huge vertical jump, she was a formidable outside hitter and, despite being just 5-7, she could also do just fi ne at middle blocker if one of the other
middles was hurt.
JUMPING JANE: Jane Ward was a standout player on the 1964 and 1968 U.S. Women’s Olympic Volleyball Teams. Ward now resides in Vista, Calif. (Photos: Peter Brouillet and USA Volleyball).
The U.S. Olympic teams in those days were a quickly assembled group of all stars, and that showed when they competed at the highest level. In 1964, the women were beaten in tune-up matches by Japanese high school teams before fi nishing fi fth in a fi eld of six at the Tokyo Games. In 1968, they fi nished eighth out of eight teams at the Mexico City Olympics. Still, Ward looks back on both experiences fondly, even though the high school where she taught PE docked her two weeks pay in 1964 while she was in Tokyo. “Now we’re looked at as the pioneers, and we had a wonderful time,” she says. “We had some great travels, and met different people and were exposed to lots of cultures. And at least they put us up and fed us.” Ward’s playing career ended in 1968, but she continued teaching and coaching until retiring in 1987. At one point, she was coaching volleyball at Cabrillo Junior College while teaching golf, tennis, volleyball, softball and basketball and also coaching the women’s volleyball team at San Jose State. Ward still looks plenty fi t enough to take the volleyball court, but torn rotator cuffs in both shoulders and arthritis in her back would prevent it, even if she wanted to play. But visiting new countries remains a passion – she recently traveled with friends to Ireland – and she highly rec- ommends it for young volleyball players. “People live differently, believe differently, eat differently, and I think kids need exposure to that instead of always just being home around mom and dad,” she says. “Traveling is a good learning experience.”
— Don Patterson 22 | VOLLEYBALLUSA • Digital Issue at
usavolleyball.org/mag
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70