Westview’s Ward is a Whiz

Posted on November 21, 2011

Like most of his Westview classmates, Christian Ward works hard on his coursework, has tackled his college applications, and is enjoying his Senior year of high school. Like some of his classmates, he juggles multiple AP courses and athletics. And like just a few of his classmates, he maintains a 3.97 GPA and wins multiple athletic awards along the way.

Ward has played varsity volleyball since his sophomore year, when he became the first student in Westview history to go straight from the freshman team to starting varsity as a sophomore. “I didn’t consider going out for volleyball until the athletic director encouraged me to go to a practice,” explained Ward. “After one practice, I realized that I wanted to pursue volleyball and start playing year-round.”

Now at 6’9”, Ward boasts a 9-foot reach on the court as middle blocker, and uses it to good advantage. Last year, Ward received 2nd team all-CIF honors, a Palomar League Honorable Mention, the CIF Sportsmanship Award, the Varsity Most Inspirational award, All-Academic Team, and captain of the USA High Performance Continental Team. “I am most proud of winning CIF along with my team,” said Ward. “We were considered the underdogs and I’ll never forget what it feels like to win a championship.”

Diagnosed with type I diabetes in the eighth grade, Ward has to monitor his blood sugar during games, but that is one of the least of his concerns on the court. For Ward, the most challenging part of the game is transitioning from blocking to attacking. “You only have a matter of seconds to run off the net with the proper footwork and to prepare to attack the ball.” But it all pays off, said Ward, “when you get a kill and there is no way a defender can play the ball.”

Ward sets the bar high off the court as well. He earns good grades in all his courses but enjoys the social sciences most and hopes to major in criminal justice in college. In the meantime, Ward looks forward to helping his team repeat their CIF and League wins this year, and hopes to earn the State championship as well.