Erin Ward

This is the second in a series of articles profiling the 2011 inductees into the Butler Area School District Athletic Hall of Fame.HARRISBURG — The ending came abruptly.Just before the NAIA Track and Field Championships her senior year at Geneva College, Erin Ward tore her ACL. She competed at nationals despite the injury and placed 10th in the javelin.The 1997 Butler graduate tried playing adult soccer in Virginia the following year — and tore the ACL in the same knee again.“Just like that, active sports were over for me,” Ward said. “The doctor told me if I wanted to walk normally, play with my kids someday, I couldn’t play anymore.“I can still play badminton. It’s not the same thing. It’s been hard, not competing. Sports directed my life.”Sports have also directed her into the Butler Area School District Athletic Hall of Fame. Ward will be part of the Hall’s second induction class Sept. 16, prior to the Canon McMillan-Butler varsity football game.“I’m very excited and quite honored,” Ward said. “I’ve been out of sports for a long time. To be remembered like this is special to me.”Now married and a mother of three, Ward lives in Harrisburg and is a teacher in the Carlisle School District.And she certainly made her time in sports count.She earned 11 varsity letters at Butler High School, competing in soccer, basketball and track and field. She missed her freshman basketball season because of a fractured leg suffered during the soccer campaign.Ward was team captain and MVP in soccer and basketball as a junior and senior. She scored 1,005 points in her varsity basketball career.She won WPIAL titles in the shot put and javelin as a senior, placing second in the javelin and sixth in the shot put at the state meet.“Dad (longtime prep sports official Steve Ward) wanted me to take up track to keep in shape for basketball,” Ward said. “Then they wind up putting me in the throwing events.“Soccer was something I could do in the fall, but my first love has always been basketball. My brother played and that’s the sport my dad started me out with.”Ward went on to Geneva and picked up 12 more letters in those three sports. She was team MVP all four years in soccer and graduated as the school’s record holder with 24 goals in a season. She was second all-time with 62 career goals scored despite playing goalie her sophomore year.In basketball, Ward graduated second on Geneva’s all-time list with 256 steals, third with 1,367 points, seventh with 276 assists and ninth with 528 rebounds.She wound up NCCAA national javelin champion twice and reached the NAIA Championships twice.“It wasn’t too hard for me to do three sports in college because I was used to that,” Ward said. “Sports taught me discipline and how to utilize time.“Going to a smaller school, travel was never an issue and I was always done with my classes by noon or 1 p.m.”Ward plans to get into coaching down the road, either at the high school or college level.“I got my masters in higher education with that in mind,” she admitted. “The time’s not right for me now, but I plan to get into coaching.“Sports have been everything to me. They gave me an identity when I was younger. My friendships are through people I played sports with. They gave me a connection with my dad and directed me to my college.“I don’t know where my life would be right now without athletics. Honestly, I don’t,” she added.A reception for the 2011 inductees will take place from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Sept. 16 in the high school cafeteria. The inductees will be presented on the field at 6:45 p.m.