Grimm resigns as Ringgold AD

By JEREMY SELLEW
jsellew@yourmvi.com

After five years at the helm, Laura Grimm is moving on from the Ringgold athletic department.
Grimm was hired Monday as the new assistant athletic director at Bethel Park and officially tendered her resignation to the Ringgold administration Tuesday.
Grimm has been at Ringgold for eight years, the first two as the head girls basketball coach, before resigning and becoming the athletic director on a full-time basis.
“This is definitely not a decision I took lightly,” Grimm said becoming emotional. “I really wrestled with it. A lot of people say they want a job like this, but for me, this is more than that. It became really personal as a former coach and student athlete.
“It was a tough decision, but I think it’s the right decision right now.”
Grimm, who lives in Bethel Park, will only need to travel 2.4 miles per day to the high school.
“I feel confident enough in saying that I feel the athletic department at Ringgold is in a better place now than it was when I took over,” Grimm said. “There’s a lot that goes into the job. A lot that most people don’t see. It’s more than just hiring or firing coaches. It’s about the kids and the athletes.”
Grimm said in the past, Ringgold seemed to have an “epidemic” when it came to athlete attendance and underperforming academically in the classroom. Now, she likes where the program is at.
“It’s really a testament to the administration, the coaches and the kids,” she said. “Comparing back then to now, I know there’s been drastic improvements on that front.”
Grimm had the privilege and honor of overseeing a couple of state championships. Rams diver Anna Vogt won a state title in 2019 and the baseball team won the Class 4A state title in 2018.
“It was a great time traveling to those events and being along for those rides,” Grimm said. “Ringgold got to achieve ultimate success. You can’t go hire than a state championship. I was so proud of everyone involved in those two runs.”
While those were among the highlights of Grimm’s tenure, there was some tumultuous times. The hiring and lone season of Mike Zmijanac as the head of the football program and the recent departure of boys basketball coach Eugene Wilson among the disappointments.
“It did seem for a while we had a revolving door of coaches,” she said. “But the key is bouncing back and finding stability. We did that with hiring Coach (Darwin) Manges and Matt (Rowland) as the boys basketball coach.
“When Coach Z left, I know those kids felt abandoned and felt like no one cared about them,” Grimm said. “With Darwin moving back, taking over as an alumnus of the program and overseeing things and putting his stamp on the program, that resonated with the kids.

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