my story

my story…with pictures

My secret: I am a miracle baby. Shhhh…don’t tell.

No…really, I am.  Doctors told my father he would never be able to have children, due to a very serious childhood illness.  Never apparently means once, and lo and behold I was born into this world Ryan Joseph Knapp on August 29, 1983 (sharing the big day with Michael Jackson).

I was extremely blessed as a child to have a huge family growing up. My mom is Polish and has eight brothers and sisters and my father had three brothers and sisters.  This made for some intense birthday parties and family gatherings.  To top it all off, at one point on my street where I grew up, there were approximately 40 kids who were all within 6 years of age of one another, which gave me the largest family ever.

Growing up around so many children fostered a love for sports that I will never lose.  If it was a sport, we played it. If it wasn’t a sport, we invented it.  This love for ‘the game’ instilled in me a competitive streak a mile long and drive to win (which consequently fostered a hatred for losing).  I excelled in playing against the ‘big boys’ and loved the competition, and the chance to prove myself against the older, stronger kids.

For as much fun I had as a child, I learned early that there would be no free rides in our house.  If I asked for something that I was perfectly capable of getting on my own, I heard my father’s trademark phrase ‘Are your legs broke?’ If I wanted to fish, I went and got my own worms (with his help). If I wanted to go somewhere, I made the phone call to a friend. If something was wrong, I fixed it. It was on me, and I loved this sense of freedom.

I started out school and loved it, and remember being Mrs. Garrity’s ’special helper’ in second grade.  I was a great student and was always studying, which was a surprise to my parents and blue collar family. My father quipped that if he ever met my real father, he would shake his hand. I got straight A’s all throughout grammar school, and moved on to high school with a great scholarship.

However, life threw me a huge curve ball my freshman year.  My father was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer and kidney failure, as a result of his childhood illness.  I decided to only attend high school one day a week, and home school myself either in the hospital if my Dad was admitted, or at home if he was discharged.  Finally the cancer was too much, and he passed on August 2, 1998…7 days shy of his 43rd birthday.

After my father’s death, I continued to excel in high school and graduated fifth in my class (seriously, some kids had over a 100 average, that’s just unfair).  I played Varsity Soccer, Basketball, Baseball, and Bowling (and even dabbled in kicking field goals for the Football team, until I realized we were so bad we couldn’t get close enough for me to even get a shot).  Out of all the sports I participated in, soccer was my love and still is all these years later.

Reaching the end of Senior year I knew what I wanted to be, an Aeronautical Engineer and I wanted to work for NASA.  After graduation, I decided to attend THE Ohio State University, for…of course…Aeronautical Engineering.

After swearing to myself I would not change my major, I quickly realized that I absolutely hated engineering and everything that went along with it.  Giving it some thought, I switched back into my other heavy interest, Spanish (thanks to long time mentor and HS Spanish teacher, Señor Calvin Steck).  Also unhappy with spending a GDP of a small nation on tuition at OSU, I transferred home to the University at Buffalo.

Back in Buffalo, NY, I enrolled at University at Buffalo, where I found a home in the Spanish and Linguistics departments respectively.  Here I cultivated my love for Spanish, Catalan, and Sociolinguistics (language, culture and society).  During my senior year, I took advantage of the amazing study abroad program that SUNY offers, and called Sevilla, España home for three months.

Upon returning home to Buffalo in December, the travel bug (specifically, the Spain bug) had bitten me big time. I finished off my last semester of school at University at Buffalo, graduating with a double degree in Spanish and Honors Linguistics (Sociolinguistic focus).  After a long and exhaustive search, I found my way back to the land of paella and sangria, taking a job as headmaster at We Speak English, an English Academy in Villacañas, Spain.  I officially became known as ‘El Guiri’ which means roughly ‘The Foreigner’.  No disrespect aimed at me, I was just that, one of two native English speakers in the entire town (myself and Owen, my boss).  During my year I watched more soccer than I thought possible, learned typical Spanish small town sayings, effectively watched 30 children by myself, played semi-semi-pro basketball, and had the luxury of getting lost in the Spanish culture and lifestyle, something I will never forget.

Before I made my return to the Iberian Peninsula, I met a lovely girl named Renae.  We stayed together during my time abroad and took the next step that every young couple seems to do, to add another member to our family.   We adopted a white bundle of Shetland Sheepdog joy, Ella (AKC Ella Snow-White So-White).  Ella is considered a ‘Color Headed White’ and is a very rare Sheltie with regards to her color, akin to an albino human.  I haven’t seen another CHW with as much white as she has on her body (only one spot on her right side).  We take agility classes, and she excels at them.  On my Blackberry there is one picture of Renae, and the rest are of the dog.  I’m a very proud father.

Aside from my family, my life revolves around the wonderful world of soccer.  I am Director of Public Relations for the National Premier Soccer League and I also sit on the league’s executive board.  I am a writer/contributor for TheCup.us (all about the US Open Cup) and lead writer for La Liga Talk.  I’m also in the midst of developing a scholarship program to link players in Spain with the United States, amongst a myrad of other jobs I have.  I’m a coach, and still find myself playing three days a week.

When my life isn’t engulfed in things soccer related, I’m still busy.  I’m an amateur chef and I make a mean paella and  sangria.   To stay active, I take Muay Thai class (Thai kickboxing), and I’m training for my first triathalon golf, swim, hiking, camping, and play some frisbee golf.  Learning new sports or new skills is a challenge for me, and it helps keep me on my toes, my brain focused and puts me in the best shape of my life. Who knows what the future holds for me.  All that I can say now is that I’m extremely blessed with my life and I wouldn’t change it for the world.