Rund also a dedicated teacher

By Tom Hintgen (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Monday, April 21, 2008

A lot was written this spring about Dave Rund, coach for the Fergus Falls Otters girls varsity basketball team that advanced to state for the first time in the history of his school. There’s another side to Rund, as noted by Dee Johnson and Angi Larson who teach sixth grade with Rund as part of a three-teacher team at the Fergus Falls Middle School.

“Dave is an amazing teacher,” Johnson said. “His commitment to his sixth grade students, and to his teaching partners, is over 100 percent. He truly understands percent because he’s the math teacher for our team.”

Johnson and Larson say that Rund has a philosophy of supportive communication with both students and colleagues.

“He has a gift in this area, because his communication can motivate others to be the best they can be,” Johnson said. “His natural humor and positive outlook add a spark to every single day for his students, and for Angi and me, who are lucky enough to be his teaching partners.”

Even though they don’t coach with Rund, fellow teachers Johnson and Larson get a good glimpse of him as a coach.

“The classroom isn’t the only place where Dave goes the extra mile,” Johnson said. “It’s easy to see that he does this in basketball, as well.”

Larson said that Rund often uses his "lunch minutes" to deliver thank-you notes around the community to businesses and people who support his team in some way.

“Dave is extremely appreciative of the efforts of others,” Larson said.

They praise Rund for his individual pre-season and post-season meetings with each player. These conferences typically take place in his classroom before and after school.

“Many times Dave is here at school before we get here, and he stays way after we leave,” Johnson said. “The extra hours are incredible, and Dave does all this with a big smile.”

They say Rund stays after school working on the clever flyer that’s handed out to spectators on Otter game nights. These "Otter Notes" welcome the visiting team in an extremely positive way, and let all Otter fans know what's coming up.

“It’s such a nice touch,” Johnson said, “which could be taken for granted by many fans. We, however, see the extra time and effort behind those nifty notes.”

Johnson and Larson also appreciate that Rund finds quality time for his family, friends and colleagues.

“Dave is a guy with a big heart,” Johnson said, “and a heart that’s in many right places at the same time. We, who know him, are so lucky.”

Rund, State Class AAA coach of the year, is a 1984 graduate of Ada High School, the final year before Ada and nearby Borup combined to form a new high school. Before coming to Fergus Falls, he taught fourth grade and coached in Pelican Rapids.

As for being voted coach of the year, Rund said it’s an overwhelming feeling to receive the honor.

“The award is decided on the vote of my peers in coaching, but I consider the award as a tribute to the success our team achieved,” he said. “I’m extremely proud of our accomplishments and what our girls basketball program has evolved into.”

Rund is first and foremost proud of his players who also are excellent students.

“They’re as dedicated in the classroom as they are on the court. It’s an incredible compliment not only to win the section (basketball) title based on talent but to also have the highest GPA in the Section 8AAA,” Rund said. “In addition, the girls were selected as the Central Lakes Conference Sportsmanship winners by our opponents.”

Tom Hintgen’s column runs on Mondays.