Local dad launches web show during pandemic
When the coronavirus pandemic forced shutdowns across Central Florida in March, Daniel Ward got innovative.
The father of The First Academy wrestler Daniel Ward Jr. wanted to give back to the sport that had welcomed him and his son, and he was looking for a way to help showcase all of the people involved in the sport.
He decided to start a webcast called ‘Ward Wrestling Live’ on Facebook.
“I was home because of the quarantine and I wanted to do something that hadn’t been done,” Ward said. “I wasn’t looking to only interview big names like national outlets, I just wanted to talk to anybody in the wrestling community that would come on.”
And Ward has done just that.
Since his debut show on April 6, Ward has hosted more than 270 shows, with his guests including wrestlers of all ages and talent levels; high school, club, college and national team coaches from around the country; referees; and wrestling historians.
He now hosts up to four shows a day five days a week with guests always eager to talk about wrestling.
“He’s a good dude who is really helping the sport,” Palm Harbor University coach Matthew Avramidis said about his appearance on the show in July. “I could talk about wrestling all day.”
In the beginning, Ward reached out to folks he knew wanted to be on the show.
His first guest, former Ohio State great Nathan Tomasello, was someone he had met recently at a rumble, and the four-time All-American quickly agreed to be on his first cast.
Before long, guests were being referred to Ward and eventually he set up a scheduling program online where people sign up to be a guest on the show.
Ward has hosted twotime NCAA champion and
Dan Hodge Trophy Winner Spencer Lee; Iowa senior Pat Lugo, who was ranked No. 1 in the country when the season was stopped; and USA women’s assistant wrestling coach Jessica Medina.
“I’m impressed with how quickly his podcast had taken off and some of the real legends and studs that he’s had on his show,” Clearwater Countryside coach Mark Prince said after his July appearance on the show. “As a whole it was a great experience.”
Ward welcomes anyone involved in the sport to join the program and asks that each guest submit a bio and what they want to discuss.
“The main thing I want is for my guests to talk about what this sport means to them,” Ward said.
His drive to promote the sport has come from his son’s experience wrestling.
When the younger Ward started wrestling in seventh grade at TFA, he didn’t win a single match. In fact, in his first two seasons he went 0-30.
“He hung in there and didn’t quit,” Ward said of his son. “If you haven’t quit after 30 losses, you have a passion.”
Ward, who grew up around sports like baseball, football and soccer, then went on a crash course to learn how to funnel his son’s passion into success.
“The other parents were great,” Ward said. “They gave me info on clubs and tournaments. The community was so welcoming.”
Ward then decided to change his life. He quit his job selling cars after 20 years in the business and earned his real estate license so he could arrange his work calendar in a way that allowed him to take his son to practice.
The extra attention started to pay off last season when the younger Ward was a region qualifier as a freshman and finished the season 13-16.
Then with his wife Cynthia Ward’s optometry practice thriving and the country entering a shutdown in March due to the novel coronavirus, Ward decided to take a break from real estate.
“I will return at some point to doing investment real estate, but for now, this is my focus,” Ward said.
The elder Ward also decided to educate himself on the sport by taking the Bronze Certified Coaching course from USA Wrestling and a Leadership Academy course through the National Wrestling Coaches Association.
He says he’s learned something from each guest while simultaneously figuring out the logistics of broadcasting a live web show.
“I had no clue on the tech stuff,” Ward said.
Starting in a nook of his house on a small laptop, Ward admits to a few struggles in the beginning when he had to troubleshoot getting online and figure out a way to archive the shows.
The show now takes place in a room above his garage. Ward bought a green screen and created a background image that he fills with logos of schools and programs that have been represented on his shows, and he conducts his interviews from a single chair in front of the camera.
“He is so easy to talk to and he doesn’t act like he knows everything,” Lakeland Tenoroc coach Anthony Cerullo said. “He makes the show about the person and not him.”
Ward is looking forward to taking his show on the road once wrestling competition starts back up.
He’s hoping to visit clubs, meet more people who are involved in the sport and be able to interview champions at tournaments after they compete.
“I always wanted to do this, but didn’t know if I could,” Ward said. “But I guess I can because people are watching the show and it keeps growing.”