Ryan Bradley

WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- The dream of playing in the big time is one that a select few athletes are able to realize. For some, it takes years of hard work and dedication to get an opportunity, but for others, it appears to just happen.

Often, it's a combination of the two. That "dumb luck" rarely happens by accident, however.

Ryan Bradley fits into this mold quite nicely. The former Warrensburg High soccer and tennis standout will enter his third season with Notre Dame this fall, wielding a sabre for the Fighting Irish men's fencing team.

"It's absolutely incredible," Bradley said. "I always wanted to play a sport in college, but going to Notre Dame made that kind of difficult. Fencing is one of those sports that allows walk-ons. It's been really awesome."

In his first season, Bradley posted a 5-1 varsity record in limited action for the Notre Dame sabre squad. The Irish went on to win their sixth NCAA title and Bradley received a national championship ring with the rest of his teammates.

(Photo by Dave Kopp)

"It was a really great deal," Bradley recalled. "There was a big ceremony where one of the priests blessed the rings and we were also honored on the field at the Notre Dame-USC football game. It was really fantastic. The ring is kind of a topic of conversation. It's a little heavy, but I like to wear it, it's pretty cool."

Seeing more action in competition last season, Bradley posted a 22-3 record in the sabre, helping the Irish to a fourth place national finish. For his efforts, Bradley earned his first monogram (letter) at Notre Dame.

"I lost only three bouts all year," he said. "Two of them were to people who went to the NCAAs and the other one was just a bad bout. I made definite strides from the year before."

Legendary Notre Dame head coach Janusz Bednarski, an expert in all three fencing weapons (foil, epee and sabre) who has coached Olympic and NCAA champions over a 30-plus year career, points out that Bradley's fencing prowess goes beyond physical ability, making him an extremely tough opponent.

"As an athlete, he is showing the ability to fight against much more skilled opponents because he is able to read their moves in a very fast mode," Bednarski said. "In addition, he has tremendous speed and reach related with his perfect frame and long legs, allowing him to attack from a long distance.

Ryan Bradley (left) of Warrensburg, has posted a record of 27-4 in two seasons with the Notre Dame fencing squad. (Photo courtesy Ryan Bradley)

"Speed in fencing consists of two factors - reaction time and movement. He is able to move fast on the strip but also, thanks his quickness of reaction and ability for quick reasoning, he is one of the most talented athletes on the Notre Dame team."

Bradley discovered his new sport by fulfilling a basic requirement at virtually every college in the country. He enrolled in a fencing class in order to earn a physical education credit during his freshman year.

"At the end of the class, the teacher said 'You should try to walk on to the team,' because I was pretty good in class," Bradley said. "I actually won the tournament the P.E. class had. After that, I met with the team, the walk-ons all got together and had a four-week tryout - conditioning, strength training, skill practice. They took a couple walk-ons and I happened to be one of them."

"That's typical Ryan, to want to learn something new and broaden his horizons," added Warrensburg High soccer coach Chris Thompson. "When somebody recognized that he had some ability and encouraged him, I can see him doing whatever it took to make the team and make a contribution."

(Photo by Dave Kopp)

Exactly what he was walking onto didn't hit Bradley until he joined the team. The Irish won their fifth NCAA championship in 2003 and had been ranked No. 1 for most of the 2003-04 campaign while posting a 50-1 record.

"Initially, it was a little daunting because you're looking around at all the championships on the wall and you think, 'Wow, these guys are really good,'" he said. "Then you realize the other fencers are just like you."

Still, Bradley was a newcomer to the sport and there was a lot to learn. As he applied his usual work ethic to the task, Bradley soon discovered that the skills that made him successful in other sports would benefit him in his new one.

"Physically, there's a lot to do with hand-eye coordination and quickness," Bradley explained. "That's all fencing. It's how fast can you do what you're trying to do. If you can do it before the other person, you're going to score the touch. I learned a lot of that through tennis and I got a lot of endurance and just overall, physical strength through soccer.

"A lot of the tennis thing is foot speed and how well you move your feet and your body control," he continued. "Those are basic core elements of fencing. That background really helped me to be in a position where I could be really good at fencing."

Bednarski is also impressed with Bradley's work ethic and holds him up as an example of what can be accomplished by a walk-on student-athlete.

"It is pretty rare to get to the level he represents now for the walk-on athlete in fencing," Bendarski noted. "But Ryan is showing everybody that for a hard worker and talented individual, a place in the traveling team can be taken by a walk-on athlete. It is great feeling for me as a coach to know that, in four years, someone who wants get a position is not without chance, if he works hard and has a strong drive for excellence."

It may be rare, but it comes as no surprise to those who know Ryan Bradley.

"He was a midfielder with a very high motor for us," Thompson said. "His work ethic was phenomenal. He would find a way to win every ball. He had no fear for his physical safety and would do whatever it would take. It was easy to see that whatever he chose to do, he would be extremely successful in it."

Taking the high praise in stride, Bradley is approaching the 2006-07 season the same as any other. He hopes to earn his second monogram while helping the Irish regain the national championship.

He'd also like to find his way into the Irish record book.

"If I'm lucky and I'm able to fence enough, I'd like to win enough bouts to get placed in the top 10," said Bradley, who needs a minimum of 13 victories to qualify for placement on Notre Dame's list for career winning percentage. Bradley is currently 27-4 (.871) all-time which would put him in 24th place.

However, individual glory isn't Bradley's main goal.

"One of the best parts about fencing is that even though it's a very individual-based sport, when it gets to regionals and nationals, it's very team oriented," Bradley said. "That's what makes it fun."

The "fun" resumes for Bradley and the Irish with the start of the new season in October.