Athlete extraordinaire

LIBBY — What do you think about a kid who qualifies for the National Elks Hoop Shoot, shooting 94-for-100 free throws over the course of four competitions (local, district, state and regional)?

What if you were told this same kid has thrown a no-hitter in majors baseball? Or that he has made an unassisted triple play? That he carries a 153 average in bowling? Or that he’s qualified for — and played in — some incredible tournaments in his favorite sport of golf? That he has two holes-in-one?

If you are a fan of Northwestern A high school sports, you are going to get to see it first-hand before too much longer, because Ryggs Johnston is a fifth grader at Libby Elementary.

The 11-year-old is uncomfortable in a conversational setting. He answers questions willingly, but his responses are short.

And he doesn’t much like it when his mom, Cindy Ostrem-Johnston, tells people he has ice water in his veins.

But when he shoots that well at the Elks Hoop Shoot, including 25-for-25 at both the local and regional competition ... one wonders if she might be right.

Cindy says she teared up when No. 25 found the bottom of the net at regional, but Ryggs took it all in stride.

“The one thing he has that I wish I would have had (as a former college volleyball player) is the ability to control his nerves. I get way more nervous than he does.”

The whole family is headed to Springfield, Mass., to watch Ryggs at the National Elks Hoop Shoot on April 28.

If he wins, he’ll have his name on a plaque in the basketball Hall of Fame.

He is the child of two athletes — Ostrem-Johnston played basketball, volleyball, softball and ran track and dad Roger played football, basketball, golf, softball and ran track.

“It’s always been about a ball. If he’s not playing it, he’s watching on TV,” Ostrem-Johnston said.

His parents credit focus and an incredible attention span for Ryggs’ success.

The talent is God-given, but there has been hard work involved, too.

But that work is where Ryggs really thrives, according to his folks.

When he was younger, they would let him hit marbles off a tee at their home.

“We used to sit in the driveway and he’d hit one after another. He couldn’t get enough,” his mother said.

“We’ve got a self-motivated 11-year-old who loves to do this,” dad Roger Johnston said.

“We are not pushing our son to be the next Tiger Woods,” he added.

The Johnstons both work full time. When Sunday rolls around, they’d both like to relax — it’s Ryggs who lobbies to go to the gym. He nearly always wins out as he and his dad generally head out about 2 p.m.

“I think people think we push him. He pushes us!” she said.

“He’ll chip the ice off the driveway in the winter (to shoot baskets). He thrives on competition. He’s never turned down a chance to compete. He loves it,” she said.

“He’ll give up weekends on the lake to go to golf or basketball tournaments,” she added.

He shoots free throws at lunch and after school and is always on the lookout for someone to rebound for him at home.

And it doesn’t stop with basketball. It actually doesn’t even start with basketball.

Ryggs was rolling a ball back to his parents at seven months. His gift on his first birthday was his first set of golf clubs.

“He bowled with help from his dad at two,” Cindy said.

But golf is his favorite — and his resume is most impressive when it gets to that sport.

“It’s not a normal sport. It’s hard ... and I’m good at it,” Ryggs said.

“I started beating grandpa when I was five (and his dad since age nine),” he smiled.

He has played some incredible tournaments. They include U.S. Kids Desert Shootout Regional at the Wigwam Golf Course in Phoenix, MSGA State Golf Tournament, Floating Greens Championship, Montana Junior Championships, U.S. Kids World Golf Championships in Pinehurst, N.C. and U.S. Kids Hawaiian Classic Regional in Maui.

Not too bad for someone who, according to his dad, has never really had a lesson.

With a few exceptions (the Elks are paying for the Springfield trip), it’s been on his parent’s dime — and it hasn’t been cheap.

“We travel all over Montana in the summer time. We bought a motor home a couple of years ago so we could travel comfortably,” Ostrem-Johnston said.

“We pretty much do everything as a family. It’s usually the five of us (with Cindy’s parents Norm and Vicki).”

But Ryggs’ parents definitely have had their eyes opened.

For starters, the entry fee for many of the tournaments Ryggs plays in are more than $300 a pop.

Many of the kids Ryggs competes against in golf have fathers who are professional golfers, they have swing coaches and personal caddies.

“You do feel out of place when you get to some of these. You see the other side,” Roger Johnston said.

“And when you start flying to competitions (it really goes out of sight),” he added.

There have been some wonderful experiences, however. There was snorkeling and ziplining in Hawaii, there are friendships made along the way and there will be a trip to the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield.

The one thing that concerns his parents is that Ryggs is not a good loser.

They worried after his first world tournament that he might never golf again — tied for 50th, he left the course bawling after the first round.

“He found out there were another 100 kids out there like him. That was a shock,” Johnston said.

Instead, though, he came up with a plan to play better the following year.

He dreams of a golf scholarship to Stanford and has hopes of a professional golf career.

Ryggs and his parents have all heard the naysayers on that last bit — those who believe he’s going too hard too young or that he’s just not capable.

His mom disagrees.

“I say ‘go prove them wrong.’”