News

QHS Alumni Spotlight: Ryan Sparks ’01

Investing in Quincy, On and Off the Field

By: Katie Rodemich ’02

When Ryan Sparks walked the halls of Quincy High School in the late ’90s and early 2000s, he was the kind of student who always had a full plate and a full heart. A pitcher for the Blue Devils baseball team, a summer umpire for Quincy Park District baseball games, a YMCA regular, and a kid with a paper route and a lawn-mowing side hustle, Ryan developed his relentless work ethic before he could even drive.

More than two decades later, that same drive still fuels everything Ryan does—but now, it’s grounded in what matters most: family, faith, lifelong friendships, and building a better future for Quincy. After nearly 20 years away, he felt the pull of home—not just to the place itself, but to the people. The friends he grew up with, the mentors who shaped him, and the community that always felt like extended family were still here. Coming back wasn’t just a move—it was a return to his roots.

“I’m 42 now,” Ryan says with a laugh. “And I was away from Quincy for almost two decades before my wife and I moved back in 2023 to raise our twins, Rosie and Jimmy.”

At QHS, Ryan was the kind of student who filled every hour of his day. He pitched for the Blue Devils Boys Baseball team, was called up to varsity as a sophomore, and served as team captain his senior year along with Tommy Doellman. His commitment extended far beyond the field. He refereed basketball games and umpired baseball for the YMCA and Quincy Park District, ran the football scoreboard during home games, and spent summers maintaining the fields and the facility, and keeping score.

He even recalls his first concert: Destiny’s Child, featuring a young Beyoncé and one of the most iconic R&B girl groups of the early 2000s performing at the Oakley-Lindsay Center in 2000, just as they were rising in the music scene. For a kid growing up in Quincy, it felt huge. The energy, the crowd, the excitement of a big-name act coming to his hometown all left a lasting impression. It wasn’t just about the music; it was about the feeling that something special was happening right where he lived.

The lunchroom was another formative space. “We called it the ‘gas station line,’” Ryan laughs. “Bagel sandwiches, fries with ranch, and slushies. We’d save up lunch money just to go through that line.” For Ryan, those everyday rituals—the cafeteria banter, Friday night lights, weekend hangouts at PT Putt and the old swimming pool weren’t just fun memories. They were the building blocks of lifelong friendships and the values he carries forward today.

He credits those early years with shaping his understanding of loyalty, consistency, and community—principles he now works to instill in the athletes he coaches and the students he mentors.

After graduating from Quincy High School in 2001, Ryan studied marketing at Eastern Illinois University, where he played baseball until a torn rotator cuff ended his pitching career. He returned to Quincy to play one season at John Wood under Coach Walyen before going back to Eastern and completing his degree. His post-college path led him into tech sales—a fast-paced, high-pressure career that took him from Chicago to St. Louis, managing large territories and long hours on the road.

Then, at age 39, everything changed. Ryan suffered a heart attack.

“It really shook up our priorities,” he says. “I feel like it was God’s way of pushing us off the fence.” He and his wife, Carolyn, a Major in the Air Force Reserves and a defense consultant had been considering a move back to Quincy.” That health scare made the decision clear. They realized it was time to stop waiting and start living the life they truly wanted which was closer to family, community, and a slower pace.

They moved back in 2023, trading city lights for neighborhood parks, familiar faces, and a slower rhythm. “We came back for support,” Ryan says. “But we’ve found so much more than that. We found purpose.”

It was years earlier, during a St. Patrick’s Day run in St. Louis, that Ryan met Carolyn. “We were introduced by a mutual friend who was a trainer,” he recalls. “She was active-duty military at the time and about to move to Norfolk, Virginia, to work for NATO. I offered to help her check off all the St. Louis must-see spots before she left. Somewhere along the way, we fell in love.”

The two dated long-distance before Carolyn eventually returned to St. Louis, exited full active duty, and transitioned into the Air Force Reserves. Carolyn now works as a consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton, a global firm that supports U.S. government agencies through strategic, technological, and operational expertise. Originally from Dallas, Carolyn was initially unsure about small-town life, but she quickly came to appreciate Quincy’s tight-knit community.

Now raising their twins, Rosie and Jimmy, the Sparks family is active in every corner of Quincy life. The kids attend QPS elementary school and stay busy with baseball, dance, soccer, basketball, and gymnastics. Carolyn, a theater enthusiast and dedicated volunteer has fully embraced Quincy as home. She and Ryan are active supporters of the Quincy Children’s Museum, Quincy Community Theatre, and a wide range of local school and community events. Carolyn has taken on pivotal roles in several initiatives, including A Night to Dream Big, the Quincy Public Schools Foundation’s signature fundraising gala.

“Carolyn lived around the world, but now she can’t imagine raising our kids anywhere else. She was always amazed by how strong my friendships from high school were and how they’ve lasted,” Ryan says. “That’s not something you see everywhere, but in Quincy, it’s normal.”

Ryan explains those bonds started forming early on baseball fields, in gym class, and across cafeteria tables. “Four of my teammates were in my wedding,” he says. “That kind of loyalty doesn’t come easy, and it started right here at QHS.”

Today, Ryan wears many hats: husband, dad, real estate investor and founder of Sparks Home Automation & Real Estate (SHARE), house flipper, mentor, volunteer, and assistant baseball coach at both the high school and junior high levels. He regularly mentors students, substitute teaches, and is an active member of both Quincy Noon Kiwanis and the ACA Business Club–Quincy. He’s also the driving force behind SwingSync Labs, a high-performance baseball and softball training facility located inside Verti-Go Athletics.

Built in partnership with longtime friend and mentor Jerry Douglas, SwingSync Labs is designed to revolutionize how athletes approach hitting. The lab offers a results-driven experience that transforms swing paths, improves efficiency, and sharpens mechanics. By combining cutting-edge technology with time-tested fundamentals, SwingSync helps players train smarter, improve faster, and ultimately—win more games.

Born out of a desire to give Quincy athletes a competitive edge—and a supportive space to grow—SwingSync Labs is Ryan’s vision in motion. More than just a training space, the lab blends modern performance tech, old-school discipline, and Ryan’s core coaching philosophy: reps over results. Every session is centered around consistency, self-improvement, and the kind of mentorship he wishes he’d had as a teen.

Each hour-long session includes 100 focused swings, supported by detailed data and video analysis. Athletes wear Blast Motion sensors that track swing speed, attack angle, and bat path efficiency. That data syncs to an iPad and generates a performance report, which Ryan uses to customize drills, correct mechanics, and help hitters unlock their full potential.

But SwingSync isn’t just about numbers. It’s about building a place where kids want to show up. The training space is energetic and welcoming, filled with music, timed stations, and constant encouragement. Athletes leave with video clips of their progress, growing confidence in their swing, and the motivation to keep improving.

SwingSync works in tandem with Jerry Douglas’s strength and agility program at Verti-Go Athletics. While Jerry focuses on physical development—speed, explosiveness, and core strength—Ryan hones technical skills at the plate. It’s a complementary system built on trust, shared values, and a commitment to Quincy’s youth.

“We don’t overlap our programs, but we’re aligned in philosophy,” Ryan says. “We both believe in repetition, structure, and showing kids how to build something real over time.”

Some athletes move fluidly between the two programs—building strength with Jerry, then refining their baseball or softball skills with Ryan. Their partnership is rooted in shared values: mentorship, discipline, and a commitment to helping young athletes grow on and off the field.

SwingSync’s reputation has spread quickly through word of mouth. Coaches and parents are seeing real progress, and for many kids, the lab has become a second home—a place where they feel seen, supported, and motivated.

Just as mentors and friendships shaped Ryan during his formative high school years, he and Jerry are now paying it forward. Their programs extend beyond performance—they’re focused on building character, confidence, and the kind of habits that lead to lasting success in sports and in life.

Long before he was mentoring others, Ryan Sparks was a student searching for direction—and two key figures stepped in at just the right time.

One of the most influential was Coach Bill Sanders, a business teacher who later became QHS’s athletic director. To Ryan, though, he was far more than an educator or administrator.

Years later, while living in St. Louis and burning out in tech sales, Ryan often found himself driving back to Quincy for QHS basketball regionals—and to reconnect with Bill Sanders. After the games, he’d stay to talk, asking questions about how Bill had built a career with meaning. How did he get into education? What made him stay? Those conversations helped Ryan begin to imagine a different kind of future. One rooted in purpose, people, and impact.

Now back in Quincy, that connection endures. The two still talk regularly, sometimes while biking together and sharing reflections on life, leadership, and the importance of simply showing up.

Another pivotal figure in Ryan’s life was Terry Ellerman, a longtime QHS counselor who helped generations of students find their way after graduation.

“I was the first in my family to go to college,” Ryan says. “There wasn’t much guidance on how to navigate the process. Terry Ellerman helped me with everything—financial aid, scholarship applications, deadlines. He made sure things were mailed out and kept me on track. Honestly, if it weren’t for him, I don’t know if I would’ve gone to college.”

That kind of hands-on support—offered with patience and care—left a lasting impression. Today, Ryan knows there are students who feel just as uncertain as he did at 17. That’s why he substitute teaches. That’s why he coaches. That’s why he started SwingSync. He wants to be a steady presence in kids’ lives—the way Coach Sanders and Terry were in his.

For Ryan, mentoring isn’t just a moment—it’s a mission, deeply rooted in gratitude.

When asked what advice he’d give today’s students, Ryan Sparks doesn’t hesitate.

“If I could go back and talk to a younger version of myself,” he says, “I’d tell him this: it’s better to be respected than liked, because I spent too much time trying to fit in with the popular crowd. I think you need to be comfortable with who you are as a person—not something fake or forced.”

“Kids want to be liked—it’s natural,” he adds. “But you have to ask yourself: what habits are you building now? Who are you becoming?”

“I try to be the person I needed at 16 or 17,” he says. “Someone to say, ‘Hey, this world is tough sometimes, but you don’t have to figure it out on your own.’”

For Ryan Sparks, whether he’s coaching YMCA basketball, renovating homes, training young athletes at the cage, or cheering from the sidelines at his kids’ games, one thing is clear—he’s all in on Quincy’s future.

He didn’t set out to become a mentor, a coach, or a builder of futures. He simply followed what felt true: show up, give back, and do the work. Whether it’s a rep in the batting cage, a house restored on a quiet block, or a conversation that helps a teen find their footing, Ryan sees each moment as an opportunity to invest in people.

In doing so, he’s helping build more than individual success—he’s cultivating community, shaping character, and creating momentum for a stronger Quincy. In the end, it’s not about being remembered for titles or wins. It’s about who you showed up for and what you helped make possible along the way.

To learn more about the work he’s doing through SwingSync Labs and Sparks Home Automation & Real Estate (SHARE), visit www.swingsynclabs.com or www.sparkshometechrealty.com, and follow both on Facebook to stay connected.

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To learn more about the work Ryan is doing through SwingSync Labs and Sparks Home Automation & Real Estate (SHARE), visit www.swingsynclabs.com or www.sparkshometechrealty.com. You can also follow both on Facebook to stay connected and see how he’s continuing to invest in Quincy—one swing, one home, and one student at a time.