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By STEVE LEE, Times Staff WriterThe Cobras coach will leave in May for North Carolina and a bit of variety in the weather.
HUDSON - Not everyone comes to Florida for the sunny weather. Ron Ladimir, who coached and played soccer and tennis at Hudson, is leaving because of the weather.
Seasonal change is the primary reason Ladimir will relocate his family to Union County, N.C., in May.
Ladimir is from Long Island and his wife, Cynthia, hails from Cleveland. They miss the seasons, Ladimir said, and would like their 9-month-old son Nathan to share that experience.
"I've always wanted to move back to Carolina," said Ladimir, who played soccer at Wingate (N.C.) and was elected into that Division II school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002. "We both miss the seasons up there. With my son being born we wanted to do it before he gets too old."
Ladimir, 29, will coach boys and girls soccer at Porter Ridge, a Union County school that opens in the fall. Ladimir will teach math as he did at Hudson and coach boys and girls soccer (boys play in the fall, girls during spring).
Ladimir and his wife, a former English teacher at Hudson, bought a home and Ron accepted the position on a visit last month during spring break.
In seven seasons at Hudson, Ladimir's boys soccer teams won four district titles and reached a region final and three semifinals.
He also coached boys tennis for seven seasons, winning two conference and two district titles, and finishing seventh in the state twice.
"I was glad to have an opportunity to coach at the school I graduated from," said Ladimir, named Sunshine Athletic Conference coach of the year three times in soccer and twice for tennis.
Though he played two sports, soccer unquestionably was Ladimir's favorite. "Hands down," he said, adding that soccer is "more intense."
Intensity characterized the Cobras' soccer team in recent years.
"I just wanted them to go out and do their best, and have fun," he said. "As long as they work as hard as they can, the outcome doesn't matter."
Gulf coach Sam Koleduk, who played in adult leagues with Ladimir, spoke highly of his rival. "Whoever gets (the Hudson soccer coaching) job's going to have some big shoes to fill," Koleduk said. "His teams played hard every game."
Added Land O'Lakes coach Mark Pearson, "I think Ron has always put together a very good team. I have the utmost respect for him. He's a great motivator and I'm going to miss him. He's a great guy."
Ladimir, a 1993 Hudson graduate, moved to Florida with his family before his sophomore year and played soccer and tennis for the Cobras. He played on rebuilding teams in soccer and in tennis won two conference titles.
Ladimir was a standout soccer player at Wingate, where he is the career scoring leader with 156 points. As a senior, Ladimir finished third in the nation in Division II scoring and was a second-team All-American.
Ladimir's two brothers also played and coach soccer. Bobby Ladimir coaches the Lenoir-Rhyne men's team and Rick Ladimir is a Hudson assistant.