RAPID CITY - Scott Sturlaugson is ending his 26-year career of teaching and coaching in Rapid City, but he's not ready to ride off into the sunset just yet.

"I'm not done working by any means. I still enjoy teaching and coaching a lot," he said.

"After 30 years of teaching, I still feel like I want to try new things in life."

Sturlaugson, 55, taught science at South Middle School and later at Rapid City Central High School. He also coached middle school football and basketball as well as varsity girls basketball and boys tennis for the Cobblers.

Sturlaugson said he never wanted people to believe that his teaching took a back seat to coaching.

"Coaching is a love and a passion, but teaching is my livelihood," he said. "They compliment each other. A coach is always teaching."

"There are so many life lessons learned. If you learn to accept defeat gracefully on the court, you'll better learn to deal with the tough times of your life. Whatever game it is, it can teach lessons to kids if the coach makes them aware of it," he said.

Sturlaugson was an assistant girls basketball coach to Clyde Millslagle and later was head girls coach in the early 1990s. His teams qualified for the state Class AA tournament four of the five years he was at the helm.

He has coached the Cobbler boys tennis team for the last three years. His squad finished third at the state tournament in May behind champion Rapid City Stevens and Sioux Falls O'Gorman, the Cobblers best showing since placing second to O'Gorman in 1989.

"I've taken pride in helping to build both programs to be successful in the state of South Dakota. It doesn't have a lot to do with the coach. It has a lot to do with the athletes that you have. I always wanted to leave the program better than it was when I started," he said.

Sturlaugson grew up on a farm in North Dakota. He first attended school in Sheldon, and later graduated from Grace City, N.D.

He earned his teaching degree at Valley City State College, where he also played one year of basketball and three years of tennis.

After graduation he spent four years performing social work in the inner city of Toledo, Ohio, and teaching at a Navajo mission school in Phoenix, Ariz., before coming to Rapid City in 1982.

"One of the strengths of my teaching was my exposure to different cultures," Sturlaugson said. "Central High School was a good fit with the diversity of students we have here."

His wife Brooke is from Denver. Sturlaugson said settling in Rapid City was a matter of being equidistant from both of their families.

"With my small town background, I wind up teaching and coaching at the biggest high school in the state of South Dakota," he said.

Scott and Brooke have three sons, Soren, 25, who works in mineral exploration. Brent, 23, is soon to graduate from the University of Oregon with a degree in architecture, and Dayne, 20, is attending Black Hills State University in Spearfish.

"I've tried during all this mix to stay focused on family. That's hard to do with any profession where you have a passion," he said.

His immediate plans include motorcycle tours with Dana West, a fellow Central teacher who is also retiring after this year. He and West will remain fixtures at Cobbler athletic events.

Beyond that, he's keeping his options open, with one modest requirement.

"Hopefully when I find my next employment, I'll be outside and enjoying the environment. I'd like to enjoy God's creation," he said.

"I'd like to offer my appreciation to the Rapid City community for the opportunity to affect in a positive way their young people," he said.

"The parental support I've received has been wonderful. I've made a lot of friends during this teaching and coaching gig."

And one more thing about sunsets:

"My wife Brooke and I just thank God for being able to get up every day and enjoy the sunrises and the sunsets," he said. "That's a blessing that not everyone gets to partake in."