Champions!

What an exciting weekend this has turned out to be. My daughter's varsity basketball team, from Elba Central, won their Class DD sectionals game in Letchworth Friday night. After all the celebration, their bus was greeted at the school by a flare lined driveway, the town firetrucks and many of the towns residents. From there they were escorted along the streets shouting from the bus windows, sirens running, horns blowing all for the support of the Champion team. Today, was a replay with the varsity boys team winning their championship, then greeted with the same type of celebration upon their return.

This comes after three months of grieving for the members of both teams, all Elba students, and community. We lost two of our teens within three weeks of one another. Tim McKenrick, a junior in my daughter's grade, and Will Stempin, a senior. Both boys were extremely good natured and well liked by all. Will was the best friend of Elba boys captain and friend to all the members of both teams. And Tim grew up with all these kids, making it his responsiblity to remove the sadness from anyone's face; he was the happiest kid bringing a smile to everyone.

After a long winter of hurt, sadness, and grief, the success of these two teams seems remarkable. And extremely rewarding, as every member wore the boys initials on their jerseys for each and every game, remembering and honoring their memories and friendship. They went out for each game with the goal of playing hard and winning to honor their friends.

My home has kept an open door to these kids, as a safe and supervised home where they could be together. I am not the only one who offered their homes for the kids to gather. It has given them the opportunity to be close, talk, remember, and share laughs about their memories. I still shed tears to watch these kids play and cheer for one another, and knowing that Tim and Will are not there among them, to share in the satisfaction of winning two school sectionals championships in less than 24 hours.

And I grieve for their parents and siblings who came to many of the games to show their support. And more importantly, to ensure the kids never forget their sons. I don't know how they could. Will and Tim were two fine, young men who lost their lives from accidental deaths. I will never go a day without telling my children I love them, and feeling thankful I do not have to suffer the lose of a child.