I took Tyler to Parowan for Josh's JV game vs. Richfield thursday night.
Afterwards, we ate, swam, read his favorite story books, and played
SORRY in our "lovely" motel room in Beaver. It even had a towel and a
toilet!!!!!!!!! Following a typical guy breakfast of apple fritters,
bananas, and milk, we drove to Richfield for Jeff's friday night varsity
game.
Prior to kickoff under the lights, the PA announcer directed our
attention to 2 small trees that had been planted near the endzone. 2 of
Richfield's best players had been killed in a car wreck and the driver
of the "overcorrected" vehicle which hit a semi was on the sidelines
with a crushed pelvis (in a wheelchair with his game jersey on). They
had a "long" moment of silence.........many tears.......then the
national anthem.
I took it all in. It was so refreshing and touching. Hundreds from the
small community of Richfield came out to support their team. Huge band,
20 + cheerleaders, and dozens of small children, including my own Tyler,
playing touch and tackle football on the adjoining grass field during
the Richfield-Parowan game. The weather was perfect (especially
compared to Mesquite heat) and the entire environment was heartwarming.
Small-town America at it's best. The 2 funerals had been completed that
week, and the entire community reached out to that young blonde kid in
the wheelchair (who wanted to die because his best friends did and
because he felt responsible.......he'd only had his driver's license for
30 days).
The folks in Richfield were so kind.....and supportive of their high
school team. Prior to the game I bumped into Mary Peterson who had
worked at MACU in Mesquite, but moved back to Richfield when her cop
husband couldn't find work in Mesquite. I asked her if she was going to
the game and she said, "Yes, along with the rest of the town. You'll be
amazed at the support.........it's a lot different than Mesquite". It
was amazing.......the crowd was bigger than many I had seen in SLC high
schools. After the game Josh, Tyler and I spent an hour, alternately
throwing two footballs on long pass routes on the Richfield home grass.
We finally stopped when Tyler missed one that hit him in the
nose..........he was mad and said I did it on purpose!!!!
But the entire evening was a chapter out of LIFE magazine 40 years ago.
Americana.................at it's best. Kids and adults coming
together..........during good times and hard times.......to support, to
cheer, to honor 2 of their fallen kids. Many wonder if Americans are
too fixated on sports? Perhaps.............but like Bear Bryant
(legendary Alabama head coach) said years ago, "It's difficult for a
community to rally around a math class". I'm convinced, certainly for
the Richfield folks, that friday night was a form of
healing............just as the funerals had been too. Actually, perhaps
an "athletic tender mercy" approved from ON HIGH. The game was closer
than the final score indicated, but Richfield is
now 2-0...............and the Parowan Rams are still looking for victory
#1. Moot point.
And, true to form, the white Altima slithered home at a comfortable 62
mph.........deep into the night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
KC
