I wanted to send out a huge thank you to all the folks that helped our injured wrestler during the afternoon session of the Effingham tournament. I did not get the name of the EMT that came out of the stands and stabilized my wrestler and his arm. If you know who it was please PM because I would really like to thank him in person.

The thanks also goes out to the other folks that are trained EMTs that seemed to come from nowhere and were right there to help. Special thanks to the officials also for stopping their matches and creating the space so we could deal with the injury without other wrestlers potentially falling on them.

Special thanks to the staff for getting the ambulance turned around and getting the young man and his family to the hospital.

Finally, thank you to all the fans who stopped what they were doing and for giving our wrestler a great round of applause as he left the mat. To those who took the time to say a prayer (and I know there are a lot of you out there), thank you very much! Our wrestler ended up with a dislocated and broken elbow but he did not require surgery. We will continue to pray for his healing.

It was heartwarming to see how we can all be opponents on the mat yet still take care of each other as a family. This is why I love this sport and think that it is the greatest sport in the world. I know I speak for his family and for our Spartan family in expressing a true, heartfelt thanks to everyone involved!

Shawn Budke
Leavenworth County Spartans