Longest week ever, as tragedy hits home
I wasn't supposed to be home on Sunday, Oct. 16. I was supposed to be in New Ulm with Gator, or in Midlothian with Rain. But instead, I was home...
...and I got a call just before 7 a.m. That's never good news.
It's my editor. He said there was a bus crash, with several Chippewa Falls High School band students dead.
I've lived here nearly five years now. I live less than a mile from the High School, and while I'm in the Twin Cities most weekends, Chippewa Falls really is 'home' to me.
I go to the school. I talk with school officials and get a sense of what happened. I run to my office and have the first full story online, anywhere in the country, at 9 a.m. I get emails from CNN and CBS, wanting to interview me. Why me? I don't respond. I'm too busy tracking down students.
Media vultures? Yeah, I saw it here. Good Morning America, CNN, and news stations from the Twin Cities, Green Bay, La Crosse, Madison and Wausau hit the city. Any student who walked on the school grounds is swarmed by news-hungry reporters. Jeez, this scene is ugly. I leave and go to my office. I didn't want to be associated with this mess. (When a reporter comes in from out of town... they don't care if they 'hurt' or 'offend' a subject, because they know they'll leave town tomorrow, and won't be back. They won't have to see those people again.) But for me, I have to treat this situation carefully, because I DO live here, and I DO have to face these people again if I handle this story wrong.
So, I'm back at my office. I call students I know, mostly athletes. I compile a list of names of band members. I start calling them. Actually, every kid I spoke with was willing to talk about the crash. We find out the names of some of the dead. I actually pull together three stories on Sunday alone. I realize it's 10 p.m., and I've done nothing but work on this one story. And it's only Sunday...
Monday comes. I'm on the phone with a couple of moms, whose children are in critical condition at hospitals. Somehow, I'm able to get info and share their stories. This isn't easy... I wish I didn't have to make these calls. It's hard to ask questions when the person you are talking to is choked up.
Wednesday... I went to a funeral, and wrote about it. Thursday... a funeral for three more people. What a depressing week. All I've written about all week is this tragedy. It's all consuming. This had a true, deep effect on this small town.
Finally, the weekend arrives. I go to a friend's house to watch Smackdown. I skip FLWA; it's too bad that FLWA didn't advertise a card, because, knowing what the lineup was, I would have went. Saturday, Wayne McCarty and I head to Albert Lea for the Dolan benefit show. Wayne is a great travel partner, and the ride goes quickly.
The show was so-so. The main event was fun. Cody O'Neill is worth the price of admission. Aaron Corbin has become an awesome heel. Joey Envy was stuck in a match with opponents not at his caliber. Ryan and Prophet had a good match. Great to see Joessiah in the ring again. Chippendale Kid has cemented his spot as the worst active indy wrestler in the region. Read my report at www.indywrestlingfan.tk
Short week for me... I head to the Cities on Wednesday for Paul McCartney concert with my dad. I'm meeting up with my good friend Michelle for lunch on Thursday, then I'll head to NWA No Limits on Friday, to kick off three shows in three days!
Chris
...and I got a call just before 7 a.m. That's never good news.
It's my editor. He said there was a bus crash, with several Chippewa Falls High School band students dead.
I've lived here nearly five years now. I live less than a mile from the High School, and while I'm in the Twin Cities most weekends, Chippewa Falls really is 'home' to me.
I go to the school. I talk with school officials and get a sense of what happened. I run to my office and have the first full story online, anywhere in the country, at 9 a.m. I get emails from CNN and CBS, wanting to interview me. Why me? I don't respond. I'm too busy tracking down students.
Media vultures? Yeah, I saw it here. Good Morning America, CNN, and news stations from the Twin Cities, Green Bay, La Crosse, Madison and Wausau hit the city. Any student who walked on the school grounds is swarmed by news-hungry reporters. Jeez, this scene is ugly. I leave and go to my office. I didn't want to be associated with this mess. (When a reporter comes in from out of town... they don't care if they 'hurt' or 'offend' a subject, because they know they'll leave town tomorrow, and won't be back. They won't have to see those people again.) But for me, I have to treat this situation carefully, because I DO live here, and I DO have to face these people again if I handle this story wrong.
So, I'm back at my office. I call students I know, mostly athletes. I compile a list of names of band members. I start calling them. Actually, every kid I spoke with was willing to talk about the crash. We find out the names of some of the dead. I actually pull together three stories on Sunday alone. I realize it's 10 p.m., and I've done nothing but work on this one story. And it's only Sunday...
Monday comes. I'm on the phone with a couple of moms, whose children are in critical condition at hospitals. Somehow, I'm able to get info and share their stories. This isn't easy... I wish I didn't have to make these calls. It's hard to ask questions when the person you are talking to is choked up.
Wednesday... I went to a funeral, and wrote about it. Thursday... a funeral for three more people. What a depressing week. All I've written about all week is this tragedy. It's all consuming. This had a true, deep effect on this small town.
Finally, the weekend arrives. I go to a friend's house to watch Smackdown. I skip FLWA; it's too bad that FLWA didn't advertise a card, because, knowing what the lineup was, I would have went. Saturday, Wayne McCarty and I head to Albert Lea for the Dolan benefit show. Wayne is a great travel partner, and the ride goes quickly.
The show was so-so. The main event was fun. Cody O'Neill is worth the price of admission. Aaron Corbin has become an awesome heel. Joey Envy was stuck in a match with opponents not at his caliber. Ryan and Prophet had a good match. Great to see Joessiah in the ring again. Chippendale Kid has cemented his spot as the worst active indy wrestler in the region. Read my report at www.indywrestlingfan.tk
Short week for me... I head to the Cities on Wednesday for Paul McCartney concert with my dad. I'm meeting up with my good friend Michelle for lunch on Thursday, then I'll head to NWA No Limits on Friday, to kick off three shows in three days!
Chris