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Players from the women's lacrosse team traded their lacrosse sticks for basketballs at the tournament. (Photo by Ali Destrempe) |
The class of 2010 came together on Saturday night in Tarrant Recreation Center to celebrate the life of classmate, Jesse Robinson, who passed away in a motorcycle accident last August.
Students participated in a three-on-three basketball tournament to help the Robinson family raise money and remember their son in a fun-filled event.
Music provided by St. Michael’s radio station WWPV was playing loudly throughout the gym.
Tables were set up on the sides of courts with food and drinks donated by local businesses. Purple and gold balloons added to the school spirit that was expressed by students.
The event was well-organized and put together, says Brodie Webster, a senior at Woodstock High School a friend of Jesse's younger brother.
Dunking for dollars
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Family, friends and members of the St. Michael's community watch from the sidelines as players competed in the tournament. (Photo by Ali Destrempe) |
Sophomore class president Ariel Desfosses was shocked about the turnout, she says. She did not know what to expect prior to the event and did not know how many students would come, she says.
Overall, 200 people came to either watch or participate in the tournament, she says.
“I had no idea that so many kids would come here, especially on a weekend,” mother Laurie says.
Sophomore Dan Elliot did not know Jesse, but participated in the tournament for support, he says
“We aren’t the best team, but we have the most spirit,” Elliot says.
Six different basketball games were played on each half of the court. Family, friends and faculty participated and remembered Jesse in the event.
Jake Robinson, Jesse’s younger brother, also played in the tournament.
It did not matter if they won or lost, he says. Just coming out to play was all that mattered to him, he says.
Laurie, along with Jesse’s closest friends, enjoyed the tournament, she says. She loved seeing his friends and watching her son Jake play basketball, she says.
“I feel closer to Jesse when we are with his friends,” Laurie says. “It’s something about being with his friends and hugging a tall, young boy makes me feel close to Jesse.”
The class officers came up with the idea of the three-on-three tournament, says Meghan Kerrigan, sophomore class vice president. They thought it was a good way to raise awareness that Jesse was their classmate, she adds. The officers thought that basketball would be easiest for kids to compete in and more people would get involved, she says.
“Kids who are connected with Jesse can play and those kids who are interested in basketball and tournaments can play,” Kerrigan says.
At the end of the night the tournament raised $900 in donations.
Playing for a Cause
The event raised money for lights on the football field at Woodstock High School. The lights will be donated in memory of Jesse. He was a hockey player there and the school recently got a new ice rink, but the football field was in need of lights, Laurie says. Some of the money for the lights has already been donated by another alumnus, she says.
“I feel like lots of athletes will benefit [from the lights],” Laurie says.
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A player takes the ball to the hoop while onlookers watch from the sidelines. (Photo by Ali Destrempe) |
The combination of other people’s money and the basketball tournament has helped the Woodstock school get very close to the amount of money needed for the lighting project, Laurie says.
The tournament and other donations show that a lot of people care, Jake says. It has brought a lot of good people together for a good cause and shows how a small community can be a big help, he says.
“It shows the impact he had on the town,” Jake says.
The lights will be put up this coming spring. Jake will be honoring and praying for his big brother by turning the lights on for the first time at the beginning of his lacrosse game, Laurie says.
Remembering Jesse
All of Jesse’s friends speak highly of him. Most of them say he was quiet and reserved, yet he would always be noticed.
“He had an aura that would draw people to him,” St. Michael's sophomore Ian Black says. “He was funny and outgoing towards people after getting to know them.”
Laurie also commented on how quiet Jesse was. When he was a child, his kindergarten teacher always asked if he was going to speak that day, she says.
Jesse became a different person when playing sports, she says.
“I saw the real him,” Laurie says when describing how he became aggressive, tough, and extremely happy during a sport’s game.
Jesse had a love for hockey. Any athletic competition event is a good way to remember him, says Kaleigh Soule, Jesse’s girlfriend and a sophomore at the University of Vermont.
A sporting event fits Jesse’s personality and was perfect way to remember him, Black says. The event helps keep Jesse in memory and mind; even if he is gone, the tournament will let kids know who he was, he says.
Jesse loved St. Michael’s and thought it was the right place for him, Laurie says.
“The tournament is something Jesse would have done,” says Laurie, “I wish they knew how much he cared about people.”