When I was 19 years old I found out my maternal grandparents were ill. I packed my '89 Toyota Corolla with as much of my possessions as would fit, and drove 20 hours north from Mesa, AZ to Sheridan, Wyoming to see if I could lend a hand.
It turns out, I am not a doctor, so me helping was essentially watching Jeopardy with them every afternoon, or watching either the Broncos, Braves, Rockies or Nuggets with them while they bickered back and forth the way only people who have been married 55 years can do.
Because I wasn't as much use as I thought I'd be, I went out and got a job at the local YMCA doing whatever they needed done, whether it was folding towels, reminding people how to properly use weights, coaching, janitorial stuff, or lifeguarding, I was ALWAYS there. One family in town had five very athletic children, who, when I met them, were 17, 14, 12, 12 (twins) and 5. That's the type of age gap where it's pretty obvious that the youngest was definitely a surprise. This family was always at the Y, and with the youngest not really having much to do, she'd follow me around the place- usually dribbling a basketball. When I coached soccer, she'd serve as my assistant, repeating my calls from the sideline and helping hand out halftime snacks. I saw the entire family nearly every day for the entire time I lived up there, and got to know them fairly well. I moved back to Arizona when I was 22 to get married, and finish college. I haven't seen anyone from that family in nine years, outside of the occasional Facebook post.
Last week, while leaving the Bobby Hurley press conference, I physically bumped into the mother, and youngest daughter... here... in Tempe... in the Ed and Nadine Carson building.
It turns out, the young girl who used to bounce a basketball around the YMCA in the small, northern Wyoming town has grown up to become Wyoming's Gatorade Player of the Year, and has offers from all over the country. She was here on her official visit, and had just been introduced to Dr. Crow by Charli Turner Thorne. Later that night, at the spring game, I visited with coach CTT and Robbi Ryan, the one time miniature assistant soccer coach. Ryan plans to visit Iowa, Nebraska, Cal and Colorado before making her final decision on where to go. I tried to tow the line between reporter and family friend, but I'll admit, I was excited to think that a kid from the town I was born in, a town of only 16,000 in the least populous state in the country, could be garnering that type of attention.
It's definitely a small world, and time flies. Two of my kids are now older than she was when I first met her, and she's about to decide where she'll be playing basketball for the next 4-5 years. Perhaps it's in Tempe, but wherever it is, I'll definitely be rooting for her.
Robbi Ryan
It turns out, I am not a doctor, so me helping was essentially watching Jeopardy with them every afternoon, or watching either the Broncos, Braves, Rockies or Nuggets with them while they bickered back and forth the way only people who have been married 55 years can do.
Because I wasn't as much use as I thought I'd be, I went out and got a job at the local YMCA doing whatever they needed done, whether it was folding towels, reminding people how to properly use weights, coaching, janitorial stuff, or lifeguarding, I was ALWAYS there. One family in town had five very athletic children, who, when I met them, were 17, 14, 12, 12 (twins) and 5. That's the type of age gap where it's pretty obvious that the youngest was definitely a surprise. This family was always at the Y, and with the youngest not really having much to do, she'd follow me around the place- usually dribbling a basketball. When I coached soccer, she'd serve as my assistant, repeating my calls from the sideline and helping hand out halftime snacks. I saw the entire family nearly every day for the entire time I lived up there, and got to know them fairly well. I moved back to Arizona when I was 22 to get married, and finish college. I haven't seen anyone from that family in nine years, outside of the occasional Facebook post.
Last week, while leaving the Bobby Hurley press conference, I physically bumped into the mother, and youngest daughter... here... in Tempe... in the Ed and Nadine Carson building.
It turns out, the young girl who used to bounce a basketball around the YMCA in the small, northern Wyoming town has grown up to become Wyoming's Gatorade Player of the Year, and has offers from all over the country. She was here on her official visit, and had just been introduced to Dr. Crow by Charli Turner Thorne. Later that night, at the spring game, I visited with coach CTT and Robbi Ryan, the one time miniature assistant soccer coach. Ryan plans to visit Iowa, Nebraska, Cal and Colorado before making her final decision on where to go. I tried to tow the line between reporter and family friend, but I'll admit, I was excited to think that a kid from the town I was born in, a town of only 16,000 in the least populous state in the country, could be garnering that type of attention.
It's definitely a small world, and time flies. Two of my kids are now older than she was when I first met her, and she's about to decide where she'll be playing basketball for the next 4-5 years. Perhaps it's in Tempe, but wherever it is, I'll definitely be rooting for her.
Robbi Ryan
