Injury won't pin down wrestler's hopes
There were no shortage of high school athletes competing over the weekend in a number of sports. Some with state championships on the line and some hoping to earn a spot at the state level.
On Saturday prep wrestlers were dueling it out on the mats at Lakeland High School for state berths when the unthinkable happened. A freak accident during a match left Coeur d'Alene High School junior E.G. Lunceford with a broken neck ... a fracture and dislocation of the C4 and C5 vertebrae. On Monday night E.G.'s dad, Frank Lunceford was nothing if not grateful. His son has undergone two surgeries and has a positive prognosis that seemed unlikely on Saturday. According to Frank every person who needed to be there every step of the way was. From the referees who knew immediately that something was seriously wrong and stopped the match ... to trainers from Post Falls (Dave Andrews) and Lewiston who kept E.G. immobilized until the EMTs arrived, to the staff of Kootenai Medical Center and the neurosurgeon who performed both surgeries.
Then there was the young wrestler from Lake City High School, who along with his mother came to the hospital to express their apologies. Frank assured them that it was an accident, plain and simple. Fellow Viking wrestlers and Coach Jeff Moffat kept a vigil at the hospital which buoyed E.G.'s spirits considerably. Family, friends and the athletic communities of rival schools have rallied, knowing it could have happened to any of their sons.E.G. recently earned his Eagle Scout designation and has wrestled since he was five years old. His love of the sport was evident when after the first surgery he told his father and mother, Jackie Dorris, that he wanted to go to the state tournament to support the team. E.G. just may get his wish. If all goes well he could be released from the hospital today and as Frank Lunceford vows, if it's possible to fly his son to the state tournament, he'll make it happen.
I'm thinking we're already witnessing the heart of a champion well before the state tournament.***
Post Falls residents Mike Dawson, Steve Bruno, Dave Holinka and Sam Clevenger spend winters in Lake Havasu, Arizona and last week the friends attended a concert there. The headliner was none other than Post Falls' own Kelly Hughes. Small world.***
Happy Birthday today to Corinna Hunter, Marion Brendis, Denise Willbanks and Holly McNee. Tomorrow it's party time for Sheila Wooley and Ingrid Allen. On Friday Barb Dietrich and Jimmy Conrow celebrate their big day. Saturday birthdays belong to Carolyn Peterson, Ron Gonzales, Ivy Fox and Tina Hough, who's marking her big 5-0! On Sunday Karen Cocoran, David Sheridan, Tawny Brown, Eddie Jerome and Mary Herrick will blow out the birthday candles. Don Pischner, Bridgette Lowry, Gary Dagastine, Allison Gerzina and Robin Gerzina celebrate their birthdays on the last day of the month. Since there's no Feb. 29 this year, Leap Year baby Nancy DiGiammarco will have the bonus of celebrating either on the 28th or March 1 along with Faye Griffiths, John Billetz, Connie Chalich and Bud Kobs.
***I missed a few birthdays last week ... it's not an easy task to keep track of a couple thousand birthdays for sure. Bob Hough marked his 84th year on Feb. 16. Dewey Berndt turned 66 on Feb. 17 and will retire tomorrow. Helen Naslund blew out 94 candles on Feb. 21 and still volunteers with the Museum of North Idaho in the summer.
Speaking of retirements, Lee Periman's last day of work at the Greyhound Park after 21 years will be on Friday. She's celebrating with a trip to Israel. And after practicing law for for 36 years, attorney Fred Gabourie, Jr. will pack up his shingle on the last day of February.***
Five years ago tomorrow I received two coronary arterial stents at Kootenai Heart Center. I was 53 years old. February is Heart Health Month but every month it's important to listen to your heart. Heart disease kills more women each year than all forms of cancer combined. Since Feb. 24, 2006 I've celebrated five more birthdays of my own and of my daughters and grandsons, viewed 1,770 sunsets, watched a grandson graduate from high school and just enjoyed every single day of the second chance at life I was blessed to receive. Life is good.***
Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press. More Main Street blog is at http://moremainstreet.blogspot.com. Listen to Main Street Monday on KVNI AM1080. Kerri can be reached at [email protected]