Times Like These

By Greg Cameron

“Times like these we learn to love again.” — Foo Fighters

On normal days, this space is reserved for what folks in journalism call the “toy department,” sports.

Today was as far as a normal one in Western New England as a tornado ripped through here.

You read pieces like Lars Anderson’s from a recent issue of Sports Illustrated regarding the tornado in Tuscaloosa and you have two thoughts: 1.) That can’t happen where I’m from and 2.) That town has such remarkable character.

Springfield, Massachusetts, my home (not far) away from home is a town with that kind of remarkable character. The City of Homes is a hardscrabble town that has seen its fair share of economic crises, crime, and now this significant weather event.

And man, Springfield is a great sports town! Basketball was invented there in the late 1800′s, and helps keep the pulse of the city.

At the epicenter of that heartbeat is a small college, that prides itself on being a part of the community and lends a helping hand on a moment’s notice. That educational institution, Springfield College, was my home for four years.

SC was hit hard by the storm which is reflected in pictures captured by my friend and collegiate newspaper colleague Justin Felisko captured on The Springfield Student’s Facebook page.

Springfield College will clean up and rebuild as it is a place beloved by the people who were matriculated there. Not only will the school lick its own wounds, but it will help the surrounding area too.

Why? Because that’s the right thing to do, and it what SC does best.

I’ve seen the best and worst of Springfield in my years working in multiple journalistic facets. As a production assistant for an ABC affiliate in town in the summer of 2008, I worked on quite a few stories that would were, in a word, harrowing.

That summer affirmed that working in sports was for me. I didn’t have the stomach for the rough and tumble life of many of the seemingly stoic news reporters I was learning under.

But in the face of a lot of the tragedies that I covered, I saw a community move forward with resolve and resiliency. These qualities will serve well in the coming days and weeks.

Today, the South End Community Center, an inner-city landmark took severe structural damage. This edifice  is a building that is key to keeping kids off the streets, out of crime, and into athletics.

During that summer of 2008, I was able to see the impact this building had as a place of healing in a time of need as Springfield Central High School’s boys basketball team mourned the death of their point guard and friend, Mario Hornsby. Basketball became their outlet for their frustration, grief and the rest of the emotions racing through them.

They didn’t turn to violence or retaliation. They turned to what was most familiar, sports.

Sports will play a role in the recovery that the City of Springfield will undertake in the coming days and weeks. In time, fastballs and fast breaks will help in the rebuilding of a city whose character shines through the bleakest of conditions.

Ernest Hemingway once wrote that courage is grace under pressure. In the coming days and weeks, we will see that grace under immense pressure in the Pioneer Valley.

When you knock your knees at night, keep the Pioneer Valley in your thoughts. This area sure could use any kind of positive divine intervention it could get a hold of.

 

Comments? Questions? Anything? Feel free to e-mail Greg or send him a shout on Twitter @Greg_Cameron.

 

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