In March 1988, just before I left my hometown of Dawson Creek for good, there was a horrific accident that resulted in the death of five boys and their basketball coach from a local Christian school. For a long time after, our little city was in shock.
I thought about that sad spring all those years ago when the extent of the accident in Humboldt, Sask., came to light last weekend. I thought about the dad of one of the boys 30 years ago sobbing in our office as if his broken heart would never mend. And I remember thinking then, “There but for the grace of God, go I.”
Most Canadian parents who have ever had kids in athletics know that long bus rides are a given. If your son or daughter is talented or determined enough to play sports at a higher level and you live in a small town, you need to go where the competition is. Our family was no different than most. My sons played hockey and it wasn’t unusual to be on the road in all kinds of weather.
In many ways, B.C.’s Peace River country is more like the Prairie provinces than it is the rest of B.C. It’s flat farm country and for much of the winter bone-chillingly cold. Many times teams travelled in whiteout conditions. We never gave it much thought. It was just what you did.
The young men last Friday were probably focusing on how they were going to play one of their last games of the season. Little could they or their parents have known it would never happen. Riding the bus was just something they had done hundreds of times before. The very vastness of our country makes that the rule not the exception. One of the great opportunities hockey offers youth if they’re good enough is a chance to go to great schools on scholarships. I suspect many on this team had that in mind on Friday. How sad their potential will never be realized.
The sheer magnitude of losing so many people in one accident is mind numbing. Knowing that the dead could have been our sons or cousins or grandsons breaks our collective hearts.
There will be many details to learn about the accident in the coming days and months. The answers may or may not satisfy us. The one thing that won’t change is the need for travel.
In the meantime, our hearts go out to the many folks affected by this tragedy. They don’t grieve alone; all of us share their loss. There but for the grace of God.
