Letter to Editor | In Support of Levy, Life, and Love

— from Greg White —

Most of you who know me, know my children, and in particular know my daughter Erin. If you don’t know Erin let me tell you a little about her. Erin has autism among some other developmental disabilities. Erin is not defined by her disabilities, but it is a starting point to explain why today was so special.

Erin is a beautiful 16-year-old girl with bright eyes and a big smile. She has a wicked sense of humor and strives to understand the world around her. This fall Erin really wanted to run on the cross country team. Erin has not participated in any sports since t-ball, and that didn’t go so well. Team sports are difficult for her at best, but we knew Erin could run. Still there were obstacles to overcome.

I approached the coach, Laura Hohman, and explained the situation. Mrs. Hohman was very open to giving it a try and was genuinely excited to help Erin be successful. The next day Erin came to practice. She only was able to run about half a mile, but she was thrilled to be able to be on the team. After a couple of days Coach Hohman and I talked about how it was going. Erin was doing fine but she would not be able to compete in a meet because the course is typically close to three miles and Erin had only worked up to about a mile. Coach’s number one rule is you can’t stop running. At this point, we marked Cross Country as a success.

Erin was excited to go to school and looked forward to practice every day. Some days Erika Harlow would run with her, some days her Mom, or even Coach Hohman. Being on the team and exercising every day was having a real positive impact on Erin and she was improving. After a couple of weeks Coach Hohman approached me and said, “You know, I think Erin would be able to run in a meet, she has really been improving.” That was fantastic news, but the next step was to gain approval from our athletic director, and the Bellingham coach. There are potential liability issues and Erin does need extra care because of her disabilities. Chris Bullock was thrilled to hear Erin was up to the task and immediately got her a uniform. We figured it would be safest for Erin if her Mom, Tess, could run with her. Tess incidentally had run the Portland Marathon the Sunday before the meet so she was up to the task.

Bellingham coach Eric Bachmeier was very positive about Erin having the opportunity to run and even though he was incredibly busy at the meet, he took the time to introduce himself to Tess, Erin, and me before the race. Emma, Erin’s Team mate, Tess, and Erin lined up for the start, and off they went. I anxiously waited at the finish line, camera in hand. It wasn’t too long before the girls came streaming in. I watched and waited for Erin to come around and thought I saw her a couple of times, but it turned out to be another girl in blue. Eventually she came around.

She was the last girl to cross the finish line, but her whole team was there to cheer her on, and that was the moment. That is what it is all about. Coach Hohman had her water bottle, Coach Bachmeier from Bellingham high-fived her and Erin had done it. Next Ewan and Luke ran in the boy’s race and Erin recovered. We all went out to dinner and talked and laughed and got home way too late, like you do when you are an Orcas Island athlete.

I am sharing this story not only because I am incredibly proud of Erin and grateful to everyone who helped her reach this monumental goal, but I am appealing to you to vote in support of the capital projects levy. Sports have been a vital part of all my children’s development. Having a variety of sports to offer kids is important because not all kids thrive in a team sport that involves balls and complex rules. Different kids have different abilities, it is not a special needs issues, team sports are not for everybody. Running is about improving yourself and achieving personal goals. They are a team, but they compete individually. Supporting the levy will provide more opportunities for kids who might not otherwise participate. Please also support the Bond to improve our school facilities. If you have any questions about what the difference between the bond and the levy is please call me or the district office.

I love my Orcas Island community and I thank all of you for loving and supporting Erin.