By Katie MacBride, Online Editor-in-Chief
It’s game day and the game faces are on. The players and crowd are hyped and anxious, but something is different. The rush of the game, the dripping of sweat, the cheering of the crowd, the rivalry between the teams and the screams on the court give way to wide smiles, a few tears, delicious treats and the coming together of two opponents.
On Wednesday, Sept. 18, First Flight High School’s volleyball team rallied together to show support for Cape Hatteras Secondary School and its volleyball team. After being hit by Hurricane Dorian on Sept. 5, the Cape Hatteras Secondary School suffered extensive damage. Sections of the school were in shambles, including the gym.
After members of the First Flight community heard of Hatteras’ condition, they wanted to do something to show support. Volleyball team chaperone Amanda Finchem contacted the First Flight players and parents to help organize a dinner for the Hatteras players and their families after the game.
“We learned that their school and their gym sustained significant damage during Hurricane Dorian. The main school gym’s roof flew off and did a lot of damage, so they are unable to practice and use their gym,” Finchem said. “I heard they were practicing at the community center, at the elementary school or just outside the school trying to work everything out. So, I thought it would be nice to treat them to a community meal to boost their spirits and show them that we care.”
Each player contributed something to the dinner, whether it was fruit, veggies, drinks, desserts or paper products and utensils. Two local businesses also helped in the effort. Southern Shores Pizza & Deli donated 25 pizzas and Publix Super Market donated a gift card that was used to purchase materials for the meal.
Not only did the team provide a meal, but the players wore Hatteras’s school colors – red and white – to school and to game warmups. The parents also wore red to the game, and with the help from some of the cheerleaders, the team made decorative welcome banners that hung around the gym.
“It made me feel really good about the community and it not necessarily being so much about the game, but coming together to support them through rough times,” junior Lily Scarborough said.
When the Hatteras players arrived, they were immediately filled with emotion to see the red shirts and welcoming banners.
“It was definitely a little surprising, but it was also very inviting,” sophomore Felicity Quidley said. “It really showed that you guys cared, which was so sweet. Some of us started crying.”
“I think we all cried,” Hatteras head coach Christine Van Atta added. “We all got very, very teary and emotional. We felt loved. It has been very difficult for what we’ve been going through. We lost both gyms, which means that we’re either playing outside or playing in an alternate facility. So to feel so welcomed, to see the girls wearing all red shirts and all the banners that you all made, we can’t even begin to thank you.”
First Flight isn’t the only school that has shown support for Hatteras. Currituck County High School has been in the process of fundraising for outdoor equipment for the volleyball program. Bear Grass Charter School has also sent Van Atta pictures of the supplies the school has collected and will be sending to help with cleanup.
“I don’t know if other sports are like that, but the volleyball community is very unique,” Van Atta said. “I think we’re a unique community all the way around, and that it’s very, very supportive.”
Van Atta and Quidley both agree that it has been a long and tough process to get back in the groove since Dorian. Van Atta described the debris around the island as a constant reminder to try to make the best of a difficult situation. They are thankful for all the support the community has given them and are ready to keep pushing through.
“Although we are 70 miles apart, we are still a community,” Van Atta said.
Junior Katie MacBride can be reached at 21macbrideka62@daretolearn.org.
