I love this Town!

I grew up in a small town in Southern California, yes back then they did exist. I went through the same school district and had the same class mates from Kindergarten to Graduation. This I believe in so many ways grounded me everyone was related to someone everyone knew I was Michael Hennessy’s little sister and that my mom worked at Summit Elementary and most importantly I knew I was a Beaumont Cougar!

I wanted the same for my kids raising them in a town with a sense of community, family, and belonging was very important.

We were settled in Washington City and thought our kids would go to Pine view and this would be “our community” even though Brad had been coaching basketball in Hurricane for 7 years and we had lived there for 2 years when we first moved to Southern Utah. We decided to look for a bigger house, and really focused in the same area we were in. Torrie was in 4th grade and Kyndall Kindergarten and had already put down some roots where we were. We got a call of a house option in Hurricane, of course it was an easy consideration we still had many friends from there. On a Friday night Brad and I got a sitter and went to look at the house and just drove around, We popped in on the Homer’s (Brad had coached with Chris for about 5 years at this point) who we discovered were in the same neighborhood and went to find the Hurst’s who we had been very close with when we had lived there years before. I had the most peaceful feeling of coming home, this is where we needed to be, suppose to be. I worried about changing Torrie’s school for the 5th grade , this is a pivotal time in a young girls life the friends she had already become attached to, and starting over was something I vowed I never wanted to put my kids through.

Everything just fell into place and 2 months later we were residents of Hurricane Utah.

Brad took a year off from coaching that year and when Chris Homer was announced as the new Football coach I knew it was only a matter of time before he would be back at it. They went from that first year being 0 and 8 to having a winning streak right now 8 years later of 20 games straight!

I sat at a football game one fall night a few years ago, as I watched Torrie in her Cheer uniform and Kyndall with friends doing what girls do at games, and just realized, this is “Their town”, their memories, their legacy, they are Hurricane Tigers and all that goes along with that. I had a peace that I had been able to give my girls what I had and so wanted for them.

Hurricane is a small community about 20 minutes from St George Utah which has in the surrounding areas 4 High Schools. It has grown from the once step child of the region, to a serious contender in all sports.Its been such an amazing ride to watch and be apart of this. But aside from that what I have learned over the years is much more; this is a community of family, friends, and tradition. One that welcomes people in, goes into action when someone is in need, and bands together to raise and teach our youth. There’s always going to be drama in a small town and we aren’t lacking but people always seem to put aside differences for the kids and when someone is in need, they come together in ways I have never seen.

I realize that 99% of our involvement has come through sports, this is just who we are, and once our kids are raised we might need to find another way to be involved in this town we love. But I love that on a Friday night in fall it doesn’t matter if you have a child playing or not hundreds, possibly thousands fill the stands and cheer on “Their” team, the Tigers.

Tonight our Volleyball team is having a "Pink" game, all wearing a pink jersey with a name of someone close to them that is or has battled cancer, Kyndall will be wearing her jersey in honor of her Dad, you can read his story in this post We will also be fundraising for Brian Scott a young man that has touched so many people in Hurricane. Brad had the opportunity to coach him and his brother and is just beyond sad with this news. The town will again come together tonight on a Thursday for one of our own, many of our own. A post and pictures of the night to come...

I will always be a Beaumont Cougar! and I am sure had I stayed would have the same amazing things to say about my home town, but am beyond proud and content with being a Hurricane Tiger too!!