A community in shock

Posted Wednesday, June 24, 2009, at 1:11 PM

My phone rang early (for me, at least) this morning. My dad was on the other end, asking if I had heard the news.

"What news?" I asked him with a yawn.

What he told me abruptly woke me up - the head football coach at Aplington-Parkersburg Ed Thomsas was shot to death this morning.

He was a legendary coach, honored by the NFL as the High School Coach of the Year. He has several former players currently in the NFL, including the Packers' Aaron Kampmen. Thomas coached 34 of his 37 seasons at A-P.

Even more, this is a community still rebuilding from last summer's devastating tornado, which completely destroyed the school and many homes, including Thomas's.

The coach was shot at point-blank range by a former A-P student and football player, who was arrested and charged with first-degree murder this morning.

I cannot even begin to imagine how shocking, painful, just plain tragic this is for the A-P community. There were tears in my eyes and I didn't even know the coach. I only know two people from the area, really - an R.A. from my sophomore year of college and a classmate from NW. But I still was shocked to hear the news, so I can only imagine how much more devastated the people in the A-P community were when they heard about the tragedy.

So as you go about your day today, this week, this month, remember the community, the students, the athletes, Thomas' family. Pray for them to find peace. And remember how lucky we are, how much we have. Hug your kids, tell them you love them, be grateful to their coaches for all they do and just take in the beauty of a summer day - because you can.

Pray for the people in the Aplington-Parkersburg communities and even consider what we can do to help them.

(For more info, here is the story from Fox News, the Des Moines Register and the Cedar Rapids Gazette:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,5289...

http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.d...

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article...

Packer Pink & What I Think

Bethany Kroeze

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I'm a firm believer in the line "those who can't do, teach" - except that I don't teach, I write. I was never an athlete and I have the coordination of a one-year-old, but my passion for the game - any game really - is what drives me most. I was born in the suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisc., which is probably why I am a Packer fan. And I'm not one of those fans who likes the Packers when they are good and cheers for other teams from week to week or season to season. No, I am a die-hard - I bleed green and gold and I think the Cheesehead is one of the more stylish head-wear pieces ever created. After six years in Wisconsin, my family moved to Pella - where I consider to be my hometown. I went to Pella Christian High School - where I loved watching the sports! - and developed my love for photography and design. A side note - my sister (and one of my best friends) plays volleyball at Pella Christian, thus the occasional references to Eagles volleyball in my musings. I graduated with a degree in business and journalism from Northwestern College in Orange City in December 2007. I enjoy keeping tabs on my alma mater and the first teams I ever covered as a journalist. My brother plays football for the Raiders, so that adds even more incentive to continue bleeding red. Even though I am a sports-enthusiast of a seemingly male nature, I am also 100 percent girly-girl. I love shoes, purses and anything pink. Thus the blog title "Packer Pink and What I Think." I am quite the random person so I may vary from topic to topic, but at the end of the day, I'm pretty much just sports and pink.

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