The annual Shrine Bowl trip to St. Louis to visit the St. Louis Shriner’s Hospital was cancelled for the first time in the history of the game because of fierce storms that hit the St. Louis area last Wednesday week. The Wednesday night storms, followed by more severe weather on Friday, left thousand of residents and businesses without electric power, including the hospital.
Community Relations Director for hospital, Tammy Robbins, says the storm forced the hospital to cancel all surgeries on Thursday and Friday, and to arrange to send all but five patients home. Those five were transferred temporarily to another children’s hospital facility in St. Louis. Robbins says the hospital got power back briefly on Thursday, but another round of stormy weather on Friday caused the power to go out again, and this time it was expected to be out for several days.
“It’s as disappointing for us as it is for the Shrine Bowl teams,” she says. “The visit by the Kansas Shrine Bowl players is one of the highlights of our year, but with no patients to visit, there really wasn’t much point in them coming.”
Instead of the teams going to St. Louis, Robbins came to Kansas to make a presentation about the St. Louis Shriner’s Hospital to both teams at their respective camps. She spoke to East squad players and coaches Saturday morning in Emporia, then traveled to Salina to make a similar presentation to the West on Saturday afternoon.
Head coach of the East, Bob Lisher of Lawrence Free State, says his squad was disappointed, but understood the situation. However, the cancellation did give both teams an opportunity to schedule extra practice sessions on Saturday. The extra practices and cooler weather were welcomed both teams after nearly a week of triple-digit temperatures over much of Kansas.
The St. Louis weather was not the only event that affected Shrine Bowls teams as they reported for practice late last week. Shrine Bowl officials expressed their sadness over the death of one of their own on Friday. The death of Girard coach Craig Crespino came as a shock to many southeast Kansas players and coaches who knew him and had played against his teams. Crespino died when a goal post he was moving came in contact with an electric power line.
Chanute coach Don Simmons, an assistant coach for this year’s East team, was a good friend of Crespino’s. “He was a good man. He always had a smile on his face, and was always concerned about his players. The world is a sadder place because of his passing.”
Olathe South head coach Mark Littrell, also an East assistant, says he and Crespino became friends while working together in the Kansas Football Coaches’ Association. “I’ll miss him,” he says. “We often talked on Thursdays before games and wished each other luck.”
Shrine Bowl Executive Director Dave Mize says it tough losing a member of the Shrine Bowl Family. Crespino was a Shrine Bowl assistant coach in 2000, and served as the East head coach in 2001. His 2001 team was involved in the only tie game in the 33-year Shrine Bowl history, a 12-12 game that was played in Manhattan. “Our hearts go out to his family, to the school, and to the entire Girard community,” he says. “It’s a terrible loss for all of us.”
Proceeds
from the game support the Shriner’s Hospitals for Children, a network of 22
hospitals that provide expert, no-cost orthopedic and burn care to children
under 18.
Advance reserved chairback tickets are $20.00 in advance,
$21.00 on game night. Adult general admission tickets are $9.00 in advance,
$10.00 on game night. Student tickets are $5.00 in advance, $6.00 on game
night. Banquet tickets are $20.00, and must be purchased in advance.
Advance game tickets and banquet tickets can be purchased through the Shrine
Bowl office by calling 1-800-530-5524
Additional information and a link to Shriners Hospitals for Children can be
found at http://www.ksshrine.com. |
