A sad day at the sports desk

Mornings shouldn't start this way - finding out one of the athletes you've covered was killed in an accident.

Unfortunately, it seems like more and more, tragedy is striking youth.

Personally, in my two jobs as a sports reporter, I've never had a death among athletes in the teams I was covering. While I was in Olivia and Renville, there were neighboring districts and communities that did, and it affects you just like Caty Delwiche's death does.

For those that have not heard or read our story on her, she was killed yesterday while training for the Minnesota State University-Mankato cross country team. Harmlessly running on the sidewalk, a truck lost control and struck her on the sidewalk.

Delwiche was a star runner at Glencoe-Silver Lake, earning a spot on the Leader All-Area Team last spring. She made four cross country state appearances and won two conference championships.

She was featured along with current G-SL runner Kenny Filbrandt in a story last October in our regional sports section.

In my 28 months as a reporter, there have been more than a handful of tragic accidents that shook me. It started with two Central Minnesota Christian School of Prinsburg boys that were killed in a head-on collision two winters ago. I had seen both two days earlier at a basketball game.

Then there was two Yellow Medicine East athletes killed, one in an ATV accident and one who was run over by a car while filming a skit for school.

Last spring, Glencoe-Silver Lake mourned the loss of Taylor Lepel, who was killed in an accident while driving back from a football game with friends on County Road 3.

Olivia lost a freshman football player this summer in a truck accident as well.

While I never met Caty, this is a sad day at the sports desk as another youth with such a bright future was taken from this world. It makes you realize that life is special and that you have to take every day like it may be your last.

My condolences go out to the Delwiche family, the G-SL community, the MSU-Mankato cross country team and her friends.

Section 2AAA volleyball rankings will appear in tomorrow's blog.