ITEM PHOTO BY KATIE MORRISON
Nathan DeRoche smiles during the ceremony prior to Monday’s game. Beside him is sister Sydney, dad Michael.
By Katie Morrison
There are few communities as tight-knit as a local sports community. When one of their own is in need, you can count on athletes, coaches and fans to pull together and provide a sense of support and camaraderie.
Monday night at Salem State’s Rockett Arena, the Swampscott and Lynn hockey teams came together to create a fundraiser and special puck-drop ceremony for Nathan DeRoche, a Swampscott seventh-grader battling lymphoma.
The two teams were feverishly to get the word out about the fundraiser for weeks in advance, and it paid off; the arena was packed for a special night, and both teams showed a lot of class for a great cause.
I got to the arena at about 7:15 for a 7:30 start, figuring I could waltz right in, as usual. What I didn’t plan for was the line of fans that nearly poured out the glass double doors in the lobby of the O’Keefe Sports Complex. The lobby was filled with parents, grandparents, fans and students from all different schools. I saw kids from English and Classical, a group of Gloucester hockey players, and of course, a huge throng of Swampscott High students.
About half of the fans waiting to enter the arena were donning the lime-green “NATHAN STRONG” shirts that were sold to raise money for the DeRoche family. There were 200 shirts being sold that night, and they were gone well before game time. Inside, the stands were packed. It was a sea of green, especially in the Swampscott student section.
The ceremony itself was special. DeRoche was joined by his parents, Michael and Kristia, and his younger sister, Sydney, at center ice, along with coaches and captains from both teams. With a beaming smile, DeRoche dropped the puck between Lynn’s Jon Kosmas and Swampscott’s Louis Olivieri, and the coaches and captains made sure to shake DeRoche’s hand and wish him well.
Nights like Monday are such a perfect reminder of how special the sports community can be. On the field (or ice, or court, whatever it may be), the competition is fierce. But when it comes to real-life matters, like a seventh-grader battling a terrible disease, any animosity is put aside, and sportsmanship, mutual respect and support take center stage.
There have been plenty of examples of athletes putting hard work and effort into brightening the day of someone who is going through a tough time. I was reminded of Tyla Morgante, a Saugus High cheerleader who also battled lymphoma last year (and who is nine-months cancer-free, I’m happy to report). During a Saugus High home game this past fall, the Sachems honored Morgante, as each football player presented her with a rose before taking the field.
High school is a weird time. It’s not always easy for teenagers to put these real-life issues in perspective, simply because they don’t have the life experience to draw from. But I’ve seen so many examples of students coming together to provide a support system for those in need, and every time, I’m impressed by the humanity and compassion they show.
This is something that I feel occurs regularly in the tight-knit high school hockey community. Look at the outpouring of support that came from teams all over the state back in December when Falmouth hockey players James Lavin and Owen Higgins were killed in a car crash days before Christmas. Most of the athletes from this area had never met or even seen Lavin and Higgins in person, but felt enough of a connection to show support in the form of fundraisers and benefits. Even just hanging the jerseys of the two players on the benches is displaying the kind of compassion that will serve these kids well later in life.
Monday, that same compassion was on display, but this time, it was even more personal. Sports may just be fun and games, but it’s nights like Monday that remind you that the athletic community is truly one big family, and if one of its own has fallen, it will do whatever it can to help them get back up.
To cap off the night, the Jets and Big Blue gave the large crowd a great game. Swampscott came out on top, 1-0, in a battle between two of the top teams in the Northeastern Conference. But the lasting memory from the game will be the fact that the community came together to help out someone in need, and gave DeRoche a special night.
