In Memory Of Dylan Veselic
Source -- A high school lacrosse player has died after suffering an injury during a game in Ohio, school officials and family said. Dylan Veselic, who attended Bay High School, “was a dedicated student and athlete, and we are heartbroken by this loss,” said Scot Prebles, Bay Village City School District superintendent, WJW reported.
Dylan was injured during a game Tuesday, May 6, against Olmsted Falls, according to officials. Witnesses who were at the game said the Bay High School player moved to block a shot by the opposing team, and the ball hit the player in the back of the head, just below the helmet, WKYC reported.
There's nothing better than playing high school sports. I know some guys have different experiences, but for the most part you are out there playing the game that you love with all the guys you've grown up with your entire life. Maybe your team isn't great, and you're all just out there to have fun. Maybe your team is great, and you get to experience that feeling of having your heart beating out of your chest before playing in a game that feels like the most important game in the world to you. Because you know you want to win so bad for yourself, for your friends, and for your community. College is great, too, but there's something special about playing with a bunch of guys you've known since you were 4 or 5-years-old.
When you're that young, you can't even fathom the idea of playing in your last game. The thought that you'll never play again doesn't even register to you. Sure, you'll have coaches who will tell you that your 4 years in high school are going to fly by. But you never actually think there's a possibility of not putting on that jersey again.
That's what makes the passing of Dylan Veselic, of Bay High School in Ohio, so gut wrenchingly devastating. He was a kid playing the game that he loved, with the friends he's had his whole life. The other team took a shot, and he loved his friends and teammates so much that he made the decision to jump in the way and block the shot himself. The last thing he got to do was be an unbelievable teammate.
My heart breaks into a million pieces for Dylan Veselic and the Veselic family knowing that Dylan has played in his final game. My heart breaks for his teammates, and his coaches, who will never be able to take to the field again without thinking of the incredible teammate they lost far too soon. My heart breaks for the opposing team, especially whoever took that shot, who may feel in any way responsible for this.
But then we get back to what makes high school sports so incredible, which is the community. This is a tragedy that will stick with the Bay High School community for a long time. This is a tragedy that will stick with the lacrosse community for a long time. But that's the thing about communities. They find ways to rally together during the hardest of times. They find ways to support one another, and make sure that nobody feels like they have to suffer through a tragedy alone. Most communities are extremely close-knit, and the lacrosse community is certainly no different. The Veselic family, and the Bay High School lacrosse community, will undoubtedly receive the full support from the entire lacrosse world. And while that support may not be enough to fully put all the pieces back together, it's strength to lean on when its needed the most.
The memory and legacy of Dylan Veselic will live on forever as a great lacrosse player, but an even better and more selfless teammate. 16 is way too young, but you can tell just how much of an impact he made on everyone around him in the amount of time everybody had with him.
This Meal Train link was originally intended to help the Veselic family while Dylan was in intensive care. It seems like it has taken over the role of the GoFundMe for the family if you feel inclined to help out in any way you can.