The action was running high at the Taft School in Watertown, CT on Friday, December 14. The Tabor Girls Hockey had just completed an impressive win over Kent, winning a back-and-forth competition 5-4 to advance to the tournament finals against Choate.
The players’ spirits were high, as they had the chance to take hardware back to Marion.
Then the world stalled.
The term “safety” was stressed immediately, and there seemed to be a lack of it. At about 9:40 am, a 20-year-old man named Adam Lanza opened fire inside a classroom at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, killing 20 kids, 6 adults, including a first grade teacher, as well as his mother, and himself. 27 victims in one of the most devastating incidents in the history of the United States.
This tragedy went viral, first through news stations like CNN, then through each type of social media. 30 minutes northeast of the shooting, the Tabor hockey team prepared for the championship. All the Tabor community could do was pray and hope that everyone over in western Connecticut was alright.
They weren’t alone, however. Many residents of Newtown, a town next to Danbury, immediately sped over to the school to hear the shocking news of the deaths, and to all of them, the scene would derail them emotionally.
Most Americans were fortunate not to lose a loved one, but this incident has permanently affected their lives regardless.
Some demanded immediate action from the government, with some actions being as extreme as abolishing the Second Amendment, which protects the right of someone to keep and bear arms. Others treated the victims as a part of their own family, while at the same time cherishing those who are closest to them.
There are very few attacks that have caused as much devastation as the Newtown shootings, from JFK’s and Lincoln’s assassinations to 9/11 and the Virginia Tech shootings. But, as Montreal Canadiens’ player Brian Gionta said, “Not sure if there is anything lower than harming innocent children.”
It was an incident that left people looking for answers, looking for what could have been done, and what can be done moving forward to avoid such a heinous crime from happening again.
The Tabor Girls Hockey team fought hard in the championship game, but fell to Choate 2-1 in overtime. The result, however, meant nothing compared to the super volcano effects a shooting in the same part of the state spread unto the world.
By Nicholas Veronesi
