Organizers of ‘Teal Out’ talk about honoring Laurie Johnston during Valley match-up
On Tuesday, September 17 the volleyball gym turned the color of teal in honor and in remembrance of Laurie Johnston, who lost her battle with ovarian cancer in August.
Laurie was a coach in Saratoga and Encampment for over 40 years and was a referee for many of the volleyball games.
Coach Shayley Love, Athletic Director Greg Bartlett and booster club volunteer Karen Condict felt the Valley competition would be the perfect opportunity to show Johnston honor and respect.
Coach Love made teal shirts—teal being the color associated with ovarian cancer—for both teams and coaches.
“We wanted to show support for her family and express what she meant to all of us,” said Love.
Messages were sent out to fans through emails, social media posts and an all-school email encouraging the wear of the color teal.
Well over 50% of the fans wore teal and the referees showed support by wearing teal colored referee shirts.
Condict wrote the following dedication read by Larry Cloyd at the game.
Tonight, we will have a moment of silence to remember Laurie Johnston for her 41 years of service to Carbon County School District No. 2. Throughout Laurie’s life in the valley, she coached multiple sports on multiple levels including volleyball here in the Platte Valley. When she wasn’t coaching volleyball, she was reffing volleyball. She had a love for the sport and the kids. Laurie was also a school board member and later also worked in the classroom. For all her contributions to this community we will be forever grateful.Both teams wore the shirts to express their support and fondness for such a wonderful coach with a generous heart.
Reader Comments(0)