By Kristie Liasi
Sports Writer
Through a moment of silence held with players standing on the baselines preceding the bout between the Terriers and Minutemen softball teams, a single white balloon in a cluster of purple blowing in the breeze, and words of remembrance on the cleats of her classmates on the baseball field nearby, Jada Marie Spaulding Doyle was honored and remembered when the Bellows Falls teams traveled to Mill River on Tuesday.
Jada, a sophomore at Bellows Falls Union High School, died early Sunday morning in a car accident. An excellent teammate on the field hockey, basketball, and softball teams, a youth sports volunteer, and friend to so many. This small town is grieving the loss of such a bright light.
Hundreds of pictures and notions of love and grief have flooded social media over the last week, Jada’s smiling face with her friends and loving family members, and those of a strong, determined athlete.
Riley Haskell, a freshman, was asked to play Jada’s position in the game Tuesday. As a teammate and friend of Jada’s, the decision was easy for her because she knew it’s what her friend would have wanted.
“I put my emotions aside and played for her,” Haskell said.
Jada’s radiant smile, contagious laugh, and ability to brighten anyone’s day are the things that best friend Ella Clark will always remember.
“Every room she walked into, every court or field she stepped on, and every friendship she created was lit by her flawless personality,” said friend Abby Dearborn.
Myriah Clark, who thought of Jada as another daughter, remembers her as a fierce competitor, going easy on the other team just wasn’t her style.
Fellow classmate and one of Jada’s close friends, Jamison Nystrom, wrote the words “RIP Jada” and “Never Forget” on his cleats. Playing in the game Tuesday left him full of emotions, but seeing the ball fly over the fence earning him his first varsity home run was a meaningful moment many will not soon forget.
Coach Donald Laurendeau encouraged his team to love one another, be there for each other, and that he and Coach Ryan Stoodley would be there if they needed anything. “We couldn’t ask for a better support system than them during a tough time like this,” said senior shortstop Emma Graham.
The loss of Jada is devastating to the Bellows Falls community and her absence is being felt beyond measure.
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