Five years have passed

"We have suffered an unimaginable loss."

I dread news like this in every way imaginable.

Five years ago, almost to the hour (it was shortly before 9 a.m. that day), I was dumbfounded by the terrible news of Coach Rich Vos's bicycle-semi accident that took his life early that morning - Tuesday, October 16, 2012. I was sitting in the basement of the Sauk Centre Herald newspaper building preparing my stories for that week's issue. The newspaper would print in less than 24 hours. Suddenly, my editor, Bryan Zollman, appeared in my office at 8:46 a.m. He had a stunned look on his face. He was straight with me.

"Did you hear about an accident by Belgrade this morning?"

I said No, and he replied, "I just learned that Rich Vos was killed in a bicycle accident."

My heart and anything else inside me sank to the floor. My face went white, and I sat in stunned silence. It was the first death of a coach or student-athlete at B-B-E since March 2006, when one of our girls' golfers, Trista Monson, passed away after a courageous three-plus year battle with cancer.

Zollman paused, and then said he would step in and start gathering material for a story for the newspaper. He was friends with one of Coach Vos's assistant coaches, BJ Friedrichs, who I am guessing was Zollman's source for the news.

Click below to read my very first blog posting about the accident and its aftermath:
http://bbejaguars.blogspot.com/2012/10/b-b-e-suffers-unimaginable-loss.html

The fear of these tragedies keeps me up at night on many occasions throughout each school year. We are still sitting in the wake of losing 16-year old Austin Young last March. That haunts me to this day. After the Thursday night volleyball match of Homecoming this fall, I could not sleep. I think I slept about three hours that night. I kept thinking, "Will everyone get home tonight? Will everyone wake up where they should be in the morning? How will Friday go? Will we all get through Friday night?"

Coach Vos (left) and assistant coach Danny Borgerding at the Xcel Energy Center on March 2, 2012. They were matside watching Ross Rath compete in the Class 1A individual state tournament.

Jaguar Country has not been the same ever since that dark day in 2012. In the blink of an eye, our school was forever changed with the loss of a truly remarkable, caring, generous and loving gentle spirit that most students knew as "Mr. Vos". He was a warrior for our school and its students. Hundreds of B-B-E students over the years counted on him for advice, encouragement and support through what is never easy: high school. We were robbed by the accident. All schools need staff members like Coach Vos. Students depend on having such caring individuals in the classrooms and hallways. Of course, it was especially difficult for his widow, Beth Vos, herself a former student-athlete at B-B-E and the mother to their two young children.

I've spoken with Beth a few times this fall. We corresponded today, and I am happy to report her message, "Thank you! It's been a good day!" She now lives in the Metro Area, where she is continuing her career in education.

May her life and the lives of her children continue to be restored by God's loving grace.

Coach Vos always had is athlete's backs...he was always in their corner, 365 day a year!

The following night of the accident, our B-B-E Jaguars football team faced Eden Valley-Watkins on the home gridiron for their Week Eight match up to cap the regular season. After the game, which they won 26-6 to even up their record at 4-4, the players kneeled in a large circle just north of the east goal post, joined hands, and prayed the Lord's Prayer. (Video)


I was a puddle. I didn't even have the strength to recite the Lord's Prayer with them. I tried my best holding the videocamera steady without breaking down. A light mist came down over the entire second half. It was also very windy out of the north, pretty cold from what I remember...the wind noise blocks out most of the players' voices. Somehow on that night, our B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team and our football guys mustered the strength to compete in their respective sports to fulfill the regular season schedules. Earlier that night, the volleyball team swept visiting Eden Valley-Watkins.

Coach Vos was a player's coach. He fought in countless ways for his guys, during the season and out of the season. His efforts were instrumental in getting the wrestling room built in the south wing of the high school. He coached dozens of players to the state tournament during his head coaching years at B-B-E from 2001 through the 2011-12 season. The 2012-13 team was expected to deliver great things in the playoffs, and in some of his private conversations with others, he believed they would be the team to get B-B-E to the team state tournament.

Below, video from the 2012 state individual wrestling tournament:


Above, then-junior Patrick Rooney is shown in a successful wrestleback match. The win was called at the 2:46 mark on the video. After that, you can see coaches Vos and Friedrichs soak up the win.

I'm combing through more photos and video from that week in October 2012. This week's Bonanza Valley Voice will also include additional coverage of the five-year anniversary of losing Coach Vos.

##ConquerEveryDay

Lest we forget, he is still dearly missed

Coach Vos with Tyler Tensen at the 2012 state wrestling tournament.

At the 2011 Section 5A wrestling tournament at Minnewaska Area with Josey Tensen.

The 2012 B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team paid tribute to Coach Vos. They are shown here in a photo taken the day after he died, after they beat Eden Valley-Watkins in the last Central Minnesota Conference match of the season.

...and the football team praying the Lord's Prayer:


The first writing of mine after I heard the terrible news on Tuesday, October 16, 2012:

...then I wrote this:
http://bbejaguars.blogspot.com/2012/10/b-b-e-suffers-unimaginable-loss.html

...and then this:
http://bbejaguars.blogspot.com/2012/10/still-cant-believe-it.html

Remembering a truly dark day

Coach Vos and Coach Friedrichs shown during the Section 5A individual wrestling tournament at the Minnewaska Area high school in February 2011.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012.

It was a day we will never forget in Jaguar Country. A dark, deeply difficult day for students, parents, teachers, school staff, administration and community members at B-B-E.

That day we lost Coach Rich Vos. He was everything you could have wanted in a teacher and coach: loyal, supportive, positive, helpful and generous. He both looked for and expected the best in his students and athletes. He didn't accept excuses. He was a no-nonsense type of person who knew how to connect with students just when they needed it the most. The school will never be the same. He was such a terrific role model and someone countless students looked up to.

Take a moment and say a prayer for Beth and their two children.

Here's some of what I wrote during that week, printed in the Oct. 18 issue of the Sauk Centre Herald.

In the blink of an eye on Tuesday morning, unimaginable tragedy struck Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa.
In a bicycle/semi accident that took the life of Rich Vos, the B-B-E community lost a father, husband, coach, teacher, friend, neighbor and role model.
Coach Vos was more than just the head wrestling coach for the past 11 seasons. He was a church member, community volunteer, a family man and most of all, a well-respected math teacher.
As B-B-E Athletic Director and Principal Rick Gossen stated very eloquently in the West Central Tribune, the impact Vos had on the school and community reached far beyond his work with the Jaguar wrestling program.
"Rich was one of those guys, from an educational standpoint, had a lot going for him,” Gossen said in the Tribune. "As a math teacher, his students enjoyed him very much and as a coach there were a lot of kids in the school who were committed to him and the program. Guys who can do it in the classroom and on the court, in the wrestling room or on the field are hard to come by. He will be missed."
Here are a couple noteworthy figures: in only seven hours after it was created, a Facebook tribute page titled "R.I.P. Mr. Vos" accumulated 2,684 "likes" from visitors to the website. At the B-B-E Jaguar Sports blog that I created six years ago, a total of 3,777 visitors clicked by on Tuesday.
The previous one-day record at my blog was 859 visitors set on the opening day of the 2012 state boys' basketball tournament.
As I read through tributes given by B-B-E students about Vos, what really stands out are the comments given about how he got the most out of those in his math classes. The impact he had on those students will yield rewards for the rest of their lives.
From my perspective, Vos was an incredibly good-natured, friendly and hard-working teacher and coach at B-B-E, where he has worked since 1998. Vos was very passionate about the B-B-E wrestling program. He worked tirelessly to build up the youth wrestling program and get parents involved as volunteers in the system. He was also instrumental in leading the school to converting unused classroom space into a badly-needed wrestling practice facility.
B-B-E is a very closely-knit school district and community. We take immense pride in how hard we work, how hard we play and how much we help one another when times are tough.
The downside to living and working in a small community is that when tragedy strikes, it hurts a thousand times worse because everyone is considered like family.
In this difficult time, what is the best way to respond?
In the words of B-B-E English teacher Carol Sanders via Facebook, here's a few things we can do.
"Honor him...Learn your math. Take good care of your body. Love your children. Smile."

Fall Fitness Finale coming

Click on the graphic for better viewing.

Sign up today for a very special fundraiser supporting the Rich Vos Scholarship at B-B-E. The event takes place on October 4, and you get a discount if you sign up by September 14.

High school and elementary students get a big discount to encourage participation. Kudos to all those who are supporting this!

This was a special moment

Beth Vos holding up one of the singlets.

The Vos and Lieser families donated new "finals singlets" to the Jaguars wrestling program. They will go with the team to all tournaments at all levels, including elementary. Coach Rich Vos's wife presented them to the team before tonight's Kimball match.

Looking back to a dark day at B-B-E: October 16, 2012

Coach Rich Vos with Ross Rath at the state wrestling tournament on March 2, 2012.

My column from the Oct. 18, 2012 issue of the Sauk Centre Herald:

In the blink of an eye on Tuesday morning, unimaginable tragedy struck Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa. In a bicycle/semi accident that took the life of Rich Vos, the B-B-E community lost a father, husband, coach, teacher, friend, neighbor and role model.

Coach Vos was more than just the head wrestling coach for the past 11 seasons. He was a church member, community volunteer, a family man and most of all, a well-respected math teacher. As B-B-E Athletic Director and Principal Rick Gossen stated very eloquently in the West Central Tribune, the impact Vos had on the school and community reached far beyond his work with the Jaguar wrestling program.
"Rich was one of those guys, from an educational standpoint, had a lot going for him,” Gossen said in the Tribune. "As a math teacher, his students enjoyed him very much and as a coach there were a lot of kids in the school who were committed to him and the program. Guys who can do it in the classroom and on the court, in the wrestling room or on the field are hard to come by. He will be missed."
Here are a couple noteworthy figures: in only seven hours after it was created, a Facebook tribute page titled "R.I.P. Mr. Vos" accumulated 2,684 "likes" from visitors to the website. At the B-B-E Jaguar Sports blog that I created six years ago, a total of 3,777 visitors clicked by on Tuesday.
The previous one-day record at my blog was 859 visitors set on the opening day of the 2012 state boys' basketball tournament.
As I read through tributes given by B-B-E students about Vos, what really stands out are the comments given about how he got the most out of those in his math classes. The impact he had on those students will yield rewards for the rest of their lives.
From my perspective, Vos was an incredibly good-natured, friendly and hard-working teacher and coach at B-B-E, where he has worked since 1998. Vos was very passionate about the B-B-E wrestling program. He worked tirelessly to build up the youth wrestling program and get parents involved as volunteers in the system. He was also instrumental in leading the school to converting unused classroom space into a badly-needed wrestling practice facility.
B-B-E is a very closely-knit school district and community. We take immense pride in how hard we work, how hard we play and how much we help one another when times are tough.
The downside to living and working in a small community is that when tragedy strikes, it hurts a thousand times worse because everyone is considered like family.
In this difficult time, what is the best way to respond?
In the words of B-B-E English teacher Carol Sanders via Facebook, here's a few things we can do.
"Honor him...Learn your math. Take good care of your body. Love your children. Smile."

Mark your calendars, 2nd annual Rich Vos Memorial tournament

It's Saturday, January 4 in Belgrade.

More information is at at http://www.smore.com/mrbc.

With us in spirit

Three B-B-E students taught by the late Rich Vos gathered on the football field after B-B-E's 26-6 win over Eden Valley-Watkins on October 17, 2012. Early in the previous day, Vos died in a bicycle accident in rural Belgrade.

A year ago today the B-B-E community was coming to terms with a terribly tragic loss when Coach Rich Vos died after a bicycle accident south of Belgrade. After school that day, the Jaguar football coaching staff guided their players through a difficult practice that was held simply as a way for the team to start coping with a flood of dark, confusing and bitter emotions.

The following evening, they came together with a strong performance against Eden Valley-Watkins and beat the Eagles 26-6 to finish the regular season 4-4 overall.

This year, they'll go for win number 7 on the season with a short trip to Eden Valley.

One important quality encouraged and promoted by Coach Vos at B-B-E was that every single last student in the building was important to him. Their talent, ability, test scores or any other trait they have didn't matter. He was there for everyone. In order to properly honor his memory, it's important that students and parents alike remember to always treat one another with kindness and fairness. While I firmly believe that B-B-E is a GREAT school system, it could be even GREATER if we treated everyone just as Vos treated his beloved students.

Make him proud.

Coach Vos

It's still not right that he is gone. It never will be.

Tomorrow morning marks the one year anniversary of the tragic loss of Coach Rich Vos. It was one of the darkest times in the 26-year history of our school.

Please wear your Mr. Vos or wrestling shirts tomorrow.

His memory will live forever at B-B-E.

Click here for a look back at that awful morning:
http://bbejaguars.blogspot.com/2012/10/b-b-e-suffers-unimaginable-loss.html 

Here's a neat link to more comments about Coach Rich Vos:
http://bbejaguars.blogspot.com/2012/10/click-on-video-to-hear-part-of-special.html

Fall Fitness Finale poster (Rich Vos fundraiser)

Click on the poster to enlarge it for better viewing.