The fallout from the tragic death of Preston Hirten, the former Staples High School soccer player who collapsed during practice at Mary Washington University last week due to an enlarged heart, continues as his friends and family continue to deal with the loss of a person who touched so many lives.
There was a candlelight vigil at Albie Loeffler Field Friday night for soccer players, which included his teammates on the Mary Washington University team, which took two buses to attend the event, followed by an emotional memorial service the following day.
But with all that has been written about Hirten since the tragic incident, no words offer greater insight both into the type of person he was and the extent of his reach than the speech he gave during the Staples soccer banquet following the 2006 season. Hirten was not scheduled to speak, but asked if he could say a few words.
If you want to learn more about what made Hirten so special to so many, I strongly suggest you click on this link on the Staples soccer website, which has printed the speech, which is followed by the touching words spoken by Staples coach Dan Woog at Saturday’s service.
