My thank you to Hays, America…thank you for who and what you are.
On September 4, 2015, my family and I visited Hays and FHSU for the first time, as my daughter was being recruited to play basketball for Coach Hobson and the Lady Tigers. Not one of us had any idea as to what was about to happen. We drove in a night early and just “checked out” the University, neighborhoods, restaurants, churches, parks, brick streets, etc.
We woke up on the day of her visit and ate a nice breakfast at a local restaurant, visited with locals and then headed to the campus to meet the coaches. Our visit was nothing short of tremendous and our daughter instantly felt connected with the coaching staff. And how could you not fall in love with Gross Memorial Coliseum?! I watched my daughter just stand there and look around without saying much, knowing that in her mind she was visioning winning championships in front of a packed house cheering on the Lady Tigers. All that and more were taking place in the mind of my 17-year-old daughter, who ever since she was a little girl, dreamed of playing college basketball. Her dreams were about to become a reality.
Her visit at FHSU and our day in Hays was incredible and as we pulled out of town, not wanting to leave and yearning to find something else to keep us there just a bit longer, she told me to cancel her other visits, as FHSU was calling her. I, of course, insisted that she see other campuses and we did, but her heart had been won over by an incredible pair of coaches, an awesome gymnasium and campus and a town that just felt right.
This past August, we brought her and all her belongings to her dorm at FHSU and she began her college career as a student/athlete. I can’t say that it wasn’t really tough pulling out of town again that day, but my wife and I had a sense of peace, just like she did on the day of that initial visit. Since then, she has fallen in love with not only her coaches, teammates and FHSU, but also the town, all the great people who call it and the surrounding area home and all those that come out and so energetically support the Lady Tigers.
Our first basketball season is now in the books and as we drove back and forth from the KC area to Hays for games this first season, my wife and I have come to really love our time visiting and meeting all the wonderful people and fans that support FHSU. We have also enjoyed our time at all the wonderful restaurants and businesses that make up this diamond of a town in western Kansas. I could go on and on about you, Hays, America, but I’ll stop there and just say “thank you.”
Thank you for making a young girl with big dreams feel special, thank you for making a mom and dad who miss their daughter dearly have a sense of peace knowing she’s in the right place and thank you to all of you who come out and support all these young women who have the same dream as my daughter and have also landed in Hays America.
Thank you. You are a very special place!
Steve Kennett