Orangefield opens gym to rival Bridge City

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Orangefield opens gym to rival Bridge City

Gabriel Pruett

The Orange Leader

ORANGEFIELD — If the Orangefield Lady Bobcats believe in karma, good things will definitely be on the way to the team soon.

Orangefield opened its gym to the No. 9 Bridge City Lady Cardinals Wednesday in an act of good sportsmanship.

Bridge City’s gym is currently occupied by FEMA and is packed full of sleeping bags.

“I cannot thank Phillip Welch, Kristin Holbrooks and Chris Jost enough,†Bridge City Coach Becca Mathews said. “Whatever we would give them in return would not be enough. I was willing to go to Michigan to practice. Orangefield is truly the best neighbor in the world.â€

The idea of sharing the gym, Orangefield practiced early in the day on Wednesday, came when Holbrooks, the head coach at Orangefield, was on the phone with Mathews.

“I talked to Becca when our team started to help out in Bridge City,†Holbrooks said. “I wanted to check on her and her kids. I told her they could have whatever they needed. If it was not even legal, it did not matter at that time. Mr. Welch (Orangefield superintendent) has been so generous during this time. It is going to be rewarding down the road.â€

So on Wednesday the Lady Cardinals stepped back on the court, this time with orange and white in the background instead of the normal red and white.

“Sarah Armand said she has never missed practice and conditioning so much in her life,†Mathews said. “We were so estatic and it was great just to see all of them and to see their reactions to everything that has gone on. They truly did have a blast and they were thanking me for letting them practice.â€

Holbrooks said her team was more mature than she was at their ages.

“When I was at LC-M, if PN-G had practiced on our court I’m sure I would have thrown a fit,†Holbrooks added. “I know a lot of our girls and the Bridge City girls are friends away from volleyball. It shows how mature both teams really are.â€

Rust was the only problem Mathews saw in the Lady Cardinals first practice and it had nothing to do with Hurricane Ike flood waters.

“I knew I had to be sensitive because none of them have had the time to do anything with conditioning,†Mathews said. “They were a bit tired after the first 15 minutes. I did tell them though our opponents will not wait for us to catch up.â€

Holbrooks may be lending a hand to a District 21-3A rival get better yet that does not bother her or her team one bit.

“When we play teams in our district, we would rather play them on their best day,†Holbrooks said. “It will make us and our entire district that much better.â€

The Lady Cardinals return to action this Friday when they hit the road to face Hardin at Devers High School. Holbrooks hopes to know sometime Thursday when the Lady Bobcats hit the court for the first time since the hurricane.

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[DP#1FAN]

Nice move Bobcats