Colby Turple mourns lost teammates

LETHBRIDGE, ALTA.: A knock came at the door to the room Colby Turple.
It was a teammate of Mitch MacLean and Tanner Craswell with some tragic news for the Kennetcook native and his roommate.
MacLean, of Cornwall, and Charlottetown’s Craswell—known as Cras to his many friends and fellow teammates—along with Tabitha Stepple were killed by Derek Jensen in an early morning murder-suicide that also saw Shayna Conway also get shot, before Jensen turned the gun on himself
“My first reaction when the news hit me was disbelief,” said Turple from Lethbridge, Alta. “I couldn’t believe what I was hearing especially since a few of us were with the boys the night before celebrating Tanner’s birthday.”
He said members on the team had already started their trek home for the Christmas holidays, but those who remained were contacted.
“We met at the field in the locker room where counsellors from the college spoke with us at that tough time,” he said. “It was tough getting through the days, but the support we had from the college, city, friends, family, and each other to get through this made us even stronger as a hole allowing days to get better. “
He said the memorial held for MacLean and Craswell were just as hard emotionally as the funerals for the two he attended in P.E.I. He said the memorial was setup like a nine inning baseball game, including an inning each dedicated to Stepple and Conway.
“The Lethbridge Bulls retired both of the boys’ jerseys and were raised to the roof of the ENMAX Centre, followed by a closing statement,” he said.
The coaching staff of the team said for the players not to use the deaths as a motivator to be successful in the 2012 season.
“They (the coaches) suggested for the upcoming season not to dedicate it to the Mitch and Tanner,” he said. “They felt it would put too much pressure on the players, and as a team we agreed on that.
“We felt that if the boys could tell us anything it would be to suck it up and move on because that’s the type of players they were. They (Mitch and Cras) loved the game too much to want us worrying about them”
With that out of the way, Turple, an outfielder, is preparing for the season like he would any other.
“We’re working hard at practice, finally being able to get outside on the field, which feels good as our first bus trip to Las Vegas is approaching,” he said excitedly.
Turple, 18, was recruited to PBA during the summer of 2010 while representing Nova Scotia at the Canada Cup in Kindersley, Sk. He has a simple motivating factor—the passion he has for the game and the support he receives from his friends and family back in Kennetcook.
The five-foot-11, 180-pounder said he is enjoying his time at PBA.
“I like it out here because every day you’re surrounded by your teammates, who work hard and love playing the game,” he said. “The city is nice too.”
He is looking towards gaining a scholarship by playing ball. Currently, he’s enrolled in exercise science at Lethbridge Community College.
“My hope from this program is to move on to play in the U.S., while at the same time furthering my education,” he said.
phealey@enfieldweeklypress.com