Basalt High athletic director Jason Santo: A thank you to the Basalt community

When I interviewed to become the athletic director at Basalt High School, I mentioned to the committee that one of the reasons I was applying and wanting to move my family here was because the city of Basalt was a special community filled with people who were always there to look out for one another.

I knew this because my family and I were visiting during the Lake Christine Fire, and saw firsthand how the entire community rallied together to offer support in any way they could.

As we drove away from Basalt in the summer of 2018, the embers still smoldering from the fire, my wife and I looked at each other and said this is where we want to be.

Fast forward to the start of this school year, my first as the Basalt athletic director, and the community support has been overwhelming.

But nothing like what happened last Friday. With BHS set to host our first state semifinal football game in just over 24 hours, the field was covered in 5 inches of fresh snow.

The community sprung into action to clear and prepare the field. Bill Reynolds reached out to Becky Wagner at Crown Mountain Park to see if they could lend some snow removal equipment and help plow the field. She told them they would be happy to help. They, along with Cody Hoffman, worked for the next four hours to clear the snow and make the field visible. Then Tom Banc worked some of his landscaping magic and filled in some holes on the field to make it fully playable.

But it wasn’t just these four who stepped up to help the cause. After a Facebook request was sent to the community in the afternoon, more than 30 volunteers arrived with shovels in hand ready to clear the track and the bleachers to help make the entire facility ready for the game. On Saturday, I heard many times how great the field looked and how people were amazed it was ready for the game.

I wasn’t surprised it was ready because this is Basalt. This is what people do here. They work together to make things happen and they do not ask questions. Whether it is the BHS athletic boosters making enough food to feed 1,500 guests, the Lions Club running the ticket tables or the Basalt police department offering traffic and crowd control, this community steps up to support each other.

On this Thanksgiving, I want to thank the Basalt community for their support, and not just for the athletic department, but the school community and the community as a whole. When my family and I told friends where we were moving, the common question was, “Why?”

We responded that we wanted to be part of this community and live in a place where people cared and worked together.

This entire fall season we have been proven correct, and last Friday when I was shoveling next to first responders and community members, I knew we were home.

Basalt High athletic director Jason Santo can be reached at jsanto@rfschools.com

via:: The Aspen Times