Quinten Pond poses with his mother, Shannon, for a photo. Quinten lost his life in an ATV incident Saturday. [provided photo]
The Wildorado school district and community are doing their best to deal with the after effects of a tragedy that happened Saturday night.
High School junior Quinten Pond lost his life in a fatal ATV incident while three other students were injured.
Pond, who was 16-years old, was the quarterback on the football team, a leader on the varsity basketball team as well as running on the track squad.
Pond’s family has seen an out flowing of support since Saturday night from a tight-knit Wildorado community.
Wildorado athletic director and head football coach Ty James says it’s been truly amazing to see the love and support that’s been shown.
Pond’s funeral is set for 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Boxwell Brothers Funeral Home at 2800 Paramount Boulevard.
Here are comments from the Wildorado coaching staff, giving an insight to who the young man was.
Quinten Pond’s jersey will hang in the Wildorado locker room the rest of the year. [Provided photo]
Quinten Pond’s No. 10 jersey will hang in the Wildorado football locker room the remainder of the season.
Ty James, athletic director and head football coach
“The memory that I will always have of Quinten is after a week or two of calling his mom to get him to come to strength and conditioning this summer, Quinten finally came. However, Quinten was obviously not “pumped” about the weight room. I love giving kids a hard time and making them laugh, so I made a deal with him. Every time he had a frown on his face and I saw it, he would have to give me a hug. Every time I had a frown, I had to do push ups. After a while, the hugs turned into a funny thing as a joke, then it turned into something that would happen every day as soon as he saw me. Something as simple as a hug built a strong relationship between Quinten and I. We are going to miss him smiling, laughing and joking throughout the day. He was a very special person to a lot of people.”
Christy Connelly, girls basketball coach
“Quinten was the most kind hearted kid. He always had a big smile that made your day. Not only those things, he was a heck of a basketball player that was so excited about playing basketball this season because he had a sit out last year for transfer reasons. He was a kid that studied the game and was dedicated like no other. A funny story, I would always be in the gym and see Quinten in the gym shooting buckets. I’d say, Quinten where are you supposed to be? He’d say, ‘I know coach, but right here is where I need to be.’ He always had a basketball in his hand, he was always hooping it up to craft his game. I will miss him so much but I know he has the best seat in the house.”
Connor Copley, boys basketball coach, assistant football coach
“Quinten instantly became one of my favorites when I met him this summer. I was so excited for him to get the chance to lead our team this season. He was always wanting to go to the gym, play and shoot, and those type of kids are few and far between these days. From his love of the game to his never ending smile, Quinten will always be remembered by his friends and family.”
Kara Lucherck, volleyball coach
“Quinten’s smile was contagious. He was such a great kid, and when I always walked through the gym he always showed me everyday how he could knock down a 3-point shot. He will be dearly missed by this entire school.”
