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Whitby turns tragedy into inspiration for a new season It started off as any other summer day for Bradley Whitby, waking up and heading out to babysit his brother Brandon’s kids. Everything seemed normal that day, Brandon returned from work, elated to see his kids as always. Later that day, Brandon decided to go out for a ride on his new motorcycle. As Bradley watched his brother walk out the door, he had no idea his families lives would change forever. The following morning around 1 a.m. on Aug. 2, Bradley was awoke to his mother screaming and crying. Bradley could not fully grasp what he was about to find out until he made his way out to the living room to discover his mother and detectives standing at the door. His 22 year old brother, Brandon “B-Nice” Whitby was shot and killed after confronting a man on the 400th block of Adams St. SE over a stolen motor bike. “My brother was an honest and caring individual. He was a hard working electrician and the best brother/father you could ask for. I’ve lost a really good person,” said Whitby. “I tell my mother all the time that I hope my brother knows how much I loved him and how much I look up to him. I never really told him that while he was with us,” Whitby said. Though Brandon is gone physically, many were touched by his presence. Days after his death, the community came together organizing a car wash to help provide financial contributions for the funeral arrangements. “It was emotional,” Whitby said. “It showed me how many lives my brother had touched in the short time that he was here. The support and response made me feel better by the end of the day." After his brother’s death, Bradley’s friends were there to support him through the hard times. “Dealing with the situation was tough, but having friends by my side was key to helping ease some of the pain. I have five to six friends who I can call a brother and they helped me out a lot,” said Whitby. He lost his desire to play basketball and even contemplated on attending college this fall semester. His heart was telling him no, but with a good support system of friends and family motivated him to continue onward. “Starting off, I didn’t feel like playing ball or doing anything. I still get those feelings today, but I know I have to move on. I know my brother would want me to succeed and he knew how much I loved basketball, so he wouldn’t want me to stop doing this,” Whitby said. It has been two months since his brother’s death; Whitby is displaying great character on and off the court. The 6’0 sophomore point guard and co-captain is using basketball as an outlet to channel him through this tough transition. Whitby his freshman season averaged 7.5 points per game, 3 assists, and 1 steal. The Raiders are looking for him to step up his role this winter. “Bradley is a committed student in the classroom and a wonderful kid to coach,” said GRCC head basketball coach, David Selmon. “ I hope he uses the strength of his brother’s legacy by getting his education and helping to provide for his younger brother Brentyn.” In his brothers memory Bradley plans to write his brother’s name and a quote on his game shoes. He is also contemplating getting a tattoo on his arm as well. “I’m being strong, it’s a lot harder than it looks, I’m just going through the motions. I know this whole thing will make me stronger as a person, it will just take time,” said Whitby. Remembering the days he and his brother would go out and play basketball with the neighborhood kids still stays fresh in his memory. At days he bursts into to tears, others he stays motivated knowing Brandon would be saying, “Come on Bradley, pick it up!” Bradley knows Bradon is looking down from above serving as his guardian angel. . Tae Kwon Do hits GRCC The annual Tae Park Tae Kwon Do World Class Championship Tournament was held for the second time at GRCC’s Ford Fieldhouse on Nov. 8. “We have around 450 competitors coming from all around the country,” said assistant director Matt Klingbeil. “They compete in form, team form, and fighting. We also have the annual black belt test and a demonstration by the tournament team.” Tae Park Tae Kwon Do is an American organization of Tae Kwon Do schools created by Grand Master Tae Z. Park, a Korean champion. Tae Kwon Do is the Korean martial art of self-defense. People of all ages and abilities are able to learn. Sixth degree black belt and GRCC alum Connie Ensing has been practicing Tae Kwon Do for 27 years. “There were very few women when I started in 1981,” Ensing said. “But you need self-defense if you’re going to go anywhere in the world, especially as a woman.” Intramurals still in action Student life has combined with student congress to provide GRCC students with an opportunity to participate in intramural activities at the Ford Fieldhouse. These activities include water polo, indoor soccer, dodgeball, flag football, racquetball and bowling among others things. Eric Mullins director of Student Life said that the idea behind these activities was to provide student with a way to become more physically active while meeting new people and enhancing their time spent at GRCC. Intramurals have been a part of the student experience at GRCC for quite some time. The program however has been improved recently due to contributions from the student life center. New programs have been added due to an increased student demand. While there was not enough participation to run certain programs the first semester, GRCC Aquatics Director Joey Sutherlin expects much more student to participation the second. “I don’t know if it was the economy or the fact that it was the first week of school but I expect a strong comeback next semester,” Sutherlin said. “This is a great program and presents students with many unique opportunities.” Sutherlin believes that students should take advantage of these opportunities being presented to them. “I love the idea of intramurals,” Sutherlin said. That’s why I have been a part of them for the past 11 year. I even participated in them before then when I was a student here.” All activities are completely free to students and require no pre registration. The only requirement is that all participants sign a waiver form prior to participation. Any questions about the intramural program can be answered by calling (616) 234-3990 or visiting their website at intramurals@grcc.edu. Sports Briefs for November 12, 2008 Women’s basketball Volleyball Men’s Basketball
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