Spirit of cooperation helps get Tech trainers home from Helene's effects

While Director of Sports Medicine and Head Athletic Trainer Mike Brown was on the team bus with the players and coaches, assistant athletic trainers Kailen Berry and Becca Branstetter, graduate assistant Cameron Hudson – himself a former member of the Golden Eagle football team, graduate assistant Kendall Medders – a former member of the Tech track and field team, and student athletic trainers Destiny Nunley and Brie Gilstrap were in a van to head to Springer Stadium in advance and prepare for the team's arrival.

Meanwhile, in Montreat, N.C., home to Montreat College – an NAIA institution in the Appalachian Athletic Conference – flood waters surged through the campus. In its path, the raging flood poured into McAlister Gymnasium, damaging the facility and the offices within.

"We have a small campus that's on a cove by the lake," said Jose Larios, Montreat Vice President for Enrollment Management, who previously served as the college's Director of Athletics. "I'd say 99.9 percent of the time, it's the most picturesque place in America, but after catastrophic events like this, it just brought a raging river through our downstairs gymnasium, which housed our athletic training room, our fitness center, a lot of offices, classrooms. It just turned into a river. Everything came rushing through there and was destroyed. As I was driving in, I saw volleyballs and wrestling mats floating in the lake and down the creek. It's just all gone."

The campus lies in Buncombe County, one of the hardest-hit areas in North Carolina. On Friday evening, 450 students were still on campus. By Monday morning, all of the students were safely evacuated.

"This is kind of a once-in-ten-lifetimes event, so we just have to figure it out," Larios said. "We were able to evacuate all the students, but they were being super resourceful for a few days despite having no power and no water. The students were going to get water from the creek with buckets to flush toilets. It just seemed like we were back in the 1700s. We got everybody safely out – faculty and students – but we have coaches and staff who had their homes washed away. It's heartbreaking, man."

The storm took a toll on the area and its people. Friends, neighbors, and colleagues all had lives changed, then there are those who weren't so lucky.

"It's catastrophic," Larios said. "I don't know what the numbers are now. In our county, 70-plus have been found dead. As of yesterday, there's still over a thousand missing that people haven't heard from and have been reported missing. It's really tragic. It's a little numbing."

As the Tennessee Tech training staff entered North Carolina, the destruction was still just building. The group was starting to get low on fuel and needed to pull off.

"When we entered North Carolina, it wasn't too bad," Nunley said. "We had beat the flooding initially but it started to escalate as we were on the road, but it started getting really bad about the time we got near Asheville. Water was getting high, there was no power and a lot of traffic. When we made it somewhere with power in Asheville, there was no one there.

"It was very hectic. Everywhere that did have power, they were only taking cash. The one gas station that we were able to make it to didn't have anyone working in it."

Berry added: "A bunch of people were lined up hoping someone would show up, but no one did."

Asheville is the county seat of Buncombe County. It's not the first time the city has seen flooding. In 2021, tropical storm Fred dropped in and forced a disaster declaration. In 2004, tropical storms Ivan and Frances made an impact on the region.

It was back-to-back hurricanes in 1916 that hit Asheville, bringing down rain of biblical proportions that caused 80 deaths.

It's happened before and Friday, it looked like it could be happening again.

With the van trying to find its way and gas starting to run low – and flood waters closing or washing out the available routes – it was like a maze with the available options starting to disappear.

"It was interesting trying to adapt," Nunley said. "Every time we turned around, a route was closed and we were getting turned around. Kailen was doing all the thinking in the front – her and Becca were navigating the best way possible. If it was possible to be more informed, like the apps getting up-to-date faster, that would have helped us a lot."

With the team and Director of Athletics Mark Wilson en route to Charlotte, it was a hectic dash to find a way that would work.

"They were trying to reroute us to Gardner-Webb and we got back on the highway," Berry said. "They had to reroute us again so we ended up on the side of the highway for a little bit with the other cars for a while. We were right by an exit so we decided to double-check those gas stations, assuming they were on, but they weren't.

The exit was Black Mountain, N.C., not far from Asheville and Montreat.

"We thought it might be a good place to stop for right now," Berry said. "We knew the immediate devastation we saw, but had no idea how widespread it was with no way to get to us. We thought we'd stay here and someone would be able to bring us gas. We thought we'd get there late, but we'd get there."

The van came to a stop at an Ingles supermarket in Black Mountain.

"We were hoping to not be stuck there as long as we were," Nunley said, "but I wasn't too worried about it. I had a little bit of hope, a little bit of faith that something would come through and eventually it did. Everything worked out fine. We didn't get stranded stranded – we still had food and water."

Medders added: "The store didn't have power. They were being really nice and handing out food and water where they could."

The group waited for assistance from Tech personnel or family, but as conditions worsened in the region, it was going to be awhile with high water, trees and power lines blocking roads that were available and conditions not improving for awhile.

The parking lot became a refuge for a lot of people trying to find a cell phone signal or supplies. As day became night, the van became their accommodations for the evening. Despite the situation, the spirits remained high.

"Kailyn and Becca did a really good job of keeping our heads on straight and keeping us calm," Medders said. "They were definitely our rock the whole time. It almost felt better in the van the first night, because we could see everything around us. The people were all in the same situation, in the same boat."

With the team arriving in Charlotte for the night, the Golden Eagles entered the hotel with no power until nearly 10 o'clock. Wilson tried to find out where the athletic trainers were and how to get them to the hotel with the rest of the team. Once notified of the situation, Wilson and his wife, Melanie, tried to figure out connections that were close and could assist the athletic staffers.

It became apparent that they weren't going to be able to get to them that night.

At nearby UNC Charlotte, Jennifer Winningham serves as an athletic trainer. A multi-time Tennessee Tech graduate, it was an easy decision to jump in and assist Brown for the football game when he reached out on Saturday morning.

"Anyone who knows me knows what Tennessee Tech means to me and my family," she said. "We have about 14 degrees between me, my dad, sisters and brothers-in-law! We bleed purple and gold! Dr. (Richard) Williams had commented on a photo I shared on Facebook and I texted him to check-in. He told me about the athletic trainers getting stuck. I jokingly said, 'Well, let me know if I need to come help tape the team tomorrow.' I didn't think that the athletic trainers wouldn't actually make it to the game. When he texted me on Saturday morning to see if I could help out, I didn't think twice about it."

In Charlotte, Helene still had an impact.

"Things in Charlotte were actually very mild compared to some of the surrounding counties and especially Western North Carolina," Winningham said. "We had significant rainfall which affected rivers and lakes in the Charlotte area. Several areas near the waterfront were evacuated due to flooding. We had some wind which caused power outages throughout the city, but for the most part, Charlotte was not hit very hard.

"Boiling Springs (where Tech was set to play Gardner-Webb) is about 50 miles from my house, and I was amazed at how much harder that area was hit than Charlotte. There were more downed trees and powerlines over several side roads we tried to take. The town of Shelby (next to Boiling Springs), typically has a traffic slow down due to red lights. I was not prepared for most of those red lights to be non-functioning due to the power outages. Any place that had power like gas stations or fast food restaurants had about thirty cars waiting in line, and more cars waiting on the highway to pull in." 

As the Golden Eagles arrived in Boiling Springs, there was no power. With the start time pushed up to 1 p.m. Central to allow people to come to the game and get home before it got dark, it was a unique experience.

Wilson unloaded 300 pounds of ice to the team and training staff on hand, then made the trek with his wife to try to assist the trainers on Black Mountain.

"That's probably what had me stressed most of the time," Medders said. "As soon as I realized we weren't going to make the game, I just kind of accepted our situation a bit more. I was freaking out about it and helping Mike and being there for them."

The game came and went without all of the modern amenities of the sport – no scoreboard, no public address announcer, no music, no broadcasts. Gardner-Webb's Sports Information staff, with its football efforts led by Matthew Farris, was able to connect their fully-charged stats computer to a mobile hotspot to get live stats working, but even then it was dependent on a cell phone signal and that was spotty at best because of the storm's impact.

Back in Cookeville, the Tech Sports Information staff relayed the updates on the football social media accounts as the Golden Eagle volleyball team was set to take on Morehead State in the Hooper Eblen Center. Assistant Athletic Director for Business and Personnel Kim Nash was in her office before the match trying to find a route for the Wilsons and even considered chartering a helicopter to fly the trainers out.

On their way toward the stranded trainers, the Wilsons and a local citizen helped clear trees from roads, but, later in the day, two massive mudslides and washed-away bridges blocked routes from Old Fort to Black Mountain.

The Golden Eagles lined up their 11 in an old-school battle and won the game 52-21.

As nightfall set in, the Wilsons retreated and would try again on Sunday on a route suggested by a Black Mountain resident they met in Old Fort. The conditions were improving and they were determined to get their people home.

During their stay at the Ingles lot in Black Mountain, the stranded Tech trainers made the best of the situation, meeting some of the people who were sharing similar fates.

"It was mostly travelers who had gotten stuck there," Medders said. "We felt like we had so many people there watching our backs. We felt safe there. Everywhere we had gone, the roads had been washed out and people were trying to find their pets or trying to put their life back together. Their houses were under water up to their roofs. Now it's all washed away and they're trying to figure out what to do."

The situation was surreal without a doubt.

Medders said, "It felt post-apocalyptic for sure. The stagnant air…"

Nunley added, "Something just felt off."

Medders: "It felt like you were walking through a warzone."

Nunley said: "We were bartering in the parking lot."

Medders continued: "Trading water for toilet paper."

All the while, they were still trying to get communication out. It would come back in spots, but it was a struggle.

"Becca was the only one who had service," Berry said, "so we were using her phone all weekend, but it was still kind of spotty. We'd walk around the lot until we got a signal, then we'd stay there."

Medders added, "Sometimes we'd get a call, we'd answer it, but we couldn't hear them and they couldn't hear us, so we'd have to move to another location. She was the only one who had Verizon and was able to get a signal. The rest of us had nothing until the last day."

Still, they all found ways to pass the time.

"Good thing, I was there doing stand-up," Medders said. "I vlogged the whole time."

Or it was an impromptu tapeball game using athletic tape rolled into a ball and sticks for a bat.

"Several sticks," Medders said. "We kept breaking them."

Berry continued, "So we'd go to the forest and find more sticks. We used trees as bases. There was a lot of mud, so we were slipping and falling into the mud. Me, Cam and Brie were on a team – we won. What was our team name? The Aces. And they were the Deuces."

Then to liven things up, all they needed was a little music.

"We did have a dance party in the parking lot for a couple hours," Berry said. "Everyone loved it – they were like 'We saw your dance party!'"

Medders added, "We line-danced to Copperhead Road a couple times. I couldn't do anything else with my phone, so I recorded everything."

Tech Cross Country and Track and Field head coach Peter Dalton had a connection with Larios, spending time in the Appalachian Athletic Conference when King University was a member. Dalton and Brown reached out to Larios.

"(At Montreat) We're unapologetically Christian, so we really don't believe in chance," Larios said. "I'm standing in the Ingles parking lot, because they were rumored to have service there and just wanted to get the word out to people that we were safe. I get this message from Peter that came through. I'm walking around the lot trying to get a signal and the message pops up.

"It said, 'Jose, if you get this, we have some people stranded there, can you help them?'"

"I haven't talked to Peter in years, but we go way back when he was coaching here in the AAC. He said they were stranded in a minivan. I literally just turn around and see them in the far corner of the parking lot in the minivan. I was like, 'Wow. Here they are. Let's go help.'"

Berry added, "Kendall and I were walking up because the manager at Ingles was there and we were checking to see if they had any more water. As we were walking, this guy was on his phone and he looks up. He asked, 'Tech?' We said 'Yeah.'

"He said I literally just received a text from him to try to find you guys so the timing was perfect. It was such a relief, because at that point we were still hoping someone could reach us with gas and we had a time limit in our heads. We hit that time and found out they still couldn't get to us."

Larios said, "They were, for the most part, in good spirits other than they had just slept in that van. They didn't have any more water, so I was able to get them water pretty quickly. I said, 'Look, we have a place you can stay. My wife is willing to cook you guys a meal. Whatever we can do right now, but we'll definitely bring you to campus.'

"We didn't have a lot of vacant beds on the campus, but I told them we'd find a place for them to sleep. Our cafeteria was still operating – our dining staff has been tremendous through all of this. Man, they're doing everything they can to make sure our students have something to eat. I told them, 'Look, please join us. We'll have pancakes, bacon and eggs in the morning, then we can get you back on the road, Lord willing.'"

With everything that had just happened to their campus, Larios didn't hesitate – and for good reason.

"It's just what we do," he said. "In our world of athletics, if I picked up the phone and called Peter, you guys would do the same. There's camaraderie there. Coming after COVID, our athletic trainers, our SIDs – all you guys, man – there was a lot of weariness in our industry. Being able to love on those trainers was the least we could do amidst all that chaos, right?

"It's our pleasure and we didn't have nice beds, but they were extremely gracious. They're great people and super grateful."

On Sunday, the Wilsons reached the training staff. Earlier on Friday, when learning the trainers needed gas, he cleared the remaining stock of gas cans at a convenience store in Dobson, N.C., and filled them up to be able to get the van back on the road to Cookeville.

When the Wilsons pulled up, the response was self-explanatory.

"There were a lot of tears," Berry said.

Medders added, "Everyone just kind of let it all loose. It had just pent up over all three days. Mark melted immediately too. Just a lot of relief."

Wilson was impressed with the fortitude of the training staff and their ability to overcome their adversity.

"This group did an amazing job keeping a level head in an unusual situation," Wilson said. "They stayed brave. They stayed confident. They were resourceful. It's not something everyone can do in a situation like they encountered. With their creativity and intelligence, our training staff found a way to make the best of trying times. Through this, they embodied what Tennessee Tech is all about and I'm proud to have them among our staff."

After the 43-hour ordeal, they were coming home.

With the situation now in the rear-view mirror, the group gained insight and valuable advice.

"It's very rare where people are put into situations where they don't have any control," Medders said. "It's really scary at first, but it made me very confident. I had a positive outlook because I was with them. With anyone else, I'd probably be freaking out. The main thing I learned is just to keep a level head. All we could do was just wake up and try to figure something out. We knew we had to rely on others, which is scary, but they did a really great job."

Branstetter added, "This day and age, we rely so much on technology for almost everything from entertainment to communication, so we had to keep each other entertained. We just had to keep the mood happy and make sure that we all felt safe."

As the recovery effort continues for the areas affected by Helene, Larios and the rest of the Montreat staff look to rebuild. But it's a long road ahead.

As we stand a week past the devastating storm, the toll is just that -- devastating. The death toll stands at 215 with hundreds still unaccounted for. More than 741,000 people are still without power. The estimated cost of damages could soar as high as $35 billion across Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

"People have reached out and we have so many colleagues from all over who have reached out and say, 'How can we help?' When Mike asked that, I told him if we're able to get our students back this fall, we'd love to still be able to give them an athletic experience the best we can. We have no athletic training gear at all – can your colleagues help put together some med bags with some equipment and tape and those things. He was so gracious. He said, 'Make me a list and I'll reach out to all of my connections and we'll get some stuff together for you guys. It's people like that, right? That's what we do. It's a brotherhood."

Montreat College has started two recovery funds – one for rebuilding and another for staff and personnel. Information on those can be found at www.montreat.edu.

Meanwhile, Tennessee Tech, Cookeville Communications and Freddy Duncan and Sons Moving and Storage will be holding a relief drive for those affected at Saturday's football game against South Carolina State between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Donors will receive two free tickets to any 2024 home football game. Information on the drive can be found here.

In athletics, the spirit of competition is high. The goal is to defeat your opponent and keep winning as you look for the ultimate prize – the right to be called champions.

While the action and emotions get heated at times, at the end of the day, the person on the other side of the field is another person with their own lives, their own stories. They're not enemies – they're colleagues trying to accomplish the same task.

When situations arise that put them or their livelihoods in danger, it's human nature to assist. It's part of us. It's what we do.

As Wilson told Tech News and Public Relations Director Jonathan Frank this week, "It's the Tennessee Tech way."