Florida Catholic | His ‘Inability To Surrender’

His ‘inability to surrender’

Nick Williams’ teammates pray and play for the Gibbons athlete fighting a battle for his life.

HOLLY LOEFFLER | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Published: 06.06.08

FORT LAUDERDALE | Cardinal Gibbons High School’s men’s volleyball team may not have won the state championship, but their fighting spirit was buoyed to championship heights by the near-loss of one of their teammates just before the end of the season.

Thomas “Nick” Williams, 16-year-old junior at the school, was involved in a single-car accident the morning of May 4 which left him in critical condition in the intensive care unit of North Broward Medical Center.

Members of the Gibbons family surrounded Nick and his family with their love and support hours after the accident and throughout the next few weeks.

The foundation of this support system rested on the shoulders of the men’s volleyball team, a close-knit group that, just four days earlier, had seen Nick help the team defeat Gibbons’ rival, St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, in the district final match.

With 30 kills, 18 service points, seven assists and three blocks, Nick was a deciding factor in the victory for the Chiefs. In an interview with The Sun-Sentinel, he was quoted as saying, “It is just our inability to surrender. We kept pushing no matter what the score was.”

Hundreds came to Cardinal Gibbons’ gym May 8 to watch the Chiefs take on Archbishop Edward McCarthy High School. The stands were packed with parents and students bearing shirts that read, “Play for Nick Williams, No. 2” and ribbons with his initials and number on them. The ribbons and some of the shirts were a few of the many fundraisers that the school planned to help pay for Nick’s hospital bills.

The team members knew that the absence of a key player meant they had to play 10 times harder – not only for the win, but to bring the state title home to Nick, said junior outside hitter Brian Battye. Teammate and best friend Austin Belt wore Nick’s jersey under his own to make sure Nick was on the court with them in spirit.

HOW TO HELP

Nick Williams has been transferred to Jackson Memorial Pediatric Rehab Center to continue his recovery. Cardinal Gibbons High School is holding numerous events to help the family pay the medical bills for what is expected to be a long road to recovery.

A trust fund has been set up for the Williams family through Bank of Florida. Anyone interested in donating should contact ajbelt@aol.com. For updates on Nick’s condition, go to www.carepages.com, create an account and type “NickWilliams.”

Austin served the final point that won the game for the Chiefs and kept the dream of playing for the state championship alive.

As emotions surged, fans rushed onto the court, many wearing T-shirts that read, “This win was for Nick.”

The Chiefs’ next game was against two-time state champion Spanish River High School. Gibbons took an early lead and won the first game of the match, but Spanish River came back to win the second and third games.

As the fourth and final game of the match was coming to an end, the fans began to chant “Play for Nick,” giving the Chiefs a boost of confidence that allowed them to come back from a 22 to 14 deficit to tie the score at 24. In the end, however, the Chiefs fell short when the Sharks served up an ace to win the game.

The Cardinal Gibbons family took a hard hit with the news of Nick’s accident, but despite the pain and tears, everyone has pulled together.

“We were able to pull together because we are more than a team,” said Marcy Meyer, volleyball head coach. “We are a family and that’s what families do. … We knew that Nick would never give up so we couldn’t either. The love and support of our Gibbons family for our fallen teammate and for us is something that we will never forget. And we will continue to be there for him to share each victory, big and small, in the coming months.”

Loeffler is a junior at Cardinal Gibbons and one of the sports photographers for the Florida Catholic.

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