The baseball field at Valley High School in West Des Moines, facing east along Ashworth Rd. The field, with its somewhat unusual configuration, lacks a warning track in center field.
September 28, 2005
Without Warning
Tragedy Strikes in West Des Moines
West Des Moines, IOWA – Tyler Bradke gave everything he had to the game he loved so much. According to those who knew him, the young Valley High School centerfielder only knew one way to play baseball: full-throttle, with an intense, all-out style that earned him the nickname “Rad.” “Yeah, he was always all … you know … commitment, dedication,” recalled one teammate. “He said he wanted to … like … leave everything he had on the field.”
But no one could have predicted the heartbreaking way his wish would come true. While chasing a long fly ball in a game last week, Bradke ran full-speed into the outfield fence, fracturing vertebrae in his neck and leaving him a quadriplegic for life. Although still a junior, the promising young athlete was already being closely watched by collegiate and professional scouts, who had dubbed him a “can’t miss” prospect. But instead, Bradke will miss the rest of his playing career, one that had given every sign of future brilliance.
Sue E. Generis with her daughters Kaitlyn-Ashleigh and Taylor
And now, local residents are asking “Why?” At Tiger Field, the fence in the deepest part of center field — where Bradke had gracefully tracked down many a line drive — has no warning track, something many feel could have prevented a catastrophic accident. “This didn’t have to happen,” said Sue E. Generis, an angry parent. “These boys are state champs, for heaven’s sake — don’t they deserve better than this?” Ms. Generis pointed to a lack of padding on the soccer goalposts, an issue she has previously raised at school board meetings and in letters to newspaper editors, and she wondered if a similar calamity awaited her 13-year-old daughter Kaitlyn-Ashleigh, an avid soccer player.
The Valley Tigers have won the state Division 4A baseball title the past two years. Some now find this bitterly ironic, noting as well that West Des Moines is a comparatively affluent school district. “They have warning tracks in left and right [fields],” said another West Des Moines resident who declined to give his name. “With all the money around here, and what they’re spending on new construction right next to the ball field and everything — you’d think they could come up with a few bucks and a couple hours with a backhoe to make it safe for our kids to play ball, for crying out loud!”
A. Horace Ashe
Speaking at a morning assembly held in the school auditorium, A. Horace Ashe, West Des Moines school superintendent, said, “We are all deeply saddened by this terrible tragedy, and I know I speak for the entire community when I say that our thoughts and prayers go out to Tyler and his family.” When pressed by journalists about any responsibility the school district might bear for the mishap, Mr. Ashe referred questions to the law firm of Shutkecker, Schicklegruber and McGillicutty, L.L.C., the district’s corporate counsel.
However, many in the community still have misgivings. “I’ve been taking my son Ashton out to play T-ball three times a week since he was five, getting him ready to play for Valley,” said a troubled Terence Quid, a local insurance executive and himself a former minor league ballplayer. “Now, I just don’t know if that would be the right thing to do,” he reflected. Although not a practicing Roman Catholic, said he would “seriously consider” enrolling his son at Dowling, a parochial high school in West Des Moines also boasting a prestigious baseball program.
Mr. Quid shrugged off questions by journalists who noted an apparent lack of relevance, pointing out that his 12-year-old son, a stockily built catcher, is unlikely to be streaking through the outfield. “Hey, catchers run into fences too, if you hadn’t noticed,” responded Mr. Quid somewhat testily. Later, a local sportswriter quipped that it still wouldn’t be a significant issue for young Ashton since, for him, running full speed — into anything — wouldn’t make much impact. “Hey, let’s just say that with that kid’s foot speed, well … he’s not gonna be much of a base stealing threat to anyone, you know what I mean?” he observed.
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