A gathering of grief

A week after the community mourned the losses of Southwestern Community College students Halsie Barnes and Ella Leonard with a vigil at the softball field, the community was again brought together Tuesday in grief over the passing of Madalynn Stewart.

The three were fatalities from an accident July 21 near Afton. Stewart, a Mount Ayr graduate, was a nursing student and member of the SWCC women’s basketball and dance teams as a freshman last season.

As her friends, coaches and teammates shared stories, similar themes emerged. In addition to her spunk, charisma and toughness, she was praised for saving both teams from precarious situations.

Impact

SWCC Dean of Student Services and Athletic Director Kim Bishop was able to share both perspectives as a member of both the college and Mount Ayr communities.

“Both the women’s basketball and dance teams were fortunate that Maddie chose to step up when the teams needed her most,” she said. “Once she decided to join a team, she was all in. Once again, she became a fierce competitor and a loyal teammate. This is how Maddie lived her life – not only in the sports venue, but on campus, at home and in her community.”

SWCC Dance Team Coach Paige Busch shared words written by Stewart’s basketball teammate Cassidy Nelson. “Maddie would never quit. It just wasn’t an option for her,” Nelson wrote. “In one of our first basketball games, Maddie took a hit to the chest. We had six players at the time. She literally couldn’t breathe, so she sat out until another player got hurt or fouled out. Instead of saying no coach, I can’t, she continued and said yes coach, I can. So she went back in, and every 30 seconds I’d look back over at her and see her holding her chest in pain from the hit she took earlier.”

Stewart took some convincing from her friends and Busch to finally join the dance team full-time. When the team decided to attend Nationals this past season, one of the dancers couldn’t attend.

“Maddie was able to step into her place to save the team members from any more stress of changing the routine. If you’ve been in dance, you know reblocking your routine after you’ve done it for months isn’t easy, and Maddie saved the day,” Busch said. “Maddie learned the routine in just one short practice and it was full speed ahead from there. She never failed to try new things, support her fellow teammates and sneak out of practice quickly after pom was finished.”

Charisma

Nash English spoke about how a random girl went from his next-door neighbor to family in just one year.

“Here at SWCC, you aren’t just classmates. At the beginning of the year, you start off as complete strangers and you become friends, then best friends, then family,” he said. “By the middle of the year, Maddie was like my little sister. She became so comfortable with me and my roommate that she would come after basketball practice, smelling like sweat, and make us rub her sore ankles. Man did her feet stink sometimes.”

As a slideshow cycled photos and videos of Stewart with her friends, it was clear she had a love for dancing and being silly.

“There were so many times Maddie would just break down into a dance in our dorm. It didn’t matter what song, Maddie would just start dancing,” her roommate Taylor Beavers said. “Maddie was such a happy person, and I truly believe that always did her best to make everyone happy. I know Maddie, Halsie and Ella are reunited in heaven and are dancing and singing together again.”

English said he could go on and on about the memories they made over the last year. “I will forever cherish the times you forced me to make Tik Toks, or the time you forced me to try your protein bars,” he said. “I am so grateful I got to know you so well, and you’ll forever be my best friend and little sister. Thank you Maddie for everything you’ve given me, you’ll forever be missed.”

Inspiration

From her toughness to her compassion, many expressed being inspired by Stewart’s words and actions.

“When I first saw Maddie, my first thought was what can I do to be just like her?” Beavers said. “Even though Maddie was younger than me, I looked up to her. I looked up to the fact that she didn’t care what anyone thought and she was so charismatic. If you needed something, she was always there, no matter what time of day.”

Nelson wrote about Stewart’s love for her family.

“Maddie showed me what being selfless is in a short amount of time and in so many ways,” Nelson wrote. “Her family meant the world to her. She was always talking about her sisters, parents and grandparents. I remember going with Maddie to tell her mom hi on her birthday. I thought, I need to be more like Mad.”

Shortly after, Nelson followed by example, texting her own mom regularly, and said it makes her mom’s day.

The SWCC basketball coach, Darien Wingate, said teams to come will know Maddie “Mad Dog” Stewart.

“Maddie was the athlete, the friend you wish you had and the type of friend you wish you could be,” he said. “Though basketball was how we met, Maddie was so much more than just an athlete. While coach-player is the relationship we started with, brother-sister is what we evolved to, and I’m blessed to say that.”

Wingate said going into next season without her will be difficult, knowing all she wanted to accomplish. “I promise, this season and every season forward will be dedicated to you Maddie,” he said. “We miss you dearly already. Rest easy. Until we meet again.”

Beavers said she hopes everyone meets someone like Stewart once in their life, and Nelson said everyone should strive to be that person.

“You may never be able to bench as much as she did in the weight room, but you can follow by example and be the toughest, most unselfish, hardworking daughter, dedicated teammate and friend like Maddie was,” Nelson said. “Keep on living up there, Mads, you wild thing.”