Say an extra cheer for UW -- my wife would if she could

For those who don't know, my wife is a former Cowgirl basketball player from the mid 1980s (Teresa Poindexter, later Teresa Clift). She then became a RN at Ivinsion Memorial Hospital for many years before working at the Cathedral Home for Children. She has spent much of her adult life taking care of people.

Teresa was diagnosed with Rheumatoid arthritis in 1993 and the disease has taken a serious toll on her health. Add to that, she was in a very bad car accident a year ago that basically shattered her back beyond repair. To make a long story short, she has been in and out of hospitals and nursing homes since then, as she basically can't walk or hardly sit up in bed on her own. She is now in the Cheyenne hospital without much hope of ever leading a normal life again.

Teresa, along with her daughter, Cassie, were fixtures at Wyoming athletic events throughout the years, especially Cowgirl basketball games. She was proud to be a Cowgirl, and win or lose, loved cheering for her school. You might have seen or heard her at the games. She was the one who was constantly standing up cheering, telling the Cowgirls or Cowboys to run their offense, get back on defense or rebound. As a former player, she was still in the game.

Teresa and Cassie might have more Cowgirl basketball t-shirts than anybody I know. They seemed to come home with a new one after each home game. The WNIT title, and then the NCAA Tournament appearance the next year, were special times in their lives, something they'll never forget. It was also an opportunity for Teresa and some of her old teammates to reconnect again, which is something I'll always be grateful to Joe Legerski and the Cowgirls for giving them that opportunity.

I can't help but think about how my wife would give anything to be able to go to a UW game and cheer on her Cowboys or Cowgirls again. I can only pray that that will happen.

I know sports message boards give fans a place to vent -- I've done it before myself. But I'm thinking, instead of trying to find all that is wrong, take a break and cheer on the Cowboys and Cowgirls, even when things aren't always going as well as you would like. It just seems to be easier these days to be critical, rather than supportive.

Maybe I'm crazy, but when you get a chance, give an extra cheer. Hopefully, Teresa will have the opportunity to cheer again some day. If anybody needs a reason to cheer, it's my wife.