Sarah Beth Whitehead tournament this weekend
March 11 is a sad anniversary for John and Tresa Whitehead, as that was the day in 2005 their daughter, Sarah Beth, died at 14 years old from spinal meningitis.
But for more than a decade now, that sad anniversary leads to one of the happiest weeks of the year for the couple as their daughter’s legacy lives on in the softball tournament named after her.
This year’s edition of the Sarah Beth Whitehead Memorial tournament starts Wednesday afternoon at the West Tennessee Healthcare Sportsplex.
There are 12 teams registered for the tournament this year: Adamsville, Brighton, Bruceton, Camden, Covington, Chester Co., Crockett Co., Dyer Co., Milan, South Gibson, South Side and Tipton-Rosemark.
The tournament is used as a fundraiser for the Sarah Beth Whitehead Memorial Scholarship.
It’s also a way for John and Tresa to help spread awareness about spinal meningitis and organ donation.
After pool play happens during the week, those results are used to seed tournament play on Saturday.
As each team is eliminated, John or Tresa will speak with each team about getting vaccinated for meningitis and being organ donors, which Sarah Beth was.
Lakeway Christian Academy in East Tennessee was last year’s champion.
Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news
