Dedicating the Maddie Potts Memorial Field House at Chariho High School
RICHMOND — There can’t ever be a specific timeline for turning tragedy into triumph.
That’s for Hollywood scripts and fairytales — a few hours or a set number of pages, then the resolution. The margins are seldom as clean or easily defined in real life.
Sunday morning brought such a moment for the Potts family and the Chariho Regional community at large. This perfect occasion under blue skies was nearly five years in the making, as the Maddie Potts Memorial Field House was dedicated on the high school’s campus.
Chargers soccer: Chariho's Brendan Allamby pays tribute to late soccer players Maddie Potts, Hallie Linacre
Ribbons were cut in front of glass doors just off the football field and behind the baseball backstop. A two-story atrium greets visitors, with photos of Potts scattered on the surrounding walls and her jersey number 11 painted in blue on the floor. Locker rooms, restrooms, a concession stand and more —– it's the type of facility that will serve a wide variety of needs for athletes and visitors alike.
“To see what this field house represents, it’s an amazing accomplishment by so many people,” outgoing Chariho athletic director Mike Shiels said. “I’m so proud to be involved.”
Maddie Potts' legacy
Potts was stricken on the adjacent field in September 2017, dead of a brain aneurysm before she had the chance to graduate with her classmates. The standout soccer and lacrosse player left a legacy of giving and selflessness, one carried on by her family — her parents, Dan and Stephanie, and her younger sister, Julia. This was their passion project that came together with the help of fellow community members — some previous friends, some who reached out along the way to offer support and empathy.
“We’ve made it as durable and low-maintenance as possible, yet more beautiful than ever expected,” Stephanie Potts said. “We’ve created it to represent our daughter, who will be remembered for how she lived her life even more than how she died.”
The official groundbreaking took place in April 2021, and the collaborative effort between the school’s booster club and the Maddie Potts Foundation Board raised more than $600,000. Design and engineering firms offered their services for nominal fees. South Kingstown resident Frank Karpowicz contacted Stephanie Potts through Facebook with an offer to serve as the facility’s architect.
“It’s a testament to the loss, the faith and the emotion that they have for this school and their daughter,” said John Dobson, the booster club’s vice president.
A suite named for Hallie Linacre
Chargers athletes and visiting teams will find ample space for pregame, postgame and halftime talks. Wireless internet access provides coaching staffs with the ability to show video before or during games. Officials will dress in a suite named for the late Hallie Linacre, a teammate and close friend of Potts who died in May 2020 after suffering a cardiac arrest in her sleep.
“A lot of people ask me how I survived the loss of Maddie, and the answer is simple — you,” Julia Potts said, addressing a crowd that spread out in lawn chairs and huddled under a handful of standing canopies. “Without you, I would not be standing here. I would have lost my battle with grief.”
A handful of balloons tacked to the outside wall popped during the presentation. More than one speaker alluded to a possible unseen guest in the crowd perpetrating a bit of mischief. A frame at the front of the podium featured a white Chariho jersey and a rough sketch of facility plans. Bricks on the entry walkway will be sold as a fundraiser to maintain the facility and support the Maddie Potts Foundation.
“Maddie was not a perfect human, but she was the perfect sister,” Julia Potts said. “To me, she was my everything.”
'We’ve only just begun'
The building replaces a wooden shack located across the end zone off the adjacent parking lot. Dobson noted mats on the floor that covered growing holes, a lack of running water and no heat. Fall nights and spring afternoons tended to be rather chilly. The short side entrance didn’t always cooperate with his 6-foot-3 frame — there was always a risk of an unnecessary bump on the head.
“I made a promise to you on 9-23-17 that all your hard work and dedication would not be for nothing,” Stephanie Potts said, addressing her late daughter directly during a portion of her remarks. “Today we celebrate that promise, and we’ve only just begun.”
To purchase a brick or make a donation, visit maddiepottsfoundation.org or email matchingformaddie@gmail.com.
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On Twitter: @BillKoch25
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: The Maddie Potts Memorial Field House at Chariho High School
