Wetheys fulfilling call at Heath
HEATH — The Wethey family jumped into the Heath sports community with two feet.
It was not long before Mark and Jean Wethey became entrenched, and they have never left. Since their two sons started school, it is a rare occasion that the Wetheys have missed a major Heath sporting event, and they frequently have had some of the best seats in the house.
"I have been saying it for three years: 'Are we going to do it next year?' And we end up doing it," Mark said.
Mark and Jean helped organize team dinners for the high school football team when their sons, Drew and Dylan, played spanning from 2003 through 2009, and Mark has worked the grill at varsity football games for most of the past decade
Jean first made the suggestion that fans and students line the hill as the football team marches down from the school right before kickoff, and it now has become a Friday night tradition.
"It makes me tear up when they line the hill," said Jean, who still works in the concession stand. "I said, 'Oh my God, it just makes me feel so good that they do it without being coached.' "
During the winter, Jean does the scorebook for boys basketball coach Devin Fulk; Mark operates the clock. They have been asked by Tim and Amy Black to assist in starting regular team meals for the boys basketball team, and they also help at the district wrestling tournament, which Heath hosts each February.
The Wetheys are The Advocate's Favorite Fans.
"They put our kids through school, so we are going to help," Mark said. "All of the kids need help, and that's how I look at it. There is just not enough parent involvement in schools. If they see their parents involved, maybe kids will become more interested in school. That's what it came down to."
The Wetheys began their volunteering at Hoback Park and have served as officers in the school's athletic boosters. When Superintendent Trevor Thomas served as athletic director during his first stint at the school, he leaned heavily on volunteers such as the Wetheys.
"The Wetheys have supported Heath students in more ways than I can count in the past 10 to 15 years," Thomas said. "They are an invaluable part of the Heath family, and our kids know them well. They provide unconditional love and support to all students, and the students look to them for encouragement, friendship and support."
Drew was a member of the 2007 state championship baseball team.
"I cried at those games," said Jean, who is a Licking Valley graduate but now wears her Bulldog spirit on her sleeve. "I didn't cry at graduation."
In 2009, Dylan was a member of just the second Heath football team to reach the playoffs. Mark and Jean were at the scorer's table for the basketball team's unforgettable buzzer-beating win to beat Newark Catholic for a piece of the Mid-State League-Ohio Division title in 2011.
The Wetheys said they were inspired by John and Jan Tomlinson. John is a longtime assistant coach for the baseball team.
"I said, 'Mark, I want to be just like them,' " Jean said.
Each year, the Wetheys meet a new class of Bulldogs and are happy to lend a helping hand when needed.
As for the rest of the Bulldogs, they simply grow up too fast.
"A kid walked up to me and said, 'Hey, Mr. Wethey, how are you doing?' " Mark said. "We were sitting at the bar, and he was buying a beer. I said, 'You aren't old enough.' He said, 'I've been old enough for two years.' Things are like that are fun."
ksnyder@newarkadvocate.com
740-328-8556
Twitter: @newarkurt