I am very sad to inform the wrestling community that we have lost another fine young man in the wrestling community. Andre Thibault was doing what he loved most, playing with his friends when a freak accident took his life. He was only 12 years old. Those who know Andre are privilidged enough to have met the nicest young man ever. I challenge you to find one wrestler that he has faced that would say he was mean or was a bad sport. He set a standard for good sportsmanship and how to approach the sport of wrestling. He was part of a large family of wrestlers and wrestling supporters. His brothers, Alex, Nick and Luke, all wrestle. His sisters Dominique, Camile and Natalie were his biggest fans. And his mother and father were the rocks that had grounded him so well and made him the delightful child we came to know. Please take time this weekend at your tournaments to remember why we do this. Remember that life is fleeting. Most of all to those that participate in this sport, you are doing what Andre so dearly loved to do and that he set a standard that you can try to live up to. We at Halstead wrestling club are sad and heartbroken but we are thankful. We are thankful that we were priviliged enough to have wrestled on the same mat as such a wonderful child. We will always remember what Andre did for us and we will wrestle with pride knowing that Andre would have wanted it that way.

Coach John Werner
Halstead Wrestling Academy

When I read in the newspaper today that a youth from Halstead middle school had passed away (no name given) I got a sick feeling in my stomach. My thoughts and prayers are with the Thibault family.

Can we add a photo section for memorials to this website?

From all of us at Carroll Jr. Wrestling. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Thibault family and the Hastead Wrestling Club.

I had the great pleasure of meeting this fine young man, earlier this month, while attending high school events at Halstead. Although my son had wrestled Nick, who by the way set a wonderful example for his younger brother, I had not had the honor of meeting Andre until the Halstead/Hillsboro/Hesston Double Dual. I visited with Andre on this occassion and at the 2-day Halstead Tournament. I echo all previous posts about what a wonderful young man Andre was.

My heart goes out to the Thibeault family and the entire Halstead Wrestling community.

The Thibault family is very special to the Edison family. Our hearts go out to them. May God give them peace.

The whole Edison clan

I'm also very sorry for the family of Andre. I didn't know him, or even of him, but it's still sad to hear when a younger child has passed away. I hate to be nosey like this especially on a topic like this but does anyone mind if I ask what happened?

My prayers go out to the family in this time of grief and despair. May God bless the Thibault family and give them comfort in this tough time.

Thibault's family remembers the 12-year-old who died Thursday after running into a sign at his school.BY TIM POTTERThe Wichita EagleHALSTEAD -


When he played football, Andre Thibault wanted to have the ball in his hands. You can see it in pictures his grieving family placed on their dining room table Friday.
In one picture, from 2004, Andre zips down the field, clutching a football, a determined look in his eyes.
The 12-year-old loved football. He recently mailed off a picture to San Diego Charger LaDainian Tomlinson, hoping the star running back would return it with an autograph.
It was not surprising that Andre was running to catch a pass during a pickup game Thursday afternoon after classes, right in front of Halstead Middle School.
He had his head turned back, trying to keep his eye on the ball, and hit the edge of a thick, wood-plank sign bearing the school name.
As his father understands it, the impact crushed Andre's throat and caused internal bleeding. Despite efforts to save him, Andre was pronounced dead at Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Francis Campus.
"It's hard to believe," his mother, Denice, said Friday in her dining room.
She thought back to when she went to pick up her three sons Thursday, around 4:30 p.m. She saw emergency vehicles outside the school.
"I just knew it was one of my kids."
Andre had been playing with friends and two of his brothers, Nickolas, 14, and Alex, 11. After he struck the sign, he managed to run up to Nickolas. Andre made choking sounds and motioned toward his throat. Then he collapsed.
A coach who had been alerted called 911 and performed CPR on Andre. Denice rode in the ambulance as a Halstead crew rushed her injured son toward a Wichita hospital, 36 miles away.
But on K-96, a mile east of Maize, the ambulance's right front tire blew out. The crew immediately called Sedgwick County crews for assistance and kept treating the boy until help arrived, said J.R. Hatfield, Halstead's city administrator.
A Sedgwick County EMS crew took the boy the rest of the way, Hatfield said.
"There was some delay, but it wasn't very much," he said.
Andre's father, Alan, said: "The way we understand it is the flat... didn't make a difference." The injury was that severe.
He said emergency crews did the best they could and stressed that the family doesn't fault anyone, including the school.
The Thibaults are donating parts of Andre's body for transplant so that others might live. "All the kids decided that," Alan said.
Friday afternoon, the family welcomed reporters into their home so their six other children could tell the world about their brother. The Thibaults wanted to focus on their son's life, not how he died.
So many friends came to their house that the long, wide driveway clogged with cars. Inside, the family set up extra chairs. Friends brought homemade cinnamon rolls, pies and casseroles. All afternoon, people streamed in and hugged Alan and Denice.
At times, the couple found themselves consoling friends, trying to make sense of it.
"Everybody took such good care of him," Denice told one visitor.
"God wanted him.... It was his time.... They said the town was praying for him last night."
She kept talking, but her eyes looked exhausted.
Halstead-Bentley school officials dispatched nine specialists in grief counseling to the district's three schools. Some students stayed home Friday, said superintendent Tom Bishard.
He said he expected a "very focused evaluation of every aspect" of how the accident occurred.
Because it was an unorganized game, after school, apparently no adult was supervising, he said.
From time to time Friday afternoon, small groups of people -- adults and children -- walked up to the sign that Andre ran into. They left balloons and a poster: a makeshift memorial. They stood with their arms around one another.
At the Thibault home, Andre's father showed all the sports pictures and drawings his son had kept under his bed. In his closet, Andre had stored football cards and copies of Sports Illustrated.
He was an A student.
Nick, Andre's 14-year-old brother, seemed shaken but said he wanted to talk about his brother, "who loved to play."
"He just liked to have the ball."
Andre weighed 96 pounds, and he wore braces. He was proud of his recent victories on the wrestling mat.
Nick called his little brother Andre the Giant.
"He was small for his age," Nick said, "but he had heart."

Team Haysville's Thoughts and prayers are with the Thibault Family.

I was struck with disbelief when I glanced at the paper this morning. Alan Thibault had been a cross-town rival of my younger brothers back in the day, and I had become reacquainted with him and his boys thru kids wrestling. I have enjoyed watching the way he works with them, a great example of the best this sport has to offer. This is one of those events in life that doesn’t make sense.
I gave my 12-year-old wrestler an extra long hug today and said a prayer for Andre the Giant. My thoughts and prayers go out to Alan, Denice and their children as well as the entire Halstead Wrestling Academy.

I am Andre's Dad. Anyone who is a Dad is lucky. I am deeply wounded by his death and appreciate all of your comments about my son. While I was not always a patient father, I tried my best. I was lucky to have had him as long as I did. He has a great Mom, and six other brothers and sisters who loved him. We argued, laughed and lived life together as families do. He loved wrestling and football. He loved football slightly more, but I think we could have worked that out of him with enough time! I often saw him hug his opponents after he beat them, because he didn't want to hurt their feelings. We teased him about it, but it was good.
I placed in wrestled for Bishop Carroll in high school and love the sport. I have 4 sons who wrestle for Halstead, and one who wrestles for the high school. Luke wrestled at 135 this year as a junior and broke his arm at the Halstead Invitational a couple weeks ago.
I want to thank our coaches, especially John Werner and Matt Bean.
As you might guess, I could go on at further length. I appreciate you reading this.

I just read this this morning. My prayers are with the family. It was so sad when I first heard the news the other night. To wake up this morning and read that it was one of our own makes it even tougher. May God bless and be with the family during these tough times.

From all of us here at the Valley Center
wrestling club. Our hearts go out to the
Thibault family. You will be in all our
thoughts and prayers.

We are so saddened by your loss, our hearts filled w/pain when we read this. Please know your son and family are in our thoughts and prayers.

God Bless,

Eric & Steph Akin
& family

My heart sank when I heard the news in Salina about Andre. My son had met Nick in Manhattan and he sure seems like a fine young man. We are praying for God's strength to hold the Thibault family close to Him. May God bless the entire Halstead club during this time. Please know that the Kansas Wrestling community loves you and wants to help in any way that we can.

Eric Johnson
Renegades Wrestling Club

How very tragic. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Thibault family. There is nothing like the loss of a child...nothing.

Tomi

Andre' Thibault's service today was wonderful. What a strong and faithful family. God is good and I know he is embracing them all tonight as they start a new life with Andre' as their guardian angel. Thanks for letting our family get to know your family and may you find grace and peace in the coming months, days and minutes.

God Bless the Thibault's

The Edison's

We were deeply saddened when we heard of Andre's passing. Both of my sons wrestled with the Thibault's in Halsted, but we moved away to Florida last summer. Riley was heartbroken when we moved because he didn't want to leave his friend Andre. He had such a positive influence on Riley's life. He was an amazing little guy, who always had a smile on his face. After our move to Florida, we continued to track the Thibault's accomplishments through USAWKS. We were so excited of the great season all of them were having thus far. Riley was fortunate to talk to Andre online the night before he passed...wrestling as the main topic! Our thoughts and prayers are with the Thibault family. We thank the Lord for blessing us with Andre the GIANT.