ST. LOUIS – Support is strong within the volleyball community for Janae Edmondson, nearly one week after she lost her legs in a St. Louis crash while in town for a tournament.
Volleyball teams around the nation, including St. Louis, are rallying behind Edmondson and taking on new challenges with her in mind.
The St. Louis Crossfire Elite Volleyball Club’s team color is teal. But on Thursday night, players dawned a different color at practice. Players wore purple, representing Jane Edmondson’s favorite color.
“The St. Louis volleyball community is super tight-knit, like all volleyball communities,” said Jeremie Wells, south division director within the St. Louis Crossfire Elite Volleyball Club. “We are not the only team supporting her and her family.”
Edmondson played volleyball for Smyrna High School in Tennessee. The team colors are purple and yellow. Some of Edmondson’s closest allies launched the ‘Purple Challenge,’ using the color to show support for the 17-year-old after the tragedy.
“What we love about purple is it represents spring,” said Jeff Wiser with the Middlee Tennessee Volleyball Club. “It represents new life. It represents joy. It represents a vision of rebirth.”
On Thursday, Crossfire Elite not only wore purple to show support, but also Edmondson’s number 23. The team came together to pray for the Tennessee teen.
“We are all very concerned about every kid across the board, whether they play for us or not,” said Mike Sanders with St. Louis Crossfire Elite.
On Thursday, the athletic director for Edmondson’s team shared that she was alert and able to interact with her family members in recent days. The team has put together a GoFundMe, trying to raise nearly a million dollars for Edmondon’s medical bills.
The Edmondson family has also been put in contact with a mother of one of the players for Crossfire Elite. That parent is an above-the-knee amputee and serves on the scientific and medical advisory board for the amputee coalition.
“It’s a unique position we are actually put in, so it’s been a really nice fit for us and a great opportunity for our family to serve theirs,” said Sanders.
The GoFundMe is nearly halfway to its million-dollar goal.