Community memorializes 9/11 at Owen High School
Fourth Annual Stampede on the Stairs honors sacrifice of first responders
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
September 11, 2024
The lights above Warhorse Stadium were shining brightly in the predawn hours, Sept. 11, when Owen students, staff, Buncombe County Schools officials, local veterans and first responders gathered for an event commemorating lives lost, 23 years ago, on one of the darkest days in the country’s history.
The fourth running of the Stampede on the Stairs, in which relay teams race to climb a total of 1,980 steps in recognition of the first responders killed when the Twin Towers fell on 9/11, paid tribute with the largest number of participants yet.
Ten teams of four, representing Owen volleyball and football programs, BCS, firefighters, law enforcement agencies and Black Mountain VFW Post 9157, took part in the event, which was created in remembrance of the 20th anniversary of the deadliest terrorist attack in the U.S. The Stampede was established by Owen Senior Army Instructor and retired U.S. Army Major Brook King and Buncombe County Sheriff Deputy and School Resource Officer Matthew Owenby.
The occasion offers a moment to reflect on the far-reaching impact of the devastating attack that claimed nearly 3,000 lives.
“If you were alive, you remember exactly where you were at and what you were doing,” King said, as he welcomed the teams to the stadium bleachers. “Everything that happened that day transformed how we live, what we do and how we think. It was a terrible day.”
Although Owen students are too young to have experienced the emotions associated with that day, he later added, their increasing participating in the relay race underscores the magnitude of the tragic event.
“Their presence really magnifies the impact of 9/11,” King said. “I think a lot of times, we don’t give kids enough credit, but seeing so many of them here today warms my heart.”
Teams carried batons made of decommissioned fire hose, with the handwritten names of the 343 New York City firefighters and paramedics, 23 NYPD officers and 37 Port Authority law enforcement officials who perished in the attack. The time on the scoreboard displayed 10:28, marking the fall of the North Tower, while the numbers 9 and 11 were featured below abbreviations for New York City, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania.
“Today, we’re going to honor the lives that were lost that morning, and remember them throughout the day,” King said. “Every single student that’s here makes this event special. None of you were alive 23 years ago, but you being part of this means so much.”
Joining the dozens of Owen students for the event were prominent figures in the community, including BCS Superintendent Dr. Rob Jackson, Black Mountain Town Councilmember Doug Hay and school principal Dawn Rookey, who announced the start of the race.
Some teams commemorated 9/11 victims by wearing additional gear, as firefighters completed all 45 climbs up and down the steps dressed in full turnout gear, while law enforcement officials and military veterans wore weighted vests.
The Warlassies varsity volleyball team was the first to complete the race, followed by football players. and members of the JROTC. The school superintendent, who competed in the race and led the pledge of allegiance to close the event, presented the winners with coins from the Swannanoa Fire and Buncombe County SRO Departments.
The race is intended to honor the promise made by many to “never forget” the tragedy, according to Owenby.
“There is a lot of symbolism in this event, because we’re climbing the number of stairs the first responders climbed that day, and we’re doing it with fire hose batons with their names written on them,” he said. “It really symbolizes us carrying them, and their memories, to the top of the stairs.”
While the anniversary of the tragedy marks a somber day in the nation’s history, the memory also carries a renewed sense of hope, according to Owenby.
“I think it’s just as important that they remember Sept. 12,” he said. “Right now, our country is as divided as it’s ever been, but the days after this tragedy really showed how important it is to set aside our differences and stand united. I want these kids to come away from this with an understanding of that.”
Photos of the Fourth Annual Stampede on the Stairs can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.