From the desk of Joe Tacopina - Assistant Sports Editor

Throughout our lives, we have oft heard our elders remind us to not take anyone or anything for granted. Although we have heard this phrase hundreds, maybe even thousands of times in our lives, we really do take it for granted; we hear it, but place little value on it. This summer, I finally learned this age-old lesson. And of course, it was under some of the worst circumstances that anyone can possibly imagine. You are about to be confronted with this lesson again; this time you it won't be from your parents or professors – it will be from one of your peers, someone you can better relate to, that finally understood what it means to not take anyone for granted.

Two summers ago, I met Nikki Kantor. We worked together at a summer camp near where we lived on Long Island and were campers there together as well, but were too many years apart to know each other back then. I cannot remember for the life of me how we began talking, but knowing my personality, Nikki was the one who broke the ice. That was what she did – she made a living making new friends. It didn't matter who you were or where you went to school or what you were interested in, Nikki wanted to get to know you. She was a social butterfly in every essence.

Since we met that summer, I would talk to Nikki just about every day. We would talk about anything from "how's your day going?" to "got any fun plans for tonight?" to our general likes, dislikes, and various other interests. You name it, we probably talked about it (as long as it was appropriate for the work environment and the kids in the area). Talking with her was always a treat because she was always positive and always smiling and never ran out of things to say. Every conversation with her was fun. Even if you were in a big funk and did not think there was any way you could shake it, Nikki could always find a way to do that. She would go way out of her way just to help others and cheer them up, not a trait that many teenagers care to show. She was not happy until you were happy and she always knew just how to make you smile. Not only was that impressive, the maturity she presented daily was not the kind of maturity you would expect from a 15 year old at the time; she always presented herself well and never said anything to make you feel extremely uncomfortable about being around her. I think it is fair to say that this world we live in can use a lot more people like Nikki.

When camp was over, we did not talk nearly as much. That had to do in part with me heading back up to college and her still being in high school; two very different places to be in life. While talking did not happen as much, there was always the promise of working together again the next summer.

Summer 2009 came around and there we were, working together again. The big difference this time was that our paths did not cross nearly as much as they had the previous summer. In fact, I barely saw her at all. One thing I always noticed about working at camp; there are several people that you know are working there, you just do not see them at all. That was the role that Nikki played that summer. Over time we lost touch. But when this summer rolled in, she did not come back to work another summer.

She was brought up in conversation one day and several of us felt that camp was not the same without Nikki. You could feel that something was missing. Since we had not talked at all since the previous summer, I thought about dropping her a line on Facebook just to say "Hey what's up? I miss you and we should catch up some time."

I never got the chance to do that.

I came in to camp the morning of July 21 and found a mutual friend of ours distraught. I asked him if he was okay and he just pursed his lips and nodded his head from side to side. I then asked him what happened and he muttered the line that I will not soon forget:

"I just want to let you know that Nikki Kantor died in a car accident last night."

That moment just killed me. This was not the first time I heard about a 17 year old dying in a car accident, but it was the first time I knew the victim. All I could think about for a long time was how could this happen to someone who was such a sweet and amazing person. What hurt the most for me was that I was so close to trying to reopen the line of communication between us, and I missed my chance. The fact that I will never get another chance to talk to her and reconnect with her still haunts me from time to time.

The one comforting thing to take out of this tragic event is the outstanding legacy Nikki left behind. You never heard a bad thing about her, she was always so caring toward her friends and family, was always there for a friend whenever they needed her, was so energetic and bright, the list goes on and on. Nikki meant so much to so many people and her passing was difficult to deal with and accept. I look back on the many people I have met in my life and there are not very many who I can hold in higher regards and respect than Nikki. When someone treats you with the kindness she treated you with and always made you feel good no matter how bad you felt, that is something you never forget. Knowing Nikki was an honor and I am so glad I got to know her. Even though I did not know her for a long time, it was a time that I would not trade for anything in the world.

If you made it to the end of this, I hope you can take something out of it. Never take anyone for granted because you never know what may happen. I never expected I would have to say goodbye to Nikki at such a young age, but I did. Quite frankly, it was one of the worst experiences of my life. You don't have to be best friends with everyone you meet but if there is ever someone who played a significant role in your life, try and say hi to each other once in awhile. This was a difficult experience, and I would not want to see anyone else suffer through what I suffered through this summer.

If you wish, please say a prayer for Nikki and her friends and family tonight. It would mean everything to them.