Everyone is equipped with a pause button that can be activated whenever there is the need for introspection. Such was the case Friday for Wisconsin defensive tackle Ethan Hemer.
The unspeakable shooting rampage in Connecticut gave Hemer pause for thought after learning 20 children, ages 6 and 7, had been killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
What brought it close to home for Hemer was his frame of reference. During the fall semester, he served as a student teacher to second graders at Schenk Elementary School in Madison.
“It was very numbing to hear the news and see the horror of what had happened,’’ Hemer said. “I tried to put myself in that situation (as a teacher) and I couldn’t even fathom what it would be like.’’
Everything else pales by comparison.
“It makes coaching transitions,’’ he said, “seem like a really small thing. It really does.’’
