Student Surprises Cheerleader When Military Dad Can't Make It

the Musial Awards is a national award show that honors athletes and coaches from around the country for great moments of sportsmanship in tonight's making a difference report I travel to San Antonio Texas to meet one of the honorees a teenager who turned heartbreak into one of the most heartwarming stories of the year in cheerleading as in life it's always good to be around people and bridge who lift you higher makeup that's a back walkover though she's just ten no one knows that better than Addie Rodriguez who was born with spirit in her veins my daughter is bright bold and brave she started cheering for two reasons first I just thought it was like a fun thing to do after school second she was looking for a distraction her dad Abel Rodriguez is in the military as a senior Airman he served in both Iraq and Afghanistan as part of a security force the hardest part was just leaving my family I kept on asking my mom when's daddy gonna come home it was kind of hard for me it got especially hard one afternoon while cheering in San Antonio's Central Catholic High School but that's also where she found some shoulders to climb on 18 year-old Matthew Garcia just graduated from Central Catholic where he was one of the top runners on the cross-country team I liked cross-country because I can just run and not have to think about anything Garcia was thinking about making the state finals last year at the end of the season qualifying race days before however he donated blood at the school blood drive for me it's just a sport it's just a race I can always run but you know this could be life or death for people as it turned out giving blood was probably the reason he had to give up on that state finals dream I took off a little too fast I was in the way for a little while and then it hit me after a disappointing finish Matthew wanted to talk to his mom so he went over to Central Catholic where she was watching her other sons middle school football game she took a moment to console him you've done great all four years one race doesn't determine who you are the race didn't tell us who Matthew is but the next few minutes did it was about this time that Addie was getting ready for her next routine when all the cheerleaders were joined by their dads a few days before the game the fathers had rehearsed a routine with their cheerleading daughters but addy missed practice that day her father was going back to the base in California and she was saying goodbye it was kind of hard for me like know that he was gone [Music] so when he left again sorry when he left again it's hard for me to say it's hard to see him go and addy was still emotional when all the other dads lifted their daughters on their shoulders and they said Matthew look and he turned and then just in the blink of an eye he took off and I thought what's going on what was going on is that Matthew was running out of the stands jumping to fences and kneeling beside addy music do you want to get up on my shoulder and then I was like I nodded my head and I was still crying but then like all after that it like it just happened so fast in that moment Matthew gave Addie wings [Music] I just cried honestly I was amazed [Music] I was really sad to see her struggle and go through that especially because her dad's in the military and then it was so sweet to to see that a complete stranger would do that for somebody else it might have been a small gesture but it was the biggest thing in the world to me he did something that I should have been doing it all happened so fast at the Rodriguez family didn't even know Matthews name until days later when a DS mom put a query on Facebook that's what it seemed all of San Antonio learned about the story well coming off the street coming in wanting to give a letter that thank you letter to Matt wanting to know who this individual is there was one person who didn't understand what all the fuss was about I was thinking it was just the little thing I can do to make somebody's day it wasn't after helping to mend one heart matthew is now at Baylor University studying to become a cardiologist I know that I've been making a difference in people's lives like a major difference in their lives to this day he'll tell you what he did was just a little thing but for one family it meant everything I'm happy that everyone else has gotten a chance to see what I've always seen in him there were a hundred people in the stands who could have done the same thing and no one did he did the bottom my heart Thank You Matthew Garcia a young man who put a young girl on his shoulders and lifted us it just changed everything both Matthew and Addie will be in st. Louis next Saturday and that's just one of many amazing moments that will be honored at the Musial Awards and you can be part of the most meaningful night in sports and the television broadcast tickets started just $10 for more information just go to our website or musial awards com

Channel: Mike Bush

Views: 1,469,868

Rating: 4.9181714 out of 5

Keywords: Matthew Garcia, Addie rodriguez, KSDK

Id: qZBODEPkGas

Length: 6min 8sec (368 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 03 2018