Thoughts on Shawn Tompkins

   On August 14th, Shawn Tompkins, well-known MMA trainer, passed away, very unexpectedly. I never had the opportunity to meet the man but I work with his mother-in-law and so found myself attending, sadly, his visitation and funeral.

   Shawn was 37 when he passed and was discovered to have had an enlarged heart and blocked artery. As a trainer of high-level athletes, he was outwardly in excellent health himself and this made his passing that much more incomprehensible. He left behind his family, his wife Emilie, a stable of devoted fighters and uncountable friends.
   I had never met Shawn and, prior to his death, knew him only through his burgeoning reputation as a trainer of top MMA fighters. MMA stands for mixed martial arts, a combination of different schools of physical combat--boxing, judo, kickboxing, tae kwon do, etc.---and Shawn was more than well-respected in his field. Until recently, this type of fighting was banned in Ontario and Shawn and Emilie had had to set up residence in the States, Las Vegas to be exact, in order for Shawn to be able to practice his craft. Recently, with the ban on MMA fighting in Ontario lifted, he was exactly where he wanted to be with his life when it all ended.

Shawn and Emilie

    At his evening visitation, my wife and I found ourselves standing in line for two hours. Earlier in the day, there were similar waits. This and everything we saw and heard while we were there was a testament to the love people had for this man and his family. As I watched the throng of people there to pay their respects that evening, it also was obvious that the vast majority of them were young and, to be honest, beautiful in their youth. Both men and women. This did not terribly surprise me, it occurred to me that Shawn's was quite likely the youngest and most vital person's funeral I'd ever attended and it only made sense that that his peers would be there in abundance. What I also noticed was the sense of camaraderie; the hugs, back-slapping, the tears. People who'd obviously not seen each other for long periods of time were re-united.
   The young were there to pay their respects to one of their departed own. This, of course, should never have to happen, it belies the natural order of things. We don't want to be reminded of our own mortality at the best of times but death is the ultimate expectation. What affects us even more deeply though is the totally unexpected passing of the young, of unforeseen causes. It is impossible then to not look inwardly and possibly re-evaluate our own lives.
   The funeral itself needed to be moved to a venue that would accommodate the huge number of people wanting to attend. Friends and family members took to the stage to offer remembrances and testimonials. It was impossible to not choke up, over and over. Pathos was mixed with humour. At the end of it all, there was a clear sense of who the man had been and how badly he will be missed.
   Shawn Tompkins was not someone I had ever met. Nor have I ever been an MMA fan. As someone who follows sports generally, though, I was more than aware of and appreciated his accomplishments. What I discovered as I spent time watching and listening to those who did know and love him was his ability to encourage, motivate and inspire the people he touched. This was spoken of many times. It is agonizing to consider what might have been, particularly to those close to him. That is always the way when those who are seemingly in their prime pass away.
   For me, at the end of it all,  I found myself missing in some small way a man I'd never met.