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FARMINGTON — It was a traumatic experience for a team of young baseball players last week when a tornado touched down near where their camp and tournament was being held in Nebraska.
The baseball team from Farmington traveled to play in The Champions Village, an annual baseball camp in Omaha. The Falcons played in seven games before being knocked out of the camp's tournament.
While the team didn't make it to the semifinals, they stayed to watch the Friday game anyway. Falcons’ player Tatum Martin said he can still recall the moment the tornado sirens went off.
"One of the player's brother's said, 'Take shelter now! Tornado coming!’" Tatum said. "It's pouring rain and way windy, so we ran down to the bathroom and we (got) in the very back by like the showers."
The team took shelter in their nearby dorms. Player Hudson Palmer remembered the fear in their coaches’ voices.
"One of our coaches, they just open the door and we're like, ‘Get out now!’" Hudson said. "We just jumped down."
No one was injured in the tornado, but windows were smashed, fences were blown over, and an RV was completely distorted.
The team stayed sheltered for nearly 30 minutes. They said they learned a very valuable lesson that day.
"Just stay calm, that's what a tornado taught me," Tatum said. "Just stay calm."
The tournament was something the team had been fundraising for a year to participate in. Two other camps scheduled at The Champions Village after their tournament have been canceled because of the damage to the grounds.
