For Skyler, No. 3

Palm Coast Observer
Opinion

The morning of Aug. 21, 2007, changed Flagler County forever.

Skyler Meekins, 17, was just one day into her senior year at Flagler Palm Coast High School. Her daughter, Kyla, was just a toddler.

Then tragedy struck.

Skyler and her boyfriend, Daniel Dyer, were shot and killed by William “Billy” Gregory — Skyler's ex-boyfriend — during the early morning hours of what would have been Meekins second day as a senior.

On April 14, 2011, Gregory was sentenced to death for both counts of first-degree murder with a firearm.

This month marks five years since the tragedy occurred off John Anderson Highway. But Skyler’s high school soccer teammates and friends haven’t forgotten what happened.

Of course they haven’t.

“It feels like yesterday,” says Cat Bradley, Skyler’s teammate and current assistant coach for the Lady Bulldogs. “Losing Skyler was one of the most horrific things that has happened in my life and nobody knows the pain of losing a teammate unless they've lived through it. Life is so short and nobody is invincible.”

To celebrate Skyler’s life, several former teammates and close friends have planned a celebration for 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 25, at the Flagler Beach Pier. The Meekins family, including Kyla, who is now 6 years old, will all be there.

Skyler was always at the beach. She loved the boardwalk, the sand, the ocean.

“She was always there with her smiling blond-haired self,” Bradley says.

Because Meekins was cremated, there is no gravesite. And so the team has raised money to purchase a piece of the Flagler Beach Pier.

“There is no gravesite or memorial to go to and buying a piece of the pier would make it so that now there is, and she deserves that and so does her family,” Bradley says.

Tiffany Wiggen, another FPC teammate of Skyler's, hopes this brings some closure.

"Skyler wanted to wear a smile for the world, so we want to be able to share a smile with one another in her memory," Wiggen said.

And though it’s been five years, Skyler’s infectious smile and passion for soccer lives on with the Lady Bulldogs.

This community will never forget what happened to Skyler Meekins and Daniel Dyer. Never.

This fall, when coach Pete Hald begins his 22nd season with the Lady Bulldogs, his players will continue to keep Skyler in their hearts.

Before each game, during The Star-Spangled Banner, each player stands on their toes when the song reaches " ... the land of the free ... " Then, players holds up three fingers in remembrance of Skyler, who wore the No. 3 jersey.

“Being on the sidelines and seeing that is pretty great,” Bradley says. “These girls didn't know her but still show their respect. It's one of the best feelings in the world."