From Dora Kemp
I find it hard to express just how saddened I am by the loss of James. To me
he was like a cheeky younger brother, with his teasing and unswerving
ability to make me laugh. His high jinks on the pitch were a joy to watch.
I first met him when he was about 15 and already a fantastic Ultimate player
with a vibrant personality on and off the pitch. He soon christened me 'team
mom' and teased me about my age in his own affectionate way. He would always
tell me stories about his girlfriends and life plans and we all watched him
mature over the years. But in my eyes he always remained our 'Little James'
even after his thighs started to expand to the size of tree trunks after he
joined the army.
I remember his keenness to play for Strange Blue at tournaments. He was so
eager that, when he was still in basic training and the only way to get
weekend leave was to be invited to a wedding or a funeral, he urged Graham
and I to make a fake wedding invitation to send to him on the weekend of a
tournament so that he could join us there. I regret that we never did so.
James had his sensitive side too. He was a fantastic designer and loved to
draw. He made me a birthday card, designed our team strip, and was eager to
expand his graphic design skills. That seemed to be put on hold when he
joined the army but he always seemed happy in his choice regaling us with
army stories when he came home on leave.
My best recent memory of him was from the Cambridge Coed tournament this
year when he put us through his morale-raising exercises, running on the
spot and yelling as loud as we could. Brilliant.
James was such a caring person, when I was unhappy he would know it and come
and put his arm about me and cheer me up. How I wish I could have done the
same for him when he needed it.
We will all miss you so much.
Dora Kemp (aka Team mom)