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NewsCut
Bob Collins

He wanted to see his daughter in the Sweet 16, but couldn’t go

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Here's your daily dose of sweetness:

Todd Palmer, an athletic director at Brown High School in Sturgis, S.D., was pretty excited that his daughter would be playing in the NCAA Sweet 16 basketball tournament for the South Dakota Jackrabbits in Portland when they take on the Oregon Ducks, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader says.

It would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for dad, too, of course.

Except that he'd already taken time off to watch her and the squad play Syracuse in the tournament and didn't think he should take more time away from work and family as well as spend the money it takes to go to Portland.

He told his friends during a meeting of the South Dakota Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, and when he left the room, the other ADs dug deep.

They bought him a plane ticket, got him a hotel and threw in some more walking-around money.

They also called his principal to get him the time off, and sleuthed around to find Palmer's sister, who they knew was a travel agent and could put a package together.

"This has been a dream of hers ever since she started dribbling a basketball. Being able to be there and watch your daughter have those dreams come true ... it's a priceless memory," Palmer told the Argus Leader.

"I was just in tears because people are so good," said his daughter.