Atascadero family remembers teen killed in Templeton Rd. crash

An Atascadero family is remembering the life of 17-year-old Shelby Sudbrink, a Templeton High School student who was killed Friday in a car crash.

A collage of photos from Shelby's life fills a room at Templeton High School for students to pay their respects. One picture shows a young, smiling, bright blonde - the only girl on her youth basketball team.

"She was determined to play with those boys and she would make them pass her that ball. She did not want to look like a girly-girl to them," said Emily Sudbrink, Shelby's mother. She remembers her daughter as an athlete with a competitive spirit.

"She always supported her dad and hated the Red Sox. She was a hardcore Yankee fan," said Sudbrink.

Shelby's brother Colby says she was one tough sister.

"I've never won against her at anything because she never let me," said Colby.

That competitive spirit made her a key player on the Eagles' varsity basketball team. Teammates remember a time when even a sprained ankle couldn't stop Shelby.

"She still showed up to practice and she showed up to our Morro Bay game with an ankle brace on, ready to play, and she was barely able to walk," said Haley Hurdle.

Friends now visit Templeton Road to lay flowers and pictures. Shelby died after losing control on a curve and crashing into a tree.

"I'm just going to miss her a lot," said Emily Sudbrink.

Shelby's uncle Adam is spending the next few days at the high school, speaking with friends and classmates of hers. He's collecting pictures and memories to share at her memorial.

"Shelby had a very full 17 years and we want to hear all about it," said Adam Kovach.

Shelby wanted to go to college and enter the medical field after high school.

"I should be getting notifications any day now from the schools she applied to," said Emily Sudbrink.

Now the family wants to help others live Shelby's dream. A scholarship in her name is being set up to help send one deserving senior to college every year.

"She filled her life from start to finish. We will carry that with us. I'm not going to let her life stop. It's going to live through all of us," said Kovach.

On Tuesday night, Shelby's teammates will be playing their first home game since her passing. They'll be wearing blue and they encourage attendees to wear blue since it was her favorite color.

"It's going to be hard for us to come back from it. The rest of the season is going to be for her. We are going to play for her and hopefully do our best for her," said Hurdle.

The basketball game will be held Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Templeton High School.

Shelby's Celebration of Life will be Sunday, January 15 at 1 p.m. at Oyster Ridge Barn, 5991 W Pozo Rd. in Santa Margarita.

To make a donation to the Shelby Sudbrink Memorial Scholarship, you can either go to the Templeton High School main office and use your debit card, or you can mail a check made out to THS ASB (write Shelby Sudbrink in the memo) and mail to:

Templeton High School Attn: Sheila DeLisle 1200 S. Main St. Templeton, CA 93465

If you have future questions about donating to the scholarship, call 805-434-5865.

For anyone in the community who would like to share a special story about Shelby for her memorial video, you can go to the Student Union Room at Templeton High School between noon and 4pm on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. You can contact Adam at 310-938-5625 if you would like to contribute to the family in any other way. You can also schedule a time and place to record a video message with Adam if you're unable to make it to the scheduled times.

The family would like to thank the community for all their incredible support, love, and prayers.