Bluffton prepares to watch Bassitt on the big stage

It’s almost here.

At 4:05 a.m. Monday, Trevor Bassitt makes his long-awaited debut at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, and his hometown of Bluffton will almost certainly be ready.

Right across from the Bluffton Dairy Freeze, there’s a banner celebrating the 400-meter hurdler.

When driving down Main Street, a 20-foot banner hangs above the street and reads “Congratulations Trevor Bassitt. Good Luck in Paris. Bluffton Proud.”

The LED sign in front of the Bluffton Presbyterian Church displays a picture of Bassitt holding a bronze medal from the 2022 World Athletics Championships with a smile.

And proudly displayed on the Steiner and Granger Insurance and Financial Services building, there’s a banner with the five interlocking Olympic rings, two have Bassitt’s picture, and the other three have Bluffton High School, Ashland University and Team U.S.A in them.

As recently as last Saturday night, none of those things were there. But all of that changed thanks to Lynda Best, a Bluffton native who’s owned and operated the Village Cut & Curl salon for 43 years.

Best, who’s lived in Bluffton all her life, said she read on the Bluffton Buzz Facebook page that locals thought not enough was being done for its hometown Olympian.

That was one week ago. Now, it’s hard to drive anywhere in the village without seeing an image of Bassitt wearing the red, white and blue or running the hurdles.

Best and Bassitt have never met, but like many others, Best has followed Bassitt’s career since high school.

Once her inner sports fan took over, Best contacted Jody Brannon, a native of Pandora who had just moved back after working for a sign company in Columbus.

Best sent pictures and her ideas to Brannon, who designed the yard signs and banners. After getting the final copy approved by Bassitt’s parents, Tom and Mindy, Best returned to the Bluffton Buzz Facebook page to begin taking orders on Sunday night.

Her idea was instantly embraced by the community.

“It just kept snowballing,” Best said. “It was crazy. I’m very fortunate to have a lot of friends that helped me.”

The first order was around 450 signs, then came the banners. As of Thursday afternoon, more than 700 orders had been placed to Brannon, who’s making all of the signs out of her home.

So how have these two managed to pull all of this off in a short period of time? Best said that the key has been having a lot of friends.

“I’m just a person who has the means and ability to connect with other people to get these types of things done,” she said. “I have a lot of friends helping me do this. They’re going to my house to pick up orders and deliver them for me. I’m very lucky to be surrounded by so many good people.”

It really takes a village, which is fitting for the village of Bluffton.

Bassitt has shown up for his hometown by representing them on some of the biggest stages in the world. Bluffton has shown up for Bassitt, not just by supporting him with signs but also by eliminating the financial burden of traveling to the Olympics.

A GoFundMe campaign was started by Harlie Bassitt, Trevor’s wife, for their travel and boarding in Paris, something that was going to cost the couple around $25,000. The initial goal for the fundraiser was set at $5,000. As of Friday afternoon, $27,265 had been raised.

Best said the unity of the village is something that makes Bluffton a special place for her.

“We’re so fortunate to have our town,” she said. “We always come together whether someone’s having a tragedy or a celebration. We like to help each other. It’s a special place.”

While at Bluffton High School, Trevor Bassitt was a three-time state qualifier with titles in the 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles. He was named the Northwest Conference Athlete of the Year two times.

At Ashland University, Bassitt was a 10-time national champion who earned 21 All-American Awards. He helped lead the Eagles to three consecutive NCAA Division II national championships.

In 2022, he won a bronze medal in the 400 hurdles at the World Athletics Outdoor Championships, where he clocked a personal best of 47.39 seconds.

Later that same year, Bassitt won the silver medal in the 400-meter run at the World Athletics Indoor Championships held in Belgrade, Serbia.

On Monday morning, he’ll make his Olympic debut. If he places, he’ll run again on Wednesday and once more in the finals on Friday, should he qualify.

“It’s pretty amazing to see that a place as little as Bluffton has someone at the Olympics,” Best said of Bassitt. “Everyone is really excited. We’re hoping he makes it back here sometime soon when all of this is over so we can celebrate him.”

No matter what happens, two things are for sure. Bluffton’s residents will be watching on Monday, and they will be proud of the 26-year-old hurdler.

Reach Chris Howell at 567-242-0468 or on Twitter/X at @Lima_Howell