\tThat was the case for current University of Arizona women\u2019s softball head coach Mike Candrea, who held that same position with Team USA for the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. Just prior to his leading the Americans on the world\u2019s stage just over eight years ago, his wife, Sue, died suddenly of a brain aneurysm.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cI think your first inclination is \u2018why me?\u2019,\u201d he says now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\u201cEveryone has that thought when those things happen in your life. The thing that helped me understand things was, with my faith, I go back to my mom being the one that gave me that foundation early in life, so I always had it, but there are times when your\u00a0 profession gets in the way of having that balance in your life.\u00a0I thought there were times when your life revolved around whether you won a championship or not\u2026 When you get thrown a curve ball at 49 years old and don\u2019t know the color of your checkbook or what your kids need you wake up and realize that everything doesn\u2019t revolve around those championships. So I found that having a balance between my profession and my faith gave me a better balance and made me a better coach, a better person, and a better father, and you have to put your faith in God and we\u2019ll all be together again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tIt also helped him through other tragedies.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cI do talk about my trials and tribulations in life, having lost a (softball) player at 21 years old to diabetes, and we\u2019d lost a child early in life.\u00a0 After (the latter) I thought I was prepared for anything that\u2019d come my way.\u00a0 If that hadn\u2019t happened I don\u2019t know how I\u2019d have reacted (when Sue died).\u00a0 We lost a three-week old and a nephew at three years old.\u00a0 That was probably the time in my life that woke me up a bit and made sure that I grabbed on to the things we need to (in order) to get through tough times in life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tNow it\u2019s the start of 2013 and not only is Candrea still having success as a high-profile softball coach, but, he re-married and didn\u2019t leave his faith behind once he got through his first wife\u2019s passing.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cI say this quite frequently that the good Lord was looking out for me to unite me with Tina.\u00a0 The one common thread we had was the same faith.\u00a0 I remember going to Ash Wednesday Mass with her, and seeing her commitment to the Catholic faith sure comforted me.\u00a0 We\u2019ve been able to share that on a daily and weekly basis together.\u00a0 It has got to be a big part of your life. Balance between family, spirit, and professional life brings happiness.\u00a0 We all need to kind of slow things down and realize what\u2019s important and I definitely live everyday like it\u2019s my last.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tStrong words from obviously a strong Catholic. While Candrea\u2019s strength comes from the Lord, he knows its roots, however.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cFrom a very young age, my mom had me on Saturday in catechism class and Sunday at Mass \u2013 no ifs, ands, or buts. Then going to Louisiana to see my grandparents, and getting up at 4 a.m. for 6 a.m. Mass. I\u2019ve been blessed to have great role models in my life with my family in New York, New Orleans, and Phoenix. I remember visiting my dad\u2019s sisters and there was a church at the end of the street where they said the mass in Italian and Fr. Julius asked me to be an altar boy and I was afraid I\u2019d mess things up, but I did it. In Casa Grande I had Msgr. Ross who was getting up in age and was having trouble seeing at night so I\u2019d pick him up and take him to the Knights of Columbus meetings.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tAs a result, there comes a sense of responsibility to pass this down to the next generation, which Candrea found in a wake-up call from his son.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cIn 1994 we were getting ready for the Olympics in Atlanta. I was (Team USA Coach) Ralph Raymond\u2019s assistant and was in St. Johns, Newfoundland (Canada), for the world championship. It was a small dorm and I\u2019d just won a (college) championship and now was with the top team in the world, feeling on top of the world, but I came home and instead of welcoming me my son asked me if we could talk.\u00a0 He wanted me to quit so I could watch him play baseball, so I needed to look at my plans.\u00a0 So I dropped out of the USA Softball coaching pool and was with him the next three years, and that\u2019s when I really made the commitment to there being more in life than wins and losses.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tNow Coach Candrea is entering his 28th season as the head coach of the Wildcats, with eight national titles and 1,310 career wins under his belt. And the first place finish at the Olympics that resulted in Sports Illustrated calling the U.S. women\u2019s softball team \u2018The Real Dream Team\u2019 on the cover of a 2004 issue.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cI think it definitely was right up there,\u201d Candrea says, when asked if leading the Americans to the top in Athens was his crowning achievement. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to say one is more special than another.\u00a0 Anytime you can take a team and reach your ultimate goal, whether it\u2019s a national championship or, for a high school coach, a state championship, it\u2019s a good feeling and something you don\u2019t forget.\u00a0 But the 2004 Games because of the circumstances in my personal life was a strong moment that I\u2019ll remember forever and I think that\u2019s probably one of the reasons why it will always have a fond place in my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tAsked about scripture passage, he says, \u201cThe one that I\u2019ve become fond of is 1 Corinthians 16:13 (\u2018Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong\u2019). We used it during Sue\u2019s services and my dad\u2019s, and Julie (the aforementioned player who died at age 21) liked it.\u00a0 It really was a great way to connect everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tAnd it\u2019s a good road map for how Mike Candrea, husband, father, son, and coach, continues to live each day \u2013 like it\u2019s his last.<\/p>\n
\tPosted with permission from the Catholic Sports Association<\/a>, an organization dedicated to highlighting Catholic sports professionals and enriching junior high and high school student-athletes with Catholic sports articles, conferences, a Web series, and other programs.<\/em><\/p>\n