Coach focuses on a new battle

Published 1:00 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008

A one-sport head coach will tell you that their particular sport is all encompassing from a coaching perspective. A two-sport coach will tell you they don’t have a lot of free time.

Bruce Caldwell, a three-sport coach and teacher at Mount Si High School, will tell you coaching is just an extension of the classroom, teaching life skills.

But with the Mount Si wrestling match against Skyline last week came the realization that one of the best coaches in Kingco was stepping out of the spotlight to face a far more important opponent in colon cancer.

Caldwell’s last day of teaching was Friday, Jan. 10. He admitted that “cleaning out my locker and room was tough,” which is an indicator of just how deep his love for the school and its students runs. His last planned match was the Skyline contest but he is quick to point out that if all goes well, he will be back for the league meet, regionals and state.

He talks about his battle with colon cancer in the same way he talks about a sporting opponent: serious, to the point and with just a touch of emotion.

“It’s colon cancer and it has attached to my liver and that is the worst part about it,” said Caldwell. “It’s called Stage Four and it’s just about the worst you can get.”

For the complete story, pick up a copy of this weeks Valley Record