In the Press...

Last month, FORWARD Magazine, a German basketball magazine, featured a piece by Nadine Fuhlrott about how players' basketball careers and family lives function together. They interviewed five German players, two of them who have been married longer and have children, and three of them married less time without children. When they asked us if we would be a part of the story, we thought it was a great idea.

Most of our family and good friends know the challenges we face with Chris's basketball career, but a lot of other people don't. A lot of times people, namely the fans, don't pay attention to the real person behind the ball. They may know which players have wives and children, but they don't really 'know' us or what goes on in our lives outside of the basketball arena. They don't know how much the wives have given up to be there cheering on their husbands every game or what great husbands and fathers some players really are.

The article focuses on the topics of how we met, the uncertainty we face each season, how we deal with moving so often, how we spend our summers, family planning, the careers of wives, and what it all means for us together as a family.

In the conclusion of the article Nadine says:
In these athletes' relationships, like in all other long-term relationships, there are trials and obstacles which must be overcome. The secret to the success is the same, to communicate and work together. Then, a compromise can be found for almost every problem. The wives certainly have to make a lot of sacrifices during their husband's active careers, but it's a well known fact that most players' careers are over by age 40.

I knew when I met Chris that his dream was to play pro ball. Of course I didn't know how this would all turn out. I never knew how difficult and unstable it could be or how much I would really miss my family, friends, and life in the US. On the flipside, I also didn't know what great opportunities his career would give us, how many beautiful places it would allow us to travel to, the wonderful people we would meet, and the many adventures we would have together. Each season we get better and better at making the tough decisions together, packing to move in as few boxes and suitcases as possible, and settling into our new temporary homes. We continue to learn a lot about ourselves and each other and strengthen our relationship.

When it all started, I told everyone who asked that it would only be for 3-4 years. Now the best response would be: as long as he is healthy and we are both still having fun! We are truly blessed to be able to experience this together.

I would love for our English speaking family and friends to be able to read the whole article, but there is no translation available and it would take forever for me to do it!
Thanks Nadine for taking interest in our stories and writing a great article!