It’s easy when you’re a high
achiever to get so focused on your career goals that you don’t function outside of your profession, but our dad has always sought more than the trophies and the rings. He grew up really connecting with his bud- dies on the Chicago playgrounds and went to West Point, which only admitted men at that time. Then he met our mom, had a daughter, then six years later had another daughter, and then five years later had an- other daughter. All of a sudden, four dynamic, outspoken, some- times hyper-emotional women were surrounding him. I think at first, this was somewhat of a shock to the system, but it gave our dad a little bit of a gentle touch. Now our players may not agree with that in the middle of a timeout, which I understand. But, there’s not a kinder person than our father. He is so genuinely caring and I think we expect that being in a house full of women. That passion to care for others was already in him, but I think it grew and maybe has even flourished because the Krzyze- wski women approved of it so much. And then, the grandkids arrived. Anybody who has been
around young children knows they force you to leave your world and see things in their perspective. I think that is what having our kids around has always done for our dad. They give him a little bit of levity, a little bit of an emo- tional break. He can wrestle with them. On the team road trips, we always leave our door propped open if no one is nap- ping so that if Poppy wants to come by, he can. Or, if we’re in the swimming pool, he’ll pop over and say hello.
It’s a little
bit of a mental break. Yes, this game is important but, “Oh gosh, look how tall Emmie’s
169 WORTHY CHAMPS
gotten, I can’t believe Quin’s speak- ing so well, or Remington is crawling now.” It keeps it all balanced. For us, our dad’s permission to
allow my kids, Lindy’s kids, and Jamie and Chris’ baby to have an open-door policy with this program is an unbelievably unique opportu- nity. You can’t pay money for that. My children are exposed on a daily basis to a level of athletic, academic and social excellence that most kids never get to be around. Our dad has created this environment where our kids don’t hesitate to come to a team meal and talk to Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith, or sit with Lance on the bus. It’s not about being around celebrity. Oh cool! Michael and Joey know Brian Zoubek. In hanging around our guys, our kids are exposed to the high standard these young men have set for themselves. Our dad has created that, and it started with us when we were children. He never told us we couldn’t go some- where because we were kids or because we were girls. Never. You knew not to talk on the bus or in the car on the way to the home games, but when that moment is over you do whatever you want. He always included us, and as a result there has never been jealousy. I am not jealous of my father’s re- lationship with Chris Collins and Steve Wojciechowski. I am not jealous of Nate James or Chris Carrawell, or Bobby or Christian or Grant. I love to watch my father’s rela- tionships with those guys. There’s nothing more fun to me than to sit back and watch our dad talk to our former players. He is never happier. He just smiles the whole time and they are so warm to him. It’s just beauti- ful and our kids are exposed
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