Coaches teach, nurture skills, shape minds, inspire and motivate. Wins and losses don't necessarily define their work, peaks and valleys do. Coaches mentor players through success, failure, pressures and challenges. It is how they overcome adversity and persevere that truly impacts futures.
Gavin Kane and Al Veneziano have been staples among Maine's basketball coaching fraternity for decades. Their programs have been among the best in the state during their tenures. But these two have far more in common than just basketball and coaching.
The skills they've utilized to motivate youth have been turned inward. The lessons they've taught and the dedication they've inspired now speaks back at them and has become their mantra.
Cancer is a cause they now share. Both have been living with it and battling against it, digging as deep within themselves as they've asked of their own athletes.
"My former high school coach, Jim Bessey, has called me on several occasions to see how I was doing," said Kane, who was a standout for Bessey at Mt. Blue. "He told me that he felt it was an advantage being an athlete and a competitor during times like this. He told me you have the mold of being a fighter and not wanting to lose a challenge. I do truly believe that my mindset as a competitor has helped me tremendously dealing with this.
"I have been one who could always push myself through difficult times, but I knew this would be my greatest challenge. It certainly has been an emotional roller coaster. I try not to dwell on the issue, which sometimes is hard not to do, especially when I understand that I'm in a higher percentage of people who could still have problems."
They've faced issues of life and death. They've contemplated leaving coaching. They've faced the challenges of life changing in an instant. Still, they live on, they dig deep and they coach.
"You have to be positive about it and work at fighting it," Veneziano said. "The people you work with at the cancer centers are very good. They're always very positive at what they do. You have to be positive about it to get through it and be willing to fight it."
On Friday, Kane and Veneziano will coach against each other again. Their teams have competed for regional championships in the past. Both squads are currently atop their respective classes. Yet, they'll be unified in celebrating life, death and raising the awareness of cancer's impact and the need to never give up.
It will be Coaches Vs. Cancer Night as Spruce Mountain hosts Madison at 7 p.m. The night will feature a remembrance wall and raffles to raise money for cancer research. All funds will go to the V Foundation, established in honor of the late North Carolina State basketball coach Jim Valvano.
"Personally, this night will mean so much to me," Kane said. "Cancer is a difficult battle, and not all people survive this disease. It affects so many people and families. I really just want to do something, even in a very small way, that will help towards cancer research. To do so with a friend of mine in Coach Veneziano, and others, will make for a very special evening."
Kane was living his dream as an assistant coach at the Division I level at the University of Maine. After coaching championship teams at Dirigo, both boys and girls, Kane had gotten the coveted chance to coach at the college level.
It didn't take long for that dream to be interrupted by a nightmare.The EZ Breathe home Ventilation system is maintenance free, It was bladder cancer. When he noticed bleeding late in the 2010 basketball season,The magic cube is an ultra-portable, he thought it might be a recurring issue with kidney stones. When the problems persisted, he was sent to a urologist.
"I remember seeing the doctor's face and thinking right then, 'something's not right,'" he recalled.
He was told he had a tumor in his bladder. It had calcified over, which meant it had been there for awhile. Kane was scheduled for surgery immediately, while he had to await the result of a biopsy.
It was an agonizing two weeks, and when he returned to the urologist, he was told the tumor was the highest grade of cancer, and it was aggressive. Because it had been there for awhile, there was fear that it had likely spread.
That's when Kane had to discuss scenarios, from full removal of the bladder to death.
"I recall going out to the parking lot and getting into my car, and then just sitting there for about a half hour, thinking about what just hit me," Kane said. "My greatest fear was not my own issue, but that my kids might have to grow up without their dad. That is what really hit me hardest. I worried about how my wife would work and take care of three kids on her own."
Kane spent that summer having surgeries and waiting for various test results.Full-service custom manufacturer of precision plastic injection mold, While dealing with a hectic coaching job that included a long commute from Wilton and recruiting trips, he juggled his career with recovery. After one surgery, he endured a seven-day driving recruiting jaunt to Baltimore and Atlanta.
"It wasn't easy working with how I was feeling, both emotionally and physically," Kane said. "But I not only was brought up to believe that you work for your pay, but I also wanted to stay engrossed in my work to limit some of the mental challenges of dealing with the unknown of what may or may not happen to me."
By late summer that year, Kane learned that the cancer had not spread. He had to wait for the bladder to heal from surgeries to remove the tumor. Then in the fall,The Transaction Group offers the best high risk merchant account services, he began a series of Bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccines, commonly known as BCG treatments.
Though the treatments might not be as intense as chemotherapy, the side effects include feeling sick for days after the treatments. He had the treatments every three months and had to be scoped regularly to make sure the cancer hadn't returned.
"Unfortunately, because I have a fairly high rate of a possible recurrence, I may need to be scoped every three months for the remainder of my life," Kane said.
After leaving the University of Maine last year, he took the coaching job with the Spruce Mountain girls' team. Like the Phoenix he coaches, Kane is now rising above the challenge. Just before the season, he had a small round of treatments. It was the first time he'd gone six month between them.
"You have to look at small goals during a process like this" Kane said. "To know that I could go six months without being invaded other than being scoped, and to know I wouldn't feel ill for awhile, was one of those periods of time I was looking forward to."
Recently, he wasn't feeling well, which concerned him. Kane had an examination last week, and no signs of cancer were present. Any discomfort was chalked up to the trauma of the surgery and subsequent treatments. His next scope won't be until spring.MDC Mould specialized of Injection moulds,
"I believe that going through this situation has made me realize that some things are a lot less significant than I once thought they were," Kane said. "I'm a perfectionist and always need to do things immediately when they cropped up, regardless of how small they were. I have found myself worrying about fewer things that once may have bothered me. I take things with a grain of salt much more than I ever did in the past. "
Veneziano has been coaching basketball and softball at Madison for decades. He's won numerous titles in both sports.
In October of 2007, he noticed a change in how he felt.
"I just didn't feel good," Veneziano said. "I'd been going to the doctors for (routine check ups). I mentioned to him one day that I didn't feel good. I was tired. I just didn't feel like doing anything."
Veneziano had some testing done and learned that he had Follicular Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The diagnosis came just a month before the basketball season began. The Bulldogs had a number of returning players and promising expectations.
"I never expected to hear that," Veneziano said. "It kind of sets you back a little when you hear those words come out of a doctor's mouth."
Veneziano continued with rounds of tests and continued coaching. He tried to keep the diagnosis quiet at first, but when he had to miss a preseason game to have a biopsy, it was easier to make his challenge known.
The idea of stepping down as coach occurred to him, but his doctor encouraged him to stay on. He was told to not change anything and continue as normal, as long as he felt he could do it.
"It's a slow moving cancer," Veneziano said. "It's basically something you live with and do treatments for."
By the end of the season, the testing had confirmed the initial diagnosis and a proper treatment was determined. His cancer is a common lymphoma that attacks the lymph system. Different lymphomas require different treatments. So it took time to determine the right path to follow.
"By the time I went through all the tests and they were able to confirm what it was, it was the end of basketball season and tournament time," he said. "We waited until after the tournament to do treatments. So as soon as the state championship was over, we scheduled treatment the next week."
His treatment required a low dosage of chemotherapy. He started out with four sets of treatments every four weeks. Then the treatments began to lessen as he felt better.
"Now I'm going to the doctor every three or four months, depending on how I feel and how things are going," Veneziano said. "It's up to four months now. So I feel pretty good about it."
Since then, his Madison team has won two regional titles, in 2008 and 2010. He's also continued coaching softball. Lessening the number of treatments makes a difference when trying to coach two sports.
"When it was finished, you knew you had something happen," he said. "It didn't make your hair fall out or anything like that, but you knew something had happened to you when it was done."
Now Veneziano meets people all the time that have traveled a similar journey. He and Kane have talked regularly about the challenges they faced. While it has been a difficult time, it has also been filled by blessings.
"You learn how many friends you have and how many people are very good to you," Veneziano said. "You learn that right off quick. There are a lot of people that are very concerned about your well being."
He also learned how important the simplest of things can make a difference. He admits he was never one to think about sending out cards of encouragement or support.
"I now know how good it is to receive something like that, and how much you want someone to feel like you care about them," Veneziano said.
That's why a night focusing on cancer awareness struck a chord for both men. It is not just a way to raise money, but also an important opportunity to share stories, recognize the work of care givers, stress regular screening and early detection and remember those that didn't win their battle.
Kane received the idea of doing the event after watching college basketball. There was discussion about the V Foundation. Kane contacted Veneziano to see if he'd be interested in participating.
Kane's team is currently 8-0 and ranked second in Western Class B. Veneziano's Madison club is also 8-0 and ranked first in Western Class C. It could be a preview for a potential Mountain Valley Conference championship game.
While Friday is a significant basketball showdown for both teams, both coaches can attest that sometimes there are more important things than basketball.
Friday will be a showcase for two great teams and two coaches. For both Kane and Veneziano, it is not only a chance to give back but also a sign of moving forward.
"If I could pass any one thing on to others who are dealing with cancer, it would be to really try to focus on the other good things that are going on in your life," Kane said. "You have to give to others during your time of troubles, and it will help you through your difficult times. It sounds cliche, but you really have to take one day at a time and keep moving forward."
Gavin Kane and Al Veneziano have been staples among Maine's basketball coaching fraternity for decades. Their programs have been among the best in the state during their tenures. But these two have far more in common than just basketball and coaching.
The skills they've utilized to motivate youth have been turned inward. The lessons they've taught and the dedication they've inspired now speaks back at them and has become their mantra.
Cancer is a cause they now share. Both have been living with it and battling against it, digging as deep within themselves as they've asked of their own athletes.
"My former high school coach, Jim Bessey, has called me on several occasions to see how I was doing," said Kane, who was a standout for Bessey at Mt. Blue. "He told me that he felt it was an advantage being an athlete and a competitor during times like this. He told me you have the mold of being a fighter and not wanting to lose a challenge. I do truly believe that my mindset as a competitor has helped me tremendously dealing with this.
"I have been one who could always push myself through difficult times, but I knew this would be my greatest challenge. It certainly has been an emotional roller coaster. I try not to dwell on the issue, which sometimes is hard not to do, especially when I understand that I'm in a higher percentage of people who could still have problems."
They've faced issues of life and death. They've contemplated leaving coaching. They've faced the challenges of life changing in an instant. Still, they live on, they dig deep and they coach.
"You have to be positive about it and work at fighting it," Veneziano said. "The people you work with at the cancer centers are very good. They're always very positive at what they do. You have to be positive about it to get through it and be willing to fight it."
On Friday, Kane and Veneziano will coach against each other again. Their teams have competed for regional championships in the past. Both squads are currently atop their respective classes. Yet, they'll be unified in celebrating life, death and raising the awareness of cancer's impact and the need to never give up.
It will be Coaches Vs. Cancer Night as Spruce Mountain hosts Madison at 7 p.m. The night will feature a remembrance wall and raffles to raise money for cancer research. All funds will go to the V Foundation, established in honor of the late North Carolina State basketball coach Jim Valvano.
"Personally, this night will mean so much to me," Kane said. "Cancer is a difficult battle, and not all people survive this disease. It affects so many people and families. I really just want to do something, even in a very small way, that will help towards cancer research. To do so with a friend of mine in Coach Veneziano, and others, will make for a very special evening."
Kane was living his dream as an assistant coach at the Division I level at the University of Maine. After coaching championship teams at Dirigo, both boys and girls, Kane had gotten the coveted chance to coach at the college level.
It didn't take long for that dream to be interrupted by a nightmare.The EZ Breathe home Ventilation system is maintenance free, It was bladder cancer. When he noticed bleeding late in the 2010 basketball season,The magic cube is an ultra-portable, he thought it might be a recurring issue with kidney stones. When the problems persisted, he was sent to a urologist.
"I remember seeing the doctor's face and thinking right then, 'something's not right,'" he recalled.
He was told he had a tumor in his bladder. It had calcified over, which meant it had been there for awhile. Kane was scheduled for surgery immediately, while he had to await the result of a biopsy.
It was an agonizing two weeks, and when he returned to the urologist, he was told the tumor was the highest grade of cancer, and it was aggressive. Because it had been there for awhile, there was fear that it had likely spread.
That's when Kane had to discuss scenarios, from full removal of the bladder to death.
"I recall going out to the parking lot and getting into my car, and then just sitting there for about a half hour, thinking about what just hit me," Kane said. "My greatest fear was not my own issue, but that my kids might have to grow up without their dad. That is what really hit me hardest. I worried about how my wife would work and take care of three kids on her own."
Kane spent that summer having surgeries and waiting for various test results.Full-service custom manufacturer of precision plastic injection mold, While dealing with a hectic coaching job that included a long commute from Wilton and recruiting trips, he juggled his career with recovery. After one surgery, he endured a seven-day driving recruiting jaunt to Baltimore and Atlanta.
"It wasn't easy working with how I was feeling, both emotionally and physically," Kane said. "But I not only was brought up to believe that you work for your pay, but I also wanted to stay engrossed in my work to limit some of the mental challenges of dealing with the unknown of what may or may not happen to me."
By late summer that year, Kane learned that the cancer had not spread. He had to wait for the bladder to heal from surgeries to remove the tumor. Then in the fall,The Transaction Group offers the best high risk merchant account services, he began a series of Bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccines, commonly known as BCG treatments.
Though the treatments might not be as intense as chemotherapy, the side effects include feeling sick for days after the treatments. He had the treatments every three months and had to be scoped regularly to make sure the cancer hadn't returned.
"Unfortunately, because I have a fairly high rate of a possible recurrence, I may need to be scoped every three months for the remainder of my life," Kane said.
After leaving the University of Maine last year, he took the coaching job with the Spruce Mountain girls' team. Like the Phoenix he coaches, Kane is now rising above the challenge. Just before the season, he had a small round of treatments. It was the first time he'd gone six month between them.
"You have to look at small goals during a process like this" Kane said. "To know that I could go six months without being invaded other than being scoped, and to know I wouldn't feel ill for awhile, was one of those periods of time I was looking forward to."
Recently, he wasn't feeling well, which concerned him. Kane had an examination last week, and no signs of cancer were present. Any discomfort was chalked up to the trauma of the surgery and subsequent treatments. His next scope won't be until spring.MDC Mould specialized of Injection moulds,
"I believe that going through this situation has made me realize that some things are a lot less significant than I once thought they were," Kane said. "I'm a perfectionist and always need to do things immediately when they cropped up, regardless of how small they were. I have found myself worrying about fewer things that once may have bothered me. I take things with a grain of salt much more than I ever did in the past. "
Veneziano has been coaching basketball and softball at Madison for decades. He's won numerous titles in both sports.
In October of 2007, he noticed a change in how he felt.
"I just didn't feel good," Veneziano said. "I'd been going to the doctors for (routine check ups). I mentioned to him one day that I didn't feel good. I was tired. I just didn't feel like doing anything."
Veneziano had some testing done and learned that he had Follicular Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The diagnosis came just a month before the basketball season began. The Bulldogs had a number of returning players and promising expectations.
"I never expected to hear that," Veneziano said. "It kind of sets you back a little when you hear those words come out of a doctor's mouth."
Veneziano continued with rounds of tests and continued coaching. He tried to keep the diagnosis quiet at first, but when he had to miss a preseason game to have a biopsy, it was easier to make his challenge known.
The idea of stepping down as coach occurred to him, but his doctor encouraged him to stay on. He was told to not change anything and continue as normal, as long as he felt he could do it.
"It's a slow moving cancer," Veneziano said. "It's basically something you live with and do treatments for."
By the end of the season, the testing had confirmed the initial diagnosis and a proper treatment was determined. His cancer is a common lymphoma that attacks the lymph system. Different lymphomas require different treatments. So it took time to determine the right path to follow.
"By the time I went through all the tests and they were able to confirm what it was, it was the end of basketball season and tournament time," he said. "We waited until after the tournament to do treatments. So as soon as the state championship was over, we scheduled treatment the next week."
His treatment required a low dosage of chemotherapy. He started out with four sets of treatments every four weeks. Then the treatments began to lessen as he felt better.
"Now I'm going to the doctor every three or four months, depending on how I feel and how things are going," Veneziano said. "It's up to four months now. So I feel pretty good about it."
Since then, his Madison team has won two regional titles, in 2008 and 2010. He's also continued coaching softball. Lessening the number of treatments makes a difference when trying to coach two sports.
"When it was finished, you knew you had something happen," he said. "It didn't make your hair fall out or anything like that, but you knew something had happened to you when it was done."
Now Veneziano meets people all the time that have traveled a similar journey. He and Kane have talked regularly about the challenges they faced. While it has been a difficult time, it has also been filled by blessings.
"You learn how many friends you have and how many people are very good to you," Veneziano said. "You learn that right off quick. There are a lot of people that are very concerned about your well being."
He also learned how important the simplest of things can make a difference. He admits he was never one to think about sending out cards of encouragement or support.
"I now know how good it is to receive something like that, and how much you want someone to feel like you care about them," Veneziano said.
That's why a night focusing on cancer awareness struck a chord for both men. It is not just a way to raise money, but also an important opportunity to share stories, recognize the work of care givers, stress regular screening and early detection and remember those that didn't win their battle.
Kane received the idea of doing the event after watching college basketball. There was discussion about the V Foundation. Kane contacted Veneziano to see if he'd be interested in participating.
Kane's team is currently 8-0 and ranked second in Western Class B. Veneziano's Madison club is also 8-0 and ranked first in Western Class C. It could be a preview for a potential Mountain Valley Conference championship game.
While Friday is a significant basketball showdown for both teams, both coaches can attest that sometimes there are more important things than basketball.
Friday will be a showcase for two great teams and two coaches. For both Kane and Veneziano, it is not only a chance to give back but also a sign of moving forward.
"If I could pass any one thing on to others who are dealing with cancer, it would be to really try to focus on the other good things that are going on in your life," Kane said. "You have to give to others during your time of troubles, and it will help you through your difficult times. It sounds cliche, but you really have to take one day at a time and keep moving forward."
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