Varsity is the free Official Digital Magazine of Wisconsin Athletics, covering Badgers football, basketball, hockey and more each week.
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TLIGHT: BRAD NARDICK past five years is that, as much as you put into your sport, the outcome is not always what you want it to be. Throughout my career I have had to deal with circumstances that have taught me a lot about humility and perseverance. Through all of the injuries and losses that I have dealt with over the years, the one thing I have realized is that you can't always control what happens to you, you can only control how you react to it ― something that the guys on our team would refer to as "playing with the cards you're dealt." Learning that lesson happens at different times for everybody. For me, it happened while volunteering throughout my time as a student-athlete. The athletic department has done an amazing job of providing volunteer opportunities for the athletes at UW. Some of those opportunities have had a big impact on me. In the beginning of the year, our team visited the American Family Children's Hospital and the experience has really stuck with me. The fact that a group of college athletes can walk into a room where a young kid is going through intensive treatments and put a smile on that kid's face is amazing to me. As our team went from room to room in the hospital, I was just amazed at how happy and positive all of the kids always were. The funny thing about community service is that I think everybody who volunteers probably gets more out of it than the people we are trying to help. On the days when I have to go to practice and I may be a little beat up or cutting some weight, thinking about how positive those kids are in the face of huge challenges is something that really inspires me. Volunteering really helps put in perspective what real challenges are in life. I used to think that losing or being hurt were the worst possible things that could happen, but after volunteering at different places in Madison and spending time with people who may be sick, homeless or have lost their family, I have gotten to see what a real challenge looks like. The lessons I have learned through doing community service are every bit as valuable to me as the ones Coach Davis has taught me in the wrestling room. The biggest thing I will take away from my experiences is the outlook that, no matter how tough things can be, whether in sports or in life, staying positive in the face of a tough time is the most important thing someone can do. This lesson was reinforced for me this summer when I was lucky enough to meet a kid named Jordan Vanstrom. Jordan is someone who will always stand out to me when looking back at the volunteer work I have done. Jordan was diagnosed with a tumor in his brain when he was 12 years old. To fight his disease, Jordan has had to undergo many chemotherapy and radiation treatments this past year. Through it all, he stayed so positive despite the tough fight he had ahead of him. Last month, a couple of my teammates and I visited Jordan at the Ronald McDonald House after he finished his last appointment at the children's hospital. To sit next to a kid who just beat cancer was a really amazing experience. To him we are supposed to be these big, tough heroes, but to me he has more guts and grit than I can even imagine. He has taught me a lot about having the right outlook when things get hard. Jordan wasn't dealt a great hand at 12 years old, but he sure played with the cards he was dealt ― and he won. 23