On July 13, members of the soccer community came together for a 3-on-3 fundraising tournament organized by Troy and Cresta Winter and Ellie Cawdell, daughter of coach Chad Cawdell.
As many will remember, Coach Cawdell, head coach of the Carbon High School boys soccer team and the Voltage FC touring team, was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer just before Christmas of 2023. Coach Cawdell has already undergone several rounds of radiation and chemotherapy, but there is still a long road ahead of him.
All registration fees and proceeds from the tournament were donated to the Cawdell family to cover medical expenses, day-to-day costs and travel for treatment.
The tournament featured mixed-gender teams of all ages, including a team from Emery County.
Coach Cawdell spoke about the importance of kindness and how people often don't realize the burdens they carry every day, and said his family has always known kindness was important, but it wasn't until they faced a burden like this that they realized just how important it is.
“Today's event is the culmination of many years of relationships with great people in our community who know us and not only chose to come today to play the football we love, but they also came to support someone in their community, and that happens to be our family,” said Coach Cawdell.
Several boys from Coach Cawdell's Carbon High School team were also there to show their support and offered some thoughts about their coach.
“Chad's always been so supportive of everybody. He's a great coach and is always there to help in any way he can,” said Logan McVoy, while Cannon Mortenson added, “No matter what situation we're in, Chad's always there for us. He's always there like family and always supports us. That's why he's a great coach.”
“Our coaches are not just there to play the game, they're there for us as individuals and they want us to be successful — not just in the game of football but in life. I think we all appreciate that and we all love our coaches dearly,” Sam Dart said.
Luke Brady concluded, “Chad is the best supporter. He loves to see everyone around him succeed and is really good at helping people reach their greatest potential. He's such a kind person and a great coach.”
If you would like to donate to Coach Cawdell's cancer efforts, please visit https://gofund.me/6f392dfd
