softball coach article in PD

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Softball coach used faith, will to help survive breast cancer Friday, October 13, 2006Carolyn JackPlain Dealer Arts Reporter Sometimes being an athlete helps you win more than just races. The 2006 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure event Saturday at Cleveland's Voinovich Park on marks a one-year anniversary for Julie Jones, who won the 2005 Komen competitive 5K run in the survivors' category. But it was four years ago that Jones entered, against her will, a much more serious competition. When she was only 32 and softball coach at Cleveland State University, Jones was diagnosed with breast cancer. Shocked though she was by the discovery, Jones, regained her health and, in July of this year, was hired as the University of Akron's head softball coach, a job that brought her back to her hometown. Here is Jones' take on how sports helped in her match against cancer. Q. When did sports first appeal to you? A. I remember being 3 years old and wanting football shoes. (Laughs.) I got 'em. Q. Why did you finally decide on softball after years of also playing basketball and running? -RD%> A. I've never been a competitive runner -- I was a basketball player who ran. I knew I wanted to play softball in college. It has a different strategy. You're on a team, but there are also skills you have to do all by yourself. It's such a mental game. Q. What effect did your breast-cancer diagnosis have on your competitive spirit, and how did working with a sports psychologist help? A. I would do visualizations [about conquering cancer]. I was doing something positive. -RD%>Q. After all the stress and treatment you went through, including a mastectomy, how did it feel to win the 2005 Komen competition as a survivor? A. They got everything, so -RD%>I was very, very fortunate compared to what other people go through. Mine was so easy that I almost felt guilty about running as a survivor. I thought, [Cancer] happened to me for a reason, and I need to figure out what that reason is. It's not the end of the world. I'm really proud to win that race because, with early detection, you can be as lucky as I am.