This story is part of the USMC/AVCA Battles Won Award series. This new award recognizes volleyball players and coaches who are overcoming obstacles, both on and off the court.

Steve Grotowski, Florida Atlantic Beach Volleyball Head Coach

On June 25, 2022, Steve Grotowski’s wife Capri passed away at age 38 after battling breast cancer for a decade. Capri had been the head beach volleyball coach at Florida Atlantic since 2014, and Steve was her assistant.

Can you give an overview of Capri’s battle with cancer?
“Capri was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 and, at the time, she was eight months pregnant. She delivered our daughter, Kyah, early, then we started focusing on her cancer.”

“It went in cycles for us. There were three times over the eight years where we thought we were going to lose Capri, but she would rebound and get better for a year, year and a half, and then something else would come up. The last time was the worst—we could tell things were different—and she passed away not long after the 2022 beach season ended.”

“One really difficult part was the timing of her cancer being bad last year. Capri had been talking about getting a team to the national championships since 2015, and then we qualified in 2022. When it came time to go to Gulf Shores for the championship, she was in a lot of pain and wasn’t feeling well. She was able to go down to the courts to watch her team for the Stanford match, but after that I decided to take her home to start on a new treatment. I still wonder if that was the right thing decision.”

Talk about the support your received.
“Capri played volleyball in college, and her support system of friends really took me under their wing, whether it was helping with food or helping with the kids. Really, the entire volleyball community gave so much support, which was unbelievable.”

“Everyone loved Capri; it was hard not to. She was a special person, there was just a warmth and light about her. There have definitely been some good moments, like at the service we had at FAU. So many people came and spoke about her, and it was really heartwarming. I think it was really cool for Cayd and Kyah to see and hear some of the stories. Capri was sick when Kyah was born—so she never knew her mom any other way—and Cayd wasn’t even four when she got diagnosed. They got to see their mom in a different way.”

How did things go with the event/fundraiser that was started?
“About six months after her passing we held a beach volleyball tournament in her memory: Capri’s Legacy Beach Bash. It took place the first weekend in December, and we had 55 teams and more than 200 players.”

“While it was hard, there were a lot of happy moments, because of all the people who came out. We just spent the weekend telling fun stories about Capri. We always knew how much everybody enjoyed her and loved her, but when you have a big event like that and having people come out, support, and talk about her was really cool.”

“It was probably the first time I was in a place where I could feel really happy, knowing she’s not suffering anymore and being reminded how she really did have a big impact.”

[Note: The second annual Capri’s Legacy Beach Bash will take place Dec. 2-3, 2023]

What was that moment like when you led Florida Atlantic to the conference beach championship this year?

“After we won the Conference USA title in the spring, it was very bittersweet to lift up the championship trophy. I was so happy that the team played well and won, but it was also a sad moment because Capri wasn’t there. She would’ve been so proud!”

“That feeling is probably always going to be there. Anytime we have the kind of success that she was striving for and fighting for, I’m always going to remember two sides of it.”

What else have you taken away from this experience?
“Life is always going to be hectic. When Capri was sick the last time we were so busy coaching, but there came a point where we knew we had to make time for things that were more important—in our case kids, family, and our marriage.”

“So now I just make time for things like that and that means other stuff doesn’t get done immediately because the kids and I are doing something together. It’s probably my biggest takeaway, because you never know when you time is up.”

 

Check out stories of other Battles Won Award nominees