Entry 90-2
Chad Brauer's Life As A Bass Fisherman
How Brauer's Wife Handles the Life of Being the Wife of a Tournament Fisherman
Editor's Note: Although Chad Brauer is only 31 years old, he has been tournament fishing for eight years. Married with two children, Brauer will tell us this week about the life of a tournament fisherman as seen through the eyes of an up-and-coming star.
Question: Chad, how does your wife handle the life of a tournament fisherman's wife?
Brauer: My wife, Nicky, is resilient. I don't really understand how she handles all the responsibility that she has to deal with when I'm on the road. She really has to function as a single parent. She has to get the children ready for school and make sure they get their homework. She also does the bookwork for our business. She also has a parttime job at home. So, she has quite a bit to handle while I'm on the road. If a pipe bursts or a toilet backs up, she has had to learn how to solve those problems for herself. So, I understand if she's a little irritable when I get home after being on the road two or three weeks tournament fishing. I would probably be really irritable if I had to deal with all the things she deals with for two or three weeks at a time without any help.
When I get home, I try and give Nicky as much time off as I can and take on as much responsibility for the children as I can. I know what she's been through while I have been gone. Nicky is so strong and doesn't take as many days off as I probably get. Although there are many things that I could do to please Nicky, she seems to be the happiest when I have a good tournament and bring home some money. She is very supportive of my work, our family, and me. I don't understand how any tournament fisherman who has a family can survive without a very supportive wife like Nicky is.
