College football fans are watching their teams practice and hoping the new recruits will be game-changers a few months from now. For them, it's the lull before the fall.

For the team coaches though, there is no lull. As usual, they're working seven days a week, heading out the door at 6 a.m. and coming home long after the wife and kids have gone to bed, says Kathy (Currey) Kronick, author of Mrs. Coach: Life in Major College Football (www.mrscoach14yrs.com).

"During spring ball games, they're not home, so their wives are doing everything but playing football," says Kronick, whose book recounts her years married to Coach Dave Currey. "And they'll do that, too, if necessary."

The life of a football coach's wife is notoriously demanding, so much so that in 1989, the American Football Coaches Wives Association was created to provide "camaraderie, support, information and service." They share a subculture unlike any other in the United States and, while it can be exciting and rewarding, it comes with many sacrifices.

"His career and the team are the No. 1 priority, no ifs, ands or buts about it. In that regard, it's a lot like military spouses, but with college coaches, the family lives in the public eye," Kronick says.

"The wives take care of everything at home, everything, because their husbands are at work day and night, seven days a week. Many wives also work - most coaches don't make a lot of money. The wives are also expected to attend games, fundraisers and recruiting dinners. Every couple of years, unless they're really, really lucky, they're single-handedly packing up the household to move the family across the country because their team lost and their husband got fired."

In 2008, three researchers interviewed nearly 300 college football coaches' wives to learn more about their lives. Their findings, Kronick says, paint a portrait of what fans never see when they are cheering - or jeering - the team.

• Wives pray for wins. Every loss can mean the coach gets fired. "So you not only have the stress of being suddenly jobless, but if he's fortunate to find another job, you'll likely be packing up the house and kids - without him, he's gone on ahead - to move to a new city and a new state," Kronick says. She moved 27 times during her marriage to Currey. Moving so frequently can be an adventure as families explore different parts of the country, but it's also hard to leave a place where you've made friends and grown comfortable.

• July is for weddings, funerals and making babies. College football coaches are off for the month of July, so that's when families plan important events. Some couples celebrate their wedding anniversaries in July - whether or not that's when the couple got married, Kronick says.

• Families must always be aware of the media. "You have to mind your p's and q's," Kronick says. "The media is always looking for something - they want to know the secrets. You also have to be very careful not to do anything that will make your school or team look bad." All the attention can be fun when the team is on a winning streak but, as Kronick points out, it's hard for kids at school when everyone's blaming their dad for the team's poor performance."

• Most coaches' families live on tight budgets. The majority of the families in the 2008 study had an income of $50,000 to $125,000 a year, with nearly 72 percent of the wives holding jobs outside the home.  Most assistant coaches have one-year contracts, Kronick says, so if they're fired - or the head coach is fired, which means the assistants lose their jobs, too - their income stops.

The life of a coach's wife isn't all hardship, Kronick notes. Out of necessity, wives become self-reliant and independent, if they weren't to begin with, and that boosts self-confidence.  It's fun cheering on your team, and lasting friendships are often formed among this group that shares so much.

"But in the end, most wives give up their lives for their husband's dream," Kronick says. "I couldn't do that any longer. I needed to pursue my own dreams, and to have a husband I could talk with about them."

About Kathy (Currey) Kronick

Kathy (Currey) Kronick was married to Dave Currey from 1974 to 1989. He was an assistant coach at Stanford University when they met and married, and later moved on to Long Beach State (Calif.), the University of Cincinnati and UCLA. They divorced in 1996. Kronick, who has a bachelor's in education of the deaf and a master's in counseling, is the mother of two children and is happily remarried.

UPDATE:

We just received additional information from the US Postal Service detailing some of the proposed changes to postal operations in the current First Congressional District of Iowa.

In short, the Postal Service is proposing to keep open post offices that were previously at risk for closure.  Instead, the Postal Service is proposing to limit the hours of operation at a number of post offices.  View a detailed breakdown of the proposal - including the specific post offices affected (in the First District of Iowa only) - at the following link:

http://go.usa.gov/VvP

At 3pm CDT, the Postal Service will release a nationwide list of the proposed changes at the following link:

http://about.usps.com/news/electronic-press-kits/our-future-network/welcome.htm#

Announcement is "a major victory for rural Iowans"

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) released the following statement today after the US Postal Service announced that it was abandoning its plan to close thousands of post offices across the county and will instead reduce service hours at as many as a tiird of all post offices:

"This announcement is a major victory for rural Iowans who depend on their post offices to do business and connect with the world.  Post offices are a vital part of the rural Iowa economy, and we've worked for months to protect small town post offices from closure.  I'm glad that the Postal Service has heeded our call and will keep our post offices open.

"However, I am concerned about how severe the service cutbacks will be under the new proposal.  I'm going to closely evaluate its effect on post offices in Iowa."

The Postal Service has faced severe budget shortfalls and has weighed closing thousands of post offices across the United States for the past year.  In December 2011, bowing to public pressure, the US Postal Service announced a moratorium on all post office closures until May 15th, 2012.

The announcement likely means that 234 post offices in Iowa "under review" for closure will remain open.  In Iowa's First Congressional District, 22 post offices "under review" for closure will likely remain open.

Loebsack Amendment to Save the 132nd Fighter Wing Passes Committee on Bipartisan Vote

Language prevents retirement of F-16s in Des Moines

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement after his amendment to prevent the retirements or transfer of Air National Guard aircraft, including the 132^nd Fighter Wing in Des Moines, passed early this morning.  As the only Member of Congress from Iowa on the House Armed Services Committee, Loebsack offered this amendment to the FY 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).  The Loebsack amendment was cosponsored by Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) and was passed with strong bipartisan support.

"This is great news for the men and women of the 132^nd Fighter Wing in Des Moines and Air National Guard units across the country. The Air Force's original proposal made no sense for our national security, our ability to respond to emergencies here at home, or for the taxpayers. I am pleased that the Armed Services Committee agreed on a bipartisan basis and joined me in ensuring that our dedicated Airmen did not see their positions eliminated."

Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, applauded Loebsack's efforts to ensure this amendment was passed.

"The hard work and dedication of Dave Loebsack helped save the jobs of over 370 Iowa National Guard Airmen and the Iowa National Guard fighters. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, he immediately went to work to prevent the Air Force's proposed cuts from moving forward.  His hard work paid off and his commitment to the men and women of the National Guard and the Iowa Air Guard could not have been stronger," said Smith.

For specific information about the amendment, click here.

Also included in the NDAA, was Loebsack's legislation that prohibits reductions in the rate of Basic Allowance for Housing for members of the National Guard who transition from full time National Guard duty to active duty or from active duty to full time National Guard duty. Under current policy, some National Guardsmen who make this transition see their benefits reduced at a time when they and their families can least afford it because of a policy that changes how their benefits are calculated.

Loebsack also strongly supported a provision to reauthorize National Guard Counterdrug Schools like that the Iowa Guard runs at Camp Dodge (the Midwest Counterdrug Training Center).

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack will offer an amendment today that would prevent the retirements or transfer of Air National Guard aircraft, including the 132nd Fighter Wing in Des Moines.  As the only Member of Congress from Iowa on the House Armed Services Committee, Loebsack offered this amendment to the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act.  The Loebsack Amendment has bipartisan support from members of Committee, including the Ranking Member, and is expected to be voted on and accepted later today.

"I am very proud to offer this amendment.  The men and women of the 132nd Fighter Wing have proven time and again they are some of the hardest working and most experienced in the National Guard.  Their performance is second to none.  The proposal to move the F-16s out of Des Moines was short-sighted and wasn't a good deal for taxpayers or our national security. I am pleased the other members of the House Armed Services Committee agree and I strongly encourage the passage of this amendment," said Loebsack.

Earlier this week the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee voted to include funding for keeping the 132nd in Des Moines, but without this amendment, the program would still have been retired or transferred.