CARSON -- GoToros.com will continue to highlight CSUDH student-athlete alumni who made significant contributions to their teams during their time in Cardinal and Gold.
These spotlights will showcase the impact that a Cal State Dominguez Hills student-athlete had while competing, as well as the impact he or she currently is making as a professional.
(Click here for "Where Are They Now" archives)
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Today's spotlight shines on
Joe Cartlidge, a men's soccer All-American at CSUDH who led the Toros to the 2000 NCAA National Championship and back to the NCAA Title Game the next season.
Cartlidge, who earned two All-America honors and three All-California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) nods, started 20 of 21 matches played during that record-setting 2000 campaign, tallying three goals on 11 shots to help lead CSUDH to the men's soccer program's first national championship.
What have you been up to since setting the bar athletically at CSUDH with your All-America awards, and leading the Toros to the NCAA's promised land in 2000 and back to the finals a year later?
Well, a lot has happened in the last 20 years. I've been a Sales Manager for Firestone Walker Brewing Company, an LA City Lifeguard, a Data Analyst at Toyota, a Dredge Apprentice (ocean construction), played for the US National Beach Soccer team, and moved to Nederland, CO, where I started Pint Passport.
Looking back to my playing days in college, 2000 was a dream come true. We were skipped over in 1999 and felt like we had something to prove in 2000, where we went 14-0-0 in CCAA play and 23-1-1 overall en route to the title. Even though we lost our two leading goal scorers in JC Bolanos and Alex Bengard, who went on to play for the LA Galaxy, keeper, and sweeper to graduation heading into 2001, we made it back to the finals.
That loss brought a lot of mixed emotions, and I stopped playing soccer for two years and battled with my identity, and wasn't sure what I wanted to do. In 2002, I began teaching kids to surf, which brought me back into a positive head space, and I came to realize that what mattered most was being a good person who was kind and passionate about whatever I was doing at that present time, and didn't need an identity per se.
Two years into my dredge apprenticeship, I was electrocuted with 12,500 volts, but somehow walked away after a brief blackout, suffering cauterized holes in my hand, elbow, shoulder and knee on the right side of my body. I suffered another injury 6 months later, and realized I had to find another profession.
An opportunity at Toyota opened up that same day. The interviewer was a huge soccer fan and asked me more about my soccer career than anything relevant to the job, and I accepted soon after.
I eventually got back into soccer and ended up falling in love with Beach Soccer in 2010. After a friend asked me to play in a tournament in Huntington Beach, I was hooked. I bought a beach goal, trained every day, and was selected to the US National Beach Soccer team the following summer. It was a great time in my life and reminded me that having an identity doesn't matter or define you. It's about embracing what's in front of you and being passionate about life in the present.
I met my wife, Mary Rose Katherine Angelina Serafina Kanoa Kashette Wanbli Penny (now Cartlidge) through friends in 2008, and after memorizing her name, never let go. We had our daughter Olive in July 2014, followed by son James in March 2018. My family is the reason I wake up smiling [almost] every single day. :)
How did winning your awards and being recognized as one of the top men's soccer players in the nation help you in your current career?
The awards and recognition are fun talking points and undoubtedly look great on the resume. They may have even helped me land a couple jobs for which I might not have been considered otherwise. For current students who may be reading this though, even more key is having a professional resume and going into an interview prepared. Study the company and the interviewer, know the industry, and practice with friends! Interviews are scary and can be hard to come by – don't take them for granted!
My current career is full-time dad and property manager, which are products of a lifetime goal of retiring early by saving every penny I earned from the time I turned 10 years old and got my first job delivering newspapers for what at that time was Copley's Daily Breeze in Torrance.
I was raised by a single mom, Gemma Scharfenberger, who instilled the values of hard work and saving early on, which largely still drive me today. She also taught me that investing in real estate was wise, which is another major reason I was able to uproot my family to Colorado and live off of our real estate investments, while focusing almost solely on us.
What is your fondest memory as a S/A at CSUDH?
Complete and total exhaustion! There's something euphoric about it. Every time I took the field, I put my heart and soul into every movement. No opponent was allowed to beat me to the ball. No opponent was allowed to jump higher to win a header. I was unapologetically intense. Just ask my teammates.
If you had a chance to change one thing in your athletic career, what would it be?
If I change the obvious thing, which is the 2001 National Championship loss or the way I reacted to it, then who knows if I end up where I'm at today. My family is a result of that loss, so it ended up being a huge win.
I would, however, change my gratitude. I would thank my teammates, coaches, trainers, athletic staff, professors, and fellow students every chance I could. I was often mad at the world during my time at CSUDH. No dad, my best friend had died my freshman year, and that stuff was tough. Looking back though, that's the stuff that made me strong and driven. My brother once said that I see things in "end of the world" proportions and it's true. Thankfully, I harnessed that instead of putting my head down and giving up. In the moment, it's often hard to take a step back, breathe and look at the big picture. That's what life is all about though. Doing. Learning. Continuously improving. "Kaizen". In the end, I wish I would have shown more appreciation.
Aside from athletics, what about CSUDH do you cherish the most?
Friendships and memories made and lessons learned. CSUDH is my history. These are stories I get to tell my kids and hopefully, grandkids.
Can you offer any words of wisdom for our current student-athletes?
No regrets. Like they say in South Park, "There's a time and a place for everything and it's called college." Jokes aside, try to see your end goal. Ask yourself, "What do I want my future to look like?" From that point, work backwards. If you can identify the steps needed to achieve your goals and you take each step with fortitude, you will.
What does "Once a Toro, Always a Toro" mean to you?
It's like being an American. It is who I am. I feel respected by and loyal to CSUDH.
When was the last time you were on campus, and when do you plan on visiting us?
I played in the alumni soccer game in 2016. Hopefully I'll be back there this year for the 20 year anniversary of the 2000 National Championship baby!!!
Anything else you'd like to add?
Thank you for having me be part of this, and allowing me to reflect on this time in my life. It is cherished.
