The conversation Logan Tom
The U.S. outside hitter calls it a great honor to play for her country, and she’s about to do it at the Olympics for the fourth time.
When Logan Tom answers a question,
there’s no fat to be trimmed. Half a lifetime ago, when she was 16, a reporter asked her how she would end a story on herself if she were writing it. Her answer: “The end.” Her volleyball story is a good one. She first played for the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team at 16, then was a four-time AVCA All-American at Stanford, and in Lon- don this summer she will represent the U.S. as a starter in her fourth Olympics. Along the way, the 6-1 outside hitter from Salt Lake City, Utah, (and now Long Beach, Calif.) has played all over the world, won a pile of awards, earned respect for her steady passing and wicked jump serve and also had some suc- cess on the beach – specifically, 12 top-seven finishes (including a second-place) on the AVP in 2006 and 2007. Tom, 31, fielded VolleyballUSA’s questions recently from her hotel room in the Dominican Republic, where she and the U.S. team were about to begin the FIVB World Grand Prix.
VolleyballUSA: You played on the U.S. team when you were 16, and the veterans used to get on you for not having your jersey tucked in. Remember that?
Tom: Yeah. Everyone gave me a bad time
about not having my jersey tucked in. Now that you’re a veteran, are you as picky about that with the young players?
No. I still don’t tuck my jersey in, so why would I make someone else?
You’re about to go to your fourth Olympics, and you’ve had a different coach for each one. What’s it like to continually have to adapt to dif- ferent philosophies?
It takes some time to get used to, but I think three, almost four years into it, we’re pretty much on the same page now. There’s a mutual respect between players and coaches, and that’s pretty much the building block that you need.
Has it been difficult learning so many different systems?
Of course. Anything new is difficult. But as long as you’re both on the same page when it comes to your goals and respecting each other and listening to each other and communicating, I think everything works out.
There’s a great highlight clip on YouTube called “Logan Tom show in Battuta” where you blasted 10 jump-serve heaters for 10 points in a row and about six aces. You see that?
LT: I don’t watch YouTube, so I haven’t
seen it. And I never will. You don’t like watching yourself play?
Never. You once said that thinking about your game
throws you off, and that you’re better when you rely on a natural feel. Are you more in a groove
when you just let things happen? It’s hard to explain. It’s not that I don’t think about my game because I think about my game non-stop. It’s whether you let that get in the way. So my mind is going every second that I’m playing, and sometimes it’s a good thing, and sometimes it’s a bad thing. I make tweaks here and there (when I’m playing). If I’m doing things right or wrong technically, I try to correct myself or hopefully someone will correct it for me. But for the most part, if I settle down and read the game well and feel the game and trust my instincts, it doesn’t let me down.
You played beach for a while and were pretty good. What took you back to the indoor game?
We qualified for Beijing – another Olym- pics.
So the biggest factor was you wanting to play again on the Olympic team?
It was circumstantial. I wasn’t playing inter- nationally in beach volleyball, and we qualified for the World Cup (indoors) when I re-joined the (U.S. National Team), so it seemed to work out good for me after that. It’s not something to take lightly to be able to play for your country.
Speaking your mind is one of your trademarks. Does that ever get you in trouble?
Of course it does. People take things the
wrong way, and sometimes they take things the right way but they just don’t like it. But I don’t say things to hurt people. I just say what I personally feel. If they assume I mean it one way without asking my opinion on it, then that’s
on them. I’m very truthful, I would say. How does that work with your teammates? Do they understand where you’re com- ing from?
I would
hope they do. Of all the
Olympic teams you’ve been on, is this one best positioned to win a gold medal?
That’s almost an impossible question to answer truthfully. Every year is different, every Olympics is different, every team is different, we’re different. I’m not answer-
ing that. Okay, but analyze it a little for us. Take into ac- count those things. Sure the opponents are going to be
different, the personnel is different… We’re a good team. We’re four years to-
gether, and we have a strong chance. Of course we do. We’re playing well, and we’ve played well in the past. I don’t like talking about (stuff) that hasn’t happened.
Looking back on the way you’ve trained over the years, is there anything you would put more emphasis on if you were starting your career all over again?
No, I don’t look back and I try not to regret
things. Things happen for a reason, whether I understand them or not. I’m happy with what
happened, the good and the bad. In terms of volleyball, though, there are a lot of players out there who might benefit from the advice of an experienced player who has been through a lot. And you said you think a lot about your game. Any insights when you reflect on things that you may have learned over the years?
There are a lot of things. I mean, the biggest thing for me, probably, is when you’re young, you kind of get ahead of yourself. You want to learn things really quick, you want to do things really quick. When I slow things down, things become more simple. Simple is better, dude. In anything. In volleyball. In life. We tend to overanalyze most everything we do – how we see ourselves, how we play the game. Simple is better.
What’s your proudest moment in volleyball? I don’t know. There’s been a lot that I’m proud of, I guess. And I look back and smile. So I never answer that question.
Do you know where you’re going to be playing after the Olympics?
No, I don’t plan
stuff out like that. But you’re going to
play a while longer? I know I’m probably going to play one more season. That’s as much as I know. I don’t know what’s going to hap-
pen after that. So it would
be foolish to ask you if you’re going to shoot for a fifth Olympics?
Very foolish.
USAVOLLEYBALL.ORG | 11
PHOTO: FIVB
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