TH E CONVERSATION Pieces of April
USA Volleyball’s Female Beach Player of the Year in 2015 reflects on a season full of changes
Interview by Connor Hastings Given Kerri Walsh Jennings’ injury and the different partner switches you had to
make, 2015 was a pretty turbulent year for you. What enabled you to keep your perfor- mance level high amidst all the changes and what can you take away from the season that will help you in the future?
I just viewed every situation I was in as a chance to learn and get
better. I knew that playing with different people would make me have to adapt and adjust in different ways in order to win. It also made me step up my game. I still wanted to prove myself and win and I needed to con- sistently play great volleyball to do that. It was an amazing challenge to go through and it helped me realize more of what I can do on the court with Kerri, which I think will serve us going into 2016.
Did you and Kerri discuss how to handle the injury situation or was that something
that was left to Kerri to make the call on? Kerri, Marcio Sicoli (their coach) and myself discussed the situation
a TON. We also got together with our sports psychologist, Dr. Michael Gervais, to figure out the best way to deal with it. We discussed every- thing from how to handle the situation to if and when she would get surgery. It was fully a team thing.
What was the most stressful point of this season, and how did you move past it? The most stressful part of the season was the first time Kerri dislo- cated her shoulder at the first Grand Slam of the season in Moscow. We had to pull out of the tournament with a 17th-place finish, then she was out for the next three Grand Slams. I never doubted our partnership and what to do. The stressful part was more just ‘What are we going to do to make this happen now?’ But I have a strong faith and I believe every- thing happens for a reason, that God has His will for me and I needed to surrender to it, which is pretty much what I did. I actively tried to find the positive and make the best of the situation, but in the end you just have to accept the situation as a challenge that will make you better if you don’t give up.
How important is having a good team of support (coaches, trainers, etc.) to achiev- ing success as an athlete?
To have skilled, intelligent people around you that are invested in
helping you become your best is such a blessing, and crucial to us finding success. I feel like I have a great team around me in my coaches, Marcio Sicoli and Jon Daze, my strength and conditioning coach, Tim Pelot, my personal trainers Aimee Miyazawa and Chad Beauchamp, our sports psychologist Michael Gervais, and my agent Lindsay Kagawa. There’s no way I’d be where I am without all of them, plus the support from my family and friends! You just don’t have the knowledge or the time to do everything yourself as a professional athlete, and the people I have around me are all experts at what they do. I’m essentially putting my career in their hands and I have to be able to trust them with what I’ve invested a large chunk of my life in. If I didn’t, it wouldn’t work.
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Are you optimistic about the direction that the FIVB and AVP Tours are heading? Is professional beach volleyball on the upswing?
I am. The AVP has gone through lots of turmoil over the last decade
and I really feel like the owner we have now (Donald Sun) is really invested, loves the sport, cares so much about the players and is very de- termined. On top of all that, he’s a great person. I think all the building blocks are in place to grow the AVP and beach volleyball domestically. The FIVB has had ups and downs as well, but the prize money is up, the competition is up, and promoters are doing some really amazing things with events around the world. I’m definitely optimistic about that tour as well. And I never doubt the entertainment value of beach volleyball. I always feel it’s on the upswing.
Now that you’re one of the most recognizable faces in American volleyball, how
much are you focusing on opportunities to promote the sport and be a positive role model for young athletes?
Whenever I run into an opportunity to promote the sport I try to do
so. It’s definitely a passion of mine to help the sport grow. I even worked part-time in the social media department at the AVP this off-season — definitely a huge learning experience! I also feel a big responsibility to be a positive role model for young athletes, but I want to be care- ful about that too. It’s so easy with social media to make yourself seem ‘perfect’ and I want young athletes to know that it’s okay to mess up, it’s okay to take a wrong turn here or there. It doesn’t mean the end of the world or that you’re not deserving of success. It’s harder to show that side of yourself to everyone out there, but in its own way it’s a super-positive message if I can show people I’m not perfect.
If you were going to be a college volleyball coach, would you rather coach indoor or beach?
I would love to coach both! My husband, Brad Keenan, is just finish- ing his master’s degree in coaching and administration and it’s one of our dreams to coach at a college and run both the indoor and beach teams.
During the holiday season, are you more likely to cook a great dish or give a great gift? Hahaha, 100 percent give a good gift. I love to shop and am not a huge fan of cooking, nor am I good at it.
Whenever I run into an opportunity to promote the sport I try to do so. It’s definitely a passion of mine to help the sport grow.
12 | VOLLEYBALLUSA • Digital Issue at
usavolleyball.org/mag ”
PHOTO: DON LIEBIG
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