April Ross

Kerri Walsh Jennings, April Ross make WSOBV final

Jul 26 News

Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross played like the top team in the world, sweeping a Slovakian pair Saturday to reach the World Series of Beach Volleyball final in Long Beach, Calif.

The top-seeded Walsh Jennings, the three-time Olympic champion, and Ross, the Olympic silver medalist, beat 14th seeds Natalia Dubovcova and Dominika Nestarcova 21-14, 21-16.

“One of our catchphrases is ‘outlast,’ and I think we outlasted today,” Ross said on NBC of playing twice in a span of a few hours in 80-plus degrees Saturday. “I feel like we played at a high level, and fatigue wasn’t an issue at all.”

The Americans will play a fourth-seeded Spanish pair or a fifth-seeded Brazilian pair in the final on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC and NBC Sports Live Extra. The World Series of Beach Volleyball is the biggest tournament in the U.S. this year.

“We’re out here to be the aggressors,” Walsh Jennings said. “We want to be the hunters out there. I talked to my sports psychologist, Mike Gervais, this morning. He said, ‘Kerri, do what you do best, and that’s hunt.’”

Walsh Jennings, 35, and Ross, 32, have won half of their FIVB World Tour events together since teaming up last year, following Misty May-Treanor‘s retirement and Walsh Jennings’ third pregnancy.

They’re the only women’s players to win multiple FIVB Grand Slams this season, but in Long Beach they’ve bounced back from losses in the round of 16 in their previous two tournaments.

On the men’s side, 2008 Olympic champion Phil Dalhausser and two-time Olympian Sean Rosenthal play a later semifinal Saturday for a spot in the final Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Continue Reading… (via NBCSports.com)
Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross: The New Queens of the Beach

Jul 23 News

It’s a safe bet that no U.S. Olympic champion is undergoing a bigger adjustment from 2012 to 2016 than Kerri Walsh Jennings, the three-time gold medalist in beach volleyball.

Walsh Jennings’s partner on the beach, Misty May-Treanor, retired after the London Olympics, leaving her to team with April Ross. Ross won a silver medal with Jennifer Kessy in London, but beach volleyball duos are sort of like old married couples. They are at their best when they can finish each other’s sentences and read each other’s minds.

“This game is all about rhythm,” Walsh Jennings said this week from Long Beach, Calif., where she and Ross are playing in the Asics World Series of Beach Volleyball competition. “That rhythm, it isn’t there yet.”

Listening to Walsh Jennings, one might think she and Ross are floundering on the beach volleyball world tour. She says their honeymoon period is over, that they are thinking too much and are wildly inconsistent.

However, Walsh Jennings and Ross, currently ranked fourth in the world, have achieved better results in their 10 world tour tournaments together than Walsh Jennings and May-Treanor did in the 10 tournaments leading up to the 2012 Olympics. Walsh Jennings and Ross have achieved an average finish of 4.2 during their run compared with 4.1 for Walsh Jennings and May-Treanor ahead of London. Walsh Jennings and Ross also have five first-place finishes compared with just two for Walsh Jennings and May-Treanor.

Despite the titles, it’s the three ninth place finishes that get Walsh Jennings’s goat. During one stretch from 2006-08, Walsh Jennings and May-Treanor won 13 out of 15 tournaments, and took third place in the two they “lost.”
Interview: April Ross on Playing with Kerri Walsh Jennings

Jun 12 News

By Seth Rubinroit

During the 2012 Olympic final in London, Kerri Walsh Jennings knew she needed a new parter with Misty May-Treanor retiring.

It turns out the perfect candidate was staring at her from across the net.

Not long after Walsh Jennings and May-Treanor defeated Jen Kessy and April Ross to win their third Olympic gold medal together, Walsh Jennings decided to team with Ross, her longtime rival.

Ross and Walsh Jennings quickly developed chemistry, winning the final two FIVB Grand Slams of 2013.

Ross spoke with universalsports.com at Sports Spectacular, a charity event that raised money to combat diabetes and obesity.

Universal Sports: How has it been partnering with Kerri Walsh Jennings?

April Ross: It’s going great. We weren’t really that close before we started playing together; it was always just [talking] across the net. I didn’t know what it was going to be like personality-wise, and how we would look at competing. We found that we’re very similar because our will to win is super high. We’re very competitive and accountable for ourselves, which makes it really easy to form a new partnership when you’re not always trying to blame the other person. So it’s been, I think, as smooth as it could possibly be.

USN: What has been the biggest adjustment on the sand?

Ross: The biggest adjustment is that Kerri moved from the left side to the right side of the court. If you don’t play beach volleyball, maybe that doesn’t sound like a big deal. I think it would be equivalent of a quarterback moving to wide receiver in the pros. It’s learning a completely new position. We’re still working on that right now, and there’s been some up and downs. It takes so much courage for her to do that, and it’s just really exciting for us as a team to have this new look. That’s for sure the most challenging thing.

USN: How much time to you spend together off the court?

Ross: We are together 24/7 when we travel. We’re very focused, and we’ve gone to China three times together. Honestly, there’s not that much to do in China where we are, so we kinda just hang out in the room. We went to Brazil once and we went out and had Brazilian barbecue and went shopping. We definitely hang out more on the road because she has such a big family that she has to take care of, so she’s always doing that at home. But we spend a lot of quality time on the road.

Continue Reading… (via universalsports.com)
Self Discipline

Mar 09 april ross, beach volleyball, olympics, self-discipline, volleyball Blog, Uncategorized

“You either suffer the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. Pick a side.” -Jim Rohn (modified)

This topic is a passionate one for me. The first definition of self-discipline I came across said it’s an act of denying yourself. But I’ve also heard of it described as essential to freedom. Counterintuitive for sure, but I totally believe these definitions are the same. Growing and becoming better at anything, being proud of yourself, and therefore authentically confident, is only attainable through denying yourself what you know you should. If you are authentically confident in your capabilities, whether it be life, or sport, or business, I believe, in a sense, you are free. Freedom from self-criticism and self-doubt is very liberating, but it’s hard, extremely hard to earn. I’ve had varying degrees of self-discipline throughout my career, but I’m pretty sure I never even understood, truly, what self-discipline looked like or, more importantly, felt like before I began playing beach volleyball.

Playing indoor for a gazillion years (at least that’s what it felt like) DID NOT show me the need for an individual to have self-discipline. My fate was in another’s hands. I was told when to practice (even if I felt too beat up for it to be productive), what to wear (even if it wasn’t comfortable), to lift exactly the same as everyone else on my team (even if I had specific weaknesses I felt needed work), and then, weirdly enough, given total freedom to eat where ever and whatever I wanted. So, where I would have loved to have some control I was given none and in the area where I really didn’t earn or deserve my freedom I was given it overwhelmingly. My theory is that because I had all these authority figures and experts telling me what I should do, I was never really accountable for my own self-discipline. In my mind, if I was being given the freedom to eat where ever I wanted by the same people who controlled every other part of my (athletic) life, I could afford to revel in that liberty. Bring on Del Taco at 3 in the morning, Jamba Juice on top of lunch (because it’s fruit, it’s healthy!), and pints of ice cream to reward myself for studying- cut to me gaining the freshman twenty-five. And I’m not blaming anyone for this lack of self-discipline, it’s a symptom of the system, I just wish I had realized it then and seen how much better I could have been if I took it upon myself to control what I could control.

Make no mistake, I gave 150% at practice and in the weight room, I bought into the team and wanted to win, but at the same time, in the weight room there was no real drive to get as strong as I could get or do anything extra (despite my twenty-five pound weight gain), it was more like, “I’m going to do what my weight coach put on that paper and do it the best I can.” Same with practice, I went hard everyday and pushed myself and my teammates to be the best we could be, but to be honest, my motivation a lot of the time was, “let’s go hard so we can accomplish the goal of this drill and get out of here.” I never got to work on anything I felt needed work, it was always drills generalized for the team or the outside hitters as a whole. My fate just wasn’t in my hands, the only thing I could really control in the gym was my effort level, which, like I said I always kept as high as I could. Obviously this worked well, we went on to make it to three Final Fours, and win two National Championships, going undefeated during our second run, so I’m not arguing that the system should have been or should be different, just that it doesn’t foster a true sense of self-discipline. I’ve had a lot of time to think since my days of indoor and I feel a twinge of regret knowing that had I possessed more self-discipline I could have been better throughout my four years at USC and three years of playing in Puerto Rico professionally. This twinge of regret is heavily overshadowed, of course, by the success I encountered, but I still wonder…

As I mentioned, my discovery of self-discipline came after switching to beach volleyball. This was the first time in my life (athletically speaking) I was given full control of my own destiny. When I started on the beach with Keao (my former USC teammate) we were in charge of when we practiced, when, if, and how we would workout/lift, who would coach us, what tournaments we would go to, how we would get there, where we would stay, what we would eat, etc. It was an awkward time, as all growing stages are. I didn’t understand the amount of self-motivation and self-drive it took to be as self-disciplined as I needed to be in order to manufacture success. We didn’t hire a coach, our practices, therefore, were half-hearted or at best unproductive. I can’t even remember how I worked out at that point, IF I even worked out at all…. We didn’t prepare for tournaments, we just showed up, and got knocked down. Then we partied, flew home, recovered there for a day, which scrapped a practice, and tried to revamp for the next tournament where we would do it all over again. There were a few tournaments where we did okay, but I KNOW had we used more discipline in our preparation, practices, and planning we could have been MUCH more successful. To be honest, I didn’t have a lot of expectations for that initial season, I didn’t take it all that seriously, and just wanted to have fun, but at the same time I’m super competitive and was upset we didn’t do better, all in all it was a HUGE learning experience. When I decided after that season I wanted to make a real go at professional beach volleyball I looked back at all the mistakes I had made that previous year and became determined not to repeat them and THAT is where my sense of true self-discipline started.

“The secret in life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.” -Paulo Coelho, from one of my favorite books, The Alchemist.

From that point of enlightenment I have been cognizant about doing everything I can to help myself succeed. That meant, unfortunately, splitting up with Keao, because we were both newbies and couldn’t help each other get better like we needed, it was painful, but the right decision. For me, it meant giving up an indoor season in the winter and the paycheck that went with it to stay in California and train full time. Sacrifice is the sister of self-discipline. In that time between my first “learning” season and my second season (when I paired up with Jen Kessy) I made some life changes- I ended a relationship, I decided to stop drinking, and went on a strict healthy eating plan. I hired a strength coach and subjected myself to double days on the beach. Taking accountability for myself caused my motivation and drive to rise accordingly. This did not happen over night. I made really tough decisions and had to have really hard conversations with people to put myself in a position to succeed. I had to have really honest discussions with myself. And even harder than all that was learning to make the tiny choices day in and day out that add up over time and make ALL the difference. I think this is a huge lesson for people to learn, not just athletes, but my point is, had I not been given the responsibility of my own destiny through beach volleyball, I don’t think I would know the importance of or have the understanding of self-discipline, motivation, and drive that I have today. It has been a wonderful, though at times, painful learning curve and I know it’s not done yet, I have A LOT of learning, growing, and improving left to do. Life IS a learning process and I’m STILL working on being more disciplined- mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” -Colin Powell.

I write this for two reasons, one, so that maybe those playing indoor in college or juniors will see that if they take the “controllables” into their own hands, they can, in some cases, drastically influence their future chances of success. And two, for any aspiring beach volleyball players, so that they know it’s not a picnic out here. You have to fight, and grovel, and outwork others to have any chance of success on the beach, but more than anything you have to be accountable for yourself. It’s all up to you, no excuses, set yourself free.
2013 Season Highlights

Nov 25 2013, april ross, AVP, beach volleyball, highlights, season Blog, Uncategorized
It’s hard to know where to start when looking back over the 2013 season, there was just so….much. There was so much I have no idea how to fit it all in- that’s partly what I get for not regularly updating my blog during season…but nonetheless, now I feel I have to condense everything I want to say so that it fits under a singular topic. Therefore, I’ve decided to share with you just my favorite parts of this past season and thankfully there are enough to fill what narrowly passes for a blog 🙂

In (mostly) chronological order:
- Being the centerfold of Dig! Thanks Sherry Wong for taking my favorite photo ever!
- I got to go to a new country! After years of going to the same (for the most part, great) locations for our World Tour stops, they added a stop in Argentina this year! I thought it was a great addition and the fans made it even better. They definitely gave Cali fans a run for their money, I felt like I was at a futbol match with how loud and enthusiastic they were. The people there, in general, were so welcoming, friendly, and warm, I really hope it becomes a mainstay on our schedule.
- The epic international Ace game we had in The Hague, Netherlands (Ace is a six on six fun sand vball game we often play after tournaments)- I ripped my jeans, people got punched in the face (by other people trying to hit the ball), we had standing jousts that lasted minutes, and more sky balls than you could count. Then I did the worm and busted my chin open, don’t worry, it didn’t stop me.
- Getting to the finals in Rome! Currently my favorite tour stop, I love playing (and just being) there. The coffee, the food, the sights, it’s amazing. The arena we play in is surrounded by marble Zeus-like statues, the weather is usually great, and we can hang out at the “club house” all day and watch other teams play. It was the first WT final we got to this year and after losing in the semis in Argentina it felt great.
- Playing with Whit in World Champs. This is a hard one because it was a final goal of mine and Jen’s to win this tournament, but she was sidelined so I had to pick up someone else to play with. I had so much fun playing with Whit, I feel like we played really well together, and it was awesome finally getting to battle with her on the same side of the net (as we’ve been friends for so long, but never played in a pro tournament together). We made it to the semis and lost, I still regret that match, I don’t feel like I was mentally prepared enough and that’s my own fault. Still, it was a good finish for a team playing together for the first time AND at World Championships. The player party was just the frosting on the cake, dance circles and pogoing all night, the Polish really know how to get down (proud to say I’m 25% Polish).
- Beating the top ranked Talita and Tiana of Brazil in the finals of the World Series of Beach Volleyball held in Long Beach with Jen. Our family and friends were finally able to watch us at an International event so it felt even better to win. It was the first annual for the event so we’ll be expected to defend the title next year, can’t wait!
- Signing a partnership deal with Mizuno! And before you think I’m obligated to write this, I’m really not. I am so stoked to be apart of their transition into beach volleyball. I love how they see the future and have invested in this side of the sport. Beach volleyball is just going to continue to grow with the adoption of Sand as a NCAA sport and the quickly exploding sand club programs. They have great beach stuff so buy Mizuno to support your sport!! If you’re interested in getting involved in sand here’s some info on clinics & tryouts in Orange County: https://www.facebook.com/pages/OC-Sand-Volleyball-Club/1421570491390722o
- Going back to Berlin. We did terrible in that event, but I love that city so much it was still so fun being there. And Smart Car hosted another epic player party that involved trust falls, sliding across the dance floor slip & slide style, and dancing with life-size cardboard cut outs of Phil.
- The reemergence of the AVP!! We had seven AVP tournaments this year and they were all run professionally, with great fans, in great locations. Jen and I won the first one in Salt Lake City, UT after falling into the contender’s bracket early and fighting our way back to and through the finals. I was extremely exhausted afterwards, but it was the best kind of exhaustion. We also won in Atlantic City, NJ and split the win in St. Pete, FL after a gnarly storm forced us to cancel the final.
- Playing with Kerri. We officially teamed up in late October for the Santa Barbara Open through the rest of the season. It has been so much fun being on the same side of the net as her, and I’ve been really surprised at how similar our attitudes and playing styles are. She definitely motivates me to go harder and get better, in the best way. I’m really looking forward to preseason, it’s going to be super tough, but I think it’ll be really good for me, and us.
- Winning back to back Grand Slam titles!! The first in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the second in Xiamen, China.
  - Sao Paulo was a super tough tournament, we managed to come out first in pool, but we went to three in almost all of our matches including the semi and final. The final was one of the hardest fought matches I’ve ever played. Germany had nine match points against us and we fought off all of them- in overtime, finally managing to win that set to force a third. We were able to hold on to the momentum and win the match. It was amazing to stand on the top of that podium, listen to the National Anthem, and watch the American flag fly the highest.
  - Xiamen was also tough, we had the added element of gnarly wind to contend with there. We played pretty terrible in our match against Italy 1, losing in two to come out second in pool. If you come out first you get a bye in the first round of playoffs, going straight to ninth, since we came out second we had to play to stay alive. We drew Argentina, and they gave us everything they had. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a team serve tougher than they did, and they constantly kept us on our toes doing things that we didn’t expect, like pulling on perfect sets and setting the ball over on two. Thankfully some of our USA teammates were there supporting us and I really think that made the difference (thanks Jake & Casey!). We were able to win 16-14 in the third and from there we adjusted, played better wind ball, won the rest of our matches, and took the final against Talita and Tiana for the Gold.
- The Hilton HHonors Hawaii Beach Challenge. This second annual edition was a great cap to season, this year both China and Canada were invited, we did a round robin plus semis and finals. It was super fun getting to hang out with some of the people we compete against all year and we were in Hawaii which never sucks. I can’t tell you how it ended up because it has yet to air. Men’s matches air Dec. 2 & 3, and ours will air on Dec. 14th on NBC Sports Network, so watch to find out the results!!
- It’s been a personal career goal of mine to be voted MVP of the AVP and I feel semi-shallow admitting that, but it’s the truth. So I was really honored and excited to have been named the MVP this year. I am also really thankful that Jen and I were named Team of the Year on the AVP, it is a really great honor for what was our last season together. If you want to see the rest of the awards given out, check out the AVP’s webite: http://avp.com/news-blog/1415-avp-recognizes-top-performers-as-tour-announces-2013-year-end-award-winners-2
Hope you enjoyed reading about all the great moments because I had an amazing time living them 🙂
VOLLEYBALL STARS TRYING TO ALIGN

Sep 25 Blog, News

It came as no surprise that three-time gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings and her brand-new partner, London silver medalist April Ross, sailed right through their first AVP tournament together without losing a single set. As the newest American power team laughed and hugged and sprayed champagne, it felt like a scene fans may be seeing a lot more of in the coming years.

With the win in the AVP Santa Barbara Open, Ross and Walsh Jennings officially began their journey toward the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro amid very high expectations. Over the next two and a half years, the two veteran players will work to build a partnership after competing against each other for nearly a decade.

“It’s a totally different game when we’re on the same side of the court,” Ross said. “We’re still figuring out what that is but it’s coming along pretty fast.”

Walsh Jennings and Ross decided to pair up more than a year ago, even before they faced each other in the gold-medal match in London. Knowing their partners were set to retire, it only made sense that the best two players in the country join forces to try to bring home a fourth straight gold medal.

With only five practices together before they competed last weekend, Walsh Jennings and Ross had to learn as they went. They found out that they have more similarities than differences.

“I’ve never played with anyone with as much energy as April has,” Walsh Jennings said. “It’s like looking in a mirror out there. I think we’re really similar in the way we play and the way we feel about playing. I don’t think I would have guessed that really. I’m still getting to know her.”

Whether the similar energy will work for or against them is unclear. Both their previous partners complemented their energy in a different way. Ross brought the energy in her seven-year partnership with Jen Kessy, and Walsh Jennings provided it with Misty May-Treanor.

“I feel like Jen and I were yin and yang as far as energy,” Ross said. “But I really like how Kerri and I start a match with the same energy and push through the whole time. It is awesome and it makes the game easier.”

Successful partnerships in beach volleyball can be difficult to predict because they tend to hinge on much more than just skill.

“There is an intimacy level that you need to be great,” Walsh Jennings said. “I think why we had so much success with our former partners is because we had that in spades. We took it really seriously and it’s a beautiful thing when you have a great partnership.”

Ross and Walsh Jennings both know what it’s like to build and maintain long and successful partnerships, but they say they’ll never make comparisons to the past.

“We want our own chemistry and we want to be better than we were before,” Walsh Jennings said. “Not for one second will I ever compare April and I to Misty and I. It’s just not possible. It’s not fair and it’s looking back as far as I’m concerned.”

With the best blocker in the world and the best server in the world on the same side of the net, Walsh Jennings and Ross are already a force on the domestic tour. Their real test will come with the international tour. They’ll compete in their first FIVB Grand Slam against the world’s best teams in Brazil and China starting next week.

“I’m looking forward to that making us better,” Ross said. After the Olympics I felt like the target on me and Jen got a lot bigger, and I got a little bit used to it then. It’s going to be even bigger now. So I am looking forward to that challenge.”

For now they are focused one match at a time and taking care of what they can control on their own side of the net. But the big picture — gold in Rio — is never far from their minds.

“We have a big goal and we’re in it together,” Walsh Jennings said. “I think both of us are so excited about the potential. We’re striving for one of the most prestigious things in sports. We have all the tools it’s going to take to accomplish our goal. That’s the exciting thing and also the scary thing because we know it’s in our hands.”

Continue Reading… (via espn.com)
Salt Lake City AVP recap and Twitter guide.

Aug 22 athlete, AVP, beach, volleyball Blog, Uncategorized

I have to admit, going in, I didn’t know what to expect from a beach volleyball tournament in Salt Lake City, Utah. Especially once I found out it was supposed to be 100 degrees all weekend. Let me tell you what my experience was like and you can be the judge….

First off, for Brad (@BradKeenan6) and I to fly it would have been almost a grand so we chose the ten hour drive instead. We stopped in Beaver, Utah about seven hours in to spend the night. I felt like I needed a work out and in this tiny town there was no chance I was going to find a gym so I ran in a circle around our hotel for twenty minutes, felt kind of ridiculous, but it got the job done. In the morning we ate breakfast in one of my favorite establishments- the small town diner, it did not disappoint. Two and a half hours later we checked in to the AVP (@AVPbeach) player hotel in downtown Salt Lake.

After a delicious food truck BBQ lunch we headed over to the event site to pass and serve, this was going to be the moment of truth… As we walked up to the site (after parking in the prime “athlete parking” spots!) any doubts I had were immediately dashed. It was one of the most beautiful parks I’ve ever seen! Green grass throughout, monstrous evergreens surrounding the courts, four pristine courts ready for competition, a picturesque center court complete with jumbotron, VIP suites, and court side seating, AND when we went to start practice we were supplied with as many Wilson balls as we needed! All my suspicions that we had found the right guy (Donald Sun) to lead us (the players of the AVP) were confirmed that instant, and the tournament hadn’t even started yet.

First round on Friday we played Dianne DeNecochea (no twitter), who at 6’4’’ and 45 years old is still baller and not the best first round draw, but we managed to come out on top. That was it for Day 1, so we got some great local Mexican food, saw a movie (We’re the Millers, it was hilarious), and rested up for Day 2. Unfortunately, we didn’t play very well in the first match the next day and our opponents- Christal Engle (@ChristalEngle) and Tealle Hunkus (@TealleHunkus)- brought their A game. We ended up losing that one in a close three set-er and therefore dropped into the losers bracket. BUT we were still alive! After playing every tournament internationally in a pool play/single elimination format we were stoked to be given a second chance and we definitely took advantage of it!

Luckily the day cooled off and we actually got some sprinkles. We took our next two matches in two each which brought us to Day 3. The draw would have us play Kerri (@KerriLeeWalsh) and Whit (@WhitneyPavlik) to get to the semi’s, you don’t normally see the 1 seed play the 2 seed in the contender’s bracket… This match-up could qualify for a final in any tournament so we were ready for a battle, and a battle it was! We were able to pull it out in three close sets winning 17-15 in the third and it felt like we had just won the tournament, but we had only qualified for the semi’s and would have to win two more matches if we wanted the title of SLC champs.

In the semi’s we came up against Christal and Tealle again and were stoked to have a second chance at them. We learned from our first match, adjusted accordingly, executed a little better, and won in two. On to the FINALS!!!

In the finals we played a great team that we (shockingly) had never played before- Brittany (@BrittHochevar) and Lauren (@LaurenFendrick). We were tired, it was hot, the stands were packed, and it was on TV (@CBSSportsNet); I wouldn’t expect anything less for an AVP final. Dustin Avol (the MC- @DustyGringo) did a great job getting the amazing fans fired up and after 15 minutes of warm up we were ready to go.

We played well in the first set overall, we had a slow start and ended it in a way that I plan on learning from for a very long time. We lost the first when they came from behind and scored a run of points at the end. I made myself wipe the slate clean and start over in the second. We played much better and took the second pretty handily, on to the third. Anything can happen in a third set on the beach so you HAVE to be ready to go and not assume any momentum from the second set is going to stay with you. The third set was a back and forth battle, we were up, then they were up and then thankfully at the end we were up enough to hang on for the victory.

I can’t tell you how excited I was and still am to have won this AVP Open!! Especially since it was the first stop, we hadn’t seen a lot of the competition for almost a year, it was our first competition with the Wilson ball this year, and in a place we’ve never competed before. And, to add to it, I know my time on the court with Jen (@JenniferKessy) is slowly dwindling and that makes the win that much sweeter.

I am so thankful to Donald Sun (no twitter) for taking over the tour, putting his heart and soul into it, and creating an inaugural event that really sets the bar for the sport. The fans that came out were awesome and I have a strong feeling we’ll be back next year, so you better be back too! And to all the sponsors that make it possible to play this amazing sport for a profession, my personal ones (@MizunoVolley @TheWilsonVB @4point4) and the event sponsors (@RockwellWatches + others), you guys rock!
The Conover Chronicles.

Aug 12 Blog, Uncategorized

Jen and I are in Berlin this week and just finished playing in the Grand Slam here. I definitely love this tournament, but this time it signifies the end of an era. It was the first tournament with someone other than Jeffrey “Jefe, It’s a 10” Conover as our coach. And before you think we fired him, (we’d never!) I will tell you he got a job offer he couldn’t refuse with the new and improved AVP (avp.com- check it out if you haven’t already!), so he’s off to bigger and better things… i.e. not living off of prize money. Though I am super happy for him I’m definitely going to miss him. Not just because of his talents as a coach, but even more so for everything he added to the Krossy team dynamic for all these years.

If you don’t know the story of how we ended up working with Jeff, here’s the short version. We needed a coach asap, saw him on the beach one day and said “Hey, what’s up?… Wanna coach us?” and he said “Sure, why not.” He ran us through some practices and then we threw him in the deep end. Our first event together was the FIVB World Tour event in Brasilia where I think we made it to the finals eventually losing to Brazil…. that’s when we knew this thing might actually work. Next up was a little tournament called World Championships in Stavanger, Norway, one of the most remote places we travel to, and, for frame of reference, I’m pretty sure Jeff had to order his first passport right before we took him to Brazil. Whatever magic the three of us thought we might have was solidified in Norway when we avenged our loss in Brasilia and won the World Championships. That was 2009.

For the next five years we went through some ups and downs as a team, but Jeff was always in it 100%. He went above and beyond on and off the court. In hindsight he might be able to list “team therapist” in his job description. If I was super down on how I played he’d always help me find the positive, he’d (at least pretend to) understand my complaints and gripes that naturally occur when you’re with the same people 24/7 on the road. To know he understood how I was feeling just helped, to have someone you trust enough to vent to was really an asset to me. He always pumped me up whether I thought I deserved it or not and I’m sure he did the same for Jen. He took his job seriously and worked really hard, but I think a big part of the reason we succeeded together was because he is such a great person as well.

It wasn’t all work and no play, we had a lot of fun too. We traveled the world together and got to do some pretty cool things in the process. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed harder than when we had our feet cleaned by bacteria eating fish in Thailand, where we also took scooters and explored all around the island of Phuket, dumping rain or shine. We celebrated many birthdays, but one of Jeff’s was especially memorable when we all dressed up in a Mexican 80’s night theme and went to Sharkeez in Huntington Beach. Laughing AT each other was another cherished pastime and one of our favorites was when Jeff got owned by a chair (the back legs slowly caved in and he just kept sinking backwards until he was laying on the ground) in Marseille while holding a gyro and proclaiming “Touché France, touché”. We pogoed dusk til dawn, at maybe the best party any of us had ever been to, at the original costume party in Klagenfurt, Austria (Jeff dressed up as a ball boy). We all lived through and made plenty of fun of his medieval bob hair cut he showed up with in Gstaad, Switzerland.

There are too many memories to recount here but some other notable ones include zip lining in Puerto Vallarta, the sobering tour of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland, the many many hours spent in European dance clubs, the seemingly endless “That’s what she said” jokes at my expense, the unanswered pizza eating contest challenge (I would still win), epic ACE games, countless great conversations, and much much more I can’t recall right now, but will look back on with fondness for the rest of my life.

The ultimate experience, however, was going to the Olympics and I’m so extremely happy that we all got to do that together. That’s what we came together for in the first place and to fight so hard for four years (up to that point) and see all of our hard work come to fruition made the journey just that more meaningful and successful. Our Olympic medal is something that will bind us together for the rest of our lives and that’s something I will always be thankful for.

So I guess the only thing left to say is thanks Jefe for everything you brought to our team, it wouldn’t have been nearly the same without you!
Growth not optional.

Jul 14 Blog, Uncategorized
Change and Strengthen.

Apr 04 athlete, beach, change, volleyball, weight lifting Blog, Uncategorized
DISCLAIMER: I am not a certified trainer! Make sure you consult experts before taking any of my advice (as good as it is ;))!

This is going to be my eighth year on the beach, and I’m happy with how things have gone thus far, but am I satisfied to the point of complacency?? NO way!

Every year is a new opportunity to get better, work smarter, and add to your game. I go into each new preseason with an open mind. I am constantly on the lookout for a better way to do things, or a crazy idea that might just work. I probably annoy Jen and Jeff with all of it, but I’m always applying a tweak here or there to see if it improves something in my game. The game is changing so quickly and becoming so much more competitive each year I can’t afford to just do the same thing over and over, even if it has been successful in the past. I know some people don’t agree with that thinking, hence the age old saying, “If it ain’t broke, why fix it?” But, in the world of competitive sports, if you don’t adapt and change to stay ahead of the curve you run the risk of being passed by, by someone who IS willing to innovate and be a risk-taker.

I’m not going into detail, but I believe this year Jen and I have improved on something that has been done a certain way for a really long time. I’m also giving myself another option on offense- it’s still rough around the edges, but you have to give new ideas time to take hold. We’ve played for a long time and mastered a lot of skills so sometimes it’s hard to be patient with new ones. I know I’m being super vague, but hopefully it encourages some young players or coaches to get innovative with the game. People might tell you you’re crazy, but if you believe in your ideas, I say, go for it.

One change I AM going to share with you here relates to my strength training routine. I’ve touched on how to train in the gym for beach volleyball in some of my other blogs, but I want to spend a little more time on it because I want everyone to realize how important it is for a player’s game. For the past four years I’ve subscribed to a weight circuit workout focused on moderate weight and lots of reps plus some sprint cardio in-between the circuits. So, for example, one circuit might look like this:
- 10 squats @ 115 lbs
- 10 burpies with pushups
- 15 rows @ 75 lbs
- 20 sit ups on a bosu ball
- repeat 3 times
- 2 minute sprint on elliptical machine or sprints on an inclined treadmill
That’s one circuit and we usually do four to five circuits in a workout.

I still love this kind of training and think it is much more sport (SAND volley) specific than Olympic lifts on their own. In the past I would do this workout three times a week, but this year I wanted to increase my strength. I can’t tell you why I chose to tinker with my strength, it was just an idea. Then I thought more deeply about it, looking at the men’s game and how generally they are more powerful than the women. I have to assume this is because naturally they’re just stronger…. so I decided to learn from the disparity between men’s and women’s strength and adapt accordingly. (I think the men can learn a lot from the women’s game as well, but that’s a whole ‘nother blog!)

I did that by committing one of my weekend days to lifting heavy for the duration of preseason. I give myself more rest between sets to recover so that I can handle the extra weight. I’m loving the results, I feel much stronger, AND what I didn’t see coming is that my endurance has gone through the roof! It’s something I didn’t expect from weight lifting, but now that I think about it, it makes a lot of sense. If I’m stronger, it’s easier for my body to do everything it’s called to do in volleyball and therefore it can handle playing longer. I’ve always looked to cardio to improve my endurance, but I am so happy to have found this added benefit of increasing my strength through weight lifting! This revelation may seem obvious, but it wasn’t until I took control over my own training (when I started on the beach) that I really started paying attention to how things benefited or detracted from my performance.

I still believe, with longer rallies in the women’s game, that cardio endurance is very important, as well, which is why I’ve only dedicated one of my three days to lifting heavy, the other two I still do circuit training.

I’ve lifted since I was 14 (as a freshmen in high school). We did Olympics lifts about 3 times a week in preseason and twice during season, though I did not continue to lift during club season. Based on my own experience, and after speaking with my trainer, I think creating a strong base through lifting when you’re in high school and carrying it on through college is smart move for athletes. Everyone is different and ready to begin lifting at different ages and you always have to listen to your body, but 14/15 years old is usually a good starting point. Playing indoor I always lifted heavy with less reps, maxing out every now and again. It wasn’t until I started on the beach that I eventually switched to circuit training because, like I said, I think it’s more conducive to the demands of beach volleyball.

There are so many benefits to weight lifting, I could go on forever, but the last thing I will say is that it’s great for injury prevention. With the demands these days on club athletes the amount of overuse injuries is through the roof. Juniors need to be strengthening their rotator cuff muscles, back muscles, and hamstring muscles, among others, to prevent injury to shoulders, backs, and knees, which in my experience are the most common in volleyball players.

If you are in sports and take it seriously, you need to include weight lifting in your training plan. Definitely consult professionals before you begin a lifting program, it is NOT something you can learn on youtube or from your friend! There are many places that train high school athletes (and adults looking to improve their game as well!), we work out at CDM Fitness (if you’re looking for one :)), but if you are just starting out make sure you learn from an expert, bad lifting technique is way worse than not lifting at all.

Happy lifting!