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Speaker 1: Welcome to Naked Sports, the podcast where we live at

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Speaker 1: the intersection of sports, politics, and culture. Our purpose reveal

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Speaker 1: the common threads that bind them all.

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Speaker 2: So what's happening in women's basketball right now is what

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Speaker 2: we've been trying.

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Speaker 3: To get to for almost thirty years.

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Speaker 1: From the stadiums where athletes break barriers and set records.

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Speaker 3: Calanquark broke the all time single game assists record. This

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Speaker 3: is crazy for rookies to be doing, to the polls

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Speaker 3: where history is written.

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Speaker 2: And now we have Kamala Harrison, it feels more like

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Speaker 2: women are sort of taken what they've always deserved, as

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Speaker 2: opposed to waiting on somebody to give them what they deserved.

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Speaker 1: Our discussions will uncover the vital connections between these realms

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Speaker 1: and the community we create. In each episode, we'll sit

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Speaker 1: down with athletes, political analysts, and culture critics because at

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Speaker 1: the core of it all, how we see one issue

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Speaker 1: shines the light on all others. Welcome to Naked Sports.

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Speaker 1: I'm your host, Carrie Champion. Hey, family, So thank you

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Speaker 1: all for letting me share what I was feeling about

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Speaker 1: the California wild fires.

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Speaker 3: This is a safe space.

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Speaker 1: I appreciate you and I know a lot of you

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Speaker 1: have family and friends there who may have been affected

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Speaker 1: as you listen to this podcast, and my quick update

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Speaker 1: as I am recording this yet again, home is intact.

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Speaker 1: Things seem to be well, and we're just praying for

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Speaker 1: those who lost their homes. But most importantly, everyone who

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Speaker 1: is housing challenged at this moment, we want to make

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Speaker 1: sure that they find some sort of resources. So please

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Speaker 1: be a part of the community in which the world

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Speaker 1: that we live in. Whatever you hear about fires, if

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Speaker 1: it can help someone, if it can perhaps maybe give

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Speaker 1: someone some hope, share that information, and whatever way you

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Speaker 1: can do your small part. Nothing little is considered little

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Speaker 1: like these. Okay, now let's get to this week's podcast.

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Speaker 1: I had the opportunity to travel to Atlanta for the

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Speaker 1: first serve of the new Professional Volleyball League indoor Professional

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Speaker 1: Volleyball League League One Volleyball, or Love as it's called.

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Speaker 1: And I'm really excited because I said, Hey, yes, I

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Speaker 1: want to come down, I want to find a player

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Speaker 1: to interview, and I want to talk about this new league.

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Speaker 1: Women's sports is really at a beautiful intersection in which

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Speaker 1: everyone is interested and wants to invest. So they set

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Speaker 1: me down with one of the league's stars. Her name

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Speaker 1: is Haley Washington. And I'm smiling already because Haley was

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Speaker 1: extremely intelligent, funny and smart.

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Speaker 3: And I was like, this is it.

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Speaker 1: This is how you get people to pay attention to

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Speaker 1: a new league. You bring someone along who is how.

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Speaker 3: Would I describe her?

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Speaker 1: She has her own personality, She's very unapologetic. I asked

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Speaker 1: her who she is if she was similar to in

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Speaker 1: terms of another sport, personality, playing style, and she said

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Speaker 1: Dennis Rodman. But listen, Dennis Rodman was arguably one of

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Speaker 1: the best players. Even if he didn't score points, he

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Speaker 1: was in the game, he was making plays, he was

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Speaker 1: always very invaluable. It's the intangibles that had set him apart.

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Speaker 1: And Haley Washington has so many intangibles, one of which

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Speaker 1: is she is extremely funny. She made me laugh and

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Speaker 1: I key keyed and I loled, and I invite you

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Speaker 1: to do the same with us. Please enjoy this edition

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Speaker 1: of Naked Sports. Haley, what is the biggest myth in volleyball?

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Speaker 3: I'm so glad you asked.

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Speaker 4: The biggest myth is that you hold your hands like

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Speaker 4: you're praying. If there's one thing we can teach Americans aboutvolleyball.

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Speaker 4: It's hands are held like this, pancake, pancake, sausage, sausage,

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Speaker 4: wrists kiss. That's how we want to hold our hands. Please,

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Speaker 4: I will break your fingers.

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Speaker 3: Stop in that. It makes you so angry.

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Speaker 4: I just because I see people that are like I

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Speaker 4: played volleyball in high school.

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Speaker 3: And they hang me with that, and I want to

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Speaker 3: drop kick them in the teeth. I'm just like, just

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Speaker 3: tell me you don't play balltle It's okay.

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Speaker 1: Pancake, pancake, sausage, sausage, sausage, sausage risk.

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Speaker 3: See, it's a game of love. It's so beautiful. It's

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Speaker 3: a game of love. It's a game. Thumbs are hugging,

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Speaker 3: your wrists are kissing. It's beautiful. See, I got it.

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Speaker 1: Okay, I guess I'm ready to play tonight. Do you

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Speaker 1: a favor? I know, right, introduce yourself for us.

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Speaker 4: Up Hi. I'm Heally Washington, two time Olympic medalist, Founding

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Speaker 4: Athlete for Love.

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Speaker 3: Bybe It's actually just love. They're gonna hate that.

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Speaker 4: I said love BB Founding Athlete for Love, PennState alumni

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Speaker 4: and just the.

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Speaker 3: Lover of the game. So today's an important day.

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Speaker 1: And by that I mean this is the inaugural season

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Speaker 1: of Love Volleyball, and I really appreciate you taking the

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Speaker 1: time just to be here to explain what this all is.

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Speaker 1: But I think we need a backstory because this is

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Speaker 1: the first of its kind. It is an original, It

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Speaker 1: is a professional volleyball league, and as we know in

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Speaker 1: women's sports, very few professional leagues get the attention that

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Speaker 1: they deserve. But I think something is different in terms

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Speaker 1: of how this will look. Talk to me about your

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Speaker 1: journey to being a professional volleyball player. When did you

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Speaker 1: start playing?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, I started playing volleyball kind of at a later

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Speaker 4: age for a lot of volleyball athletes.

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Speaker 3: I started when I was twelve in middle school.

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Speaker 4: A lot of volleyball players will get their start at six, seven,

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Speaker 4: eight years old, and I was just a kid that

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Speaker 4: was running out on the mountains and so originally I

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Speaker 4: started playing volleyball when I was twelve. So it's just

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Speaker 4: something I wanted to do after school because middle school you.

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Speaker 3: Could start doing extracurricular activities. And truth be told, I

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Speaker 3: really wanted to play football.

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Speaker 4: I was a tomboy growing up. I really wanted to

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Speaker 4: be a football player. I was gonna be a great

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Speaker 4: wide receiver. And my dad looked at all six foot

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Speaker 4: three of me, seventy pounds wet, and it's like, you'll die.

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Speaker 3: You get hit by playing football. You can't do that.

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Speaker 4: So my football career was dashed within seconds, and I

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Speaker 4: ended up going to play volleyball and I just fell

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Speaker 4: in love with it instantly. Why did you fall in

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Speaker 4: love with it instantly? I wish I had like a

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Speaker 4: moment that stood out that was why I fell in

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Speaker 4: love with it, But it really just it just made

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Speaker 4: sense to me, like serving the ball over the net

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Speaker 4: made sense to me, and the footwork made sense to me,

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Speaker 4: and it was so easy for me to get the

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Speaker 4: concept of the game and why you would get competitive,

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Speaker 4: and the energy and the fire like it just from day.

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Speaker 3: One, I was in love with it.

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Speaker 1: I'm curious because most people normally look at someone or

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Speaker 1: see someone. They can see someone who does what they

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Speaker 1: do or does something that they want to do, and

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Speaker 1: they follow in that trajectory. There was not one player

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Speaker 1: in your high school and your middle school on television

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Speaker 1: that you saw and said.

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Speaker 3: Like, what she's doing.

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Speaker 4: Well. I had a neighbor who Whitney do boys, and

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Speaker 4: she played volleyball.

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Speaker 3: Shout out to Whitney. Shout out to Whitney, Shout out Whitney.

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Speaker 4: But I would always want to go and play at

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Speaker 4: their house when I was like a little annoying ankle biter, and.

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Speaker 3: They'd be like, no, Whitney has a volleyball game.

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Speaker 4: And I never had the concept of volleyball because I'd

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Speaker 4: only ever seen a volleyball court outside of our old

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Speaker 4: rec center and it was just an old sand pit

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Speaker 4: with a saggy net because.

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Speaker 3: There was always winter when I was over there.

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Speaker 4: And so I was like, volleyball is people running around

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Speaker 4: on the sand and they can't touch the ball with

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Speaker 4: their hands, so they played with their head. Like that

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Speaker 4: was my concept of volleyball. So yeah, I never really

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Speaker 4: had a person that I followed. I never really watched

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Speaker 4: the game, and it wasn't until I was at that

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Speaker 4: tryout that I was like, Oh, this is what volleyball is.

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Speaker 4: It's past that hit, it's doing this footwork, it's transitioning,

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Speaker 4: it's constant movement. And really after that, my dad started

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Speaker 4: to take me to volleyball games. We would watch the

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Speaker 4: high schoolers play, and I started to play club and

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Speaker 4: got introduced to kind of the more competitive side, but

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Speaker 4: it was just it really was love at first sight.

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Speaker 3: Wow, literally love at first sight. That's special.

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Speaker 1: I think that what's so interesting about where we are

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Speaker 1: in this world today, specifically is about women's sports, and

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Speaker 1: we're amplifying it in so many different ways. I have

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Speaker 1: met so many different athletes who have said they wish

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Speaker 1: that they could play at home.

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Speaker 3: They wish that they could.

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Speaker 1: Play in front of their family outside of when you

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Speaker 1: graduate from college that's it. Or at the Olympics, for instance,

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Speaker 1: that's your opportunity to really play for home if you will.

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Speaker 1: Your journey started obviously early on, but when you got

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Speaker 1: to Penn State, what was that experience? Like you knew

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Speaker 1: that you were special, You knew you had something set

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Speaker 1: apart obviously recruited full scholarship, congratulations, no.

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Speaker 3: Debt, no debt, No your college debt. You don't have

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Speaker 3: no college debt, have to pay for a book? Well

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Speaker 3: that was when I was when I was growing up.

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Speaker 4: Actually, I decided that if I was going to go

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Speaker 4: to college, it was on a full right scholarship or

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Speaker 4: not at all. And so I was twelve years old

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Speaker 4: and having a little anxiety attack about my future. You

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Speaker 4: know like most twelve year olds kid, of course, and

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Speaker 4: I made a list of everything I loved of like volleyball, basketball, track, choir, theater,

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Speaker 4: I played the trombone, so all these things that I

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Speaker 4: could potentially want to work towards getting a full right

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Speaker 4: scholarship for. And I ended up falling on volleyball and

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Speaker 4: worked my butt off to get a full right to

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Speaker 4: go to Penn State.

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Speaker 3: And the rest is kind of this history.

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Speaker 1: The rest is history. Tell us about the history, because

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Speaker 1: you did make history. Why you were there?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, I mean Penn State was first of all

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Speaker 4: you said, like I had gone to Penn State in

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Speaker 4: a four right scholarship, I was special. Let's establish I

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Speaker 4: was not special because Penny kicksie and the teeth.

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Speaker 3: Why do you say that.

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Speaker 4: It's a program that's not supposed to be about me.

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Speaker 4: It's a program that's built around we. Like Russ was

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Speaker 4: really big on we win as a team. You are

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Speaker 4: who you need to be, and you can play great

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Speaker 4: volleyball and you can be great, but it's not about you.

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Speaker 4: And you co go from being this kind of big

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Speaker 4: fish in a medium sized pond, like a good volleyball

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Speaker 4: player in Colorado to Penn State University that has this

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Speaker 4: tradition of excellence, this legacy of winning. I mean, they're

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Speaker 4: one of the few programs that has won four national

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Speaker 4: championships back to back to back.

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Speaker 3: They had just won in twenty thirteen.

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Speaker 4: They had so many alumni that were Olympians, and like,

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Speaker 4: their program was just historic and iconic. And so you

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Speaker 4: get there and you were humbled very quickly. And I

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Speaker 4: didn't even go there thinking that I could be great.

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Speaker 4: I was just like, you know, I'm just I'm glad

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Speaker 4: I made it. I got a four right scholarship, school

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Speaker 4: is paid for, and I'm just here to work hard

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Speaker 4: and do the best that I can.

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Speaker 3: But it was grueling. It was a grueling four years.

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Speaker 4: Penn State volleyball was the hardest thing I've ever been

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Speaker 4: a part of in my career, hands down.

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Speaker 3: And not because it was like a negative part. It

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Speaker 3: was just it.

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Speaker 4: Russ Rose believed in forging you in the fire, and

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Speaker 4: that was what we did. We were forged in the

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Speaker 4: fire at Penn State, and it really I think made

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Speaker 4: me a mentally strong player and a mentally.

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Speaker 3: Strong at which also helped you find your voice.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, more or less, Yan, because you have it So

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Speaker 1: when you get there and you realize that you are

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Speaker 1: a smaller fish in a very big pond, how do

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Speaker 1: you adjust?

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Speaker 3: What does that feel like in that particular program.

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Speaker 4: I mean, I think obviously you have to recognize the

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Speaker 4: things that are outside of your control. I think for freshman,

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Speaker 4: I'm still an idiot. Let's I'm still an idiot freshman

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Speaker 4: coming to campus. I look at myself and try to

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Speaker 4: see wisdom, but I really just see an idiot freshman.

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Speaker 3: But you recognize the things that you can and can't control.

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Speaker 4: And I was like, look, whether I get onto that

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Speaker 4: starting spot or not, I can't control that. And I

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Speaker 4: actually suffered a pretty devastating injury during pre season that

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Speaker 4: cost me the first part of the season, and I

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Speaker 4: just remember being like, well, there's nothing I can do.

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Speaker 4: All I can do is get in, get my rehab, workout,

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Speaker 4: try to be strong and work my butt off. And

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Speaker 4: I remember when I could finally play again. I was

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Speaker 4: playing on the B side, and I was like, I

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Speaker 4: don't care that I'm on the B side. I'm gonna

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Speaker 4: play my hardest, I'm gonna whoop a sides.

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Speaker 1: But because so for those of us who don't know

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Speaker 1: volleybo yes, And when I say us, I mean me, what's.

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Speaker 3: The B side? Okay, So you have A side and

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Speaker 3: B side.

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Speaker 4: So you have your starting six that are on the

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Speaker 4: fourth that are gonna play in the game, and then

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Speaker 4: you have your B side, which are the people that

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Speaker 4: are coming into be game changers.

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Speaker 3: They tend to be on the bench and.

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Speaker 4: They'll sub in to serve or they'll sub in if

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Speaker 4: an athlete's injured, but they're typically your bench players.

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Speaker 3: So you have your A side is your starting side,

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Speaker 3: and your B side it's your backup bench players. Okay,

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Speaker 3: so you're on the B.

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Speaker 4: So I was on the B side because I had

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Speaker 4: been injured and I needed to earn my starting spot,

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Speaker 4: which I was absolutely necessary, but I was like, Okay,

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Speaker 4: if I'm gonna be over here, they're gonna have to

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Speaker 4: fight tooth and nail to shut me down because I'm

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Speaker 4: gonna whoop their butt because if they can beat me,

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Speaker 4: then they can probably beat the other athletes that they're

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Speaker 4: gonna face the competition.

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Speaker 3: And I remember we had B side whooped, but because

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Speaker 3: we had also.

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Speaker 4: Two men's practice players and it was me and I

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Speaker 4: was yelling and shirping and talking smack.

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Speaker 3: And what I shockgames, but I was, yeah, I was.

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Speaker 4: Just shirping away, having to good all the time, and

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Speaker 4: we actually ended up winning the drill.

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Speaker 3: We won most of the drills.

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Speaker 4: That day, and Russ at the end of practice always

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Speaker 4: talked to the team and he was like, you can

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Speaker 4: have all the energy you want, but just remember this,

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Speaker 4: you're still on B side. I was like, thank you,

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Speaker 4: thank you for the slight so humble bye, thank you,

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Speaker 4: thank you so much.

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Speaker 3: But the following day I was on each side. Really okay,

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Speaker 3: hold on, don't just don't don't talk.

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Speaker 1: Don't talk over that you hell so you you're on

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Speaker 1: the B side.

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Speaker 3: It's one practice. It was one practice.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, and then I'm sure if you ask other girls,

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Speaker 4: they're gonna be like it was like a wee in

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Speaker 4: a half of practice. Like but in my mind, in

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Speaker 4: my memory, who's the following day?

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Speaker 3: Damn? Yeah? What that say to you?

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Speaker 4: So that I that energy goes a long way, because

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Speaker 4: I don't think I'm like this stellar attacker, like I

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Speaker 4: have one of the highest hitting percentages in Penn State history,

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Speaker 4: and like I have like a good hitting like I

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Speaker 4: was a great middle at the Tokyo Olympics and all

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Speaker 4: this stuff.

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Speaker 3: But like that doesn't matter. I think my personality is

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Speaker 3: kind of what makes me a decent.

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Speaker 4: Ish player because I'm loud and I'm obnoxious, and I'm

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Speaker 4: in your face and I'm screaming and I'm cussing and

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Speaker 4: I'm smacking butts and I'm talking about.

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Speaker 1: You're right, the fans love It's well, you're what the

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Speaker 1: game needs. You are it if you if you were

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Speaker 1: to describe yourself folk for folks who aren't familiar with volleyball,

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Speaker 1: who would be your equivalent? Someone would say you remind

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Speaker 1: me Ofsessed and such in the AMBA or the w

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Speaker 1: NBA or in soccer. Who would who would your personality

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Speaker 1: remind people?

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Speaker 4: Ah, okay, personality, not going off to Las Vegas for

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Speaker 4: three days, but personality.

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Speaker 3: I'm gonna say Dennis rodd that I want to be Rodman,

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Speaker 3: so that and I know.

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Speaker 1: Maybe a little Liken't don't apologize about that, just say that.

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Speaker 4: On the court, Dennis his flared hair, his obnoxious style,

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Speaker 4: like his just kind of being loud and in your face,

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Speaker 4: but also like just a good support player.

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Speaker 3: Brodman would have games where didn't score any points at all,

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Speaker 3: but he was everywhere. What I'm saying that was my

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Speaker 3: motto for this past everything was just do your job.

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Speaker 3: Like you don't got to be the star, you don't

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Speaker 3: got to score twenty points. You gotta blah blah blah

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Speaker 3: blah blah, do your job.

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Speaker 4: And I did it with high energy, and so I

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Speaker 4: think Dennis Rodman, if I can say, that's a bold statement,

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Speaker 4: but I'm.

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Speaker 3: Gonna say it when we come back.

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Speaker 1: Hailey shares more about her playing style and what made

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Speaker 1: her realize she was built for this sport. Back in

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Speaker 1: a moment, Hey, everybody, welcome back to Naked Sports. So

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Speaker 1: Haley is in the middle of sharing a story and

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Speaker 1: she talks about how she found out, uh that she

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Speaker 1: was really a special player without bragging. I use the

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Speaker 1: word special one day during practice when she was in college.

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Speaker 1: One day of practice aside. The next day, you walk in,

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Speaker 1: you're on a side, and what do you say to yourself?

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Speaker 3: I said to myself, Okay, don't blow it, idiot, you know,

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Speaker 3: positive self talk. I'm a mentor, I'm a roll model. Sorry,

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Speaker 3: just touched my mic.

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Speaker 1: Sorry, yeah, I have no I've pushed this mic around

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Speaker 1: twenty times.

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Speaker 3: Deal with it now, I'm kidding.

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Speaker 4: But that aspect of a humility of like, Okay, yes

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Speaker 4: I earned it, but let's not like just assume that

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Speaker 4: that's it, Like, you still gotta.

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Speaker 3: Do your job.

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Speaker 1: Do your job, idiot, and I wouldn't dare call you that,

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Speaker 1: but yeah, yeah, okay.

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Speaker 4: So then you get in there, you do your job,

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Speaker 4: and I work my butt off. I get I think,

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Speaker 4: defensive player of the year something, all big ten, something

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Speaker 4: like that, And I love the humble brag. I don't know,

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Speaker 4: I just I'm not I don't know.

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Speaker 3: I just say I have right, dad, Yeah, I'm all

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Speaker 3: big ten. I'm just kidding. I'm joking. Cut cut that

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Speaker 3: out in stays in. Don't take it out for agincer.

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Speaker 1: Okay, so you you literally show up and you show

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Speaker 1: out and you do your job.

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Speaker 3: How's that season end?

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Speaker 4: We got a national fiship actually okay, but truth be told,

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Speaker 4: that was not a humble brag. Again, I'm just saying

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Speaker 4: a fact. We won a national championship that season. We

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Speaker 4: had two starting freshmen, me and Ali Franti, And it

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Speaker 4: sounds like this great accomplishment, but I played like trash.

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Speaker 3: The NCAA tournament.

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Speaker 4: Russ was even very kind enough to tell me that

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Speaker 4: at the end of the tournament. He was like, hey,

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Speaker 4: you played like garbage a tournament. I said, thanks, Russ,

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Speaker 4: appreciate you. But the thing is I didn't need to

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Speaker 4: play great. It was again because it's not about me,

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Speaker 4: it's about we.

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Speaker 3: So I did my job well enough.

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Speaker 4: It's right that the women around me could take care

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Speaker 4: of business and they could get the w and that's

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Speaker 4: what we did.

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Speaker 3: I just did my job.

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Speaker 1: The cydebar not even a cydebar, but actually, what I

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Speaker 1: am noticing as I listened to you talk and I've

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Speaker 1: said this about women in sports. Obviously, it builds your

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Speaker 1: self esteem, in your confidence. That's something that there's much

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Speaker 1: more positivity about women who play sports then there is

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Speaker 1: about women who don't.

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Speaker 3: And it's not a knock, it's just what it is.

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Speaker 3: But there is this thing about women in general.

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Speaker 1: When we get into this world and we live in

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Speaker 1: the world, it's hard for us to find our voice.

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Speaker 1: It's hard for us to speak up and raise our hands.

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Speaker 1: You don't have that problem. But what I love is

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Speaker 1: that you have the humility mixed with that, and that

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Speaker 1: is a special that's a yes and and it's an

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Speaker 1: invaluable trait that you don't get to see. So much

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Speaker 1: of and it takes it separates you from everyone else.

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Speaker 1: It really does, and I think that helps. As Russ

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Speaker 1: has pointed out, you know, I love your energy, but

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Speaker 1: you do your job. But I'm going to do my

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Speaker 1: job well, and I'm going to be everywhere and I'm

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Speaker 1: not trying to be the best, but I'm going to

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Speaker 1: be everywhere and do my job. Now when you have

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Speaker 1: that same mentality, and I know in twenty seventeen, you

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Speaker 1: also went to the semi finals, right you guys?

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Speaker 3: Guys A final semifinals, Oh, Reversey, Nebraska in twenty seventeen.

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Speaker 3: I don't want to talk about it, but fencety just

402
00:17:49,480 --> 00:17:51,240
Speaker 3: did that to them this year, so it's fine. I

403
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Speaker 3: guess we can talk about it. It's fine.

404
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Speaker 1: We can't talk about it, talk about it the whole

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Speaker 1: time that you're playing in college. Do you think that

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Speaker 1: there is a life after in terms of playing professional life?

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Speaker 3: I love this question. I remember my sophomore year being

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Speaker 3: in the locker room and being asked, hey, will you

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Speaker 3: go pro? And that was the first time SID had

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Speaker 3: ever been presented to me, this idea of going pro.

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Speaker 4: And I remember jokingly being like pro, my niece can

412
00:18:13,480 --> 00:18:16,000
Speaker 4: barely handle college. There's no way I can handle pro.

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Speaker 4: If I could go back and slap the sophomore year me.

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Speaker 3: Shut up, look how far we can go?

415
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Speaker 4: I would, but I never really thought that I could

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Speaker 4: play pro let alone do USA. I remember my senior

417
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Speaker 4: year being asked, will you try out with the USA

418
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Speaker 4: gym and telling them I just don't really think I'm

419
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Speaker 4: a good enough blocker. I'm not offensive enough in front

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Speaker 4: of the setter. So I just I don't really think

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Speaker 4: it's gonna be for me. And that was just kind

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Speaker 4: of my mentality, was like I'm going to get through college.

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Speaker 4: And I remember my senior year well, because I really

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Speaker 4: wanted to stay in academics, well, I wanted to get

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00:18:47,640 --> 00:18:50,280
Speaker 4: why not go pro pro? Yeah? One, it was so

426
00:18:50,359 --> 00:18:53,320
Speaker 4: far away, and like everybody that came back kind of

427
00:18:53,320 --> 00:18:56,160
Speaker 4: told me these horror stories of being overseas, being isolated

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00:18:56,200 --> 00:18:58,520
Speaker 4: from your family. You're far away for a long period

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Speaker 4: of time, we're not really making big money.

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Speaker 3: So I was like, this doesn't sound fun. But I

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Speaker 3: remember talking to Russ again.

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Speaker 4: Russ Rose, this guy influenced my whole life. I remember

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Speaker 4: talking to Russ about going overseas because I had this

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Speaker 4: idea that Okay, I'll go play pro for two years,

435
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Speaker 4: save up enough money to pay for a little bit

436
00:19:16,119 --> 00:19:17,720
Speaker 4: of my master's degree, and then I'll come back and

437
00:19:17,760 --> 00:19:20,560
Speaker 4: get my master's in philosophy, and then I was going

438
00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:23,040
Speaker 4: to be a critical race philosopher and then a library

439
00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:24,280
Speaker 4: and work in the Library of Congress.

440
00:19:24,320 --> 00:19:24,960
Speaker 3: That was the dream.

441
00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:30,520
Speaker 4: Sounds exciting. Yeah, the volleyball's better in the Library of Congress.

442
00:19:30,560 --> 00:19:34,400
Speaker 4: But volleyball has been way more exciting. Yeah. But Russ

443
00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:35,880
Speaker 4: actually pulled me aside and he's like, if you're gonna

444
00:19:35,880 --> 00:19:38,720
Speaker 4: do this overseas thing, do it right. He's like, build

445
00:19:38,720 --> 00:19:41,120
Speaker 4: yourself up, build a career, build a name for yourself.

446
00:19:41,440 --> 00:19:43,240
Speaker 4: Don't just shut it out after two years. It's like,

447
00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:43,920
Speaker 4: commit to it.

448
00:19:44,359 --> 00:19:46,560
Speaker 3: And I was like, this Russ guy, Hi, I'm telling

449
00:19:46,600 --> 00:19:48,440
Speaker 3: you man, he's a legend. He's a life coach.

450
00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:51,119
Speaker 4: Well, let don't let him fall back into the pages

451
00:19:51,119 --> 00:19:51,960
Speaker 4: of history, you guys.

452
00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:54,280
Speaker 3: He is a gangster and built the program.

453
00:19:54,400 --> 00:19:57,040
Speaker 4: He coached Penn State for forty three years, built volleyball

454
00:19:57,080 --> 00:19:57,919
Speaker 4: at that school.

455
00:19:58,040 --> 00:20:00,840
Speaker 3: Was they want Russ road Man, all right?

456
00:20:01,240 --> 00:20:04,520
Speaker 1: Yeah, so he says, do it right, do it right.

457
00:20:04,720 --> 00:20:06,960
Speaker 1: You get those orders, then you think why not I

458
00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:11,399
Speaker 1: do want to say this, Hey, you were going to

459
00:20:11,400 --> 00:20:13,760
Speaker 1: give up on a dream because it was far away.

460
00:20:14,040 --> 00:20:16,920
Speaker 1: It wasn't a dream for you though it wasn't a dream. Yeah,

461
00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:18,280
Speaker 1: I wonder is it a dream for others?

462
00:20:18,400 --> 00:20:20,359
Speaker 3: I you definitely think they don't want to do it

463
00:20:20,359 --> 00:20:22,879
Speaker 3: because they don't want to go overseas. I that's a

464
00:20:22,960 --> 00:20:23,960
Speaker 3: fear of mine.

465
00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:24,239
Speaker 2: Is that?

466
00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:25,120
Speaker 3: Or worse?

467
00:20:25,240 --> 00:20:27,840
Speaker 4: People do follow their dream and they go overseas, And

468
00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:30,800
Speaker 4: I'm telling you it's not a glamorous life. We're very

469
00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:34,000
Speaker 4: spoiled in college sports here with our nice some of

470
00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:35,960
Speaker 4: us have charter flights, and if we don't have charter flights,

471
00:20:35,960 --> 00:20:39,239
Speaker 4: we at least why like domestic and it's comfortable, and

472
00:20:39,560 --> 00:20:42,040
Speaker 4: we have these big, fancy locker rooms and now there's

473
00:20:42,160 --> 00:20:45,639
Speaker 4: underwater treadmills and programs and dining halls with lots of

474
00:20:45,680 --> 00:20:49,639
Speaker 4: fancy food, and we have ice bats and hot tubs.

475
00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:52,280
Speaker 3: And we're spoiled in college sports.

476
00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:57,080
Speaker 4: And then you go overseas and you're on a greyhound.

477
00:20:56,560 --> 00:20:58,920
Speaker 3: Bus for six hours to go to your next game.

478
00:20:59,119 --> 00:21:01,640
Speaker 4: You get to a hotel where you're sharing it, where

479
00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:03,119
Speaker 4: you're sharing a room and they're two.

480
00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:06,320
Speaker 3: Twin sized beds and the locker room that you have.

481
00:21:06,320 --> 00:21:09,280
Speaker 4: Is leaking, and you have to make sure that you

482
00:21:09,320 --> 00:21:11,280
Speaker 4: have all your stuff and your equipment because nobody else

483
00:21:11,359 --> 00:21:14,439
Speaker 4: is handling reefs like it's a culture shock. And so

484
00:21:14,520 --> 00:21:16,600
Speaker 4: you follow the dream to go overseason to play pro

485
00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:18,840
Speaker 4: and you're really fighting.

486
00:21:18,520 --> 00:21:20,960
Speaker 3: And fending for yourself. And it's not always like that.

487
00:21:21,119 --> 00:21:24,120
Speaker 4: There are some definite good teams that have great resources.

488
00:21:24,119 --> 00:21:26,639
Speaker 4: So no Tino shade to any of the international leagues.

489
00:21:27,160 --> 00:21:29,760
Speaker 4: I was blessed that Italy I had some really great

490
00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:31,320
Speaker 4: opportunities resources.

491
00:21:31,359 --> 00:21:33,720
Speaker 1: Yeah, they're the side note she she's been playing overseas

492
00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:35,960
Speaker 1: in Italy. Not a bad game, not a bag, not

493
00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:36,560
Speaker 1: a bad gag.

494
00:21:36,720 --> 00:21:39,479
Speaker 3: You like pasta. I do not like pasta to Corby,

495
00:21:39,760 --> 00:21:42,199
Speaker 3: It's too car baby. I gain weight like crazy. I

496
00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:45,199
Speaker 3: can't enjoy pasta. I can have the occasion is the pasta.

497
00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:47,560
Speaker 3: They're bad and I feel like I know it's it's

498
00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:47,920
Speaker 3: so good.

499
00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:51,040
Speaker 4: The problem is just you can't eat it all the time.

500
00:21:51,160 --> 00:21:54,240
Speaker 4: I like wine though, Okay, bals gun.

501
00:21:54,240 --> 00:21:56,480
Speaker 1: Let me tell you what I did learn overseas is

502
00:21:56,480 --> 00:22:01,680
Speaker 1: the wine. So so there are presumably, and this is

503
00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:03,880
Speaker 1: why we are here today to talk about this professional

504
00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:07,480
Speaker 1: league that is stateside, But there are presumably, and I

505
00:22:07,480 --> 00:22:09,440
Speaker 1: don't want to make up numbers, but there are many women,

506
00:22:09,520 --> 00:22:12,679
Speaker 1: maybe hundreds, maybe thousands of women who who gave up

507
00:22:12,680 --> 00:22:16,400
Speaker 1: the opportunity or perhaps thought about going overseas to play,

508
00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:18,439
Speaker 1: but they just didn't want to do it because of

509
00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:21,560
Speaker 1: what it required on them mentally and physically and personally.

510
00:22:21,720 --> 00:22:26,760
Speaker 3: No holidays, no like no holidays with family, Thanksgiving, New Year.

511
00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:27,439
Speaker 3: What's the season?

512
00:22:29,200 --> 00:22:31,520
Speaker 4: So, if you're a national team athlete, the season can

513
00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:34,560
Speaker 4: be anywhere from October till May. But if you're not

514
00:22:34,640 --> 00:22:37,280
Speaker 4: a national team athlete, if you're just coming out of college,

515
00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:39,960
Speaker 4: or if you're not doing national team, they usually ask

516
00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:45,280
Speaker 4: for you around like August, so you'll be out there August, September, October, November, December,

517
00:22:45,359 --> 00:22:47,800
Speaker 4: ten yard, feb It's like ten months.

518
00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:50,080
Speaker 3: Wow, it's a long season.

519
00:22:50,200 --> 00:22:53,639
Speaker 4: And if you're in a higher tier team, you have

520
00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:56,520
Speaker 4: usually Champions League and then you have Cup Italia and

521
00:22:56,600 --> 00:23:00,400
Speaker 4: Super Colpa and regular season, so you're playing two three

522
00:23:00,440 --> 00:23:01,199
Speaker 4: games a week.

523
00:23:01,640 --> 00:23:04,000
Speaker 3: You're traveling constantly.

524
00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:06,160
Speaker 4: Your off day is really your travel day, so you're

525
00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:07,200
Speaker 4: also seeing everybody.

526
00:23:07,200 --> 00:23:09,200
Speaker 3: You never get a chance to be by yourself. It's

527
00:23:10,240 --> 00:23:12,920
Speaker 3: how much money do you make. It's decent. It's I

528
00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:15,280
Speaker 3: think a crass am. I'm gonna talk numbers.

529
00:23:15,440 --> 00:23:18,520
Speaker 1: I in sports, don't I hate that they don't talk

530
00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:20,359
Speaker 1: noumb Yeah, my last season name is two hundred and

531
00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:23,199
Speaker 1: thirty thousand, which is pretty high paying for a middle blocker.

532
00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:26,399
Speaker 4: But I mean there are girls that are making I mean,

533
00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:29,080
Speaker 4: there are some pro girls that are making millions and

534
00:23:29,119 --> 00:23:31,679
Speaker 4: like in endorsement, sponsorships. But I think on average, we're

535
00:23:31,680 --> 00:23:34,440
Speaker 4: trying to make a six figure contract. So League one

536
00:23:34,480 --> 00:23:36,399
Speaker 4: was a downgrade from two hundred and thirty thousand, but

537
00:23:36,440 --> 00:23:38,919
Speaker 4: still six figures. I think I'm making somewhere from like

538
00:23:38,960 --> 00:23:40,800
Speaker 4: one twenty to one fifty. But I have to look

539
00:23:40,800 --> 00:23:42,880
Speaker 4: at my contract, I know how much of me. But yeah,

540
00:23:42,920 --> 00:23:46,760
Speaker 4: still six figures. And they offer decent money to most

541
00:23:46,760 --> 00:23:49,159
Speaker 4: of the athletes as far as I know. Maybe not

542
00:23:49,240 --> 00:23:51,680
Speaker 4: always six figures, especially for girls that are coming out

543
00:23:51,720 --> 00:23:54,440
Speaker 4: of college or for girls that are have less experience

544
00:23:54,480 --> 00:23:55,879
Speaker 4: overseas or in the pro world.

545
00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:58,119
Speaker 3: But the money's decent, pays the bills.

546
00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:01,800
Speaker 1: So it's ten months overseas somewhere in the twos anywhere

547
00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:04,520
Speaker 1: upwards to perhaps seven figures in the millions.

548
00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:08,720
Speaker 4: That's for the oh one percent, okay of athletes.

549
00:24:08,760 --> 00:24:09,920
Speaker 3: That's for like done average.

550
00:24:10,080 --> 00:24:12,240
Speaker 4: Yeah, on average, I would say on average. If you're going,

551
00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:15,680
Speaker 4: if you're an American going overseas, on average.

552
00:24:15,359 --> 00:24:17,520
Speaker 3: You're looking at one hundred and twenty.

553
00:24:18,080 --> 00:24:21,240
Speaker 4: I think, like the Olympic American athletes like go overseas,

554
00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:23,000
Speaker 4: we're in the six figures. But if you're just an

555
00:24:23,040 --> 00:24:26,400
Speaker 4: average college girl, I mean, your starting salary is gonna

556
00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:26,960
Speaker 4: be a twenty one.

557
00:24:27,520 --> 00:24:30,119
Speaker 1: So Russ gives you this advice and he says, do

558
00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:32,960
Speaker 1: it and do it right. How'd that work out for you?

559
00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:36,639
Speaker 4: I think I went into overseas with a good mentality

560
00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:39,639
Speaker 4: of like just say yes, Like whatever opportunities present yourself

561
00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:41,520
Speaker 4: to them, say yes and work hard. And so it

562
00:24:41,560 --> 00:24:44,440
Speaker 4: worked out well because I played on this really low

563
00:24:44,560 --> 00:24:47,560
Speaker 4: level A two team my first season only.

564
00:24:47,359 --> 00:24:49,520
Speaker 3: For a month and a half two months, because I

565
00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:50,480
Speaker 3: came in for a half season.

566
00:24:50,480 --> 00:24:52,120
Speaker 4: We didn't make playoffs, so I just kind of came

567
00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:54,400
Speaker 4: in but made enough of a statement that I got

568
00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:57,159
Speaker 4: on an A one team, the last place team in

569
00:24:57,240 --> 00:25:00,320
Speaker 4: A one, which, if you don't know volleyball, most national

570
00:25:00,359 --> 00:25:02,479
Speaker 4: leagues overseas have like an A one team and an

571
00:25:02,480 --> 00:25:03,840
Speaker 4: A two or an A one league, in an A

572
00:25:03,880 --> 00:25:07,639
Speaker 4: two league, Okay, it's like our any like our NBA

573
00:25:07,760 --> 00:25:11,840
Speaker 4: and the G League. Okay, perfect equivalent. Yeah, and so

574
00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:13,600
Speaker 4: I was on the last place team in A one,

575
00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:16,000
Speaker 4: but then I managed to work my way up to

576
00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:17,879
Speaker 4: the fourth place team in A one, and then I

577
00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:18,200
Speaker 4: was in.

578
00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:20,919
Speaker 3: The top one or two teams for the rest of

579
00:25:20,920 --> 00:25:23,040
Speaker 3: my career. So you did it right, it right, as

580
00:25:23,119 --> 00:25:25,960
Speaker 3: Russ suggested. As Russ suggested, he's a very wise man,

581
00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:27,879
Speaker 3: A wise man, wise man.

582
00:25:28,359 --> 00:25:32,440
Speaker 1: When we return, what does the future of professional volleyball

583
00:25:32,560 --> 00:25:47,359
Speaker 1: look like here in America? Back in a moment, Welcome

584
00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:50,360
Speaker 1: back to Naked Sports. So just for context, I want

585
00:25:50,359 --> 00:25:54,639
Speaker 1: to remind you I am in Atlanta while doing this interview,

586
00:25:55,400 --> 00:25:59,479
Speaker 1: and we are just hours away from the beginning of

587
00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:04,480
Speaker 1: making history and professional volleyball. Take a listen. I want

588
00:26:04,520 --> 00:26:06,320
Speaker 1: you to talk to me about when you heard about

589
00:26:06,320 --> 00:26:08,960
Speaker 1: this opportunity. There's been other professional volleyball league, So there's

590
00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:11,280
Speaker 1: been obviously beach volleyball that people have tried to do,

591
00:26:11,359 --> 00:26:14,040
Speaker 1: and some of them have failed because there have been

592
00:26:14,080 --> 00:26:14,920
Speaker 1: issues with finance.

593
00:26:14,960 --> 00:26:16,960
Speaker 3: Money is always the issue, and there's always the issue.

594
00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:19,639
Speaker 3: Money is always the issue, and I want to make

595
00:26:19,680 --> 00:26:24,160
Speaker 3: this a negative. But when you were approached by Love,

596
00:26:24,200 --> 00:26:27,240
Speaker 3: what were you thinking, Is this real? Can I do this?

597
00:26:27,480 --> 00:26:29,600
Speaker 1: And I know this has been in the works for

598
00:26:29,640 --> 00:26:31,960
Speaker 1: some years now, but what were your initial thoughts.

599
00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:35,720
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think my initial thoughts were excitement because I

600
00:26:35,720 --> 00:26:38,639
Speaker 4: had been approached by a couple other leagues about how

601
00:26:38,720 --> 00:26:42,320
Speaker 4: they wanted to kind of run American volleyball. So I've

602
00:26:42,320 --> 00:26:44,960
Speaker 4: been approached by AU, which is another volleyball league that

603
00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:46,920
Speaker 4: we have here in the States, and it's super fun.

604
00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:48,480
Speaker 4: It looks like the girls that go and play and

605
00:26:48,480 --> 00:26:50,159
Speaker 4: that have a really great time, and again it's a

606
00:26:50,160 --> 00:26:51,680
Speaker 4: way to bring volleyball to America.

607
00:26:51,760 --> 00:26:53,879
Speaker 3: So I love the AU as a thing, and I

608
00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:55,960
Speaker 3: had been approached by them, and.

609
00:26:57,440 --> 00:26:59,639
Speaker 4: I didn't love kind of their format though, like I

610
00:26:59,680 --> 00:27:01,760
Speaker 4: just want to be a regular volleyball league and they

611
00:27:01,880 --> 00:27:03,800
Speaker 4: rotate teams every week, and I was like, I'm not

612
00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:05,800
Speaker 4: as excited about that. And then I had been approached

613
00:27:05,800 --> 00:27:08,600
Speaker 4: about another potential league that was all all stars and

614
00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:10,000
Speaker 4: it was only for a couple of weekends and it

615
00:27:10,040 --> 00:27:11,800
Speaker 4: was just like all start showings and showcases, and.

616
00:27:11,760 --> 00:27:14,679
Speaker 3: I was like, I don't love that either. And so

617
00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:16,600
Speaker 3: when League one kind of came up to me.

618
00:27:16,720 --> 00:27:19,560
Speaker 4: When Love approached me, They're like, Hey, we have this

619
00:27:19,640 --> 00:27:22,960
Speaker 4: idea for a league, and it's just a regular old volleyball.

620
00:27:22,640 --> 00:27:25,879
Speaker 3: League, but it's a grassroots movement. It's oriented in the community.

621
00:27:26,160 --> 00:27:29,080
Speaker 4: We want to get youth athletes involved, youth sports involved.

622
00:27:29,200 --> 00:27:32,440
Speaker 4: I was like that I'm interested in because I think

623
00:27:32,480 --> 00:27:35,960
Speaker 4: that there's an untapped market in youth sports here stateside.

624
00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:38,520
Speaker 4: I think that, like, youth sports are so big in America,

625
00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:40,400
Speaker 4: and we do a really good job of developing our

626
00:27:40,440 --> 00:27:43,600
Speaker 4: younger athletes, and so to tap into that market while

627
00:27:43,600 --> 00:27:46,840
Speaker 4: also funneling that excitement into a pro league and to

628
00:27:46,840 --> 00:27:49,840
Speaker 4: provide just a regular old pro league is so exciting,

629
00:27:49,960 --> 00:27:52,160
Speaker 4: and so I was. I was on board from the jump.

630
00:27:52,200 --> 00:27:54,320
Speaker 4: As soon as they presented the idea. I was like, yes,

631
00:27:54,400 --> 00:27:57,399
Speaker 4: I'm in Wow, And I think it was just it

632
00:27:57,440 --> 00:28:00,199
Speaker 4: was kind of that mentality of yes, and and then

633
00:28:00,240 --> 00:28:02,960
Speaker 4: like what do I have to lose, Like if it fails, whatever,

634
00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:04,400
Speaker 4: at least I try.

635
00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:08,000
Speaker 1: You have the opportunity to still go play overseas. That's

636
00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:11,000
Speaker 1: still an option for you. Sure this is a win win, absolutely,

637
00:28:11,040 --> 00:28:11,760
Speaker 1: Like there was no.

638
00:28:13,600 --> 00:28:15,520
Speaker 4: Like Italy wasn't just gonna disappear off the face of

639
00:28:15,560 --> 00:28:16,880
Speaker 4: the earth because I did League.

640
00:28:16,720 --> 00:28:18,640
Speaker 3: One, and there are so many leagues in the world.

641
00:28:18,640 --> 00:28:22,159
Speaker 4: There's France, there's Germany, there's Korea, there's Japan, there's turky like,

642
00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:23,639
Speaker 4: so it was never gone.

643
00:28:23,800 --> 00:28:25,080
Speaker 3: So I was like, why not take the time to

644
00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:25,719
Speaker 3: invest in this.

645
00:28:25,880 --> 00:28:27,639
Speaker 1: Do you look at the WNBA and you see what

646
00:28:28,080 --> 00:28:30,639
Speaker 1: it You know it's in section right and where it

647
00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:33,359
Speaker 1: is now? Do you see that being the same vision

648
00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:34,200
Speaker 1: for love?

649
00:28:34,359 --> 00:28:41,760
Speaker 3: I think yes. I think I okay to begin one.

650
00:28:41,920 --> 00:28:44,680
Speaker 4: I don't love the comparison of are you gonna be

651
00:28:44,720 --> 00:28:46,640
Speaker 4: like the WNBA, Are you gonna be like the fair

652
00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:49,800
Speaker 4: and WSL, because we're all different things, and I think

653
00:28:49,840 --> 00:28:51,640
Speaker 4: like they're all gonna have I think what makes volleyball

654
00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:53,120
Speaker 4: funds the intimate environments.

655
00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:56,280
Speaker 3: I think what makes the WNBA fund is their big atmospheres,

656
00:28:56,760 --> 00:28:59,040
Speaker 3: and so they didn't always have a big atmosphere, and

657
00:28:59,080 --> 00:29:01,120
Speaker 3: so like those are the things that are like growing into.

658
00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:04,280
Speaker 4: So I think women's volleyball is going to have its

659
00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:06,520
Speaker 4: own kind of path and I think the start of

660
00:29:06,560 --> 00:29:08,040
Speaker 4: the intimate atmosphere is going.

661
00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:10,520
Speaker 3: To be kind of our what will set you up pact?

662
00:29:10,560 --> 00:29:10,720
Speaker 1: Well?

663
00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:13,120
Speaker 4: Far is that intimate atmosphere can feel like a lot

664
00:29:13,160 --> 00:29:16,000
Speaker 4: of fun, whereas sometimes in the w NBA that intimate

665
00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:18,520
Speaker 4: atmosphere can feel a little bit almost.

666
00:29:18,360 --> 00:29:20,360
Speaker 3: Energy sucking, at least in their inception.

667
00:29:20,440 --> 00:29:22,560
Speaker 4: I don't want to overstep I am, I want to

668
00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:25,120
Speaker 4: say anything rude, but I think that intimate atmosphere can

669
00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:25,800
Speaker 4: really be great for.

670
00:29:25,960 --> 00:29:27,120
Speaker 3: You're Jenna sa Qua.

671
00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:31,520
Speaker 1: Yeah, what we like about going to a Love volleyball game.

672
00:29:31,600 --> 00:29:36,320
Speaker 1: So so as we record this podcast, Love's first serve

673
00:29:36,360 --> 00:29:39,680
Speaker 1: will be on ESPN plus who It's huge, right, I

674
00:29:39,680 --> 00:29:42,720
Speaker 1: think that's a huge start. I'm curious as to what

675
00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:47,040
Speaker 1: you think will make this first game different. You said

676
00:29:47,080 --> 00:29:48,959
Speaker 1: you want your own path, you don't want to be compared,

677
00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:51,800
Speaker 1: and that's very fair. I think that the comparisons are

678
00:29:51,840 --> 00:29:53,000
Speaker 1: also fair as well.

679
00:29:53,160 --> 00:29:55,240
Speaker 3: Definitely, I'm sorry if that came across this room.

680
00:29:55,320 --> 00:29:58,640
Speaker 1: No, no, no, no, but I think they're fair because

681
00:29:58,640 --> 00:30:00,840
Speaker 1: people what I what I I think when I say

682
00:30:00,840 --> 00:30:04,240
Speaker 1: that is it started off with fanfare.

683
00:30:04,360 --> 00:30:05,320
Speaker 3: People are excited.

684
00:30:05,640 --> 00:30:07,600
Speaker 1: It might have some growing pains as all all it's

685
00:30:07,640 --> 00:30:10,560
Speaker 1: do is yeah, But then then there comes this moment

686
00:30:10,600 --> 00:30:14,520
Speaker 1: where people understand it's its value and start to appreciate it.

687
00:30:14,600 --> 00:30:17,920
Speaker 3: That's the truth. That's truck was talking. I think, yes,

688
00:30:18,120 --> 00:30:21,760
Speaker 3: I absolutely agree, and I'm sorry, no, no, no, no go.

689
00:30:22,080 --> 00:30:25,840
Speaker 3: I think the WNBA has kicked but in kind of paving.

690
00:30:25,560 --> 00:30:28,160
Speaker 4: The way for women's sports also, and so I think

691
00:30:28,240 --> 00:30:30,840
Speaker 4: like there's gonna be that growing pain time whereas where

692
00:30:30,840 --> 00:30:33,160
Speaker 4: there's less engagement or maybe not as many people are

693
00:30:33,160 --> 00:30:36,280
Speaker 4: watching for sure, but the WNBA and just women's sports

694
00:30:36,280 --> 00:30:39,120
Speaker 4: in twenty twenty four have really kind of put us

695
00:30:39,160 --> 00:30:42,360
Speaker 4: on the map, have helped with getting more exposure.

696
00:30:42,760 --> 00:30:44,680
Speaker 3: Like the WNBA really came up for nothing.

697
00:30:44,800 --> 00:30:47,200
Speaker 4: There really weren't meant, there wasn't much excitement for women's

698
00:30:47,240 --> 00:30:49,200
Speaker 4: sports when it was in like when it had its

699
00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:51,520
Speaker 4: inaugural season and when it was first starting off, and

700
00:30:52,000 --> 00:30:53,920
Speaker 4: they really had to kind of like build.

701
00:30:53,600 --> 00:30:55,560
Speaker 3: From somewhat nothing.

702
00:30:56,080 --> 00:30:58,480
Speaker 4: And so I think that they have done a great

703
00:30:58,520 --> 00:31:00,720
Speaker 4: job kind of paving the way and getting excited about

704
00:31:00,760 --> 00:31:03,680
Speaker 4: women's sports. And so I think that's maybe what might

705
00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:06,640
Speaker 4: make it easier for us to get people's attention, to

706
00:31:06,680 --> 00:31:09,600
Speaker 4: get you well, yeah, because I can't remember a time

707
00:31:09,600 --> 00:31:11,480
Speaker 4: where you get a professional women's league and they're like,

708
00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:13,840
Speaker 4: let's just put it on ESPN in any capacity. Yeah,

709
00:31:14,560 --> 00:31:16,120
Speaker 4: and you know, year to year even the growth of

710
00:31:16,120 --> 00:31:19,920
Speaker 4: the nc DOUBLEA Championships from my understanding, where forty one

711
00:31:20,000 --> 00:31:22,800
Speaker 4: percent from year to year, and that's huge to actually

712
00:31:22,800 --> 00:31:25,680
Speaker 4: tune in and see people are paying attention. It's in

713
00:31:25,720 --> 00:31:27,680
Speaker 4: the zeigeist if you will. I hate to use that word.

714
00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:28,040
Speaker 4: It is.

715
00:31:28,760 --> 00:31:29,840
Speaker 3: It's just out there.

716
00:31:30,720 --> 00:31:35,160
Speaker 1: But I'm interested in what you think the ceiling is

717
00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:37,040
Speaker 1: or is there no ceiling?

718
00:31:37,680 --> 00:31:39,120
Speaker 3: What I think the ceiling is.

719
00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:41,479
Speaker 1: What is the world that you could imagine in your

720
00:31:41,520 --> 00:31:43,680
Speaker 1: wildest dreams, in the world that you think will actually

721
00:31:43,720 --> 00:31:44,720
Speaker 1: be in.

722
00:31:44,720 --> 00:31:46,000
Speaker 3: My wildest dreams.

723
00:31:46,120 --> 00:31:51,280
Speaker 4: I imagine every game is like the NCAA Championship.

724
00:31:51,880 --> 00:31:54,080
Speaker 3: I know that that's that's a big.

725
00:31:53,920 --> 00:31:56,760
Speaker 4: Dream, but I mean, if you can get fans that

726
00:31:56,840 --> 00:32:00,000
Speaker 4: excited for one game out of the year, I don't see.

727
00:31:59,800 --> 00:32:02,040
Speaker 3: Why you can't get them hype for every game. Kind

728
00:32:02,040 --> 00:32:02,520
Speaker 3: of like that.

729
00:32:02,920 --> 00:32:04,240
Speaker 4: And I mean I just went, like, I went to

730
00:32:04,320 --> 00:32:07,200
Speaker 4: a hockey game ABS played the Utah Hockey Club in

731
00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:09,160
Speaker 4: Salt Lake City, and I was like, this is so

732
00:32:09,280 --> 00:32:12,800
Speaker 4: cool and it's so possible for women's Like I think

733
00:32:12,840 --> 00:32:16,760
Speaker 4: it's possible for women's volleyball to be in those big arenas,

734
00:32:16,840 --> 00:32:19,080
Speaker 4: be in those spaces, for people to be excited. We

735
00:32:19,200 --> 00:32:21,760
Speaker 4: have to teach people how to be volleyball fans. We

736
00:32:21,840 --> 00:32:23,680
Speaker 4: have to tell them it's okay to be louds okay

737
00:32:23,680 --> 00:32:27,160
Speaker 4: to make noises. You're not going to scarce away. That's

738
00:32:27,200 --> 00:32:28,880
Speaker 4: so interesting that you say that, Well, it's just because

739
00:32:28,920 --> 00:32:31,280
Speaker 4: volleyball's like tennis, so they assume it's like tennis or

740
00:32:31,480 --> 00:32:34,719
Speaker 4: fighter and serve fighter. It's so interesting that you say

741
00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:36,920
Speaker 4: you have to teach people how to be fans. You

742
00:32:36,920 --> 00:32:39,320
Speaker 4: have to teach people how to understand the sport.

743
00:32:39,880 --> 00:32:42,920
Speaker 1: You have to teach them, and that is the onus, honestly,

744
00:32:43,080 --> 00:32:44,400
Speaker 1: is on the people who know the sport and the

745
00:32:44,400 --> 00:32:45,120
Speaker 1: people who play it.

746
00:32:45,240 --> 00:32:47,600
Speaker 4: Yeah, definitely, I'm just bringing you in and be like, hey,

747
00:32:47,640 --> 00:32:49,520
Speaker 4: come on, I don't know what we gotta do. If

748
00:32:49,560 --> 00:32:52,600
Speaker 4: it's I don't know, whatever it is, you're gonna get

749
00:32:52,680 --> 00:32:54,600
Speaker 4: you guys excited about this game.

750
00:32:54,960 --> 00:32:57,080
Speaker 1: I do want to ask you a question about being

751
00:32:57,080 --> 00:32:59,720
Speaker 1: an Olympian, and that's the ultimate goal. And I'll find

752
00:32:59,720 --> 00:33:00,880
Speaker 1: a way to put this bick and I want to

753
00:33:00,920 --> 00:33:02,880
Speaker 1: weave in the ultimate I think for mini athletes, no

754
00:33:02,880 --> 00:33:04,720
Speaker 1: matter who you are, even if you play professionally, the

755
00:33:04,760 --> 00:33:07,240
Speaker 1: goal is ultimately to represent your country you have the

756
00:33:07,280 --> 00:33:09,200
Speaker 1: opportunity to do that in a major way. You want

757
00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:11,560
Speaker 1: a gold and you want a silver middle blocker. Talk

758
00:33:11,600 --> 00:33:15,280
Speaker 1: to me about those those experiences for you. What does

759
00:33:15,320 --> 00:33:17,640
Speaker 1: it feel like to actually take a sport, because I

760
00:33:18,360 --> 00:33:21,680
Speaker 1: believe during the Olympics that's when volleyball gets more attention

761
00:33:21,720 --> 00:33:25,320
Speaker 1: definitively and at the highest levels, and it's global so

762
00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:27,280
Speaker 1: people can pay attention and they understand the sport in

763
00:33:27,320 --> 00:33:29,400
Speaker 1: a different way. What does that feel like for you

764
00:33:29,440 --> 00:33:32,600
Speaker 1: for a sport they get so little attention states I mean.

765
00:33:33,440 --> 00:33:35,760
Speaker 4: The Olympics, you always get hype over sports that you

766
00:33:35,800 --> 00:33:38,480
Speaker 4: don't usually get to see because there's just less coverage

767
00:33:38,480 --> 00:33:39,880
Speaker 4: of it. Like track and field is one of the

768
00:33:39,920 --> 00:33:43,360
Speaker 4: most watched events, but outside of the Olympics, like unless

769
00:33:43,360 --> 00:33:45,400
Speaker 4: you're following an athlete on the Instagram, you're not really

770
00:33:45,440 --> 00:33:48,400
Speaker 4: seeing what they're doing during a quad And so I

771
00:33:48,440 --> 00:33:52,680
Speaker 4: think every kind of sport, even gymnastics, gymnastics, track field, rugby,

772
00:33:52,720 --> 00:33:55,040
Speaker 4: although rugby now is pick and I think so it's huge.

773
00:33:55,280 --> 00:33:57,760
Speaker 3: Yeah, but I just think.

774
00:33:59,320 --> 00:34:01,920
Speaker 4: To be at that stage, to be at the Olympics

775
00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:03,720
Speaker 4: and like know that kind of the world is watching,

776
00:34:03,840 --> 00:34:08,040
Speaker 4: especially with the background of playing overseas because internationally volleyball.

777
00:34:07,680 --> 00:34:08,640
Speaker 3: Is big sport.

778
00:34:09,040 --> 00:34:12,120
Speaker 4: Turkish fans, Brazilian fans, Italian fans.

779
00:34:11,880 --> 00:34:12,520
Speaker 3: They're big.

780
00:34:12,920 --> 00:34:15,160
Speaker 4: It's big over there, and so you kind of feel

781
00:34:16,200 --> 00:34:19,680
Speaker 4: all eyes on you in that moment, which is on

782
00:34:19,920 --> 00:34:22,480
Speaker 4: the one hand scary and intimidating, but on the other

783
00:34:22,520 --> 00:34:25,319
Speaker 4: hand still just volleyball. For it's the same size and

784
00:34:25,360 --> 00:34:27,120
Speaker 4: that's the same height. So all you have to do

785
00:34:27,280 --> 00:34:29,040
Speaker 4: is what my motto is, do your job.

786
00:34:29,440 --> 00:34:31,600
Speaker 3: Do you out there? I'm telling you, it's that's the

787
00:34:31,680 --> 00:34:34,680
Speaker 3: name of this podcast. Do your job, Hey says, do

788
00:34:34,719 --> 00:34:36,560
Speaker 3: your job. It's so easy to does not be bad

789
00:34:36,600 --> 00:34:39,160
Speaker 3: at life. Just do your job. Stop trying to be

790
00:34:39,200 --> 00:34:40,480
Speaker 3: a start to do your job.

791
00:34:41,280 --> 00:34:44,080
Speaker 1: But yeah, okay, so I'm going to say this, and

792
00:34:44,120 --> 00:34:46,759
Speaker 1: this is just this is just my projection. I do

793
00:34:46,880 --> 00:34:50,600
Speaker 1: believe that this sport will do well, but it needs

794
00:34:51,080 --> 00:34:54,280
Speaker 1: it needs its characters, it needs its it needs people

795
00:34:54,320 --> 00:34:55,520
Speaker 1: to correct.

796
00:34:55,640 --> 00:34:56,640
Speaker 3: And I was like, you are.

797
00:34:56,600 --> 00:34:59,640
Speaker 1: Illuminary, and I think that if people can understand who

798
00:34:59,640 --> 00:35:01,759
Speaker 1: you are, where you come from, and their personality is

799
00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:05,000
Speaker 1: absolutely a one. So I think that if you have

800
00:35:05,280 --> 00:35:08,400
Speaker 1: more stars, people can follow and be invested. I'm fully invested.

801
00:35:08,680 --> 00:35:10,759
Speaker 1: I want to, I really am like I'm in love

802
00:35:10,760 --> 00:35:14,040
Speaker 1: with her. I mean in a completely platonic way, but

803
00:35:14,080 --> 00:35:14,520
Speaker 1: I'm like, I.

804
00:35:14,480 --> 00:35:18,000
Speaker 3: Really want to know. I really like, I really don't

805
00:35:18,080 --> 00:35:21,920
Speaker 3: know what else is happening. Your favorite food? My favorite

806
00:35:21,920 --> 00:35:24,279
Speaker 3: food is rice. I know it sounds super boring, but

807
00:35:24,360 --> 00:35:26,320
Speaker 3: you can do so much with rice. You won't eat pasta,

808
00:35:26,400 --> 00:35:29,959
Speaker 3: but you just like rice. I love rice.

809
00:35:30,200 --> 00:35:33,640
Speaker 4: Joe love rice, Rice, cilantro, lime rice. You just make

810
00:35:33,760 --> 00:35:36,600
Speaker 4: rice Farmers risotto? Are you kidding me?

811
00:35:36,719 --> 00:35:39,640
Speaker 3: Do you put meat in there? Just rice? So if

812
00:35:39,640 --> 00:35:41,120
Speaker 3: you were on an island, all you need is rice.

813
00:35:41,360 --> 00:35:43,279
Speaker 3: You do so much with rice. You just find rice

814
00:35:43,320 --> 00:35:46,120
Speaker 3: and spices. Rice is great. I love favorite song right now,

815
00:35:47,680 --> 00:35:52,759
Speaker 3: uh Dodger Blue by Kendrick Lamar. Favorite artists right now?

816
00:35:53,440 --> 00:35:56,960
Speaker 4: So some good artists right now, the beaches they're Canadian bands.

817
00:35:57,440 --> 00:35:58,520
Speaker 3: Okay, you threw me off with that one.

818
00:35:58,520 --> 00:36:01,440
Speaker 1: I'm sorry, I appreciate that, all right. Favorite dance right now?

819
00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:03,560
Speaker 1: What's your celebration dance?

820
00:36:03,719 --> 00:36:06,000
Speaker 3: Oh see, I'm not like I just I can't do

821
00:36:06,080 --> 00:36:10,360
Speaker 3: that on this stop. You don't have it?

822
00:36:10,960 --> 00:36:14,840
Speaker 4: No, I don't know been doing you can't do You're like,

823
00:36:14,880 --> 00:36:16,560
Speaker 4: I'm not doing a petequla in me or you pay

824
00:36:16,600 --> 00:36:16,960
Speaker 4: me for it.

825
00:36:16,840 --> 00:36:17,239
Speaker 3: It's just.

826
00:36:19,200 --> 00:36:28,160
Speaker 4: Paper drink ooh water, stay hydrated. Actually, Pablo Mouse, Lacroix

827
00:36:28,640 --> 00:36:32,480
Speaker 4: is Mike. I love Lacroix, dude. But if we're speaking

828
00:36:32,520 --> 00:36:37,560
Speaker 4: in the more like adult beverage beverage, I love tequila.

829
00:36:37,760 --> 00:36:39,640
Speaker 4: I did a tequila tasting when I went to Disney

830
00:36:39,680 --> 00:36:43,120
Speaker 4: World with my boyfriend, and that was fire on yeho tequila.

831
00:36:44,200 --> 00:36:45,000
Speaker 3: That's it. That's all.

832
00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:47,560
Speaker 4: We're doing a big pan of tequila. All is your

833
00:36:47,560 --> 00:36:49,480
Speaker 4: thing on your hell? Okay, I like you or a

834
00:36:49,520 --> 00:36:52,359
Speaker 4: good mezcal. Oh way, did I take it back? I'm

835
00:36:52,360 --> 00:36:56,840
Speaker 4: gonna be that pretentious a hole like a meal. I

836
00:36:56,920 --> 00:37:02,120
Speaker 4: love a smoky mescal. Do any mix you just mescal

837
00:37:02,360 --> 00:37:05,879
Speaker 4: rot like a mescal. I'm just I don't love mixed drinks.

838
00:37:05,920 --> 00:37:10,040
Speaker 4: I don't like the sugar, so like a mescal sunrise.

839
00:37:10,160 --> 00:37:12,760
Speaker 3: That's easy. It was like orange juice. Okay, all sugar

840
00:37:13,239 --> 00:37:16,960
Speaker 3: just okay. That's real gangster favorite athlete.

841
00:37:18,880 --> 00:37:21,879
Speaker 4: There's so many good ones to choose from.

842
00:37:21,920 --> 00:37:26,719
Speaker 3: She Carri Richardson some mon biles. Katie the Decky. I'm

843
00:37:26,719 --> 00:37:28,040
Speaker 3: gonna do o Katy the Decky right now.

844
00:37:28,160 --> 00:37:31,319
Speaker 4: Why she's a mermaid and I've always wanted to meet

845
00:37:31,360 --> 00:37:31,880
Speaker 4: a mermaid.

846
00:37:33,680 --> 00:37:33,960
Speaker 3: Dang.

847
00:37:35,040 --> 00:37:36,880
Speaker 4: Yeah, okay, I'm gonna o kay the decky and I'm

848
00:37:36,880 --> 00:37:37,920
Speaker 4: sticking about the mermaid thing.

849
00:37:37,960 --> 00:37:40,239
Speaker 3: But she's your on thin Ice Katie do something cool. Yeah,

850
00:37:40,239 --> 00:37:42,200
Speaker 3: she got so, she wrote a book. She's just like

851
00:37:42,239 --> 00:37:45,120
Speaker 3: he's so smart. She loves Lacroix like I love LACROI meant.

852
00:37:45,280 --> 00:37:54,760
Speaker 1: You're okay, okay, crush At the moment out of the Driver,

853
00:37:55,080 --> 00:37:59,720
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, I was like, uh, Adam, driver's pressure the drivers,

854
00:37:59,719 --> 00:38:03,040
Speaker 1: So yeah, yeah, for your daddy.

855
00:38:03,120 --> 00:38:07,400
Speaker 3: Why because he's uh, he's got that like Burley muscle

856
00:38:07,480 --> 00:38:09,839
Speaker 3: but also like dorky kind of look. Oh or Leandre Earl.

857
00:38:09,920 --> 00:38:13,400
Speaker 3: She's one of the artists in the beaches. Okay, okay,

858
00:38:13,400 --> 00:38:14,120
Speaker 3: all right, there you go.

859
00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:16,879
Speaker 1: And then when we get ready to get our mind

860
00:38:16,960 --> 00:38:18,600
Speaker 1: right before a game, what are we listening to?

861
00:38:18,680 --> 00:38:19,520
Speaker 3: What's your What's Your Goal?

862
00:38:19,760 --> 00:38:24,359
Speaker 4: Song? Either Sweet Transvestite from the Rocky Hord Picture Show

863
00:38:25,280 --> 00:38:30,200
Speaker 4: or Plagues from the Prince of Egypt, both musicals.

864
00:38:30,600 --> 00:38:32,719
Speaker 3: Those musicals get you hype to play. They get me.

865
00:38:33,080 --> 00:38:35,560
Speaker 3: Have you heard Plagues? I know I have not a girl.

866
00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:37,480
Speaker 3: I need to get to it. You gotta get on

867
00:38:37,480 --> 00:38:38,960
Speaker 3: that Okay, we'll play it in the podcast.

868
00:38:39,040 --> 00:38:48,920
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's okay.

869
00:38:44,320 --> 00:38:46,280
Speaker 3: Play sweet transvestite. That's not for this kind of podcast.

870
00:38:46,280 --> 00:38:49,399
Speaker 3: But hey, but that's what that's that gets you, right, Yeah,

871
00:38:49,680 --> 00:38:52,040
Speaker 3: every time you go out. Yeah, I played that entire

872
00:38:52,080 --> 00:38:55,640
Speaker 3: Olympics before every game. What Yeah in your mind locked

873
00:38:55,680 --> 00:38:56,160
Speaker 3: in zone.

874
00:38:56,239 --> 00:38:59,279
Speaker 4: Yeah, because it's like the slow build and there's this

875
00:38:59,320 --> 00:39:01,080
Speaker 4: one part in the Plague song at least where it

876
00:39:01,160 --> 00:39:03,600
Speaker 4: like really it just hits and you're, oh, we're.

877
00:39:03,440 --> 00:39:07,000
Speaker 3: Going I can't sing, so I'm not singing for you.

878
00:39:07,200 --> 00:39:09,360
Speaker 3: I was hoping. I'm like, I'm quiet. I'm like, but

879
00:39:09,480 --> 00:39:09,799
Speaker 3: you do it.

880
00:39:10,040 --> 00:39:10,160
Speaker 4: Well.

881
00:39:13,040 --> 00:39:16,520
Speaker 1: We're having some mescal for the game. Your favorite saying,

882
00:39:17,000 --> 00:39:19,440
Speaker 1: My favorite saying of one thing I am certain is

883
00:39:19,440 --> 00:39:20,160
Speaker 1: that I know nothing.

884
00:39:23,360 --> 00:39:27,600
Speaker 4: Pancake, pancake, sausage, sausage, risky.

885
00:39:27,600 --> 00:39:31,120
Speaker 3: It's love. It's love, man, Hayley, I love you. Thank

886
00:39:31,160 --> 00:39:33,080
Speaker 3: you for being here. This was so fun. It was great.

887
00:39:33,120 --> 00:39:37,560
Speaker 3: It's great goodness. I surely enjoyed that, young lady.

888
00:39:37,560 --> 00:39:39,919
Speaker 1: We had a good time. So huge thank you, though.

889
00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:41,720
Speaker 1: Let me get these out of the way to Stephanie

890
00:39:41,760 --> 00:39:45,719
Speaker 1: Martin of League one Volleyball and everyone who made this possible.

891
00:39:46,160 --> 00:39:49,600
Speaker 1: The first game was a huge success, follow along on

892
00:39:49,640 --> 00:39:53,200
Speaker 1: their site, League One Volleyball as they played through their

893
00:39:53,280 --> 00:39:59,120
Speaker 1: inaugural season. Remember, here's to everyone watching women's sports. I'll

894
00:39:59,120 --> 00:40:02,759
Speaker 1: talk to you all next week. Naked Sports written and

895
00:40:02,880 --> 00:40:07,040
Speaker 1: executive produced by me Kerry Champion, produced by Jack Vice Thomas,

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00:40:07,400 --> 00:40:11,120
Speaker 1: Sound designed and mastered by Dwayne Crawford. Associate producer Ola

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00:40:11,160 --> 00:40:13,919
Speaker 1: busaiel Shabby. Naked Sports is a part of the Black

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00:40:13,920 --> 00:40:16,000
Speaker 1: Effect podcast network in iHeartMedia