WEBVTT - Jordan Larson 0:00:02.600 --> 0:00:06.760 Hi, I'm Tiffany Oshinsky, and this is Serving Pancakes NOE. 0:00:07.040 --> 0:00:10.479 Not a podcast about food. This is a podcast about 0:00:10.560 --> 0:00:14.320 volleyball and more to you. A pancake is a fluffy, 0:00:14.560 --> 0:00:18.560 syrup drenched breakfast food, but in volleyball, a pancake is 0:00:18.560 --> 0:00:21.400 a high effort move when a player flattens her hand 0:00:21.440 --> 0:00:23.960 against the ground to keep the ball in play. And 0:00:24.000 --> 0:00:28.600 that's us digging into high efforts that are moving sports forward. 0:00:29.280 --> 0:00:31.760 Listen in as I talk with people making the biggest 0:00:31.800 --> 0:00:37.559 impacts on global volleyball and women's sports perspectives, insights, and 0:00:37.640 --> 0:00:40.960 behind the scenes stories, all with the side of pancakes. 0:00:41.440 --> 0:00:45.120 Today's episode features one of the greatest US women's volleyball 0:00:45.120 --> 0:00:50.400 players ever, Jordan Larson. Known as the Governor, Jordan has 0:00:50.520 --> 0:00:54.880 dominated the sport for nearly two decades. While at Nebraska, 0:00:55.000 --> 0:00:58.040 she was named an All American three times and helped 0:00:58.040 --> 0:01:01.680 the Cornhuskers win the two thousand and six and national championship. 0:01:02.120 --> 0:01:05.280 Jordan is also a three time Olympic medalist who is 0:01:05.400 --> 0:01:08.640 instrumental in helping Team USA win their first gold in 0:01:08.680 --> 0:01:11.520 the sport at the Tokyo Olympics. And now Jordan will 0:01:11.560 --> 0:01:16.840 return home to Nebraska to play for love. Omaha, Hi Jordana, 0:01:17.400 --> 0:01:22.080 I'm on in so excited you here to have the seat. 0:01:23.640 --> 0:01:26.920 We had some delicious pancakes, so I gotta ask you 0:01:26.959 --> 0:01:30.520 to start. If you were creating your own signature pancake, 0:01:30.760 --> 0:01:32.080 what's the Jordan Marsen special? 0:01:32.120 --> 0:01:35.160 Oh goodness, well, I'm a sucker for some chocolates, so 0:01:35.200 --> 0:01:38.080 I probably put a little neutel on there, and then 0:01:38.160 --> 0:01:40.240 I would probably do a fruit so I'd probably do 0:01:40.400 --> 0:01:41.160 some strawberries. 0:01:41.959 --> 0:01:42.440 We get it. 0:01:42.640 --> 0:01:44.640 Then I would probably just top it with a little 0:01:44.640 --> 0:01:45.160 bit of srup. 0:01:45.480 --> 0:01:50.480 Oh I know. So, Jordan, you had an amazing career. 0:01:50.800 --> 0:01:52.480 You still have an amazing career. I don't want to 0:01:52.840 --> 0:01:55.600 end it right now. Yeah, so when you were bored 0:01:55.640 --> 0:02:00.080 now I'm just kidding. No, I'm curious. So before volleyball, 0:02:00.360 --> 0:02:01.720 what did you want to be when you grew up? 0:02:01.840 --> 0:02:04.840 Oh goodness, Well, my dad was a teacher, and so 0:02:04.920 --> 0:02:07.480 I think I ultimately kind of wanted to follow that path. 0:02:07.600 --> 0:02:09.720 Now what that looked like, I'm not sure. I think 0:02:09.880 --> 0:02:11.720 actually have a letter that I wrote to myself like 0:02:11.720 --> 0:02:13.760 I'm going to be a teacher one day, like way before. 0:02:13.840 --> 0:02:15.840 But ultimately I always just really wanted to be a 0:02:15.919 --> 0:02:17.720 professional athlete, but I don't know what that looked like 0:02:17.800 --> 0:02:18.200 or meant. 0:02:18.240 --> 0:02:20.359 So yeah, I would say a teacher. What kind of 0:02:20.400 --> 0:02:22.040 teacher he did, like Jen ed. 0:02:23.560 --> 0:02:26.040 So he did taw a lot of like AutoCAD and 0:02:26.320 --> 0:02:28.799 kind of very applicable things that a lot of kids 0:02:28.800 --> 0:02:30.280 maybe if they didn't want to go to college, that 0:02:30.320 --> 0:02:33.400 they had for other things, construction all that stuff. So 0:02:34.120 --> 0:02:35.680 that's kind of what he did. And then he taught 0:02:35.760 --> 0:02:37.240 drivers at as well. I taught me how to drive, 0:02:37.320 --> 0:02:41.280 so all the successful driving is on my dad, So yeah, 0:02:41.320 --> 0:02:43.480 I know it's it was cool, amazing. 0:02:43.560 --> 0:02:46.240 Yeah, I read at one point you wanted to be 0:02:46.280 --> 0:02:49.080 an Olympic gymnast. Is that's true? Yeah? 0:02:49.240 --> 0:02:51.800 So I one of my very first memories of the 0:02:51.800 --> 0:02:55.200 Olympics was in the kitchen with my mom. She would 0:02:55.240 --> 0:02:56.960 always be cooking and I would be sitting at the 0:02:56.960 --> 0:02:59.639 bar and we had this white TV that kind of swiveled, 0:02:59.680 --> 0:03:02.000 you know, and the Olympics were on. The gymnasts were 0:03:02.080 --> 0:03:05.000 like flipping around and I was just at that point 0:03:05.040 --> 0:03:07.280 I was doing gymnastics and I was like, oh, this 0:03:07.360 --> 0:03:09.880 could be enjoyable. And then I grew over six feet 0:03:09.520 --> 0:03:13.280 and that dream ended, so uh no, but I just 0:03:14.080 --> 0:03:17.000 watching them like it was just amazing, like what they're 0:03:17.000 --> 0:03:19.480 doing with their bodies and their minds and I don't know, 0:03:19.520 --> 0:03:21.720 it's just really intriguing. So it's kind of started that 0:03:21.760 --> 0:03:23.600 initial initial thought and dream. 0:03:23.880 --> 0:03:27.800 At the Magnificent seven Carrie Straw dumb dumb, Yes it 0:03:27.880 --> 0:03:31.399 was stomach Dund's Yes, Wow, gosh, that was long. I'm 0:03:31.440 --> 0:03:35.880 right there, like, yeah, sorry, we can at least you 0:03:35.920 --> 0:03:37.960 can remember right now. Oh I remember because I was 0:03:38.000 --> 0:03:41.720 a gymnast too. Then exactly, yeah, same same dream. 0:03:44.000 --> 0:03:46.080 Mine ended a little Yeah, I did a little different, 0:03:46.120 --> 0:03:47.480 but still a similar path. 0:03:47.960 --> 0:03:50.680 Yeah. So when did you get introduced the volleyball? Oh? 0:03:50.760 --> 0:03:54.360 Goodness? So actually my parents did a great job. They 0:03:54.440 --> 0:03:55.720 kind of threw me in a lot of things. So 0:03:55.760 --> 0:03:59.080 I started out with soccer, gymnastics. Yeah, I tried everything. 0:03:59.120 --> 0:04:01.440 I was in the band. I played the piano like 0:04:01.520 --> 0:04:03.920 I because I had really long fingers smell. I was like, 0:04:03.920 --> 0:04:05.480 you're going to learn how to do that, and that 0:04:05.600 --> 0:04:08.640 was not my fortunay, so but yeah, and then vulleyball 0:04:08.680 --> 0:04:11.200 started by dad was a basketball coach and so I 0:04:11.200 --> 0:04:14.040 played softball as well. So just kind of really got 0:04:14.040 --> 0:04:16.400 a taste of everything, and then I really fell in 0:04:16.440 --> 0:04:18.960 love with volleyball. And then that's kind of when I mean, 0:04:19.000 --> 0:04:21.640 col volleyball has been around for a while, but the 0:04:21.720 --> 0:04:24.200 talk wasn't especially in small town. I didn't really hear 0:04:24.240 --> 0:04:26.360 about it until I was kind of turning twelve, and 0:04:26.800 --> 0:04:29.320 that's when I really started diving into more of that. 0:04:29.480 --> 0:04:31.520 But I really just fell in love the sport. Speaking 0:04:31.520 --> 0:04:33.440 of small town, I mean, your town was what eight 0:04:33.520 --> 0:04:36.880 hundred people? Yeah Asian, I'm like fifty something, fifty eight 0:04:37.000 --> 0:04:37.320 or something. 0:04:37.400 --> 0:04:39.400 Yeah, it's weird to think that, like that's where it 0:04:39.440 --> 0:04:42.360 all started because I was so nervous and scared to leave. 0:04:42.480 --> 0:04:44.320 You know, I was scared to leave the state. You know, 0:04:44.360 --> 0:04:46.520 when you're born and raised there, you have a great 0:04:46.560 --> 0:04:49.800 sense of community. And I just feel very lucky that 0:04:49.880 --> 0:04:52.440 the roots started there and kind of got to expand. 0:04:52.560 --> 0:04:54.799 But now, I just I wouldn't change this life for anything. 0:04:54.839 --> 0:04:56.880 And yeah, I'm just really grateful for my parents to 0:04:57.000 --> 0:04:58.840 keep encouraging me. And if it was up to me, 0:04:58.880 --> 0:04:59.880 I probably would have stayed home. 0:05:00.520 --> 0:05:03.320 So is that part of the reason why he wanted 0:05:03.320 --> 0:05:04.240 to go to Nebraska. 0:05:04.360 --> 0:05:06.560 Yeah, Yeah, it was just an easy choice obviously, They're 0:05:06.640 --> 0:05:09.560 a very well known program, very good. They were number 0:05:09.680 --> 0:05:11.240 one when I went there, and I. 0:05:11.240 --> 0:05:14.640 Just want hey, guys, it's me. I just want to 0:05:14.640 --> 0:05:18.240 take a quick moment to explain how good Nebraska was 0:05:18.240 --> 0:05:20.840 when Jordan decided to play for them, because she's so 0:05:20.960 --> 0:05:24.320 humble about it. So when Jordan joined Nebraska in two 0:05:24.320 --> 0:05:28.280 thousand and five, they had already won two NCUBA championships 0:05:28.320 --> 0:05:30.919 in nineteen ninety five and two thousand and we're the 0:05:30.960 --> 0:05:34.800 Big Twelve Conference champs seven of the previous nine seasons. 0:05:35.200 --> 0:05:37.440 John Cook became the corn Huskers head coach in two 0:05:37.480 --> 0:05:40.240 thousand and a lot of their winning ways can be 0:05:40.279 --> 0:05:41.279 attributed to him. 0:05:41.320 --> 0:05:41.880 At the helm. 0:05:42.160 --> 0:05:45.919 I mean, Nebraska has won three more times two thousand 0:05:45.920 --> 0:05:49.719 and six with Larsen, twenty fifteen and twenty seventeen. Since then, 0:05:50.200 --> 0:05:54.160 and they have not missed an NCAA tournament appearance since 0:05:54.360 --> 0:05:58.479 nineteen eighty two. I know, right all right back to Jordan. 0:05:59.080 --> 0:06:00.560 Yeah, and I just want to my family to be 0:06:00.600 --> 0:06:02.200 at a lot of games. So it was really just 0:06:02.240 --> 0:06:04.200 an obvious choice. So in the state, it just really 0:06:04.200 --> 0:06:07.200 loved Nebraska, so it's it was quite easy. 0:06:07.360 --> 0:06:09.200 So let's talk about when you were in high school 0:06:09.560 --> 0:06:13.120 and the recruiting process. When did you know that you 0:06:13.400 --> 0:06:19.200 were like different beyond you don't know when that actually hit. 0:06:19.320 --> 0:06:21.760 I mean, I think I was just in general, like just. 0:06:21.720 --> 0:06:24.000 A good athlete. You know. Again, I did all. 0:06:23.839 --> 0:06:25.839 These other sports, and I think my parents really did 0:06:25.880 --> 0:06:27.800 a good job of even doing extra like I was 0:06:27.800 --> 0:06:29.920 doing like speed and agility, like I was trying to 0:06:30.000 --> 0:06:33.120 do other things outside just sports. But yeah, I think 0:06:33.160 --> 0:06:35.839 when you know, I was actually talking to a coach 0:06:35.880 --> 0:06:37.600 of mine from the past and they're like, yeah, in 0:06:37.600 --> 0:06:39.919 every club tournament, they're just like the court just surrounded, 0:06:40.000 --> 0:06:42.160 you know, like with college coaches and like eyes were 0:06:42.200 --> 0:06:45.280 on and so yeah, I would say probably my freshman year, 0:06:45.320 --> 0:06:47.279 maybe eighth grade year was kind of when I was 0:06:47.320 --> 0:06:50.080 starting to realize that maybe my dream of being a 0:06:50.120 --> 0:06:51.680 college athlete was going to come true. 0:06:51.720 --> 0:06:56.360 And that's a long time ago. Honestly, I thought, though, Well, 0:06:56.440 --> 0:06:57.960 let me ask you this, because you came from such 0:06:57.960 --> 0:07:00.920 a small town, where was your club team in relation? 0:07:01.080 --> 0:07:02.679 Did you have to drive far? Yeah? 0:07:02.720 --> 0:07:05.560 So my first club team was actually Premiere Volleyball Club 0:07:05.600 --> 0:07:07.880 and it was in Omaha. So Omaha is about like 0:07:07.880 --> 0:07:10.000 a forty five minute to an hour drive. So yeah, 0:07:10.040 --> 0:07:12.440 if you're practicing twice a week in the tournaments on 0:07:12.480 --> 0:07:14.600 the weekend, like that was a long time in the car. Again, 0:07:14.680 --> 0:07:18.040 grateful for my parents for one the financial sacrifice and 0:07:18.120 --> 0:07:20.480 also just the time commitment. I also remember we bought 0:07:20.520 --> 0:07:23.120 a suburban because it allowed me to like stretch my 0:07:23.200 --> 0:07:26.280 legs in the back like as we're traveling, and obviously 0:07:26.600 --> 0:07:28.360 lay down and be able to get some sleep while 0:07:28.360 --> 0:07:29.000 we're traveling. 0:07:29.080 --> 0:07:31.280 I'm just really really grateful. When I was playing Chloe, 0:07:31.320 --> 0:07:33.559 I had to drive forty five minutes soon now also 0:07:33.640 --> 0:07:36.400 to get to my team, and my mom bought the 0:07:36.480 --> 0:07:39.560 mini van with the TV and the VHS play. Oh 0:07:39.640 --> 0:07:44.920 the VHS game change it really was. It is crazy. Yeah. 0:07:45.560 --> 0:07:47.800 I had the portable like the portal ones player for 0:07:47.840 --> 0:07:49.000 a while, and then. 0:07:49.000 --> 0:07:51.480 I think we did finally upgrade to the yeah, the 0:07:51.480 --> 0:07:52.400 one in the in the car. 0:07:52.640 --> 0:07:56.280 Yeah, with the wireless head. I was like, this is lucksharing. 0:07:56.560 --> 0:07:58.200 But I was short, so it was easier for me 0:07:58.240 --> 0:07:58.760 to be in. 0:07:58.800 --> 0:08:01.680 Yeah yeah, yeah, no great Yeah, And my parents didn't 0:08:01.680 --> 0:08:03.360 like to fly, so it was just like we're road 0:08:03.360 --> 0:08:04.120 tripping all the time. 0:08:04.200 --> 0:08:08.040 So if we played in Minnesota or Colorreado, we drove it. Yeah, 0:08:08.040 --> 0:08:08.480 we drove. 0:08:08.840 --> 0:08:10.960 My mom was not a great flyer. But honestly, now 0:08:11.000 --> 0:08:12.720 looking back, it was great time with family. 0:08:13.240 --> 0:08:15.880 It was. It was really nice. It's so fun road trips. Oh, 0:08:16.000 --> 0:08:18.520 I heard it's kind of yeah boring, it is. 0:08:18.600 --> 0:08:21.800 It's very flat, you know, but you know, we always 0:08:21.880 --> 0:08:23.680 tried to play games in the car or listen to 0:08:23.720 --> 0:08:25.720 music and watch movies as they could mention. Yeah, so 0:08:25.800 --> 0:08:26.840 it was good, amazing. 0:08:27.200 --> 0:08:30.360 So I read also that John Cook when he came 0:08:30.400 --> 0:08:33.360 to visit you once at your high school after the 0:08:33.440 --> 0:08:37.840 game ended, you stayed and basically shook everyone's hand. 0:08:38.000 --> 0:08:38.200 Yeah. 0:08:38.240 --> 0:08:43.440 Yeah, Where did you find that humbleness in your personality? 0:08:43.440 --> 0:08:46.280 Where did that come from? Again? I could assume my parents. 0:08:46.400 --> 0:08:48.480 I mean they always just said, you know, I always 0:08:48.520 --> 0:08:51.079 think whoever to come, and that was just was ingreted 0:08:51.120 --> 0:08:54.000 from like from the very beginning. And so and I 0:08:54.040 --> 0:08:55.800 also think my parents did such a good job. Like 0:08:55.840 --> 0:08:58.440 sometimes my stepdad was trying to get my mom out 0:08:58.440 --> 0:09:00.680 of the building because she was just chatting up with somebody. 0:09:00.760 --> 0:09:03.960 So I think it's just something that they've really tried 0:09:03.960 --> 0:09:05.240 to ingrain in me from a young age. 0:09:05.240 --> 0:09:07.200 And I just also think that people are taking. 0:09:07.000 --> 0:09:09.240 Time out of their day to come watch, and you know, 0:09:09.440 --> 0:09:10.800 showing appreciation. 0:09:10.360 --> 0:09:11.600 For that is huge. 0:09:11.600 --> 0:09:13.880 And I didn't even know this, but my dad said 0:09:13.880 --> 0:09:17.240 that the generation before, like my grandpa, never really attended 0:09:17.320 --> 0:09:19.680 any of his game like it was I think obviously 0:09:19.760 --> 0:09:21.640 they were farming and doing all these things, and my 0:09:21.679 --> 0:09:24.280 grandpa didn't never missed a game of mind. So it's 0:09:24.360 --> 0:09:26.960 just even I don't know, just even more appreciation that 0:09:27.000 --> 0:09:28.800 they're taking time out of their schedule to be there 0:09:29.040 --> 0:09:32.480 and to be present and support me and my my dreams. 0:09:32.480 --> 0:09:35.400 So make sure and selfless. 0:09:34.240 --> 0:09:37.440 And I mean, yeah, I also, I mean I think, 0:09:37.520 --> 0:09:39.920 like you know, Nebraska's special and that I think we 0:09:40.040 --> 0:09:42.880 just have really good people and people that care. 0:09:42.679 --> 0:09:44.319 And I know, just showing that is huge. 0:09:44.360 --> 0:09:46.160 So I know, I've always just tried to keep that 0:09:46.200 --> 0:09:48.320 too in the forefront as my career has gone on, 0:09:48.440 --> 0:09:49.640 of you know, you're going to meet a lot of 0:09:49.640 --> 0:09:51.920 different people, and my mom is just very about like 0:09:51.960 --> 0:09:53.960 being a sponge, like taking it all in and just 0:09:54.040 --> 0:09:56.160 enjoying the moment. And so I've really tried to keep 0:09:56.200 --> 0:09:57.800 that in the back of my mind of really how 0:09:57.840 --> 0:10:00.559 I wanted to be and to be good teammate and 0:10:00.559 --> 0:10:01.120 all that stuff. 0:10:01.160 --> 0:10:04.319 That's awesome. Yeah, so you joined Nebraska five and then 0:10:04.440 --> 0:10:07.199 O six you win a title? Yes, well was that 0:10:07.280 --> 0:10:12.080 like going from you know, small town high school, dominant player, 0:10:12.240 --> 0:10:14.760 amazing player, but then going to like college and then 0:10:15.000 --> 0:10:17.360 so fast winning and title still so surreal. 0:10:18.160 --> 0:10:20.560 I think what was humbling for me was that my 0:10:20.559 --> 0:10:22.400 freshman year I only had one kill in the final. 0:10:22.600 --> 0:10:24.240 Is like, okay, did we get to do better? 0:10:25.080 --> 0:10:27.839 But it was I mean, obviously the team was great, 0:10:27.880 --> 0:10:29.600 and I think we learned a lot of lessons that 0:10:29.679 --> 0:10:31.360 year and O five and how we wanted to be 0:10:31.360 --> 0:10:33.640 better going into six, and I think we made a 0:10:33.720 --> 0:10:36.400 lot of great changes, and culturally we were just very 0:10:36.440 --> 0:10:38.800 sound and yeah, just grewing up a small town and 0:10:38.840 --> 0:10:41.439 being able to represent my little small town but also 0:10:41.480 --> 0:10:43.760 the state. It was huge and the huge honor and yeah, 0:10:43.760 --> 0:10:45.600 it's still one of my favorite memories of the all time. 0:10:45.800 --> 0:10:47.920 So when did the nickname the Governor come into pool? 0:10:48.000 --> 0:10:50.920 Yeah? That was a little bit further after college. It 0:10:51.000 --> 0:10:52.840 was like my second year in the national team. We 0:10:52.840 --> 0:10:55.679 were in Thailand and the games are finished and like 0:10:55.720 --> 0:10:57.520 a guy is standing at the end with a red 0:10:57.520 --> 0:11:00.960 shirt on, like waving me down and Lucas, Like Fluca 0:11:01.120 --> 0:11:02.760 is one of my ex teammates, one of my really 0:11:02.800 --> 0:11:03.320 good friends. 0:11:03.960 --> 0:11:06.040 And the guy was there and he's like, I know 0:11:06.080 --> 0:11:07.120 your dad and like. 0:11:07.080 --> 0:11:09.960 He's from Nebraska, and like Luca's like seriously, like we're 0:11:10.000 --> 0:11:11.960 all the way in Thailand. And so she's telling this 0:11:12.040 --> 0:11:14.520 story to her brother, and her brother's like, well, of 0:11:14.520 --> 0:11:17.440 course she's the governor. And Feluca's really good with nicknames, 0:11:17.600 --> 0:11:19.600 like so good that like you have to start responding 0:11:19.640 --> 0:11:22.840 because so every day after practice she's like gouvna ye 0:11:23.200 --> 0:11:26.240 gummy like and finally, I like change my Instagram handle 0:11:26.240 --> 0:11:27.760 as a joke. Now if I try to change it, 0:11:27.760 --> 0:11:30.440 it's like contact Instagram and I'm just like a hasshole. 0:11:30.520 --> 0:11:33.120 It's just but now it's just become kind of funny. 0:11:33.160 --> 0:11:35.480 I actually saw the governor of Nebraska like two months 0:11:35.480 --> 0:11:37.200 ago and he's like Governor and I was like, this 0:11:37.320 --> 0:11:40.400 is weird. That's it just so it's so funny. So 0:11:40.440 --> 0:11:43.199 it's it's now it's now become yeah kind of a thing. 0:11:43.480 --> 0:11:46.600 I love that that's such a good nickname. First, I 0:11:46.720 --> 0:11:49.720 bet it's stuck in that Governor of Nebraska is like 0:11:50.080 --> 0:11:52.600 all of that. It's just amazing. It's so funny. It's 0:11:52.600 --> 0:11:56.560 so funny. So when you were in Nebraska, when did 0:11:56.559 --> 0:11:59.280 you know you wanted to go pro? And when did 0:11:59.280 --> 0:12:02.320 you know that you were going to take this next step? Yeah? 0:12:02.360 --> 0:12:05.960 So I actually when I was twelve, I actually set 0:12:06.040 --> 0:12:08.280 three goals. I wanted to start in high school. I 0:12:08.280 --> 0:12:10.080 wanted to go to college to play volleyball. And then 0:12:10.080 --> 0:12:12.800 I think even at that age, I was walking around 0:12:12.840 --> 0:12:14.480 saying like, I'm going to be an Olympian. And I 0:12:14.480 --> 0:12:16.680 don't know at that time if I knew what that meant, 0:12:16.760 --> 0:12:18.840 but I think when I got to college, like that 0:12:18.960 --> 0:12:21.319 was always kind of Coach Cook always knew that was 0:12:21.360 --> 0:12:22.840 a goal of mine, and I think he did a 0:12:22.840 --> 0:12:25.120 really good job of kind of keeping that as a reminder, 0:12:25.320 --> 0:12:29.800 Like as far as certain behaviors or technical things that 0:12:29.840 --> 0:12:32.439 I was doing, he was like, hey, this can lead 0:12:32.480 --> 0:12:34.880 you down to where you want to be, you know. 0:12:35.000 --> 0:12:37.600 And I just always appreciated that as a reminder of 0:12:37.720 --> 0:12:40.400 just like it may be hard now, but like where 0:12:40.440 --> 0:12:41.840 you want to go, it's going to be worth it. 0:12:41.880 --> 0:12:43.600 I've always had that dream, but I think going to 0:12:43.600 --> 0:12:46.200 college helped kind of build those stepping stones to like 0:12:46.200 --> 0:12:46.880 the next level. 0:12:59.240 --> 0:13:03.120 So you guys did in eight correct this December? Hedge Yep, yep. 0:13:05.440 --> 0:13:07.679 I mean I've talked to a bunch of the girls 0:13:07.679 --> 0:13:09.760 on the team right now, and you know, a lot 0:13:09.760 --> 0:13:12.920 of them graduated in the teens late teens and went pro. 0:13:13.120 --> 0:13:15.400 So this is alway, this is ten years before that. 0:13:15.760 --> 0:13:20.240 About what was it like to go pro at that time? Yeah, 0:13:20.520 --> 0:13:20.880 it was. 0:13:20.840 --> 0:13:24.360 Still just so much unknown. Actually, I remember asking one 0:13:24.360 --> 0:13:27.200 of our alumnis Nancy Metcalf. She was kind of one 0:13:27.240 --> 0:13:30.120 that Allison Weston had been on the national team before, 0:13:30.240 --> 0:13:33.920 but I didn't have a connection to her. Per see, 0:13:34.000 --> 0:13:35.560 she was a little bit older than me. But Nancy 0:13:35.720 --> 0:13:37.760 was kind of in and around and still playing pro 0:13:37.800 --> 0:13:39.719 and coming back that she was present enough that I 0:13:39.720 --> 0:13:41.000 could ask a lot of questions. 0:13:41.040 --> 0:13:44.320 And again, I think the navigating. 0:13:43.720 --> 0:13:46.200 Of information just wasn't there. You know, it was like 0:13:46.360 --> 0:13:47.800 what do we think of this team? And you know, 0:13:47.920 --> 0:13:49.160 there's just not a lot of information. 0:13:49.360 --> 0:13:52.600 So now facebook to talk to agents, it was exactly exactly, 0:13:52.720 --> 0:13:53.920 nothing really connecting. 0:13:54.400 --> 0:13:56.720 And so I think learning from her and kind of 0:13:56.840 --> 0:14:01.120 just general questions to ask, even contract stuff things really 0:14:01.160 --> 0:14:03.320 helped me set a foundation of like, all right. 0:14:03.240 --> 0:14:05.120 What are we getting into and then how can we 0:14:05.160 --> 0:14:07.120 go from here? So I'm gonna lie. I was scary. 0:14:07.240 --> 0:14:08.880 Like I said, if I was up to me, I 0:14:08.880 --> 0:14:10.200 probably wouldn't left Nebraska. 0:14:10.360 --> 0:14:10.560 You know. 0:14:10.640 --> 0:14:12.280 It was just very I was a home body and 0:14:12.320 --> 0:14:15.760 so my parents and you know, had a great support 0:14:15.800 --> 0:14:18.000 system to kind of help me navigate that. But there 0:14:18.080 --> 0:14:19.840 was still a lot of unknowns at that time. Now 0:14:19.880 --> 0:14:22.720 it's unbelievable. I mean, it's cool to see how much 0:14:22.720 --> 0:14:23.680 information is out there. 0:14:23.880 --> 0:14:26.440 Yeah, for sure. And I also saw that I guess 0:14:26.480 --> 0:14:28.640 in two thousand and nine, AVP was trying to recruit 0:14:28.640 --> 0:14:29.880 you to play beach. Is this true? 0:14:29.960 --> 0:14:33.040 Yeah, Well they were doing like like an indoor beach series, 0:14:33.080 --> 0:14:35.160 so they were doing like a travel thing, and so 0:14:35.200 --> 0:14:37.840 they actually came to Ohan and did an indoor beach series, 0:14:37.880 --> 0:14:40.320 and I remember going and watching and thinking that that 0:14:40.440 --> 0:14:43.000 was an option. And the one thing about beach I 0:14:43.000 --> 0:14:45.320 think that's also evolved over time. But then it was 0:14:45.360 --> 0:14:47.240 just like it was just really hard to make a living, 0:14:47.400 --> 0:14:48.880 you know, it was like you had to play and 0:14:48.920 --> 0:14:51.000 then have a second job. And I just didn't know 0:14:51.040 --> 0:14:53.760 if that was for me at that moment. And so 0:14:54.200 --> 0:14:56.320 that made that decision pretty easy. That I really just 0:14:56.360 --> 0:14:58.560 wanted to commit to pro and then national team indoor 0:14:58.600 --> 0:15:00.640 and then see after that, see where that took me. 0:15:00.760 --> 0:15:03.040 But I'm still kind of intrigued. But I'm like, what, 0:15:03.160 --> 0:15:05.600 you know, beach, you never know. I was gonna say it, 0:15:05.640 --> 0:15:08.080 like it's beach. Maybe it's still in your future. I know, 0:15:08.160 --> 0:15:10.440 and you examined it. When did corscra like, you know, 0:15:10.520 --> 0:15:13.440 officially move from indoor to beach? I mean he was older, 0:15:13.520 --> 0:15:15.320 so I'm kind of like, well, I don't know. You 0:15:15.360 --> 0:15:16.960 never close the door, so we'll see. 0:15:17.440 --> 0:15:22.320 I'm not just making any promises, you know, exactly. Just 0:15:22.320 --> 0:15:24.600 got to throw that out there. I'm guessing. So I 0:15:24.640 --> 0:15:26.840 want to talk about the twenty twenty Olympics. Yeah, I 0:15:26.840 --> 0:15:30.680 guess twenty twenty one Tokyo. At this time, you know, 0:15:30.960 --> 0:15:33.560 you had been to two other Olympics before you went 0:15:33.600 --> 0:15:35.280 to Silver. You went to Bronze and I art your 0:15:35.320 --> 0:15:37.960 third Olympics. But a lot of these girls on your 0:15:38.000 --> 0:15:40.400 team it was their first time. So what was it 0:15:40.600 --> 0:15:43.520 like kind of being you know, this queen the veteran 0:15:43.840 --> 0:15:47.360 with these girls who idolized you and used to watch 0:15:47.360 --> 0:15:49.920 you play and playing together at this team. 0:15:50.840 --> 0:15:54.000 Oh, I'm getting chills singing about it. It's I still 0:15:54.040 --> 0:15:57.200 can't believe it. Honestly, it's I don't even know how 0:15:57.240 --> 0:16:00.400 to like put into words because it's the way we 0:16:00.440 --> 0:16:02.400 went about it. I think if you would ask the 0:16:02.440 --> 0:16:04.480 majority of us in twenty twenty if the Olympics were 0:16:04.480 --> 0:16:05.760 at the time, I don't know if we would have 0:16:05.760 --> 0:16:09.120 been ready. But I think with COVID it allowed us 0:16:09.160 --> 0:16:12.360 time and clarity to have a lot of conversation and 0:16:12.440 --> 0:16:14.800 how to build a culture that we desired and wanted, 0:16:14.840 --> 0:16:16.360 and gave us a lot of clarity that when we 0:16:16.400 --> 0:16:18.200 did come back in the gym in twenty twenty one, 0:16:18.240 --> 0:16:20.840 we all knew exactly what we had to do to execute. 0:16:20.920 --> 0:16:22.920 We all knew exactly what it was going to be. 0:16:23.080 --> 0:16:25.840 And how we went about just the Olympic Games, right, 0:16:25.920 --> 0:16:27.760 you know, going three zero three zero three, oh, like 0:16:27.840 --> 0:16:30.440 quarterfinals something like I don't even know if that's maybe 0:16:30.480 --> 0:16:33.520 happened maybe one more time in history, Like it's crazy. 0:16:33.600 --> 0:16:37.160 So but I'm just really proud of how we kind 0:16:37.160 --> 0:16:39.240 of set a precedent of how we wanted to be 0:16:39.280 --> 0:16:41.320 in the gym and then you just see the result 0:16:41.360 --> 0:16:43.640 at the end. But I think all of us, well, yes, 0:16:43.680 --> 0:16:45.760 winning a gold medal is huge. I think we all 0:16:45.760 --> 0:16:47.800 just resonate with the process that it took to get there, 0:16:47.840 --> 0:16:49.760 and for me, it was just icing on the cake. 0:16:49.840 --> 0:16:51.480 It was like, you know, you feel like you're doing 0:16:51.520 --> 0:16:53.280 the right thing, and like you come up short a 0:16:53.280 --> 0:16:55.000 couple of times and then you feel like you get 0:16:55.000 --> 0:16:58.840 another chance. You're like, all right, literally, I'm I've done everything, 0:16:58.920 --> 0:17:00.560 so you know, if I know, I get it, like 0:17:00.600 --> 0:17:03.120 it is what it is, you know, So it's yeah, 0:17:03.280 --> 0:17:04.160 it's really special. 0:17:04.240 --> 0:17:06.320 Did you have an idea like going into that gold 0:17:06.400 --> 0:17:09.679 medal match that like this was the year? Yeah, I 0:17:09.720 --> 0:17:12.640 mean I definitely, but I was so emotional, like I 0:17:12.920 --> 0:17:17.720 was me again. There were many reasons why Jordan was 0:17:17.720 --> 0:17:20.120 so emotional before that match, which we'll get to in 0:17:20.200 --> 0:17:23.080 just a second, but to give you an idea of 0:17:23.240 --> 0:17:27.359 how important this game was for Team USA, volleyball became 0:17:27.440 --> 0:17:30.600 an Olympic sport back in nineteen sixty four, and it 0:17:30.640 --> 0:17:35.240