WEBVTT - The Warrior Mindset with Daly Santana 0:00:02.400 --> 0:00:05.720 Hi, I'm Tiffany Oshinsky, and this is serving pancakes with 0:00:05.800 --> 0:00:09.520 League One Volleyball. With the inaugural Love Season just around 0:00:09.520 --> 0:00:11.719 the corner. Over the next few weeks, we'll be following 0:00:11.760 --> 0:00:14.840 some of the biggest women's college volleyball games featuring schools 0:00:14.880 --> 0:00:18.560 that our players attended. Today's episode features Love Madison outside 0:00:18.600 --> 0:00:21.560 hitter Dolly Santana. But before we get to Dolly, let's 0:00:21.640 --> 0:00:24.439 do a quick recap of Sunday's Texas Florida game, because 0:00:24.480 --> 0:00:28.200 we had both a great comeback and a pancake. Number 0:00:28.240 --> 0:00:31.680 seven Texas swept Number eighteen Florida twenty five, twenty three, 0:00:31.880 --> 0:00:35.680 twenty five, eighteen, twenty five, fourteen. In the first set, 0:00:35.720 --> 0:00:39.440 with Florida leading twenty one to fourteen, the Longhorns went 0:00:39.479 --> 0:00:42.080 on an eleven to three run to take the w 0:00:42.800 --> 0:00:46.279 After that comeback, Texas never looked back, even when they 0:00:46.280 --> 0:00:49.000 were tied at ten in the third set. The Longhorns 0:00:49.040 --> 0:00:52.320 tallied thirteen stuffed blocks, including a career high ten blocks 0:00:52.320 --> 0:00:56.280 by middle Mariyana Singletary. Meanwhile, the offense was on fire, 0:00:56.360 --> 0:00:58.440 hitting three thirty three in the match to the Gators 0:00:58.520 --> 0:01:01.520 one forty six hitting percentage. The offense was led by 0:01:01.520 --> 0:01:04.920 outside hitter Madison Skinner with twelve kills, in opposite Devin 0:01:05.000 --> 0:01:08.720 Cohahawaii with eight. This was Texas's sixth straight win and 0:01:08.880 --> 0:01:12.160 fourth sweep in that time. And lastly, because this is 0:01:12.200 --> 0:01:15.600 serving pancakes, we will be instituting a pancake counter where 0:01:15.640 --> 0:01:19.040 we count how many pancakes happened during the matches we cover, 0:01:19.480 --> 0:01:22.520 and this time around I only counted one pancake by 0:01:22.520 --> 0:01:25.400 setter Ellis Swindle early in the second set. And on 0:01:25.440 --> 0:01:28.920 Saturday night, Dolly's alma mater, the twelfth ranked Minnesota Gophers 0:01:29.080 --> 0:01:32.560 lost to number twenty one USC in four sets twenty three, 0:01:32.640 --> 0:01:36.680 twenty five, twenty five, twenty two, eleven, twenty five, eighteen, 0:01:36.800 --> 0:01:40.119 twenty five. The Trojans out hit, out blocked, and out 0:01:40.200 --> 0:01:44.440 dug Minnesota, but Gopher's opposite Lydia Groat finished with sixteen 0:01:44.520 --> 0:01:48.760 kills and outside hitter Julia Hansen had nine with eight digs. Now, 0:01:48.800 --> 0:01:51.280 in honor of Hispanic Heritage month, we have one of 0:01:51.320 --> 0:01:56.040 Puerto Rico's most decorated players ever, Dolly Santana. Dolly is 0:01:56.080 --> 0:01:59.400 an outside hitter from Corazal, Puerto Rico. She's been part 0:01:59.440 --> 0:02:01.920 of the port ric national team since twenty eleven and 0:02:01.960 --> 0:02:05.560 competed in the twenty sixteenth Summer Olympics. She played for 0:02:05.600 --> 0:02:09.200 the University of Minnesota and is an all around badass 0:02:09.440 --> 0:02:11.680 and soon she'll be playing back in the States with 0:02:11.800 --> 0:02:15.160 Love Madison. Today we're talking about her journey to come 0:02:15.200 --> 0:02:18.639 play in the US and more. Dollie, Welcome to serving Pancakes. 0:02:18.639 --> 0:02:20.000 Thank you so much for being. 0:02:19.800 --> 0:02:21.680 Here, Thank you for having me. 0:02:22.040 --> 0:02:25.000 So first, I want to start, where are you located 0:02:25.080 --> 0:02:26.959 right now? Where are we recording this interview from? 0:02:27.280 --> 0:02:29.200 I am in Minneapolis right now. 0:02:29.320 --> 0:02:31.880 I came to just be around, you know, the vogeball 0:02:32.000 --> 0:02:35.040 environment and see the Gophers play and just kind of 0:02:35.080 --> 0:02:38.160 be here as I get ready to head to Madison, so, 0:02:38.639 --> 0:02:41.480 you know, just a little time for myself and getting 0:02:41.520 --> 0:02:45.280 ready mentally and physically to do my job well hopefully. 0:02:46.120 --> 0:02:49.640 So we're recording this episode in September, and you're just 0:02:49.720 --> 0:02:53.720 at the Minnesota Wisconsin game that Minnesota actually upset Wisconsin 0:02:53.760 --> 0:02:58.720 in five sets, which super exciting. What was it like 0:02:58.760 --> 0:03:01.080 being back, Wow, it was really great. 0:03:01.160 --> 0:03:04.080 It was really great seeing some familiar faces and like 0:03:04.200 --> 0:03:04.960 seeing the team. 0:03:05.160 --> 0:03:07.079 I don't currently know any. 0:03:06.880 --> 0:03:08.960 Of these girls, I saw them when they were really 0:03:09.000 --> 0:03:12.480 little because some of them are sisters of my former teammates, 0:03:12.520 --> 0:03:16.000 so it was really surreal to see them competing and 0:03:16.040 --> 0:03:19.080 like being part of the team that I was once 0:03:19.240 --> 0:03:21.880 part of. And so it's always great to see the 0:03:21.880 --> 0:03:24.440 border battle. I kind of have to get used to 0:03:26.120 --> 0:03:30.080 the feeling of like, oh, I'm on the other side 0:03:30.600 --> 0:03:33.200 to get there, but for now, it was great to 0:03:33.240 --> 0:03:35.400 watch the game and to see a good, you know, 0:03:35.520 --> 0:03:38.400 good volleyball in a great volleyball environment. 0:03:38.400 --> 0:03:41.240 And one of your soon to be teammates on Love Madison, 0:03:41.320 --> 0:03:44.520 Lauren Carlini is now an assistant coach at Wisconsin. So 0:03:44.560 --> 0:03:45.480 did you get to talk to her. 0:03:45.760 --> 0:03:48.320 Yes, we talked in the morning before the team had 0:03:48.360 --> 0:03:50.560 practice and we taught. We talked a little bit before 0:03:50.600 --> 0:03:52.480 the game as well, and it was just really nice 0:03:52.520 --> 0:03:55.760 to catch up. We had played together before in Turkey, 0:03:55.880 --> 0:03:58.240 so it was, you know, really great to see her 0:03:58.280 --> 0:04:01.520 again after that, and I'm just really excited. 0:04:01.160 --> 0:04:02.400 To have her as a teammate again. 0:04:02.480 --> 0:04:06.120 I think she's, you know, super competitive and she's always 0:04:06.120 --> 0:04:08.160 bringing out the best out of her teammates, so I'm 0:04:08.200 --> 0:04:10.440 really really excited to be with her again. 0:04:10.920 --> 0:04:12.800 Yeah, it's gonna be a lot of fun lorn if 0:04:12.800 --> 0:04:15.440 we had her on the show a few months ago. 0:04:15.480 --> 0:04:20.400 And she's just such a fun person, amazing personality, and 0:04:20.560 --> 0:04:23.359 great volleyball player. So I'm I'm actually a little jealous 0:04:23.360 --> 0:04:24.200 that you get to play with her. 0:04:26.600 --> 0:04:31.040 She's amazing. She's amazing, the full package for sure. 0:04:32.320 --> 0:04:33.920 Well, so you know, we wanted to have you on 0:04:33.960 --> 0:04:37.240 because it is Hispanic Heritage Month. It's an important time 0:04:37.279 --> 0:04:40.120 to celebrate the Hispanic culture. I'm half Mexican, so this 0:04:40.200 --> 0:04:42.039 is an exciting thing for me to talk about too. 0:04:42.680 --> 0:04:44.839 But I wanted to talk about you growing up in 0:04:44.960 --> 0:04:48.000 Puerto Rico, So talk about you know how you got 0:04:48.000 --> 0:04:48.720 into volleyball. 0:04:49.480 --> 0:04:54.640 Well, I think I've shared this story for and it's 0:04:54.680 --> 0:04:59.279 about me trying every sport and volleyball being such an 0:04:59.320 --> 0:05:02.400 important for for Puerto Rico and the only one that 0:05:02.440 --> 0:05:03.960 I really wanted to go back to. 0:05:05.760 --> 0:05:08.640 And that I felt like I couldn't live without. 0:05:08.760 --> 0:05:11.640 So that to me was like a clear indication that 0:05:11.680 --> 0:05:14.880 this was really for me and I wanted to keep 0:05:14.920 --> 0:05:15.240 doing it. 0:05:15.360 --> 0:05:18.120 My mom was also a volleyball athlete. 0:05:18.200 --> 0:05:23.080 Until write about college and fun fact, actually, my whole 0:05:23.120 --> 0:05:26.760 family is comes from like music, Their own musicians, and 0:05:26.920 --> 0:05:29.400 like they were like, you know, you can pick between 0:05:29.480 --> 0:05:31.920 this or that, you know, sports or music, And I 0:05:31.960 --> 0:05:36.200 was like sports all the way. So we'll see after sports, 0:05:36.200 --> 0:05:39.200 how you know, maybe I can do a little music thing. 0:05:39.320 --> 0:05:40.160 But we'll see. 0:05:40.320 --> 0:05:42.080 We'll cross that bridge when we get there. 0:05:43.240 --> 0:05:44.880 I have to go on this quick tangent because now 0:05:44.920 --> 0:05:47.440 I'm fascinated. Do you play instruments? Do you sing? Like, 0:05:47.520 --> 0:05:49.240 what's what's your musical gift? 0:05:49.520 --> 0:05:53.719 Yeah, it's definitely singing. I think that with my dad 0:05:53.880 --> 0:05:56.919 listening to him practice. My dad plays the trumpet and 0:05:56.960 --> 0:06:00.240 he's been a musician for over fifty years now, and 0:06:00.279 --> 0:06:02.360 my mom was also a singer and they were part 0:06:02.400 --> 0:06:07.440 of like the medannge salsa, like all those things in 0:06:07.480 --> 0:06:11.799 the Puerto Rican and Latino communities culture. And so I 0:06:11.839 --> 0:06:17.600 developed a skill for it listening to my parents practice 0:06:17.640 --> 0:06:19.800 their music for so many years, and I grew up 0:06:19.800 --> 0:06:22.520 with it. Although back then I used to think that 0:06:22.600 --> 0:06:24.480 it was a little bit annoying when I was trying 0:06:24.520 --> 0:06:26.279 to pick a nap and I could just hear the 0:06:26.320 --> 0:06:30.200 trump in the back, But now I can really tell 0:06:30.240 --> 0:06:33.679 that that really helped me develop a skill for music 0:06:33.720 --> 0:06:34.080 as well. 0:06:34.200 --> 0:06:35.720 So we'll see in the future. 0:06:36.520 --> 0:06:39.760 With you playing, I mean you've played overseas, you've played, 0:06:40.040 --> 0:06:43.000 you know, in the in the US. Do you bring 0:06:43.120 --> 0:06:45.760 that Puerto Rican music with you as like your pump 0:06:45.880 --> 0:06:49.039 up music or is it kind of like a little 0:06:49.040 --> 0:06:49.760 bit yeah. 0:06:49.560 --> 0:06:51.800 I mean we got right now in the past couple 0:06:51.839 --> 0:06:55.039 of years with Bad Bunny being like a really huge star, 0:06:55.240 --> 0:06:57.039 you know, like of course we got to bring some 0:06:57.120 --> 0:07:00.920 of that. But when it comes to my dad's music 0:07:00.960 --> 0:07:04.200 as well, there's always like usually around Christmas, I get 0:07:04.240 --> 0:07:08.960 really like nostyle chic a little bit, like I want 0:07:08.960 --> 0:07:12.040 to listen to my family. I want to listen to 0:07:12.160 --> 0:07:14.960 similar music. It's like that's really the time that i 0:07:15.000 --> 0:07:16.960 want to be close to home, and so I'm always 0:07:17.040 --> 0:07:17.520 looking for. 0:07:17.440 --> 0:07:19.760 My dad on like Spotify or my mom. 0:07:19.800 --> 0:07:22.440 They actually have songs in there, so like I just 0:07:22.520 --> 0:07:24.600 played them and it makes me feel like I'm back home. 0:07:24.960 --> 0:07:26.880 What are their names on there so we can give 0:07:26.960 --> 0:07:27.720 them some love. 0:07:28.240 --> 0:07:29.080 Oh my gosh. 0:07:29.360 --> 0:07:31.760 My mom used to be on this group called LA's 0:07:31.840 --> 0:07:35.080 Take as Gan and you can find those on Spotify. 0:07:35.240 --> 0:07:37.000 And then my dad used to be in a lot 0:07:37.080 --> 0:07:40.520 of groups, but you can find him as Alias Santana 0:07:40.640 --> 0:07:44.800 Eastward gesta, which is there's a lot of music to listen. 0:07:44.560 --> 0:07:49.960 To them amazing. I'm definitely gonna check that out for sure. So, 0:07:50.040 --> 0:07:52.200 with your family being so musical, you wanting to go 0:07:52.240 --> 0:07:54.400 into sports. You said that they were very supportive about it, 0:07:54.400 --> 0:07:56.960 but were there any challenges when it came to playing 0:07:57.040 --> 0:07:59.120 volleyball with your family being so musical. 0:08:00.480 --> 0:08:04.760 Yeah, totally, because I wasn't very good at any sports. 0:08:04.800 --> 0:08:06.960 I think I was one of those kids that was a. 0:08:06.920 --> 0:08:10.880 Little bit, like not a little bit a lot off balance, 0:08:10.920 --> 0:08:14.720 Like I couldn't really find my like it was really 0:08:14.720 --> 0:08:18.000 about that, like my balance, and so I was really 0:08:18.560 --> 0:08:21.440 clumsy for a long time, and like that didn't really 0:08:21.600 --> 0:08:24.040 help me with the sports. 0:08:24.120 --> 0:08:28.120 And so that was like that for about four years 0:08:28.200 --> 0:08:30.000 or so. So my parents were like, oh, you know, 0:08:30.080 --> 0:08:33.480 maybe it's not for you, but I didn't want to stop. 0:08:33.640 --> 0:08:36.640 So they just kept, you know, bringing me to practice 0:08:36.679 --> 0:08:40.520 and eventually got better. And I'm glad it did because 0:08:40.559 --> 0:08:43.760 now I have this, you know, incredible experience and like 0:08:43.800 --> 0:08:46.680 such a long career already and I'm excited to even 0:08:46.720 --> 0:08:50.040 be part of you know, LBB and seeing it come 0:08:50.080 --> 0:08:52.880 to life in the US is really something that none 0:08:52.920 --> 0:08:56.319 of us thought could come within like our careers right 0:08:56.400 --> 0:08:59.320 and like in our prime time. So I'm just really 0:09:00.480 --> 0:09:01.679 honored to be a part of it. 0:09:02.240 --> 0:09:03.880 I was so excited to have you a part of it, 0:09:03.960 --> 0:09:06.920 especially with your career and starting where you did. I mean, 0:09:07.160 --> 0:09:09.120 going back to when you first started. Do you remember 0:09:09.280 --> 0:09:11.800 the first time you touched a volleyball? What it was 0:09:12.000 --> 0:09:14.040 like for you, Like, did you have any idea what 0:09:14.080 --> 0:09:14.640 you were doing? 0:09:15.240 --> 0:09:15.400 Not? 0:09:15.480 --> 0:09:15.800 Really. 0:09:16.720 --> 0:09:18.960 My only plan was hit the ball as hard as 0:09:19.000 --> 0:09:22.400 I could, and I missed a lot and that was that. 0:09:22.600 --> 0:09:25.320 But I just kept trying and I just really wanted 0:09:25.320 --> 0:09:29.120 to keep going. I remember this one specific time. It 0:09:29.160 --> 0:09:32.480 was like back then we used to have courts that 0:09:32.559 --> 0:09:36.360 were outside, and we didn't. They were cement courts, kind 0:09:36.360 --> 0:09:40.280 of like the outboul basketball courts in like different living communities. 0:09:42.240 --> 0:09:44.680 No ceiling, no nothing like it just opened air. 0:09:47.080 --> 0:09:48.200 Yeah. 0:09:48.480 --> 0:09:49.000 I remember. 0:09:49.120 --> 0:09:51.840 It was a time that it was raining, so practice 0:09:51.920 --> 0:09:54.199 was canceled and my mom was like, we're not going anywhere, 0:09:54.200 --> 0:09:55.320 and I just started crying. 0:09:55.320 --> 0:09:57.440 And I remember that, but I'm like, please take me. 0:09:57.559 --> 0:10:00.240 She's like, where am I going to take you? Because 0:10:00.240 --> 0:10:03.680 it's canceled, it's raining, you know, It's all like to me, 0:10:03.880 --> 0:10:06.520 it was I just wanted to be playing volleyball all 0:10:06.559 --> 0:10:07.000 the time. 0:10:07.320 --> 0:10:12.840 So I'm excited and happy that it had the outcome 0:10:13.240 --> 0:10:13.800 that it did. 0:10:14.200 --> 0:10:16.360 What is volleyball like in Puerto Rico? 0:10:16.920 --> 0:10:19.040 I think it was and it still is, one of, 0:10:19.600 --> 0:10:21.400 if not the main sport for. 0:10:23.320 --> 0:10:24.160 Girls and women. 0:10:25.600 --> 0:10:30.800 And you know, there used to be this huge tournaments, 0:10:30.800 --> 0:10:37.840 weekend tournaments on these courts right where people from young 0:10:37.920 --> 0:10:41.360 kids to all the way grandparents would go and watch. 0:10:41.400 --> 0:10:45.520 And actually my grandparents, my grandparents were always going to 0:10:45.520 --> 0:10:48.559 watch these tournaments and always going to the high school tournaments, 0:10:48.640 --> 0:10:52.160 and even as a professional, they were like always. 0:10:51.960 --> 0:10:53.720 The first making the lines. 0:10:53.760 --> 0:10:57.319 And so it's really a sport that is like deeply 0:10:57.840 --> 0:11:00.960 rooted in our community and in our culture. 0:11:01.160 --> 0:11:03.800 So it still is like that. 0:11:04.000 --> 0:11:07.480 And for me to carry that over and kind of 0:11:07.880 --> 0:11:12.720 represent my country in that way in this stage, it's 0:11:12.840 --> 0:11:17.439 really really cool and really important to me as well. 0:11:18.280 --> 0:11:21.600 Now, Puerto Rico has had a professional volleyball league since 0:11:21.720 --> 0:11:25.920 nineteen sixty eight. Correct me with my pronunciation. It's called 0:11:26.040 --> 0:11:34.439 Liga de Voo, right, that's perfect, yeah, or the LVSF, 0:11:34.480 --> 0:11:37.000 I saw, which is a little easier to say. 0:11:37.440 --> 0:11:38.040 That's great. 0:11:38.200 --> 0:11:43.000 Yeah, Well a lot of love players have played professionally 0:11:43.080 --> 0:11:46.440 in that league. So what has been the public reaction 0:11:46.640 --> 0:11:49.120 to that league, especially since it's been around for so long. 0:11:49.120 --> 0:11:50.719 Are there a lot of sponsors, Are there a lot 0:11:50.720 --> 0:11:51.440 of fans. 0:11:51.679 --> 0:11:55.600 Well, there's definitely a lot of fans. It sometimes can 0:11:55.679 --> 0:12:03.240 get a little spicy go they're really into the sport. 0:12:03.440 --> 0:12:09.320 They're really passionate about the sport itself. So you know 0:12:09.400 --> 0:12:12.000 when you have teams like, for example, we also have 0:12:12.080 --> 0:12:16.640 a border battle between my team used to be Kodosalent 0:12:16.720 --> 0:12:17.839 the other team at the. 0:12:17.800 --> 0:12:19.400 Other side of the border. 0:12:19.880 --> 0:12:22.320 It's called nadan Haito, and those are like some of 0:12:22.360 --> 0:12:26.800 the most passionate, crazy games you'll ever see on the island, 0:12:27.320 --> 0:12:28.640 and people come. 0:12:29.000 --> 0:12:30.720 You know, the games are at seven apm. 0:12:30.800 --> 0:12:33.240 People are there from like three pm just like waiting 0:12:33.400 --> 0:12:35.920 to be let in and like get a good spot, 0:12:36.000 --> 0:12:38.520 and like they want to yell and they want to scream, 0:12:38.600 --> 0:12:41.320 and they want to share how. 0:12:41.200 --> 0:12:43.400 They feel about the sport, and so you have to. 0:12:43.960 --> 0:12:46.400 It's definitely a place where you learn how to be 0:12:46.480 --> 0:12:50.560 mentally tough because you have a lot of the fans 0:12:50.640 --> 0:12:54.760 who you know, want to really support you, but you 0:12:54.880 --> 0:12:57.199 also have the other fans from the other team who 0:12:57.280 --> 0:12:59.480 want to make sure that you know. 0:12:59.480 --> 0:13:00.160 They're there. 0:13:02.360 --> 0:13:02.800 For sure. 0:13:03.800 --> 0:13:05.960 That's the West way I can describe it. But it's 0:13:06.000 --> 0:13:09.520 definitely a very like cool, fun lead to play at, 0:13:10.080 --> 0:13:13.800 and I hope it could keep growing in the future. 0:13:13.880 --> 0:13:18.040 I definitely think that it needs more support and sponsors 0:13:18.080 --> 0:13:22.439 and care and I think that's going to get there eventually, 0:13:22.920 --> 0:13:25.520 and I hope that we can make it a leade 0:13:25.559 --> 0:13:27.800 that people and players want to be a part of 0:13:27.880 --> 0:13:28.520 in the future. 0:13:29.320 --> 0:13:31.240 Now, you've also been able to play in other Hispanic 0:13:31.280 --> 0:13:34.960 countries like Mexico, So how is the sport received there? 0:13:35.080 --> 0:13:36.959 Is it different or similar to Puerto Rico. 0:13:38.000 --> 0:13:42.320 I would say is similar, but it's definitely I think 0:13:42.440 --> 0:13:45.200 a little bit more spread out when it comes to 0:13:45.280 --> 0:13:48.000 like different sports, Like for us, it's like really all 0:13:48.040 --> 0:13:51.439 about volleyball, and I definitely feel like in different countries 0:13:51.920 --> 0:13:55.880 it's all about different kinds of sports and the support 0:13:55.960 --> 0:13:58.520 is kind of like very consistent when it comes to 0:13:59.080 --> 0:14:00.920 all which is. 0:14:00.840 --> 0:14:04.280 Something I think also Puerto Rico could do better at. 0:14:04.400 --> 0:14:06.600 I think we have a lot of talent and a 0:14:06.600 --> 0:14:11.800 lot of great athletes from different sports that. 0:14:11.920 --> 0:14:14.079 Need to be celebrated and supported. 0:14:14.160 --> 0:14:17.000 And I'm you know, I think that in the future 0:14:17.120 --> 0:14:20.000 it should, you know, we should try to be better 0:14:20.480 --> 0:14:20.800 at that. 0:14:21.880 --> 0:14:23.560 Mm hmm, if that makes sense, I don't know. 0:14:23.680 --> 0:14:29.960 Yes, yes, Now did you dream of playing volleyball professionally? Like, 0:14:30.040 --> 0:14:32.120 did you want to go to college and play? What 0:14:32.160 --> 0:14:34.520 was kind of the path when you first started playing? 0:14:36.200 --> 0:14:40.120 To be quite honest, I wasn't thinking too far ahead. 0:14:40.440 --> 0:14:44.360 I think to be a player from Puerto Rico and 0:14:44.440 --> 0:14:48.200 to make it to the United States for college back 0:14:48.240 --> 0:14:52.440 then used to be a little bit rare. So for me, 0:14:53.000 --> 0:14:58.280 it was, uh, one season at a time, taking one 0:14:58.320 --> 0:15:00.440 season at a time. My focus is to get better, 0:15:01.160 --> 0:15:05.000 to improve my skills, to grow up really and then 0:15:06.480 --> 0:15:10.840 let's see where this takes me. And close to my 0:15:11.000 --> 0:15:15.440 eleventh grade I believe tenth grade or eleventh grade, I 0:15:15.520 --> 0:15:20.720 had met with a recruiter for Minnesota and that's when 0:15:20.760 --> 0:15:23.000 I first started thinking, Okay, maybe I can go to 0:15:23.000 --> 0:15:27.600 college for this sport. That's kind of cool. And to 0:15:28.360 --> 0:15:31.040 have the opportunity to leave the island and to go 0:15:31.360 --> 0:15:34.280 to the US and do it like not that many 0:15:34.360 --> 0:15:38.480 athletes before me had done that was very like much 0:15:38.480 --> 0:15:39.240 an honor for me. 0:15:39.480 --> 0:15:42.760 So then that happened, and then after college. 0:15:42.880 --> 0:15:45.920 I was like, wow, like now it's you know, the 0:15:46.000 --> 0:15:48.920 door is wide open, Like we'll see how far we 0:15:49.040 --> 0:15:51.800 can go with this, and here we are. 0:15:52.520 --> 0:15:55.120 Did anybody mentor you when it came to trying to 0:15:55.160 --> 0:15:57.440 play in the US in college? 0:15:58.600 --> 0:16:01.200 Definitely the coaches that I was working with and the 0:16:01.240 --> 0:16:04.680 person that recruited me, and also I got a lot 0:16:04.680 --> 0:16:07.840 of support from my parents and my family and coaches 0:16:07.880 --> 0:16:08.440 in the island. 0:16:08.520 --> 0:16:12.200 But I would say there's such a difference with. 0:16:12.200 --> 0:16:15.720 The programs when it comes to university programs within the 0:16:15.760 --> 0:16:18.720 island or in the US that I needed a little 0:16:18.720 --> 0:16:21.440 bit more guidance, and that's where the coaches came in. 0:16:21.600 --> 0:16:24.040 I had at the time Laura Bush who recruited me, 0:16:24.160 --> 0:16:28.360 and Hugh McCutchen was coming in for the University of 0:16:28.400 --> 0:16:31.920 Minnesota in twenty twelve, and the whole coaching staff at 0:16:31.920 --> 0:16:34.080 that time. They really made sure that I had a 0:16:34.080 --> 0:16:37.720 place where I was comfortable, that I could be myself 0:16:38.000 --> 0:16:42.000 and I could just focus on becoming a better volleyball player. 0:16:55.200 --> 0:17:00.160 I mean, you were a stud in Puerto Rico in 0:17:00.240 --> 0:17:02.760 the national team when you were sixteen years old, Like 0:17:02.840 --> 0:17:06.000 that's amazing, So you have known at some point You're like, 0:17:06.080 --> 0:17:08.680 you know what this is, this is the place where 0:17:08.720 --> 0:17:11.560 I should be, right, Yeah. 0:17:10.880 --> 0:17:15.080 It was yeah, honestly looking at it backwards, looking at 0:17:15.119 --> 0:17:18.360 it now, I'm like, well, I really should have thought 0:17:18.400 --> 0:17:22.760 about it a little bit more. It was really happening 0:17:22.840 --> 0:17:25.800 so fast for me. I think within the time I 0:17:25.920 --> 0:17:29.000 was sixteen, I was in the national team. I had 0:17:29.040 --> 0:17:32.760 also played with my first pro team in the Island 0:17:33.200 --> 0:17:36.640 before going to college, and then I was going to college, 0:17:36.960 --> 0:17:39.480 and then it was also going so fast that I 0:17:39.560 --> 0:17:42.359 was just like, Okay, I guess this is where I'm going. 0:17:42.440 --> 0:17:44.240 You know, I just didn't give it much thought. 0:17:44.280 --> 0:17:48.520 I wasn't like trying to understand, Okay, like do I 0:17:48.560 --> 0:17:49.680 want to go somewhere else? 0:17:49.760 --> 0:17:51.440 Do I want to do? No, it was like, oh, 0:17:51.480 --> 0:17:52.760 perfectly lined up. 0:17:53.000 --> 0:17:56.280 So I was like yes, and like I love everything 0:17:56.320 --> 0:17:58.840 that's happening right now, and I just. 0:17:58.800 --> 0:18:01.520 Went with it, just curious because everything did kind of 0:18:01.560 --> 0:18:02.399 happen so fast. 0:18:02.640 --> 0:18:02.840 You know. 0:18:02.840 --> 0:18:04.600 I've talked to a bunch of other players, and they've 0:18:04.600 --> 0:18:07.159 talked about burnout because it is something that happens. I 0:18:07.200 --> 0:18:09.440 burned out when I was a junior in high school too, 0:18:09.440 --> 0:18:11.600 for a period of time. Not to take a break. 0:18:11.920 --> 0:18:14.919 But did you ever experience that because of everything that 0:18:14.960 --> 0:18:15.480 was going. 0:18:15.320 --> 0:18:20.840 On, Yeah, I think a little bit, especially because of travel, 0:18:20.960 --> 0:18:25.359 Like we would travel with the professional team in the Island. 0:18:25.400 --> 0:18:28.240 We had to go sometimes two three hours away come back. 0:18:28.320 --> 0:18:30.439 I had high school the next day in the morning. 0:18:30.520 --> 0:18:32.840 I used to live really far from the city. It 0:18:32.840 --> 0:18:34.800 would take me about an hour to get to school 0:18:34.800 --> 0:18:37.160 every morning, so it was like I had to leave 0:18:37.840 --> 0:18:40.600 five six am out the door, but I was coming 0:18:40.640 --> 0:18:42.639 back at like mid ninety one am. So it was 0:18:43.000 --> 0:18:45.800 a little bit crazy when it came to that. And 0:18:45.840 --> 0:18:49.560 then when the summer is when students would usually rest, 0:18:49.640 --> 0:18:51.960 that was part of the national team and then traveling 0:18:52.000 --> 0:18:55.040 all summer, so it was a little bit too much. 0:18:56.400 --> 0:18:59.119 But I do think that I paid the price a 0:18:59.160 --> 0:19:00.600 little bit later my career. 0:19:00.880 --> 0:19:06.879 I think I would say six to eight years after, 0:19:07.240 --> 0:19:10.640 I was like, wow, I really have never. 0:19:10.480 --> 0:19:13.479 Stopped for a second and like taking a break. And 0:19:13.600 --> 0:19:15.800 I was feeling really burned out. 0:19:15.880 --> 0:19:16.240 And so. 0:19:19.240 --> 0:19:22.040 After the Olympics and after you know, a couple of 0:19:22.119 --> 0:19:24.840 years with the with the national team, I say a 0:19:24.880 --> 0:19:30.920 couple of years, it really was like ten years, ten years, 0:19:31.920 --> 0:19:34.760 I decided, you know, it's it's better for my health. 0:19:35.200 --> 0:19:38.119 Uh And with the advice of like the doctors I 0:19:38.160 --> 0:19:42.160 was working with that I take the summers to rest 0:19:42.160 --> 0:19:46.439 and covered it is important. I think we have sometimes 0:19:46.560 --> 0:19:50.720 a culture in Puerto Rico where we don't understand that 0:19:50.840 --> 0:19:56.240 clearly and the importance of rest and recovery both mentally 0:19:56.280 --> 0:19:59.800 and physically, and that leads to a lot of athletes 0:20:00.160 --> 0:20:03.440 burned out. And so I had to make that decision 0:20:03.480 --> 0:20:06.280 in order to be my best self moving forward. And 0:20:06.320 --> 0:20:08.600 I am, you know, okay with that because I am 0:20:08.640 --> 0:20:13.320 feeling my best and I am just becoming a better 0:20:13.400 --> 0:20:14.679 athlete and a better person. 0:20:16.560 --> 0:20:18.840 It's interesting that you say that, you know, your culture 0:20:19.119 --> 0:20:22.480 just has this like motion to keep going and just 0:20:22.560 --> 0:20:25.360 push through and stuff like that. Were there any positives 0:20:25.440 --> 0:20:27.960 from growing up in Puerto Rico and your culture that 0:20:28.320 --> 0:20:29.520 helped you as a player. 0:20:30.000 --> 0:20:30.280 Yeah. 0:20:30.359 --> 0:20:36.000 I think in that moment that felt like a lot 0:20:36.000 --> 0:20:39.320 of support and a lot of like you can accomplish 0:20:39.560 --> 0:20:42.600 anything you want, You can go as far as you want, 0:20:42.760 --> 0:20:45.080 and like you just have to keep going and keep 0:20:45.119 --> 0:20:46.480 working and keep pushing. 0:20:46.960 --> 0:20:48.320 And so I think when you're. 0:20:50.440 --> 0:20:54.400 A kid in that environment that really helps and really 0:20:54.440 --> 0:20:59.320 positive because it helps you develop the mindset of a warrior, 0:20:59.480 --> 0:21:03.560