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strength special-
ists. Then there is
the financial pres-
sure of the game,
which makes it
feel less like a tra-
ditional team sport
and more like poker.
“We’re not guaranteed a
paycheck when we show up
at a tournament,” May-Treanor
says. “We have to do well in order to get
the big prize money.”
Ofcourse,whenMay-Treanorbeganplay-
ingbeachvolleyball as agirl,makingmoney
was the furthest thing fromhermind. The
game was part of her culture; it ran in
her blood. The daughter of two
beach volleyball players (her
dadwasanOlympicathlete),
she grew up near Muscle
Beach in Santa Monica,
Calif., a magnet for the
sport’s best players.
She teamed up with
Walsh in 2001, a er the
SydneyOlympic Games,
in which Walsh played
indoor vol leybal l and
May-Treanor competed on
the beachwithanother
teammate. “Our first
year, Kerri and I did
not win a single tour-
nament,” May-Treanor
remembers. “A lot of
teams dismantle as soon
as they experience a down
period, butwe gave it time and
made strides through the year,
making some close finishes.”
The pair’s chemistry became evident at
their maiden Olympic outing together, at
the Athens 2004 Games. They won their
first gold medals that year, outplaying
another U.S. team in the semis and beat-
ing Brazil in the finals. Four
years later in Beijing,
May -Tr eano r and
Walsh went for a
repeat. “Thatwas a
completelydiffer-
ent journey,” says
May-Tr eanor.
“ B e i j i n g , fo r
me, was about
embracing the
Olympic Games.
When you go for
your first gold, you’re
so focused that you don’t get a sense of
what the Olympics are. In Beijing, I went
to watch boxing and table tennis. I visited
the Olympic Village and saw what the
Olympics are all about.” Winning a second
goldmedal in Beijing, she says, “was icing.”
May-Treanor expects theLondonGames
tobeanother singular experience.Not cake,
not icing, but something else entirely. It’s
her comeback from forced retirement, a
triumph of determination, and as such
will stand as a life lesson on the power of
perseverance. For her and Walsh, winning
will be theperfect cap toanamazing career.
But while May-Treanor is laser-focused
on what’s next, she hasn’t been able
to resist the temptation to consider
what the more distant future holds—a
comeback of a different sort, perhaps.
“You have to remember that I was not
eliminated from ‘DancingWith the Stars,’”
she says. “I wasn’t voted off. I le due to
an injury. So there’s no reason why I can’t
give it another try.”
She pauses. “And if they invite me back,
I will go on in a heartbeat.”
MICHAEL KAPLAN
is holding out for his
invitation from “The Voice.”
EASE UP
ONTHE SPIKE:
“A lot of people love the
power of spiking the ball. You
should work on control first, and
learn to put the ball where you
want to put it. Make contact with
the ball from under to over, put-
ting a li le spin on it, rather
than hi ing it from your
shoulder.”
THROWAWAY
THE RULES:
“If you’re
playing with a lot of beginners,
don’t take beach volleyball too
seriously, and forget about the
rules. This game is all about
everybody having fun and
exercising. And don’t skimp on
the sunscreen, or you’ll
turn into a lobster.”
THE FAN
||
culture
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