Post by roofed! on Sept 11, 2007 15:46:23 GMT -5
[ftp]http://web.avp.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070828&contentid=31987[/ftp]
September 11, 2007
A little added pressure
April surpasses expectations, plays with Kerri in Vegas
By April Ross
September 10
I don't even know where to begin. The Vegas tournament far surpassed any of my expectations. I had wanted to play in the Gods and Goddesses of the Beach since I knew it existed, and especially once it moved to Sin City. When I found out that I was in this year, it was a huge bonus to a year that has already been amazing in my book.
I strolled in Wednesday afternoon off the shortest flight I've been on all year, thank goodness — after piecing together an 18-hour flight home from Russia, I was in no mood for extensive travel. So I got into Vegas expecting fun and sun and a little volley, some gambling, maybe a couple cocktails at the pool. However, as hard as I tried to suppress it, once the tournament started, my competitive nature kicked in much more than I had planned on and I really wanted to do well.
To my surprise, I made it out of pool play the first day. Brooke Hanson and I won in the first match, Tyra Turner and I had a rocky start, but won in two sets, and then unfortunately, I lost with Barb Fontana. I really thought I had a good chance to win with Barb, but I think due to a little fatigue, we weren't at the top of our game and fell to Brooke and Tyra in three.
I came in second in my pool by one or two points, and as a result was placed in a pool with Jen (who came out first in her pool), Kerri Walsh and Rachel Wacholder for the next round. Talk about a tough draw.
Jen and I went to three with Kerri and Rachel but lost, Rachel and I went to three with Jen and Kerri, but lost and then I pulled it together with Kerri and we won in two, so Kerri advanced to the final and I was just happy I helped her out and made a few more bucks.
Little did I know my tournament wasn't over. I knew Kerri and I had played well together in pool play so as far fetched as the idea of her picking me for the final seemed, I made sure I was ready to play come the time for her to choose a partner. I was so excited when she said my name, a huge wave of adrenaline raced through me, but I can't say that I wasn't nervous, because when you play with Kerri you're not supposed to lose. Ever. Just a little added pressure there.
The final was so fun and I already knew Kerri was awesome to play with, so no surprise there. I just wish I could have sided out a couple more times than I did to get her the 'W', but either way it was an amazing experience — one I will never forget.
Before her competitive juices got flowing, April Ross got some relaxtion time in Las Vegas, catching up on the latest in DiG, the AVP magazine. (Ken Delgado / Special to avp.com)
September 11, 2007
A little added pressure
April surpasses expectations, plays with Kerri in Vegas
By April Ross
September 10
I don't even know where to begin. The Vegas tournament far surpassed any of my expectations. I had wanted to play in the Gods and Goddesses of the Beach since I knew it existed, and especially once it moved to Sin City. When I found out that I was in this year, it was a huge bonus to a year that has already been amazing in my book.
I strolled in Wednesday afternoon off the shortest flight I've been on all year, thank goodness — after piecing together an 18-hour flight home from Russia, I was in no mood for extensive travel. So I got into Vegas expecting fun and sun and a little volley, some gambling, maybe a couple cocktails at the pool. However, as hard as I tried to suppress it, once the tournament started, my competitive nature kicked in much more than I had planned on and I really wanted to do well.
To my surprise, I made it out of pool play the first day. Brooke Hanson and I won in the first match, Tyra Turner and I had a rocky start, but won in two sets, and then unfortunately, I lost with Barb Fontana. I really thought I had a good chance to win with Barb, but I think due to a little fatigue, we weren't at the top of our game and fell to Brooke and Tyra in three.
I came in second in my pool by one or two points, and as a result was placed in a pool with Jen (who came out first in her pool), Kerri Walsh and Rachel Wacholder for the next round. Talk about a tough draw.
Jen and I went to three with Kerri and Rachel but lost, Rachel and I went to three with Jen and Kerri, but lost and then I pulled it together with Kerri and we won in two, so Kerri advanced to the final and I was just happy I helped her out and made a few more bucks.
Little did I know my tournament wasn't over. I knew Kerri and I had played well together in pool play so as far fetched as the idea of her picking me for the final seemed, I made sure I was ready to play come the time for her to choose a partner. I was so excited when she said my name, a huge wave of adrenaline raced through me, but I can't say that I wasn't nervous, because when you play with Kerri you're not supposed to lose. Ever. Just a little added pressure there.
The final was so fun and I already knew Kerri was awesome to play with, so no surprise there. I just wish I could have sided out a couple more times than I did to get her the 'W', but either way it was an amazing experience — one I will never forget.
Before her competitive juices got flowing, April Ross got some relaxtion time in Las Vegas, catching up on the latest in DiG, the AVP magazine. (Ken Delgado / Special to avp.com)
