Post by mplssetter on Aug 5, 2008 23:55:28 GMT -5
Interview with gophersports.com.
www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=38659&SPID=3301&DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=1549970
Lindsey Berg is one of two setters who will be on the U.S. Olympic Women’s Volleyball team that will begin competition on Aug. 9 in Beijing against Japan in group play. Prior to her departure for Beijing, gophersports.com caught up to Lindsey and asked her some questions about some of her experiences leading up to being named to 2008 U.S. Olympic team.
Gophersports.com: How did the process go after your first Olympics, through your time training for the 2008 Olympics and being named to the roster?
Lindsey Berg: “I went straight to a pro-league about two weeks after the Olympics in 2004, and then I came right back. I actually took some time off after the National Team before the World Championship, which was two summers ago. At most, I have taken off two months within the last four years so I have pretty much been on the go.”
“I came back and played right after the Olympics and played right away. I decided to take time off after my second summer. I planed on doing that. I had a little of rough time two years ago, but I took the two months off and really came back and got ready to do this.”
GS: How satisfying was it to be named to the Olympic team the second time around?
LB: “I definitely think that it is more satisfying this time because I am struggling with an injury, and I really want to do anything I can for the team. I know I can provide a lot for this team.”
GS: Was the process easier or more difficult this time around?
LB: “It was definitely harder because I was here for the whole four years. The last Olympics I entered a year and a half before. This time around I was with the team for the full four-year cycle. This time around I was also a more an established player with this squad and started a lot, so it has been a way different experience compared to last Olympics. It is definitely very hard and gratifying, and I understand what a great accomplishment it is to have made the last two Olympic squads.”
GS: How exciting is it that both you and Nicole (Branagh) qualified for the Olympics one after the other?
LB: “I am so happy for Nicole. I know this has always been her dream. I know she tried to do it indoors and it didn’t work out. I am so glad that she found a different avenue to get here, because I just know how much it means to her. I am so happy for Nicole and I can’t wait to see her. I just saw her about two weeks ago and that was fun, but I can’t wait to be out there with her and experience this together just like we experienced things in college.”
GS: Is there going to be time when you can go to see her matches?
LB: “Probably not. We play every other day during the Olympics. I don’t know her exact schedule, but I know on the off days we will be practicing and watching video. The only way would be if we would lose early, which I obviously don’t want to happen. My parents are going to be there and support her because they are good friends with her and her family, so I will get to hear about that through them and I just wish her the best.”
GS: Talk about the team’s chances in this years Olympics. What have you learned and what can the team bring to the competition?
LB: “We definitely have an experienced team, but I still think we are a sleeper team. We chose our team really late and especially this summer, we have been playing so many different lineups that I feel like nobody knows the real us. I feel really good going into it because I feel like we are going to surprise a lot of people even though we have done well (third in World Cup and four in The Grand Prix) playing with not a set starting line up every game. We are still practicing hard right now and we will practice hard until our first round. We definitely have some things we need to improve on, but we also are going to creep up on some teams and surprise them.”
GS: Talk about the Minnesota program and the development of players like you, Nicole (Branagh), and Cassie (Busse)?
LB: “Cassie has worked hard these past four years. She has given all of her self and time to the USA National Team. It is unfortunate that she doesn’t get to be with us at Beijing, because she is really part of our team. She has gone to the World Cup and qualified with us, and has given everything she possibly can. I am really sorry for her that she is not getting the satisfaction and the accomplishment of being with us, but I still feel that she is with us. I really hope she continues because she is really talented player. She has grown not only since the first time she stepped on the court on Minnesota, but since the first time she has been with USA. She is just a wonderful person and a great volleyball player, and I hope she continues and doesn’t take this as a defeat to her volleyball career but only to push her harder to maybe get to the next one.”
“As a whole, it all starts with Mike Hebert getting Nicole and I there at the beginning of his time at Minnesota. We didn’t do as well as some of the Final Four teams did, but I am proud that Nicole and I played a big part of building the Minnesota program and getting it to where it was when Cassie accomplished so much as a player on the Gopher team. Nicole and I didn’t get to be in Final Fours like Cassie did, but we still feel like we helped the program to get it to that point. Mike should get all the credit for his coaching and just the kind of person he is to develop players at such a high level and develop us as people. It was a great experience playing for him at Minnesota. The volleyball program has great support compared to any school I have seen the Big Ten. Minnesota has such a high caliber in all athletics and academics, and I give a lot of credit to the school as a whole and a program as a whole.”
GS: What messages do you give to young girls growing up and wanting to play at your level?
LB: “Definitely having fun and continuing to have fun is so important because there is no reason to do it if you are not enjoying it. You will never get to the elite level if it is not something you truly want to do, and don’t let anyone tell you how far you can get because really it is up to you. There are going to be people that doubt you, your ability, your height, your physical appearance or your skill. Just don’t let them determine your future. You determine your future by working hard and putting your mind into it.”
GS: What are your top moments playing internationally and for USA outside of the Olympics?
LB: “Definitely both World Cups when we qualified for the Olympics. They were both very emotional times. When you qualify for the first time, it is unbelievable and it puts reality that at least the team is going to be there and that I am fortunate enough to be there. Not only playing for the US, but my international experience playing professionally overseas has developed me as a player and a person more then I could have ever imagined or asked for. That experience whether you make it to the USA level or a national team is still a great experience that many other players in college can go experience no matter if you are on the Olympic team or not. I would tell anyone that wants to pursue their volleyball career after college to go and do it. It is unbelievable, no matter how much money you make it is still a great experience.”
GS: How has your role changed this Olympics compared to before?
LB: “Robin (Ah Mow-Santos) and I completely switched and shared time at the setter position. Both of us became starters. I feel like a leader on this team. The last Olympics I was coming into, I was very young. I definitely feel like a leader on this team at this point, and can provide not only my skill but the leadership that this team needs to stick together as a unit and just work hard. I am better now and an older player but I think overall, a lot of us are like that. My role not only changed personally, but also the whole team changed. It is just a different squad and a different Olympics and we are going to do the best that we can.”
GS: How has your relationship with Robin (Ah Mow Santos) grown throughout the years?
LB: “I watched Robin’s career all through her college years at University of Hawaii. I have looked up to her the whole time. Our relationship is probably the best relationship you will see in the world between two players supposedly competing for a spot. It doesn’t feel like a competition. We help each other out at any time no matter who is playing. I couldn’t ask for a better friend or relationship with someone that I am in the same position with. It is great. I think any coach would want that also just with how interchangeable we are. We don’t make the team change too much. We are very similar and I love it. I love our relationship. I love our working relationship and off the court and I think it is great for the team.”
GS: How hectic has your schedule been so far?
LB: “It is really hectic. Especially this year, because we finished the Grand Prix so close to the Olympics that we have just been on the go since the Grand Prix. Double days are our life, and we have been working so hard to get our team to gel. It also goes along with meetings, video and traveling. We just went through the processing where we do all of the Olympic stuff and we leave tomorrow (Aug. 2nd). It has been a whirlwind, but it is the kind of whirlwind that you want. It is an unbelievable experience and it is only going to get better from here.”
GS: What is your individual and team goal as you move forward?
LB: “Individually, I am just trying to get whatever I can give to the team on or off the court and provide anything that will get us to where we want to be and the best we can be. As a whole, we are taking it one day at a time. Right now, we are still in our training period. We are going each day to practice, just trying to get better and as our match approaches on August 9th, we are just going to take one match at a time, finish that, try win that match and go to the next one. That is pretty much our goal for the Olympics and that goal leads to the bigger goal of getting out of our pool. Then from there, winning that quarterfinal match to put us in medal contention is the next step we hope to accomplish.
MINNESOTA OLYMPIC VOLLEYBALL NOTES
• The appearances of Lindsey Berg and Nicole Branagh make Minnesota one of only four programs in the nation, Long Beach State, Stanford and UCLA, to have a beach and indoor player compete in the same Olympic year. This year, Minnesota joins only Long Beach State and Stanford in having that distinction.
• Berg and Branagh played with each other at Minnesota from 1998 to 2000. They join Misty May-Treanor and Tayyiba Haneef (Long Beach State in 1996), Logan Tom and Ogonna Nnamani (Stanford in 2001-02) and Heather Bown and Robyn Ah Mow-Santos (Hawai’i in 1996) as the only pairs of teammates to compete in the 2008 Olympic games and play on the same team in college.
Stay tuned to gophersports.com for coverage on Lindsey Berg and Nicole Branagh throughout their Olympic journeys in Beijing.
www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=38659&SPID=3301&DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=1549970
Lindsey Berg is one of two setters who will be on the U.S. Olympic Women’s Volleyball team that will begin competition on Aug. 9 in Beijing against Japan in group play. Prior to her departure for Beijing, gophersports.com caught up to Lindsey and asked her some questions about some of her experiences leading up to being named to 2008 U.S. Olympic team.
Gophersports.com: How did the process go after your first Olympics, through your time training for the 2008 Olympics and being named to the roster?
Lindsey Berg: “I went straight to a pro-league about two weeks after the Olympics in 2004, and then I came right back. I actually took some time off after the National Team before the World Championship, which was two summers ago. At most, I have taken off two months within the last four years so I have pretty much been on the go.”
“I came back and played right after the Olympics and played right away. I decided to take time off after my second summer. I planed on doing that. I had a little of rough time two years ago, but I took the two months off and really came back and got ready to do this.”
GS: How satisfying was it to be named to the Olympic team the second time around?
LB: “I definitely think that it is more satisfying this time because I am struggling with an injury, and I really want to do anything I can for the team. I know I can provide a lot for this team.”
GS: Was the process easier or more difficult this time around?
LB: “It was definitely harder because I was here for the whole four years. The last Olympics I entered a year and a half before. This time around I was with the team for the full four-year cycle. This time around I was also a more an established player with this squad and started a lot, so it has been a way different experience compared to last Olympics. It is definitely very hard and gratifying, and I understand what a great accomplishment it is to have made the last two Olympic squads.”
GS: How exciting is it that both you and Nicole (Branagh) qualified for the Olympics one after the other?
LB: “I am so happy for Nicole. I know this has always been her dream. I know she tried to do it indoors and it didn’t work out. I am so glad that she found a different avenue to get here, because I just know how much it means to her. I am so happy for Nicole and I can’t wait to see her. I just saw her about two weeks ago and that was fun, but I can’t wait to be out there with her and experience this together just like we experienced things in college.”
GS: Is there going to be time when you can go to see her matches?
LB: “Probably not. We play every other day during the Olympics. I don’t know her exact schedule, but I know on the off days we will be practicing and watching video. The only way would be if we would lose early, which I obviously don’t want to happen. My parents are going to be there and support her because they are good friends with her and her family, so I will get to hear about that through them and I just wish her the best.”
GS: Talk about the team’s chances in this years Olympics. What have you learned and what can the team bring to the competition?
LB: “We definitely have an experienced team, but I still think we are a sleeper team. We chose our team really late and especially this summer, we have been playing so many different lineups that I feel like nobody knows the real us. I feel really good going into it because I feel like we are going to surprise a lot of people even though we have done well (third in World Cup and four in The Grand Prix) playing with not a set starting line up every game. We are still practicing hard right now and we will practice hard until our first round. We definitely have some things we need to improve on, but we also are going to creep up on some teams and surprise them.”
GS: Talk about the Minnesota program and the development of players like you, Nicole (Branagh), and Cassie (Busse)?
LB: “Cassie has worked hard these past four years. She has given all of her self and time to the USA National Team. It is unfortunate that she doesn’t get to be with us at Beijing, because she is really part of our team. She has gone to the World Cup and qualified with us, and has given everything she possibly can. I am really sorry for her that she is not getting the satisfaction and the accomplishment of being with us, but I still feel that she is with us. I really hope she continues because she is really talented player. She has grown not only since the first time she stepped on the court on Minnesota, but since the first time she has been with USA. She is just a wonderful person and a great volleyball player, and I hope she continues and doesn’t take this as a defeat to her volleyball career but only to push her harder to maybe get to the next one.”
“As a whole, it all starts with Mike Hebert getting Nicole and I there at the beginning of his time at Minnesota. We didn’t do as well as some of the Final Four teams did, but I am proud that Nicole and I played a big part of building the Minnesota program and getting it to where it was when Cassie accomplished so much as a player on the Gopher team. Nicole and I didn’t get to be in Final Fours like Cassie did, but we still feel like we helped the program to get it to that point. Mike should get all the credit for his coaching and just the kind of person he is to develop players at such a high level and develop us as people. It was a great experience playing for him at Minnesota. The volleyball program has great support compared to any school I have seen the Big Ten. Minnesota has such a high caliber in all athletics and academics, and I give a lot of credit to the school as a whole and a program as a whole.”
GS: What messages do you give to young girls growing up and wanting to play at your level?
LB: “Definitely having fun and continuing to have fun is so important because there is no reason to do it if you are not enjoying it. You will never get to the elite level if it is not something you truly want to do, and don’t let anyone tell you how far you can get because really it is up to you. There are going to be people that doubt you, your ability, your height, your physical appearance or your skill. Just don’t let them determine your future. You determine your future by working hard and putting your mind into it.”
GS: What are your top moments playing internationally and for USA outside of the Olympics?
LB: “Definitely both World Cups when we qualified for the Olympics. They were both very emotional times. When you qualify for the first time, it is unbelievable and it puts reality that at least the team is going to be there and that I am fortunate enough to be there. Not only playing for the US, but my international experience playing professionally overseas has developed me as a player and a person more then I could have ever imagined or asked for. That experience whether you make it to the USA level or a national team is still a great experience that many other players in college can go experience no matter if you are on the Olympic team or not. I would tell anyone that wants to pursue their volleyball career after college to go and do it. It is unbelievable, no matter how much money you make it is still a great experience.”
GS: How has your role changed this Olympics compared to before?
LB: “Robin (Ah Mow-Santos) and I completely switched and shared time at the setter position. Both of us became starters. I feel like a leader on this team. The last Olympics I was coming into, I was very young. I definitely feel like a leader on this team at this point, and can provide not only my skill but the leadership that this team needs to stick together as a unit and just work hard. I am better now and an older player but I think overall, a lot of us are like that. My role not only changed personally, but also the whole team changed. It is just a different squad and a different Olympics and we are going to do the best that we can.”
GS: How has your relationship with Robin (Ah Mow Santos) grown throughout the years?
LB: “I watched Robin’s career all through her college years at University of Hawaii. I have looked up to her the whole time. Our relationship is probably the best relationship you will see in the world between two players supposedly competing for a spot. It doesn’t feel like a competition. We help each other out at any time no matter who is playing. I couldn’t ask for a better friend or relationship with someone that I am in the same position with. It is great. I think any coach would want that also just with how interchangeable we are. We don’t make the team change too much. We are very similar and I love it. I love our relationship. I love our working relationship and off the court and I think it is great for the team.”
GS: How hectic has your schedule been so far?
LB: “It is really hectic. Especially this year, because we finished the Grand Prix so close to the Olympics that we have just been on the go since the Grand Prix. Double days are our life, and we have been working so hard to get our team to gel. It also goes along with meetings, video and traveling. We just went through the processing where we do all of the Olympic stuff and we leave tomorrow (Aug. 2nd). It has been a whirlwind, but it is the kind of whirlwind that you want. It is an unbelievable experience and it is only going to get better from here.”
GS: What is your individual and team goal as you move forward?
LB: “Individually, I am just trying to get whatever I can give to the team on or off the court and provide anything that will get us to where we want to be and the best we can be. As a whole, we are taking it one day at a time. Right now, we are still in our training period. We are going each day to practice, just trying to get better and as our match approaches on August 9th, we are just going to take one match at a time, finish that, try win that match and go to the next one. That is pretty much our goal for the Olympics and that goal leads to the bigger goal of getting out of our pool. Then from there, winning that quarterfinal match to put us in medal contention is the next step we hope to accomplish.
MINNESOTA OLYMPIC VOLLEYBALL NOTES
• The appearances of Lindsey Berg and Nicole Branagh make Minnesota one of only four programs in the nation, Long Beach State, Stanford and UCLA, to have a beach and indoor player compete in the same Olympic year. This year, Minnesota joins only Long Beach State and Stanford in having that distinction.
• Berg and Branagh played with each other at Minnesota from 1998 to 2000. They join Misty May-Treanor and Tayyiba Haneef (Long Beach State in 1996), Logan Tom and Ogonna Nnamani (Stanford in 2001-02) and Heather Bown and Robyn Ah Mow-Santos (Hawai’i in 1996) as the only pairs of teammates to compete in the 2008 Olympic games and play on the same team in college.
Stay tuned to gophersports.com for coverage on Lindsey Berg and Nicole Branagh throughout their Olympic journeys in Beijing.
