Karch Kiraly
Karch Kiraly
Charles Frederick "Karch" Kiralyis an American volleyball player, coach and broadcast announcer. He is the only playerwho have won Olympic gold medals in both volleyball categories: beach and indoor. The Fédération Internationale de Volleyball,, volleyball's highest governing body, honored Kiraly as the greatest volleyball player of the 20th Century. He played college volleyball for the UCLA Bruins and won three national championships under head coach Al Scates...
sports volleyball beach
I was fortunate to start the sport at a young age. I was 6 years old when my dad started teaching me. We started playing tournaments together when I was 11, in the lower ranking of beach volleyball in California. We weren't playing against kids; we played against grown men, so immediately, I had to raise my game to compete.
different tradition stuck
I had a bunch of different colored hats I wore. When I started wearing a pink one, we won five or six tournaments in a row, so I stuck with it. It started as superstition and now it's tradition—my hideous trademark that I always wear.
exercise longevity flexibility
The exercises helped get the flexibility back in my ankle and also increased my overall flexibility. As I was getting into my 30s, I wanted to do everything I could to improve my longevity.
team night massage
When I was on the U.S. men's indoor team, I was on the road 200 days of the year and sometimes in the worst conditions. We didn't have the food or luxuries we wanted. We didn't have a laundry service. So every night after the match, I soaped up my uniform in the shower. I learned to rely on outside things as little as possible, whether it was music or massage. I just got out of the habit of relying on outside things.
butterfly thinking focus
I just think about what I am doing on my side of the net, which requires focus. Even after all the years I've been playing, I still get butterflies before each match.
winning opportunity age
I don't have to get myself pumped up or calm myself down. As we get into the later rounds of a tournament and there is more at stake, I have even more adrenaline. If we make the finals, it's just an extra opportunity to win a tournament at my age. That doesn't come along that often.
mean injury longevity
One of the best ways to [improve my longevity] that is to minimize injury or avoid it by being more flexible—especially when we are meeting at the net. There is a hitter and blocker, which means a lot foot contact, where you can twist your ankle easily.
kids eye men
I couldn't be messing around and acting like an 11-year-old if we expected to compete well. I wanted to compete well, because it was great to see the looks in the eyes of men—like, "Wow, I am having a hard time beating this kid."
dad competition my-dad
I thank my dad for my mental longevity and for the fact we played against better competition.
winning competition focused
Playing against better competition makes you better and more focused, so you can do what you have to, to win.
guy
A lot of guys are out there with their iPods. I'm not one of them. I just never really got into it.
senior running song
In high school, some of the guys were really into music. When I first joined the team as a sophomore, I was blown away when we came out for our first home match—I'm getting goose bumps just thinking about it. The seniors would bring their whole stereo system. We started by yelling and stuff inside this little room just off the gym; then the coaches said, "Ready. Go!" We threw open the door and came running out. Even when I hear the songs now I get all jacked up.
beautiful volleyball beach
We play at the world's most beautiful beaches but in the world's most challenging conditions. It is not like you play one match and you go back to air conditioning. We do it all day long.
volleyball jobs site
It's the best. And the job site isn't too bad, either.