Too Much of a Flex with April Ross

Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where I'm recovering from a Memorial Day weekend reunion.

With all my Cornell besties.

Is there anything better that belly laughs with friends who have known you since your eyebrows were a disaster, your taste in romantic partners was tragic.

And your liver was built to last.

It's Tuesday, May twenty seventh, and on Today show, we're skipping the need to know and getting straight to my conversation with a beach volleyball legend. Three time Olympic medallist, April ross I. Caught up with her a few weeks ago to discuss her decision to retire at the end of last season, the success of NCAA Beach Volleyball, and her new role with USA Volleyball ahead of the twenty twenty eight LA Olympics. That conversation's coming up right after this.

What's up? April?

Hi? Yay?

I made it?

Thanks for having me.

Technical difficulties, which, honestly, I blame you the least of any guest we've ever had, because literally your office is the beach. How can you be expected to have to work with technology in a four wild place with a roof.

It's one of the challenges that we face every day. You know, it's a hard life.

Well, we're going to talk about your transition to having to be a real person who works more of a real job, But I want to first talk about your retirement. You officially retired last November at the end of the AVP Beach season.

Was there a.

Specific moment when you realized it was time? Like, was there one day where you were like, that's it, this is going to be it.

Yes, it was the first man I met the first match when I came back after having a baby, so that was well before my retirement as the first match of the season and we get into it and you know, my heart rate is through the roof, just because I haven't had that adrenaline spike or I haven't been in competition for I think like a year and a half two years, and it was just so much stress on my body and my mind and not enough Why there wasn't I already. I just knew right away, like I

Alex of course, Alex Kleinman, who is the teammate you won gold with at the Tokyo Games, were you surprised to feel that way? Like did you get ready for that tournament thinking like, oh my god, I'm so excited to come back after baby, this is going to be amazing, and you were like, oh, whoa, this feels different.

Yeah. I've been so used to being so competitive and just wanting to win, and that's driven me for so long. I don't think I realized how important just I mean, and I can't say that like winning the gold was like necessary, you know, but I think that quest for gold was really, you know, what drove me for so long and how good can I be? And I really wanted to go to Tokyo. I was going to be thirty eight or thirty nine. I just still felt like I had more in me to prove and so that

Why Yeah, yeah, I mean all that makes so much sense. Were the emotions of that final tournament knowing it was your last? Were you able to play freely or was it hard not to think about each moment being the last like this is my last warm up, this is my last first set, this is my last hug and butt slap and huddle and all the things.

It was a little a little bit of both. You know, we had a coach with us and we were getting kind of tight because we wanted to do well, obviously, especially in the Championships, in our last match, and he's like, you guys just got to enjoy it. You gotta like appreciate being out there with each other, and that kind of switched our mindset a little bit, and we really did enjoy it well at the same time, you know, doing what we could to end on a high note.

Yeah, you know, Wasserman and Mizzuno commissioned a varsity jacket with patches like commemorating some of your greatest achievements. It was actually made by a friend of mine, Emma McKee, who is known as the Stitch God. She's based out of here in Chicago. She's actually a super slice. She listens to every show. So, hi, Emma, and that's who they had make it.

What did that mean to you?

To have this thing that you can pass on that literally visually marks all these amazing achievements that you've had. I was.

I was so shocked when I saw that, because number one, I've never had well, I've had Letterman jackets, but like I never kept up with them. I didn't get all the patches, and so like I've never worn them.

We didn't do that in school. I was alway that we didn't have that at my school.

Yeah, we didn't. We kind of had it, we didn't, you know, it wasn't really a big thing. And so to get to the end of my career and then have this jacket that just had it's like Letterman from every single stage in my life, and yeah, it's amazing. I almost feel like it'd be too much of a flex to wear it anywhere, so I have to figure out where I can wear it. But it's amazing and I will pass it on, and yeah, I hope that it's my family for a long time. It's it's amazing.

Yeah, it's really cool.

So I mentioned you one gold with Alex Climban in Tokyo. It feels like you were pretty intentional about Okay, I want to keep playing even though I've achieved the highest, you know, the top of the mountain. I want to come back after baby. You missed the Paris Games after having your son? Was that intentional? Was your family planning like if I missed the games, that's fine, or was it like an oopsie, we timed this wrong?

No, I mean it was I didn't know after Tokyo if I wanted to start a family or not. And you know, one thing led to another, and your you know, post Olympics is always like a weird time and you reevaluate your life, and after a couple of months it was you know, it hit me really hard, like, oh, yeah, I do want to start a family, so this is priority number one. I didn't care what happened as far

Timed her baby at the same time, basically, right.

Yeah, she always knew that was her plan, so I kind of like copied her a little bit. But yeah, she was at peace being done, and but I called her and I'm like, hey, what if we just, you know, have one more season together. We didn't get to play a lot after we won gold, and I think it'd be really fun. So she jumped on board and it was a little you know, she wasn't gonna go for Paris.

Well, actually she.

Was a little bit on the fence after we started again too, but it was just a wait and see type of type of thing. And then once we came back and I had that experience on the sand of like, Okay, I know this isn't I don't have I don't have the drive anymore that of what I know it takes to get see Olympics. I just I just let it go. I wasn't going to try. It didn't bother me. Yeah,

Yeah, so you're about a half year into retirement. One of the things you mentioned was like, oh, I don't have to beat my body up every day and be aware of every little detail. That's the thing that we most hear from athletes right after is oh, my gosh, I have my own schedule, which is either a blessing or a curse. But also like worrying everything you eat, every workout, you do, everything you do for fun that

Honestly, the biggest difference is not worrying about how tired I am, so like it was always a struggle, not a struggle, but you know, a challenge and something I focused on how do I recover faster than anyone and how do I maintain my energy levels so that I can compete at the best I can be? And now it's like if I don't get a good night's sleep, eh, who cares? You know, Like, I'll have some extra coffee

Yeah, So what is your relationship with training and exercise? Because I'm also fascinated by the athletes that are like I retired and I sat on my ass for several months before I was like, I guess I'm gonna start moving.

And then they're the ones that are like fit freaks.

It's just a part of life and always has been and always will be to get up and thinking about like what am I?

How am I moving today? Which one are you?

I'm like the fitness freak type, but I've gone through phases and my theory is like after college, there are certain points in your career where you like hate working out and if you've quit then or like, retire, then you're gonna just want to sit on your sit on your butt. Uh. I just got to a point where it's such a part of my life and I realized

So, yeah, you also live on the beach in a beautiful place. Yeah, I've actually, like I have friends who live by yous too, So like I've been walking down the beach and been like, hey, it's April High, April, April's training, April's practicing, like and I'm like, oh, that's her life.

What a dream.

But now, just to be able to walk out your door and just go for a walk or exercise on the beach is so cool.

Yeah. I do get out and play volleyball for my workout though now and again. Yeah, and I still love volleyball like I love playing. And what I've learned, I mean I kind of already knew this, but there is literally no substitute for playing beach volleyball, like you burn so many calori reason it's so hard and you don't think about it because you're having fun. It's the best workout you can do in my opinion.

Yeah, well, you've retired from beach volleyball, but not from volleyball itself and not from working.

So let's talk about your new job.

Paris Olympics was the first since the two thousand Sydney Games without an American on the podium, so you are sort of in charge of figuring out how to get the Americans back on top.

Do you think that lack of US success in Paris was tough luck? Was it an off year? Is there something more at play?

I think we have the talent to medal. I think we had the talent to medal in Paris, and it was surprising that we didn't. The unique thing about our teams in Paris was that everyone was new, except for Kelly Chang. It was her second time, and experience matters and counts, and if you don't know what to expect when you're going into a games, it can be overwhelming and tough to deal with. And you know, I don't

Yeah, well, it definitely feels like there was this old guard of like you mentioned Carrie and Misty, you and your partners, there were these like long stretches where there was dominance from the same couple athletes, and so now it's going to be who emerges if someone does that can kind of have the dynastic run that you all did. Is there any extra pressure with the LA Games on the horizon? It feels like there will be a lot of attention because it's on home soil.

Yeah. I mean the fact that we're in southern California, not just the US, but southern California, which is just such a hotbed of beach volleyballs where everybody lives and everyone plays. There'll be a lot of eyes on us and a lot of ex expectations. So I think there will be some extra pressure and we've got to you know, mitigate that, get on top of that. Starting now. You know, it's a lot of mental training and you know, dealing

We have to take a quick break plenty more with April right after this. You know, there's a lot of players that start out playing indoor, they play in door in college, and then they make the switch to beach. Then there's players who kind of grew up on the beach and get to know the game, go play in door and come back. It does feel like, are there more opportunities to play beach in college now and kind of get on that path from the start. It feels like there's more of that in the NCAA level now.

Yeah, the NCAA beach level program is thriving. And as much as I love sc and alum and on, they won four national titles in a row in beach volleyball the last four years. They just finished this past weekend at the Championship and TCU beat LMU in the finals, and I think that was great for the sport, you know, to have some parody and some competition. So I think that's just going to encourage it to grow even more. And the level of the athletes coming out of college

Yeah, the AVP was always a huge highlight of my weekends. When I lived in LA I would just find out which beach city they were playing at. I would drive down and watch all the games. I still go when it comes to Chicago or if I'm out in California and it coincides. How's the AVP doing? Is it still like the destination? Is there competition or is that still the place if you play beach.

That you're playing when you're not competing internationally?

ABEP is still our you know, domestic tour. We have new ownership as of last year, and they're trying some new things. We have the league now, so instead of these big traditional events that you and I know and you have frequented and you know, we're so fun, they're having kind of franchises around the country. So interesting there are there's a men's and a women's team for several

Yeah, that's interesting. I didn't realize they'd made the switch.

I've been so focused on the volleyball landscape indoors, and before I let you go.

I want to ask about that. What do you make of that?

The many opportunities for volleyball players now love pro volleyball, the PVF athletes unlimited is there any part of you that's like, Ooh, I wonder what a happened to me if all of those had existed when I was coming out of college.

Well, I'm kind of thinking there's so many opportunities to play indoor now, Like what if I just made my comeback for the on the innversy House. There's got to be a spot for me somewhere. I mean, it's amazing and we've said it for so long. Volleyball in the United States is such a big sport for the junior at the junior level and at the college level, for females in general. Like it's it's huge, and we need the opportunity to play in the United States professionally because

Right like National versus American League.

Yeah, yeah, and then they come together in a championship. I think that would be really cool. But I'm excited for all those girls and for the athletes that get to make money and compete in the United States. And the level was so high. I had so much fun watching it.

Yeah, it was really fun.

And it's just I think going to continue to grow as there's more publicity in marketing around it for folks to get interested. Okay, last question, is vibes a part of your vocabulary? My producers always saying vibes? Is that something you say or do you stick with the good old school volleyball.

I've never used the term vibes.

All right, but I don't know.

It's kind of growing on me. I think I might recommend it with the youngsters. I think the youngsters like the vibes.

I'm sure. I'm sure that's what they use. And now it's in my brain. I'll for sure be using that just unintentionally. I'll blame it on you. Guys.

Yes, well, it's always great to catch up with you. Congrats on the new gig, and we'll be checking in to see how you're doing as we get ready for LA. I can't believe twenty twenty eight is on the horizon. Thanks so much, April.

Yeah, thanks for having me. You get to talk to you.

We have to take another break. S T C, K, A, r U and D come on back.

Welcome back, slices. We love that you're listening, but we want you to get in the game every day too. So here's our good game play of the day. Watch the script spelling be Is it a sporting event?

No? But does it feel like a sporting event? Absolutely.

It's a parade of super cute and precocious middle schoolers wowing us with their ability to do things that we absolutely cannot, like spell the word absail or simatricus, and the moments of sportsmanship.

They will warm your heart.

I promise you could stream the preliminaries today, with semi finals airing tomorrow night and finals on Thursday, both on Ion. We'll link to the broadcast schedule in our show notes. Also, slices, tell us what word you went out on as a kid.

Do you remember, because we do.

Alex's was argument and mine was aerieal I spelled the end like the goddamn Mermaid, and I'll never forget that.

I'm still pissed. PS.

By the way, I was looking up scripts and here's a script's fun fact. So in nineteen thirty, the winning word at the Bee was fracas. In nineteen forty, therapy nineteen seventy, croissant, nineteen eighty four, luge. Those are the days, y'all. I would have been winning that thing. Unfortunately, things took a turn around nineteen eighty seven with STAPHOLOCOXAI, and I've been in awe of these smart little Bee winners ever since.

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