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...
dad competition my-dad
I thank my dad for my mental longevity and for the fact we played against better competition.
dad men focus
My dad was a really intense competitor and that rubbed off on me. He was loud and vocal on the court, so I let him do all the talking. But I developed a kind of quiet intensity that I knew I had to have to improve and compete with grown men. It took every ounce of focus.
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.
blast california fans morning pool southern stay
It's just a blast to stay here. You can go to the pool in the morning and the afternoon. And a lot of our fans from Southern California are here.
team winning focus
I have adrenaline going and then focus on what I have to do and do it well. I know we'll have a good chance to win the match that way. I don't concern myself with the other team.
eye men boys
It was really an exciting time trying to find my way from being a boy to becoming a man—being toe to toe and eye to eye with grown men, even though I was only 11 or 12.
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.
winning competition focused
Playing against better competition makes you better and more focused, so you can do what you have to, to win.
along family far hoping last qualify tournament travel
He aspires to qualify for Beijing, ... I'm too old, and my family is too far along for me to travel and play in international tournaments. This could be our last tournament together, but I'm hoping it won't be.
everybody heard trip wants
I've never heard of it being a challenge. Everybody wants to make the trip to Vegas.
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.
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.
practice competition another-day
Practice like it's competition and compete like it's another day on the practice court.
running volleyball player
Not everything you're going to do in volleyball - or in life, for that matter - is exciting or fully functional, but if you have the willpower to make each minute count, you'll benefit in some way. And it will make you a better player and a better person in the long run.