May-Treanor Back for 2012 and Beyond

When two-time Olympic gold medalists Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh announced last week that they would reunite in an effort to win a third gold medal, that didn’t mean the London 2012 Olympic Games would be the beach volleyball duo’s farewell tour.

Misty May-Treanor (L) and Kerri Walsh celebrate a point in their opening match against Brazil in the AVP Crocs Tour World Challenge in September 2009. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

“I’ve only known to train for the Olympics and have known volleyball as a career,’’ May-Treanor, 33, said. “I’ve stayed in shape. Holly (McPeak) and EY (Elaine Youngs) are in tremendous shape in their 40s. Why couldn’t we go to Rio (for the 2016 Olympic Games)?’’

For May-Treanor and Walsh, though, the focus is on getting back in the groove after more than a year apart and 500 days before the Games in London begin.

May-Treanor, the winningest women’s professional beach player with 107 victories and $1.9 million in career earnings, played the 2010 season domestically with 2008 Olympian Nicole Branagh until the AVP tour folded midway through the season. She also competed in nine FIVB World Tour events with Branagh, finishing third once and fourth twice.

She missed the majority of the 2009 season with an Achilles tendon injury suffered on the set of the hit television series “Dancing With the Stars.”

After her spin with “Dancing With the Stars,’’ May-Treanor realized she had to change her training regimen.

“It’s all about maintaining,’’ she said. “I’m no spring chicken anymore.”

May-Treanor and Walsh last competed together in a 2009 AVP specialty event that pitted AVP players against teams from Brazil.

Walsh, who had won two previous titles with Branagh (the two have played in three career FIVB tournaments together) and was slated to team with her this season, missed almost the entire 2010 season on the heels of the birth of her second son, Sundance.

Misty May-Treanor  hits the ball against Brazil  in the AVP Crocs Tour World Challenge. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

“The desire has always been there,” May-Treanor explained. “Everybody said I was retired. I’m not retired! It was nice to be able to hang out with my husband. We have a very different relationship because of the sport he plays (Major League Baseball).

“Sometimes people need to step away. I had to step away to say, ‘Yes, this is what I want and I want to do it with the right person.’ If I ended up leaving the game, who knows what would have happened? I want to leave the game with my teammate that I have done so much with.”

Long-distance drives tend to be a good time for deep thinking. May-Treanor can attest to that. She was driving recently to Arizona to meet up with her husband, Matt Treanor, a catcher with the 2010 American League champion Texas Rangers, when the wheels started churning in her head.

“When I was driving out there, it gave me time to think,” she said. “That’s why I like driving.”

The decision she made on that trip ultimately was one that fans have been waiting for since the 2008 Games in Beijing ended. The most decorated duo since beach volleyball became an Olympic sport in 1996 was coming back for more.

“Going out to Arizona, I thought to myself, ‘This is something I need to do,’ ” May-Treanor said. “I talked to my husband and my family and friends about it. It’s something I’ve been feeling. It was just a matter of how do I go about doing it.”

May-Treanor knows exactly what she is walking back into.

“All athletes know they have to sacrifice a lot, especially with what we do and to be at the level we are at,” she said. “I’m ready to sacrifice again. At the end of the day, I stepped away from the sport and now I’m really ready mentally. I don’t think I know the word ‘retirement.’ All I had to do is take a step back to see that I missed it. At 33, I’ve got too much left in this body.”

A relaxed schedule is something May-Treanor doesn’t regret, but she’s looking forward to the daily grind of preparing herself for the high stakes of international competition.

“It’s been really fun and great,” she said. “It’s been different. In Florida, I really didn’t talk to anybody, but I was still training a little bit. When it came time to evaluate my situation, I thought that this could be really fun.

“I told Kerri I want to be a better teammate — not that I was a bad teammate before. We’re older now and teams are more physical. We need each other more than ever now. She has two kids now and I’ve changed as well. We haven’t played with each other in awhile, but I can’t wait to start playing with her again. I’m ready to be with her and do everything possible to make sure we end up on top again.”

Kerri Walsh (R) and Misty May-Treanor  await a serve during the round 3 match against Brazil in the AVP Crocs Tour World Challenge a on September 26, 2009. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

May-Treanor heaped major praise on her husband during the decision-making process.

“I have a very supportive husband,” she said. “He told me that I needed to do this so let’s go do it. He’s my biggest fan and my biggest advocate. I want him to be successful and he wants me to be successful.”

The thought of potential ring-rust between the two partners isn’t bogging down May-Treanor’s line of thinking.

“Like anything, the work you put in is what you are going to get out of it. It’s a long road from here to London. Kerri and I are very committed. We want three gold medals. I’m working my butt off and so is she. Will we be a little rusty? Absolutely. All we need is a little WD-40 and we’ll be good to go.”

The dynamic duo already has held several workouts together since they agreed to team again. The team’s coach is Brazil native and veteran beach coach/trainer Marcio Sicoli (also an assistant on the Pepperdine University women’s staff).

“It felt good,’’ May-Treanor said. “The only problem was harnessing our anxiousness. We’re staying patient. We know how each other plays. We’ve been there before. We know what we need to do. I think our experience is going to kick in.”

Being able to make this comeback holds another special meaning for the former Long Beach State All-American setter.

“After this Olympics, Matt and I really want children,” she said. “Kids have and will be the main focus. I have this goal right now and I’m able to do it with Kerri.”

May-Treanor, a three-time Olympian (she played in the 2000 Games with McPeak) admits she is sad because of what the announcement will mean for Branagh, who was slated to team with Walsh this year.

Misty May-Treanor digs the ball during the round 3 match against Brazil in the AVP Crocs Tour World Challenge  on September 26, 2009. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

“I do feel bad,” May-Treanor said. “Something like this is never easy. I feel bad for Nicole. She’s a nice person and a friend and a great athlete that I played with last year. I owed it to Kerri to tell her I’m back playing again. The timing of all of this is what is bad on my part, but you have to think within yourself and follow your heart.

“This is what I want to do. I texted Kerri and told her that I needed to talk to her that I was thinking about playing. Kerri is a friend and a teammate and we’ve been through the thick and the thin together. I owed it to her to get her thoughts and to share my feelings with her. We’re excited that we’re playing together again, but it’s tough when someone has to be hurt because of it. We really like Nicole as a person and as a player.”

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc. Mike Miazga is a freelance contributor for teamusa.org. This story was not subject to the approval of any National Governing Bodies.