COLORADAO SPRINGS, Colo. (Jan. 14, 2018) – Kelsey Robinson (Manhattan Beach, California), a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist in indoor volleyball, remains busy when not on the volleyball courts around the world. She launched the website www.nomandplay.com as a means to blend her main passions – volleyball, travel, food and cooking.
“As a volleyball player, travel addict and foodie, I love that my sport provides travel advantages when I’m not on the court,” Robinson said. “From ravioli to gnocchi in the small towns of Italy, to secret beaches and fried plantains in Puerto Rico, I believe it’s important to discover the world, learn from different cultures and maybe cross off a few items on my bucket list along the way.”
Robinson said her passion for travel was instilled at young age with her family’s travel. Instead of watching MTV, she was glued to Travel Channel’s Great Hotels with Samantha Brown. Travel and food became a tandem that couldn’t be separated.
“Along with travel developed my love for cooking,” Robinson said. “I’ve been able to try foods all over the world and incorporate that into my own meals. I truly enjoy finding ways to create dishes that not only taste amazing but also support my health and my body’s ability to perform on the court.”
Robinson was inspired to create the website based on the influences of her teammates and friends from around the world.
“Over the years, teammates and friends would reach out and ask for recommendations on where to go if they were in a city I had been,” Robinson said. “I experienced so much joy when they would use my picks and tell me about it. The idea for Nom and Play came after I spent a weekend in Tuscany and had posted a few pictures of my trip. A friend, and fellow travel lover, reached out and asked where I had went. I wrote here all my friends and sent more pictures. My friend and her spouse used the tips, had a wonderful time and shared her experience with me. That was the biggest motivation to continue and write and share the things I’ve seen or done with everyone.”
The Nom and Play site is broken down into sections for travel, food, lifestyle and media about Robinson. The travel section includes the “24 Hour Series” where she recounts her short ventures lasting a day, along with cities she has visited broken down by continent and other travel tips. In the food section of the site, Robinson breaks it down by brunch, dinner, snacks and sweets, and restaurants she loves.
Further, Nom and Play has a Lifestyle section where Robinson shares her own ideas such as self-care in the new year, nutritional stocking stuffers, letter to aspiring athletes, etc.
Robinson joined the U.S. Women’s National Team in 2014 following her senior season at the University of Nebraska. Along with her Olympic bronze medal, she was part of Team USA’s gold-medal FIVB World Championship team in 2014.