We watched USA Swimming’s Elizabeth Beisel try her hand at rugby, and now we also get a glimpse of her national teammate, Caitlin Leverenz, giving beach volleyball a try.
In the latest series of ‘Milk Life’ vignettes, the 25-year-old former Cal stand-out switches sports with U.S. Olympic beach volleyball player Jennifer Kessy, with each getting taken a little out of their comfort zones. For Leverenz, she admits that she has ‘very little experience playing volleyball myself’, while Kessy confesses, “I don’t get nervous, but I’m nervous for swimming.”
Leverenz walks Kessy through sculling, breathing and flipturns, while on the beach court, the 2012 Olympic bronze medalist in the women’s 200m IM gets taught how to dive and volley. All the while, both athletes give viewers insight into how they are preparing for the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio.
“One of the biggest lessons that swimming has taught me is that I can’t just decide I’m going to show up well in practice,” says Leverenz. “It needs to be in all areas of my life.”
“What it takes to be a high-level athlete is the right sleep, the right training, the right nutrition. You put in hours and hours of training, you take care of your body, you do all of these things that culminate into your building.”
Leverenz also gives a nod to how ‘fortunate’ she’s been to have an ‘amazing family, support staff, and coach along the way.’
The U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, at which Leverenz will be attempting to make her 2nd Olympic team, kick-off on Sunday, June 26th.
Well Quinn, you just may have become the first person in the history of the internet to complain about women’s beach volleyball content.
I like it