Reid Priddy


  • Reid's website
    www.reidpriddy.com


    "WWW.REIDPRIDDY.COM is here! Join me as I travel around the world playing volleyball, and ultimately to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. It’s going to be an adventure.


    During my 8-year career I have seen volleyball take center stage in dozens of countries. When in Poland last summer, the 10,000+ seat arena was sold out in just 2 hours! We played in Brazil later in the summer and again, filled the stadium with a crowd of 15,000. I could go on . . . Japan, Italy, France, Korea and Russia all share similar experiences; a love and passion for volleyball and ACCESS to it.


    There are tons of ideas out there about what needs to happen to catapult volleyball in America. Who knows, maybe it will get a little airtime on Sports Center someday soon! I am here to bring you images of the top competitors in our sport and show what the world has to offer. That is how I have continued to learn, improve and be inspired to reach for more.


    I am here to share my experiences with you . . . Armed with whatever digital device I can get a hold of. It has been a great adventure, not only for me, but many have walked this road and I am committed to try and bring you their stories as well. I hope people will begin to have a broader frame of reference when thinking about Volleyball.


    My goal is to create a burst of momentum within the volleyball world. So stayed tuned and enjoy my website. Grab a camera! Edit some footage! Get it on the web for us all to enjoy!


    Big thanks to a few special people: Lindsey Breeden and Rein Media for helping me build this site, and making 8 years of chicken scratches come to life. Thank you to my lovely bride Lindsay. Your love and support have been great.


    So yes, let the dialogue begin! This is not intended to be a one way monologue.Speak up and be heard. —Reid"

  • Priddy faces volleyball whirlwind ahead of Olympics by Colin Kendall, USA TODAY



    USA men's national volleyball team member Reid Priddy has been a fixture on the court since he was 15, and now he's gearing up for his second run at the Olympics. Priddy is competing in the World League tournament with Team USA, where he hopes to help take home the $1 million first prize before flying to Beijing. When he isn't on the court, he loves spending time with his wife, Lindsay, and surfing.


    Priddy, 30, caught up with USA TODAY's Colin Kendall while he was in Green Bay, Wisc., gearing up for a World League match against Finland.


    1. What is your timetable for the next month before the opening ceremonies in Beijing?
    We're in the midst of a tournament called the World League — it features 16 teams in a 6-week round-robin tournament, with about a $22 million purse. The 16 teams are separated into four pools of four teams, with each team playing a home and an away game against the other three teams. We are 5-1 right now, and if we win our pool we will have an opportunity to compete for the $1 million first prize in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from July 23-27. If we end up winning the World League, there is a two or three day turnaround from the day we get back from Brazil to when we go to Sacramento for processing and then off to Beijing. It has been a jet-setting summer to say the least [laughs].


    1b. Do you think your participation in the World League will help you, despite the constant grind of playing?
    This tournament is very hectic and all, but it is also very different from the Athens Olympics in 2004 because we weren't in the tournament, so we were trying to string together matches on our own. But I think that being in this tournament is advantageous because we're playing matches that are meaningful on a weekly basis, so it is great training. It is taxing physically, mentally and emotionally since we are gone from our families for so long, but it's great preparation for getting in a groove and dialing things in before Beijing.


    2. At what age did you pick up volleyball and who introduced you to the sport?
    I was 15 years old and living in Florida at the time. During the summer between 8th and 9th grade, everyone took P.E. I guess because they didn't want to get all sweaty and stinky during the school year, so I played volleyball in class during the summer. The JV coach at the high school saw me play and asked me to come out for her team. I was an avid soccer player, but I decided to try it. I was too short to play up front so I became a back row specialist and did really well en route to a 15-0 season on JV.


    2b. Have you played beach volleyball, too?
    I started surfing when I was in the second grade, so I fell in love with the beach at a very young age. So after I started playing volleyball, I played whenever I could on the beach. After all, it was easier to round up three guys for 2 on 2, than it was to get 11 more guys for 6 on 6. But after my first year of volleyball on the JV squad, we moved to Phoenix, and luckily enough they had a sand court on campus. We would wear board shorts underneath our school clothes and play at lunch and after school; that is where I fell in love with the sport.


    2c. When did you discover that you had a promising future playing professional volleyball?
    While I was a three-time All-American at Loyola Marymount, I didn't know that you could play professionally. When you're 14 and playing any other sports, you're aware that there is a professional opportunity, but I didn't know that this was a possibility until an agent called me two weeks before graduating from college, and he asked me if I wanted to play in Europe. Before that I just assumed that I would play on the AVP tour. I went to play in Italy and a whole new world opened up to me.


    3. What are your future plans after the Olympics?
    I played on the AVP Tour for six years, but I have always been peering over the AVP fence, and I'm ready to possibly retire after these Olympics and go to the beach full-time. However, it's very hard to leave the indoor game because you make much more money and I am still getting better. It's hard to leave such a professional structure to go out to the beach and fend for yourself. Some of my best friends play in the AVP, and if you aren't in the top-3, you can be paying more than you are making, with travel and hotels and all. I love the beach game, I always say that there is no better office, but I love the speed and power of the indoor game.


    4. What is your favorite place to travel to for volleyball?
    The first place that comes to mind is Poland. I love America, but as a volleyball player, when we go to Poland, they are fanatics about the sport, in the sense that they can completely sell out arenas in hours. It is a crazy environment and they love volleyball there. You know, they have barbeques and beer outside, they're knowledgeable — they know when to cheer and they know the game. Another place that I love to play at is Japan. We spend a lot of time there and it is a very clean place; the people are very respectful and also packing out arenas. A lot of places can sell out arenas, but not many have the quality of facilities that Poland and Japan offer.


    5. If you could have dinner with three people, dead or alive, who would they be?
    The first person I would love to meet face to face would be Jesus. That would be awesome, and it would probably help me make better choices now, you know. And as an athlete, of course I look up to Michael Jordan — I love the way he competes. But right now, I've been leaning a lot towards Tiger Woods. I love his competitiveness and the way he holds himself on and off the course. He is just so great at managing the game whether he has his 'A' game or not.


    6. I read that you have been living in Russia after playing for a European volleyball club, Lokomotiv Novosibirsk. Do you miss American cuisine?
    No doubt. One of the hardest things about Russia is the food. I think they were such a closed nation for so long that they didn't receive a lot of imports, and their land isn't built to grow all sorts of fresh, juicy vegetables, especially in 20-below temperatures. So we are going to a lot of Trader Joe's when we are in the states to load up and bring back as much food as we can.


    6a. Have you found it to be difficult to communicate in Russia?
    I have tried to learn the language in a lot of the places I've played in. I tried hard at Greek — I learned the alphabet — and I tried to learn Italian, but at this point, I am very jaded with learning how to speak the languages and since I know my time in Russia is short-term, I haven't tried to master the language. There's a common volleyball language that I try to learn within their dialect, but it is definitely a very hard language to learn.


    7. I read that you and your wife, Lindsay, have a very unique story, can you tell me a little bit about how the two of you met?
    When I first met her, I was 18 and she was 15. She made quite an impression on me and then we started dating three years after that. We were such a good fit and it was very natural. I was really drawn to her, especially her neatness. I thought that we were en route to marriage, and that is why I was shocked when she broke up with me out of the blue.


    We didn't speak for the next six years, but I couldn't seem to shake her memory. I dated other girls, but she seemed to be the standard to which I would compare. I wouldn't necessarily compare them, but I always found myself wondering if I was drawn to this person like I was drawn to Lindsay. So one day, I was flying to Korea for a match and all these thoughts and emotions flooded my mind again. I was pretty upset that I couldn't shake this, so I decided to write a letter to her, but it wasn't a letter that I had intended to send to her, I just wanted to air out all these unresolved issues. I decided that when the season was over I was going to reach out to her, and when I did, she reached back, and it was the best decision I ever made.


    8. When you're not playing volleyball, how do you like to spend your time?
    Besides hanging out with my wife as much as I can, I love to surf. We just bought a house in Huntington Beach, Calif., so I wake up in the morning, throw on a wet suit, grab my board and ride my bike down to the ocean. It helps me unplug and relax. I also really enjoy video editing and producing — that is something that I want to get more involved with in the future. Right now, I use the Web site to try and do some of that stuff. I love to be active, whether it be golfing or getting to church as much as possible. One of the hardest things about traveling so much is not being able to contribute to a community. It's hard for us to invest in the community to the degree which we would like, but hopefully in the years ahead we can make up for the lost time.

  • Short Pants and Long Faces for U.S. Men by Juliet Macur, THE NEW YORK TIMES
    Before anyone tunes in to the men’s volleyball competition at the Beijing Olympics and notices the inevitable, the players on the United States indoor team want you to know one thing: They are mortified to wear the official shorts.


    “The first thing people think when they watch us for the first time is, Whoa, your shorts are so short!” Reid Priddy, an outside hitter for the U.S. team, said in a telephone call from Huntington Beach, Calif. “I’m like: ‘I know. I know. It’s not quite the style that America loves, is it?’ I always say, ‘Our practice shorts are typically below the knee. Really, they are!’ ”


    Priddy is 6 feet 4 inches. His teammates are as tall as 6-9. And on players that tall, shorts with a four-inch inseam — the mandatory length in international competition -– leave about three miles of gangly legs exposed. Priddy said the Americans wear spandex shorts beneath the official ones – “like 1980s basketball players” — to prevent any unintentional wardrobe malfunctions.


    As the team’s spokesman on this very sensitive issue, Priddy insists that the team is much cooler than those skimpy shorts suggest.


    “Volleyball is a European-dominated thing and they really like these fitted, cute little outfits, so that’s what we have to wear,” he said. “But our style is more X-Games, beach kind of stuff. I have tan lines past my knee to prove it.”


    Priddy enlisted his teammates and filmed a video that pokes fun at volleyball’s version of male Daisy Dukes. The video, posted on YouTube, jokes about the team paying a $10,000 fine to break the 4-inch inseam uniform rule.

  • Video interview with: William Priddy (US spiker) by Andrea Zorzi



    to see interview click on the pic


    1) When and where were you born?
    2) When did you start playing Volleyball?
    3) Any other mambers of your family were sportsmen?
    4) Did you improve fast?
    5) You have played in many countries, could you compare the different experiences?
    6) You have played in Novosibirsk (RUS) such a far and different town from your.
    7) In which conditions is your national team?
    8 ) Which is the favourite team to win Beijing Games?
    9) Which is the most important victory of your career?
    10) Could you give a comment about the new ball?
    11) Are you married?
    12) The US Volleyball environment is changing.
    13) Have you ever really tried to play Beach Volley?
    14) Have you any idol in Volleyball?
    15) US Volleyball players behave very professionally.
    16) You are describing the Russian clubs in a new way.

  • The "short shorts" video is hilarious. Reid is a good actor :lol:


    And eventually the short shorts led them to the gold :wall:

    "[size=8]It's years and years of work and sacrifice and dedication. Along with a lot of these girls, we've sweat and we've bled and we've cried together in past Olympics. It just brought tears to my eyes, & I'm more than thrilled. This will be forever." -LOGAN MAILE LEI TOM (Silver Medallist - 2008 Beijing & 2012 London Olympic Games, 2011 World Cup runner up, 2003 & 2007 World Cup 3rd place, 2002 World Champs runner up, 4-time World GrandPrix Champs)

    Edited once, last by jist ().

  • Here's another funny video.


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rha9h4i7O5s&feature=related


    Lloy Ball's reaction is :lol:

    "[size=8]It's years and years of work and sacrifice and dedication. Along with a lot of these girls, we've sweat and we've bled and we've cried together in past Olympics. It just brought tears to my eyes, & I'm more than thrilled. This will be forever." -LOGAN MAILE LEI TOM (Silver Medallist - 2008 Beijing & 2012 London Olympic Games, 2011 World Cup runner up, 2003 & 2007 World Cup 3rd place, 2002 World Champs runner up, 4-time World GrandPrix Champs)

    Edited once, last by jist ().

  • Interview for Polish magazine "Super Volley" (September 2008 )


    According to the Chinese, the number eight brings lucky. Reid Priddy, outside hitter US team, also believes the number is special. It was this number, 8, that he wore on his NT’s shirt when he was reaching for gold of the World League, to become the Olympic winner not even a month later in Beijing.



    Picture: FIVB


    The American team arrived at Beijing with great expectations, but did you expect to actually win gold?
    At the beginning I was positively shocked. I couldn’t believe that our dream had come true. It’s not a secret, though, that our team had always aimed for gold. Of course, as all the other teams, we secretly dreamt of it. I felt we were capable of making it, that we were among the favorites. Currently, we have a great generation of players on our team. I guess we equal the team that America had in the 1980s and the 1990s, that was wining at the Olympics in 1988 and was awarded bronze medal four years later. We really wanted to go back to those successes, but our primary aim in this season was to get better from game to game. We realized the fact that we could win against all the other teams and that s why we were not so astonished by our own attitude while playing against the best, though, on the other hand we never expected thing to turn out like they did for us. During all those years we worked hard for our success. We were building a team that would improve its performance as the games were approaching and we suceeded.


    Being in the weaker group made it easier for you to get to the quarterfinal.
    It was not us to decide which group we would be in. At the Olympics in Athens we also had theoretically weaker partners at the beginning of the competition. It did get us to the semifinals, but the finished the whole competition on the fourth position. I believe it doesn’t mean anything what rivals you get in the group phase. If you want to become the Olympic winner, you just have to win against everyone.


    The Olympic finals were your third game in the last several months for you to play against the Brazilians. You won each time. Do you have some sort of patent on winning against the world champions?
    I guess we have been very patient in our games with the Brazilians. We know perfectly well that there are many great players on their team, we accept that fact, but it does not paralyze us. We know our value and somehow we manage to play our best volleyball against the Brazil NT, letting them play their best game at the same time. It also happens, that when we stand against other rivals who do not match the Brazilians, we are not so focused or patient. That is why we sometimes performed worse against the less demanding opponents. I believe that if we eliminate this kind of behavior and will approach all the other teams as we approach Brazil, then we will show you our best volleyball also during other games.


    Lloy Ball revealed that you are not very fond of the Brazilian players. Is this antipathy another impulse in your matches with the Brazil National Team?
    But I do like the Brazilian players! Really. I respect them for what they have achieved and I value them as people. Believe me, there are many teams I don’t like more than Brazil, but I will not tell you which teams they are.


    It has been said that the US National Team has no leader, and that your strength is the balanced team, but at the same time it is you who are seen as the key player on the team.
    My role in the team has changed since the last year. A year or two ago I was in better form and I think that my individual skills, such as serving and attack were on much higher level than currently. However, this had no direct impact on the results our team. I have now understood that the number of points I score is not important. What is important is the team and as a team we need to do everything we can to improve our skills, not individually, but as a team. Our team is consolidated. It was that great metamorphosis which we underwent last year. I believe that now nobody in our national team cares about their individual score. We share a purpose and we aim to reach it without paying attention to personal achievements of individual players. During competitions I do not follow my position in rankings. It just does not interest me.


    What was the atmosphere like inside the team in those crucial moments?
    This year, I noticed a very positive change in this area. I wouldn’t call our national team a family, as the Brazilians do, but the truth is, we spend a lot more time together these days, than we do with our families. Before, we happened to play games where the communication between us on the playground failed. Recently, we have been working on this and the effects could already be seen during the Final Six in Rio de Janeiro. Now, we support each other in difficult moments, we are one and that unity and mutial respect are very important to us. At the same time we are aware of our worth as players and of the level we are able to keep up to. Every single score counts. We have a great will to succeed at each game, since when we put on out national team shirts we feel honored by the fact, pride and responsibility, of representing our country.



    Picture: FIVB

  • It is no secret that volleyball in the USA is a niche discipline. While triumphant in the world’s most important competitions you were also fighting to raise its popularity in your country and for better conditions of its development and for yourselves.
    I hope that the success which is the gold medal will help promote volleyball in the United States. Our country is undergoing changes, but we are still waiting for the professional league to be founded. Its lack forces us to live away from our country, in the far-off Europe, which I personally dislike. It is different when you come to the Europe for a visit and live here permanently. Believe me, it is not so simple. In our case, the problem is in finding the right balance between our national team and club lives. After the league season is over and we return to America, there usually is the national team duty waiting for us there and it is difficult to find any time to rest. It gets hard at times but what can we do. Yes, the American League – that would be something!


    You are complaining about Europe. Is playing in Russia so hard?
    It is not so bad. We live in Siberia, which is practically the other side of the world, but in fact life in Russia is similar to the one in Western Europe. It might be due to the fact that Novosibirsk is a large city – the third biggest one in Russia and it has many attractive spots, be it restaurants or shopping centers. In fact, Novosibirsk is different than the cities in Europe only in that it is a bit colder there.


    What made you accept the offer from the other side of the world then?
    The Russian Superleague games are on a very high level, but what is the most important for me is that the organization of the club in Novosibirsk is professional. It has in the previous years happened that my employers did not meet the conditions they offered in my contracts. Here, these things do not happened. What the contract says, is guaranteed to the player. Everything in Novosibirsk is approached fully professionally, in a perfectionist way even, which I appreciate a lot. That fact was among the reasons why I decided to prolong my contract with a club for another year, the first time in my life.



    Many of your team colleagues have played in Poland. Did any of them encourage you to try it here, in our league?
    To tell you the truth I haven’t been particularly encouraged to come to Poland, but I have been aware for a long time, that your country provides excellent conditions for volleyball. There are many newspapers, magazines and TV programs about this sport, and that is very important. I also think that playing in the Polish league is really exciting, and that is thanks to your fans. The Polish fans love volleyball and know it inside out. They are really incredible. That is priceless.


    You are known for your fantastic gambade. While attacking, you touch the ball as high as 353 centimeters above the ground, despite being only 196 centimeters tall yourself. Does this come from a special way in which you exercise, in order to improve that natural ability?
    I don’t think I train in any different way from others. While some exercises may make you jump a little bit higher, but don’t expect someone who has such an ability naturally will jump so high for his whole life. There are no special exercises for improving my gambade. I just try to be at my best each time.


    This season you have been. You were positioned very high in individual statistics both during the World League games and the Olimpics.
    I trained very hard before the Olympics and at the same time I tried to stay in good health, since it has been a very hard year for me. I have played for sixteen months without any break. This summer finally brought me some time off... the whole two weeks! It wasn’t easy, but the players of all teams were in the same situation. Everyone wanted to be prepared to the Olympics as well as possible. It would be great if we could rest a bit after such a strenuous period. It is impossible, though, since we all return to playing in our clubs in the run.


    Let’s talk about the brighter sides of playing volleyball. Coming out to at the medal awarding ceremony you always take a video camera with you.
    It is a hobby of mine. I am interested in film production, and I especially value creativity in making them. I also run my own website (http://www.reidpriddy.com – editor’s note) which I try to keep up to date. Unfortunately I don’t have too much time for it. I hope that after I have finished my career I will be able to devote more attention to both of my pastimes.


    How did volleyball appear between so diverse interests?
    I just loved it from the start! The feeling was spontaneous and natural at the same time. Before that, I played soccer for eleven years. I also pracitced baseball and basketball. When I was 15 a volleyball coach noticed me. He claimed I was gifted for this game and when I tried volleyball I immediately fell in love. I also love surfing. Me and my wife Lindsay have recently bough a house near to a beach in California. The sun shines practically everyday there. I have a bicycyle with a special carrier for my surfing board. When I get home I take my whole gear and go to the beach surfing. I love it! Together with my wife we put a lot of effort and heart into the building of our Newport Beach house but this was exactly what we wanted.


    The new house will have to wait for you a bit.
    It’s true, in the league season my wife stays with me in Novosibirsk. Lindsay is an interior decorator by profession but while in Russia she is a full-time... wife. She is a great support for me. She gets up every morning with me to give me breakfast and help me prepare for training. She often goes with me to away games. Should someone observe my career closely they would surely notice that since the moment when Lindsay came into my life I have made a huge step forward.


  • Quote from Justyna


    It has been said that the US National Team has no leader, and that your strength is the balanced team, but at the same time it is you who are seen as the key player on the team.


    My role in the team has changed since the last year. A year or two ago I was in better form and I think that my individual skills, such as serving and attack were on much higher level than currently. However, this had no direct impact on the results our team. I have now understood that the number of points I score is not important. What is important is the team and as a team we need to do everything we can to improve our skills, not individually, but as a team. Our team is consolidated. It was that great metamorphosis which we underwent last year. I believe that now nobody in our national team cares about their individual score. We share a purpose and we aim to reach it without paying attention to personal achievements of individual players. During competitions I do not follow my position in rankings. It just does not interest me.


    Only one year it had taken to turn these guys into communists :whistle: And it seems, they like this "great metamorphosis" :lol: They even surpassed their teachers on WL and OG :rolll: ;)

  • wow, what an associate :roll:

    Interview for Polish magazine "Super Volley" (September 2008 )


    From the same article...


    Priddy’s words on...
    Returning to the USA after winning the gold
    When we landed at the airport, the people who were in the arrivals hall at the time greeted us with a standing ovation. It was incredible! We had got used to volleyball being neglected in America, and us being anonymous. Such reception is a proof that on our way for gold those people were with us. That was the reason of that special moment.


    American television
    After winning the World League in Rio de Janeiro I received many congratulations from volleyball fans from different countries. It was incredible that the final competitions were transmitted by television in many countries... except the United States!


    Perfectionism
    I am a perfectionist. I like things to be in the right order. I don’t shun hard work and I draw satisfaction from overcoming my weaknesses. I come to training sessions not to have a laugh with others but to exercise. The training hall is not a place for horseplay. This is the approach to training I like.


    The most suffered defeat
    There were two games like that and both were against Russia. The first one was the match for the bronze medal at the Athens Olympic games. The other defeat happened during the last World Cup.


    The hardest question
    I have always had problems telling where I come from. I was born in Richmont, Virginia, where my parents come from and still live. Still, we later moved three times, to San Diego, Florida and to Phoenix. I spend the bigger part of my life in those states too.


    First job
    My first job was at McDonald’s. My job was to open the place at 4.30 and in order to make it I had to get up at 4 a.m.! What a sacrifice, wasn’t it?!

  • Golden Anniversary
    August 24, 2009 1:06 PM
    By Kirstin Olsen, Special to ESPN RISE


    A year ago today, marked a special event in volleyball history. The U.S. Men's National Team struck gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, USA Volleyball's first indoor gold medal in 20 years. ESPN RISE caught up with outside hitter Reid Priddy and peppered him with questions about his journey to the gold medal match and his life today.


    Q & A with Reid Priddy


    ESPN RISE: When did you get involved in volleyball?
    Priddy: I was 15 years old and I was first introduced to Volleyball in PE class. The coach saw something and encouraged me to tryout for the team at school. I did, and fell in love with it.

    Did you play other sports growing up?
    Yes, soccer for like 11 years...baseball, basketball...


    Where did you go to high school?
    Freshman year I went to Lake Mary High School in Florida and then we moved to Phoenix, and I finished at Mountain Pointe High School (they just won their seventh state title this season!).


    Was it hard on you and your sports career moving around?
    Actually, I think it prepared me for what was ahead. I learned to be pretty resilient and with my lifestyle now traveling all over the world, it seemed to prepare me for it.


    When did you know you wanted to further your career in volleyball?
    Early on I wanted to play for Team USA but I really didn't know what it looked like or what that meant. I remember the Team came and played in Phoenix in the big arena downtown and I thought that was the coolest thing ever!

    What was your biggest challenge as a player starting out?
    I think the biggest challenge was that boys volleyball in Phoenix was so under-developed at the time...we really felt like we were off the grid and there was a sense that we weren't on college coaches' radar either.

    What advice do you have to young players who are under 6-foot-4?
    1. Learn to be a great teammate. Learn as soon as you can how to make those around you better. 2. Learn all the skills...especially how to control the ball. There will always be a place on the court for a great passer.


    What is your favorite part of the game?
    I have come to really love blocking. I was a blocking liability for many years. I remember reaching the point of total frustration at the 2006 World Championships...I knew I was hurting my team not being able to block. So I made it a HUGE priority to be better at that skill. I got better and in Russia over the past two pro seasons I lead all outside blockers in total blocks.


    How did you get recruited?
    I was first recruited by USC as a setter. We went deep into the process with them and they suddenly pulled the rug out to make room for a European setter they discovered (Donny Suxho).

    SC's head coaches brother (Rick McLaughlin) had come out to PHX with Sato (SC's assistant at the time) and saw me play...he called and my father and I went to check out the campus. He brought me in as a setter but I don't think he ever intended that I play that position. He immediately switched me to outside hitter.


    Why did you choose LMU?
    Funny enough...I was looking for three things: 1. A Division I school, 2. Southern California, 3. Green. Green, as opposed to desert brown. As soon as I set foot on campus, I was sold.


    How did you feel about the program getting cut?
    It makes me angry, upset. I am angry that there wasn't a bigger fight for the program within the volleyball community. And honestly, looking back 9 years, dropping our program didn't offer any positive results to the "other programs" that they sought to improve by redirecting the volleyball money to theirs. Its very disappointing and it was a HUGE MISTAKE.


    How did you get to the National Team from there?
    In 1999, the summer before my senior year I played on an A2 team and that was what sort of got me into the fold.


    How has your experience been on the National Team?
    An awesome experience. I am happy and blessed to be a part of the program. Lord willing I have another 4 years in me....and I look forward to competing in a USA #8 jersey again soon!!!


    Most importantly, how does it feel to win a gold medal?
    Words can't describe the feeling. It's a joy, an honor! Any attempt to put it in words would be impossible and sound cliche. Lets just say, its WORTH IT! the hard work, the sacrifice and all...totally worth it!!


    How did you mentally prepare for that game?
    Having played in the '04 Games, I knew what to expect and could prepare for it better. I added some more cardio to my workouts knowing the extra emotional strain that the Olympics have and that helped. I think overall, we mentally prepared for that match by bringing it as best we could everyday in practice.

    Our short team mantra was PLAY HARD, PLAY SMART and PLAY TOGETHER. You do that enough days, months, years in a row...you are ready to do it when it counts.


    How has your experience been playing over seas?
    It's been good. You really learn a lot...about volleyball sure, but more about life, people, other cultures. I want to win more overseas. Hoping that in these next few years, our Russian team can make a mark.


    If you could do it all again, what would you change?
    That is a hard question because each experience added value to my life in some sense. But on a career level, I see the value in playing for one club multiple years in a good league. So maybe I would try to get on a good team in a strong league like Italy on a multi-year deal, that in contrast to constantly following the dollars and moving from team to league to country. I have been with my Russian club for two seasons now and will be with them for two more....there are a lot of positives in that scenario.


    What has fueled you to become the gold medalist you are today?
    I love competing and I love improving. I have yet to reach a plateau mentally or physically, and still enjoy playing. It takes a lot of time and experience...you have to stick with it. I am 31 now and still feel like I am in my prime.


    What do you hope to see in the future of volleyball?
    I hope to see Volleyball in the US increase its FAN base. Right now we have 13 million people playing the game but it is really difficult to follow the game at the professional and college level because there is such limited access to it. I hope access increases and with the wave of new technology, Volleyball can establish a platform of delivery, whether on the internet or TV, where we as players can also be engaged as fans. From there we can then look to expand both the participation AND the fan base... and I would love to see a PRO league in the states!!!


    What does the future hold for Reid Priddy?
    I am still hungry for much more. Much to the surprise of many, our sport is an everyday/every-year sport, not JUST an Olympic sport (once every 4 years) so we have a lot of major competitions coming up. It is one thing to win one summer, but Brazil has set the bar high being the best team over a six year period....that is what we want to rival.


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