Stanley: I believe in Olympic medal
- Written by Jiri Popelka
"We know that we can make something big, so we must simply make it", said in the interview for the Gazeta Wyborcza Clayton Stanley, the star of U.S volleyball national team.
30-Year Clayton Stanley given birth in the Honolulu is one of th most stronger volleyball server of the world. During Olympics in the Athens he made 17 aces, he achieved the fourth place with U.S national team.
Your great serve is a gift from good?
I would say rather, that gift of parents, they bring me to the world. Both they played volleyball, the father was on the Olympics in Mexico in 1968. There is no great philosophy with these serves - I had natural predispositions, but above all years of the intensive training helped me. What's interesting, not at once I decided for volleyball. At the secondary school I played basketball, at the college I played in the team... of water polo.
The volleyball has the strange status in the USA. Your national team is one of the strongest on theworld, but the popularity of the discipline is scarce.
Volleyball is indeed no great sport in the American culture. Football remains the number one spot, there are a basketball and a baseball farther. We were an Olympic champions in the volleyball, but our problem consists in the fact that the Olympics take place every four years. You are winning a gold medal, people remember about it for the year, then they quickly forget. The volleyball doesn't have also a suitable promotion and generous sponsors which would load million of dollars into it.
What about Olympics 2008?
We are travelling to the Beijing for the medal, best golden. I believe that it is really possible. We defeated Brazil, Bulgaria at the World CUp, closely we lost with Russia. Earlier we beat all leading squads of world: Poland, France, Italy. If an unexpected slip-up doesn't happen, in China we can achieve the great success. We know that we can make something big, so we must simply make it.
A lot of changed for the better, since when Hugh McCutcheon is training you...
The fact that he collected the group of people which are able with themselves to work is his merit. The coach has the considerable confidence to us, he treats us loosely. The team consists of competitors being the same age less more which very well understand one another. Everyone is feeling equally responsible. It is our greatest advantage.
