SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter8 Aug 2018

Caitlin Ledoux: Just doux you

It’s a wonder how Caitlin Ledoux did it, given that she operates with the same 24 hours a day, the same seven days a week, as the rest of us.

There she was, working full-time at Lululemon. There she was, coaching two or three club teams and a high school team.

There she was, playing full-time professional beach volleyball, making three quarterfinals and her first career Sunday in Hermosa Beach, capping the year as the AVP’s Most Improved player.

“I worked a lot,” she said on SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter. “Literally seven days a week coaching for four hours a day. That’s what I mean. I was overworked, I was exhausted, my body was struggling to keep up with what I was doing mentally, physically, everything. I just needed to hit that reset button.”

On the court, 2017 had been her most successful year. Off it, it had been both mentally and physically debilitating, something that didn’t go unnoticed by her partner for the final three tournaments, Maria Clara Salgado.

“She knew I was struggling here with my nutrition and my workouts and my working, I had been working a ton. It was too much. She said ‘Come down to Brazil, let’s see what works for you, because what you’ve been doing isn’t really working. Let’s put the reset button on and see if it works.’”

And so, for three months of the “off-season,” Ledoux went to Brazil, getting reps six days a week from four different coaches. She switched her weight routine, swapping out Olympic lifting for more functional movements. She overhauled her nutrition.

“It was the first time I’ve ever felt like a professional athlete,” said Ledoux, who has been playing professionally since she first qualified on the AVP in 2012. “That was career changing. It was amazing.”

Indeed, it seems it has been career-changing. This year, Ledoux has arguably the best case to again take home the AVP’s Most Improved Player, making the quarterfinals in New York with Salgado before getting the call of a lifetime, from perhaps the most dominant female player in the game today: April Ross.

"It was pretty funny because in New York she texted me and said 'Hey I need a practice partner for these days, can you practice with me?' And I had never played or practiced with her so I was stoked to practice with her for two days," Ledoux said. "And I was in the car with my mom and she texted me and I said 'Mom! Guess what just happened?' And she said 'April asked you to play.' And I said 'Yes!' It was awesome."

With Ross playing behind her block, Ledoux made her first final, which may be the match of the year on the AVP thus far, a 21-19, 19-21, 16-18 loss to Emily Day and Betsi Flint. Two weeks later she did it again with Geena Urango, making her third career Sunday and second straight losing once more to Day and Flint in the finals, 17-21, 21-16, 7-15.

Another three weeks after that, in Hermosa, Ledoux was back on a Sunday, falling in three to Ross and Alix Klineman, 14-21, 21-18, 9-15.

“A lot of it is just personal growth about myself and having the right support system around myself the last year and a half,” Ledoux said of her blink-and-you-missed-it rise. “Having that support system and the coaches and helping you figure out what you need to do, I’d say that honestly is the biggest thing.”

What you need to do. It’s a simple concept for Ledoux. Identify what your goal is. Figure out the next step.

Just do.

Olympics, she knew, has been her goal since she was a little girl. How would one get into the Olympics?

Travel. A lot. With no promises of a return anytime soon. So there her and Irene Pollock went, jet-setting across the world, beginning in Russia of 2014. Over the next three years, they went to 16 FIVBs in 10 different countries, qualifying in some, whiffing on others, taking every risk they could, because there were goals to reach and one ladder to get there.

Just go.

“It was hard, but the same time it wasn’t,” Ledoux said. “Irene and I had the same goal and that’s to make the Olympics and we knew that was what we needed to do. We needed to just drown ourselves in all the experience of traveling and losing and having to play these single elimination matches to get that experience. I look back on that year and it was a very draining year but I also learned a lot.

“When you look at the end game: what’s your goal? I had to do it. It’s a no-brainer.”

And sure, it may have been rough for a while. There may have been a learning curve on how to travel internationally, particularly when doing so in, say South Africa.

The investment is beginning to see returns, dividends in the form of a bronze medal (in China with Sarah Sponcil), a silver (in Australia with Jace Pardon) and a gold (in Thailand with Emily Stockman).

“I think there’s probably a more responsible way to do it than the way I did it,” Ledoux said of climbing the ranks of the FIVB. “But I’ve really enjoyed my life the last five years of just doing it and saying yes to a bunch of experiences. One of the cool things about this career is I look back on the last five years and all of the crazy memories I have of going to all of these places and a lot of times I had fun because we lost out super early and we didn’t know how to book flights yet so we’d book our flight home a week or week and a half in these places and we lost on the first day and now we have a week in South Africa and it’s ‘What do we do?’

“I look back on these last five years and I wouldn’t change anything. If you’re looking to just start, I would say set your goal and jump in.”

Upptäck Premium

Prova 14 dagar kostnadsfritt

Skaffa Premium

Avsnitt(480)

Geena Urango: The Veteran Who Is "Still Tapping Into New Things" in Beach Volleyball

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features Geena Urango, one of the OGs on the podcast and a member of the San Diego Smash of the inaugural AVP League. Geena has been one of the most successful defenders of this generation amongst those who play exclusively domestically, a decision we chat about at length on the podcast, as well as: How, at age 35, she continues her steady rise of improvement Her thoughts on the AVP League and what she thought of its debut stop in UCLA What the AVP can do from a marketing perspective to improve the attendance and overall awareness of the League Her goals as a beach volleyball player who has no designs on making an Olympic Games And, per usual, much more! SHOOTS and GO NOLES! *** Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST63. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Introducing Balltime, the AI platform making breaking down film and statistics EASY (FINALLY!). Use our link for a discount and give it a try! Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products! We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link. We have a new book! Playbook of Champions: The habits, routines, and stories of Olympians, Champions, and world-class athletes. If you listen to the show – which, if you’re reading this, then you are – then this is the perfect book for you, as it is a distillation of the best golden nuggets from our first five years of the podcast. Check it out on Amazon! We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/ If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB

25 Sep 20241h 9min

AVP League Miami Recap: Is "Home Court" Advantage Real?

Welcome to Beach Access, where Travis Mewhirter and sometimes Kyle Friend and sometimes Tri Bourne break down all things domestic beach volleyball. Today, Travis is breaking down week 2 of the AVP League in Miami, discussing: Why Trevor Crabb, he of the Miami Mayhem, thinks there might be a home field advantage Why each team’s No. 2 pairing will be critical to success in the AVP League How April Ross and Alix Klineman made the most of their wild card into the League And that’s about it. Not much to wrap up from week 2 of the AVP League. What do y’all think so far? SHOOTS and GO NOLES! *** Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST63. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Introducing Balltime, the AI platform making breaking down film and statistics EASY (FINALLY!). Use our link for a discount and give it a try! Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products! We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link. We have a new book! Playbook of Champions: The habits, routines, and stories of Olympians, Champions, and world-class athletes. If you listen to the show – which, if you’re reading this, then you are – then this is the perfect book for you, as it is a distillation of the best golden nuggets from our first five years of the podcast. Check it out on Amazon! We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/ If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB

23 Sep 202410min

AVP League Week 1 Recap: Is This The Future of Beach Volleyball?

Welcome back to Beach Access, where Travis Mewhirter and occasionally Kyle Friend break down professional beach volleyball on both the AVP Tour and the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour. This week, Travis, fresh off a week in Tallahassee at Florida State, takes a look at the AVP League and its week one debut, talking: How were the teams assigned, and how in the world is Taylor Crabb and Taylor Sander on the same team as Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes? (the New York Nitro) What’s the prize money for the AVP League? Why is the AVP League in the fall, competing with the NFL and College Football? Why are the sets to 15 as opposed to 21, 21, and then 15? And a bit more. Feel free to drop a comment, ask questions, whatever you need. Here to answer as many as we can! SHOOTS and GO NOLES! *** Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST63. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Introducing Balltime, the AI platform making breaking down film and statistics EASY (FINALLY!). Use our link for a discount and give it a try! Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products! We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link. We have a new book! Playbook of Champions: The habits, routines, and stories of Olympians, Champions, and world-class athletes. If you listen to the show – which, if you’re reading this, then you are – then this is the perfect book for you, as it is a distillation of the best golden nuggets from our first five years of the podcast. Check it out on Amazon! We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/ If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB

19 Sep 202419min

Marcio Sicoli: "The Wizard" Behind Mel and Brandie's Olympic Silver Medal

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features Marcio Sicoli, the longtime head coach of the Pepperdine beach volleyball team and the man Melissa Humana-Paredes calls “the wizard” leading her and Brandie Wilkerson to an Olympic silver medal at the Paris Olympic Games. On this episode, we chat about: Why Wilkerson wanted Sicoli to coach her and Mel through the Paris quad With Olympic medals with three different countries – Brazil, USA, Canada – is Marcio Sicoli the greatest beach volleyball coach of all time? How Mel and Brandie turned around their slow start at the Olympics to win a silver medal Why everyone needs a vision if they want to be elite And so, so much more. Gold all the way down on this one. SHOOTS! *** Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST63. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Introducing Balltime, the AI platform making breaking down film and statistics EASY (FINALLY!). Use our link for a discount and give it a try! Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products! We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link. We have a new book! Playbook of Champions: The habits, routines, and stories of Olympians, Champions, and world-class athletes. If you listen to the show – which, if you’re reading this, then you are – then this is the perfect book for you, as it is a distillation of the best golden nuggets from our first five years of the podcast. Check it out on Amazon! We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/ If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB

18 Sep 20241h 23min

Trevor Crabb, Theo Brunner: The (Very Candid) Manhattan Beach Open Champs

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features Trevor Crabb and Theo Brunner, the recent AVP Manhattan Beach Open champions who followed up their epic win with an epic interview with an epic and open and candid podcast. Brunner holds back nothing in this one, as he and Crabb chat about: What it was like for Theo Brunner, a man of so many “almosts” in his career, to finally get on the Manhattan Beach Pier Why Brunner hates the current system of the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour, and why he’s committed to being candid about his criticism of it Why Trevor Crabb and Theo are “cautiously optimistic” about the upcoming AVP League How Trevor and Theo got bumped off the USA Volleyball funding…despite being one of the top three teams in the United States. As we said: Theo was candid And, per usual, much, much more. SHOOTS! *** Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST63. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Introducing Balltime, the AI platform making breaking down film and statistics EASY (FINALLY!). Use our link for a discount and give it a try! Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products! We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link. We have a new book! Playbook of Champions: The habits, routines, and stories of Olympians, Champions, and world-class athletes. If you listen to the show – which, if you’re reading this, then you are – then this is the perfect book for you, as it is a distillation of the best golden nuggets from our first five years of the podcast. Check it out on Amazon! We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/ If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB

11 Sep 20241h 6min

Hermosa Open Recap: The Vibes, The Partnerships, The Play -- The Purest Beach Volleyball Tournament

The Hermosa Open was AWESOME, one of the purest beach volleyball tournaments we've been to in a long time. All good vibes from the players and fans, streamed on VBTV, fun new teams to watch -- all of it. And, we had some scintillating play, INCLUDING: - A DOUBLE-FINAL on the women's side between Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes and Terese Cannon and Megan Kraft - Finally a domestic win for Chase Budinger and Miles Evans, long-awaited, in a fun final against Miles Partain and Alex Ranghieri - April Ross' final tournament as a sub with Lexy Denaburg - Travis Mewhirter's final tournament as a professional, taking a fifth with Andy Benesh in a very fun run SHOOTS! *** Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST63. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Introducing Balltime, the AI platform making breaking down film and statistics EASY (FINALLY!). Use our link for a discount and give it a try! Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products! We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link. We have a new book! Playbook of Champions: The habits, routines, and stories of Olympians, Champions, and world-class athletes. If you listen to the show – which, if you’re reading this, then you are – then this is the perfect book for you, as it is a distillation of the best golden nuggets from our first five years of the podcast. Check it out on Amazon! We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/ If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB

9 Sep 20248min

Hermosa Beach Open Preview: The Old School, True Open Tournament Beach Volleyball Needed

Welcome back to Beach Access, where Travis Mewhirter and his producers, including a celebrity appearance from Producer Mom, preview this week's Hermosa Beach Open, presented by Wedbush Securities. We chat about: - How Travis wound up pulling Andy Benesh - Why Miles Partain is playing with Alex Ranghieri - Where are Trevor Crabb, Taylor Crabb, and Taylor Sander - Heather Bansley making her USA debut! - AVP League questions And, per usual, a whole lot more! SHOOTS! *** Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST63. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Introducing Balltime, the AI platform making breaking down film and statistics EASY (FINALLY!). Use our link for a discount and give it a try! Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products! We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link. We have a new book! Playbook of Champions: The habits, routines, and stories of Olympians, Champions, and world-class athletes. If you listen to the show – which, if you’re reading this, then you are – then this is the perfect book for you, as it is a distillation of the best golden nuggets from our first five years of the podcast. Check it out on Amazon! We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/ If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB

5 Sep 202414min

Brooke Niles, Nick Lucena, and FSU Beach Volleyball's New Coach: Travis Mewhirter

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features Florida State Beach Volleyball’s entire (and new) coaching staff. Longtime head coach Brooke Niles, her top assistant and husband, Nick Lucena, and the new addition to the crew, Travis Mewhirter, chat all things beach volleyball, including: What it’s like being a husband-wife, coach-assistant-coach How long it took Niles and Lucena to dive full-time into coaching and not miss playing (hint: maybe the player in them never left) How Travis coaching FSU beach volleyball came to be Why even a 35-win season can sometimes leave a bitter taste in the mouth The vast changes and growth the NCAA has made to the game as a whole And so, so much more. Such a blast with Brooke and Nick as Travis kicks off a new adventure. Enjoy our longest podcast to date! SHOOTS! *** Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST63. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Introducing Balltime, the AI platform making breaking down film and statistics EASY (FINALLY!). Use our link for a discount and give it a try! Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products! We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link. We have a new book! Playbook of Champions: The habits, routines, and stories of Olympians, Champions, and world-class athletes. If you listen to the show – which, if you’re reading this, then you are – then this is the perfect book for you, as it is a distillation of the best golden nuggets from our first five years of the podcast. Check it out on Amazon! We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/ If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB

4 Sep 20242h 5min

Allt en och samma app

Lyssna på dina favoritpoddar och ljudböcker på ett och samma ställe.

Noga utvalt innehåll

Njut av handplockade tips som passar din smak – utan ändlöst scrollande.

Fortsätt när du vill

Fortsätt lyssna där du slutade – även offline.

Premium

99 kr/mån

Tillgång till alla Premium-poddar
Lyssna utan reklam
Avsluta när du vill

Prova 14 dagar gratis

Premium

129 kr/mån

Tillgång till alla Premium-poddar
Lyssna utan reklam
Avsluta när du vill
Ett extra konto

Prova 14 dagar gratis

Populärt inom Politik & nyheter

Berättelserna och rösterna du älskar att lyssna på

Obegränsad lyssning på alla dina favoritpoddar och ljudböcker

Upptäck Premium