A lot of guys are out there with their iPods. I'm not one of them. I just never really got into it.

I thank my dad for my mental longevity and for the fact we played against better competition.

I was fortunate to start the sport at a young age. I was 6 years old when my dad started teaching me. We started playing tournaments together when I was 11, in the lower ranking of beach volleyball in California. We weren't playing against kids; we played against grown men, so immediately, I had to raise my game to compete.

I still get excited just attending a final four, because the process is so long, so arduous, so challenging, that when it finally arrives, the adrenaline can't help but take over. I love the sense of accomplishment and camaraderie that the indoor game can engender.

We are all going to fall short. We are going to have some bitter losses, very painful defeats and failures. We have to use those to come back even stronger. That's what makes it sweeter, when we can overcome those and figure out a way to win. The great teams can do that, and those are the gold medal winning teams.

Playing against better competition makes you better and more focused, so you can do what you have to, to win.

When you’ve done everything you can to train yourself for competition, you’ll sleep well when the tournament is over, win or lose.