Misty May

By:Sterling

     Many popular sports have many popular players in them that excel at what they do, like how Michael Phelps excels in swimming and Sean Johnson excels in gymnastics. Each player 2008 Olympic player  has a unique background from everything to their childhood to their personal life, and from their injuries and there career partners. The one person that jumps out to me that played in the Olympics was Misty May because of her hard work and her dedication to beach volleyball.

Childhood

       Misty E. May, a well-known Olympic beach volleyball player was born on July 30, 1977 in Los Angeles California. In Los Angeles she grew up playing beach volleyball with her parents Barbara and Butch. When Misty was at the age of eight, she participated in her first volleyball tournament with her father Butch, Misty did not just only play Volleyball, she also participated in other sports such as soccer and tennis, as well as participating in dance lessons on the side.

High School

            Misty May attended Newport Harbor High School in Costa Mesa California from 1991 through 1995. While Misty went to Newport she helped lead her team to win a total of two state championships in 1992 and 1994 in indoor volleyball.

            While Misty was in High School she was awarded “Team Player Of The Year” in 1993, and in 1994 she was named by USA Today “The Best Girls Volleyball Player In The Nation.”

Figure 1: Newport Harbor High School

Personal Life

            Misty doesn’t seem to be shy from the public like a few stars with her personal life, even with the death of her mother Barbara in 2002 from Cancer Misty got a prominent tattoo of an angel with the initials “B.M” standing for her mothers name. Whenever Misty is asked about the tattoo she proudly states what it stands for without any hesitation.

In March of 2004, Matt Treanor and Misty May were engaged, they had been dating for a while already, but they didn’t get married until November of 2004. Misty May-Treanor and Matt Treanor have publicly announced that they plan to settle down and start a family soon, but Misty has not announced yet when she plans to give up volleyball and

settle down with her husband Matt.

Figure 2:Misty May-Treanor and husband Matt Treanor

Misty, a big fan and also a childhood friend with basketball star Jason Kidd. Jason was in the stands when May-Treanor and Walsh won their gold medal in Beijing 2008.

Figure 3:Basketball star Jason Kidd

Career

Misty May is a professional beach volleyball player, she has participated in many contest like the AVP. Some of the partners that she has had in her beach volleyball career are listed in the paragraph below.

Partners

Misty participated in her first professional match while she was still a college senior. The match was in the AVP world tour. While she was in the AVP she was paired with her first partner Holly McPeak, they were partners from 1998-2000.

Figure 4; First professional partner Holly McPeak

After being partnered with Holly, Misty May’s and Kerri Walsh’s mothers got together, they thought it would be a great opportunity to see if the girls played well together. After Misty and Kerri practiced for two straight years without participating in any tournaments and contests they decided to finally give a tournament a shot. Since the two teamed up as a pair they have been dominated the AVP and the FIVB beach volleyball tours. Before the start of 2008 Olympics in Beijing the two had been on a winning streak of winning 101 matches and a total of 18 tournaments. This winning streak they were on started in the beginning of June 2007.

Figure 5:Current partner Kerri Walsh

Injuries

For a total of five years, two during college and three during her professional career Misty has been out of sports because of some sort of injury.

Misty has previously suffered from a torn PCL in college, this injury almost led her to completely quit volleyball, but with her dads encouragement she continued to keep playing the sport she loved.

Figure 6: Posterior cruciate rupture 

In October of 2008 Misty was on a hit television show called Dancing With The Stars.

Figure 7: Misty on Dancing With The Stars with her partner.

            While in a rehearsal with her partner one day she ruptured her Achilles tendon. Due to this injury Misty May-Treanor faced while she was on the show she was forced to immediately quit the show due to the pain she was going through.

Well as you can see Misty has dedication into beach volleyball, the sport that she loves. Being able to go to the Olympics obviously takes hard work, and "Being able to take a gold is the most we could ever get," says Misty May to a reporter after the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

Beijing 2008 

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To see the pages I got my information from please click this page.

For more information on the sport volleyball click on this link for Sam's volleyball research report.