Misty May-Treanor has the sport of beach volleyball in the palm of her hands. The two-time Olympics beach volleyball gold medalist has rocked the player ranks once more by announcing that she will resume her long-standing partnership with Kerri Walsh.
As reported by NBC on Friday, May-Treanor said, "I'm extremely excited to partner with Kerri again, to go out and defend our Olympic gold medal, and represent the United States.”
When this golden girl speaks, the sports world listens – and those especially attuned are other elite players whose futures and hopes hinge on her choices.
Ever since winning the gold with Walsh at the Beijing Olympics in August, 2008, May-Treanor has vacillated about her future – both on, and more notably off the court. Publicly-stated goals to spend more time with her husband, begin a family, pursue a master’s degree, and resume coaching clouded her resolve to return to the sand.
Further compounding this decision-making swirl was her torn Achilles tendon injury, sustained in October 2008 during her Dancing With The Stars stint, that caused her to miss the entire Association of Volleyball Professionals season in 2009, and rethink her plans.
While Walsh basked in the birth of her second child last year, May-Treanor competed with fellow Olympian Nicole Branagh on both the domestic AVP and international FIVB circuits. The pair’s aspirations for a run at the London Games dampened by season’s end where, as the favorites, they unexpectedly failed to win an invitational in Cincinnati.
After her loss here, the downcast Branagh lamented about her uncertain future, “I’m waiting to see what Misty decides to do. It’s up to her.” And the rusty Walsh, at the same event, echoed the same sentiment.
In an article within this month's Volleyball magazine, May-Treanor stated, “The Olympics are still too far away for me. I can’t even think about that.” Because of this uncertainty, Walsh and Branagh were busily training during this winter – expecting to make a run for the gold as a unified team.
Now, in the wake of this pronouncement, Branagh is scrambling to find a partner to compete with this season, someone who she believes can help her punch a ticket to London in August, 2012.
For sure, May-Treanor has the beach volleyball world wrapped around her index finger, the one she’ll likely be pointing atop the podium at the London Olympics.
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