Who are these athletes that play on the Women's Professional Volleyball Association? Where do they come from and what does it take for them to be professional volleyball players?

Each week, right here in the Lifestyle section of the WPVA web page, we will take a look at "Life on the Beach" with one of the WPVA's top pro beach volleyball players.

This week, we take a look at "Life on the Beach" with....

Danalee Bragado

Krista Blomquist is entering her fifth full season on the Evian WPVA Volleyball tour. Last season saw her emerge as one of the top players on the tour as she made her first two final four appearances at the Newport, RI, and Huntington Beach, CA, tournaments with Danalee Bragado, where they finished fourth in both of those events. The 1996 season ended with her receiving the WPVA's Most Improved Player award. In 1997, she started the season with veteran player, Cammy Ciarelli and the two finished third at the season opener in Miami Beach, FL, Blomquist's best finish ever on the tour at the time. That was followed by a ninth in Deerfield Beach, FL, and a 13th in Orlando, FL. Then, due to an injury to Ciarelli, Blomquist played the next two tournaments with Ali Wood, and, most recently, she has been playing with Christine Schaefer, with the highlight of their partnership being a third place finish at the recent Evian Open in Chicago, ILL. The following conversation with Blomquist took place just prior to the WPVA stop in Orlando, FL earlier this season.

Q: In this year's first event in Miami, you had your best finish ever, 3rd place, defeating Linda Chisholm and Deb Richardson, 17-15. You also had wins over three of the top teams on the tour - Lisa Arce/Holly McPeak, Karolyn Kirby/Nancy Reno and Barbra Fontana/Linda Hanley. What was more important to you - the 3rd place finish or the wins over those top teams?

Blomquist: That's a trick question because beating those three teams got me to fourth place. So, I'd have to say that taking third was more important to me because I was playing a team very comparable in skill, I think. And it was the last game of the tournament and I was just really fatigued mentally and physically. And, to come back, we were down I think 14-13 for sure, and we came back and won 17-15. So that game was by far the best game we played and it showed that Cammy and I could close out a tight one. It was very, very exciting to win that game and have the whole crowd on our side and be really cheering for us. So, that was more important to me I think and I learned more from that, but it's like comparing apples to apples. They're almost a tie, I'd say, because beating the top three teams in one event was phenomenal, but it wasn't as much of a learning experience, to tell you the truth, as winning the third and fourth place game.

Q: You had some success last season with Danalee Bragado leading to your best finishes ever on the tour, so you would think that you two would want to stay together. This year, however, you started the season with Cammy Ciarelli. How did the change of partners come about?

Blomquist: The change was brought about when Danalee was real interested in playing on the international tour in the early season, like February and March, and I wasn't ready to travel. So, I told her I wouldn't be going to either Brazil or Australia, but once the season got going, I wanted to travel internationally. And, she felt that due to the point structure of the FIVB, she'd be best to go. I knew that I wanted to be prepared to play in the WPVA and that was my main focus, but I also wanted to play with somebody on both tours. I didn't want to be playing with one person on one tour and one person on the other. So, I called Cammy. She was the first person I called, and I knew she was playing this year. And, she said, "yeah, let's practice." So, we practiced the Saturday before Danalee had to leave for, I think it was Brazil. And, I didn't decide till a couple days later, but that day, the day we practiced, Cammy said something like, 'Well, I definitely want to play with you on both tours. We have good chemistry and I want to bond with somebody, I don't want to try out a million people. You have a good work ethic and I think we could do really well.' And, I was kind of shocked. I thought I was just looking for somebody for maybe Australia, if I decided to go. And then, she kind of wanted a decision within a week, so I decided to go for it. And, I told Danalee when she got back from Brazil and that's it.

Q: You're entering your fifth full season on the tour. Last season you reached the final four twice, finishing fourth. This season you've made it to the final four in the Miami event and finished third. What do you think made you get to that next level and what is it going to take for you to continue to consistently reach the final four?

Blomquist: I think it was finally not having to worry so much what I was doing, so that I could then figure out how to strategize and play other teams. So, basically, my siding out became a little bit more comfortable and it wasn't something that I had to figure out, well, how are they defending me and how can I put the ball away. So what happened with Danalee and I, we would be siding out so well, but we couldn't score points sometimes. So, we got the siding out part down, which was the focus on us, and then slowly, but surely, we were able to figure out what they were doing as hitters and what their offense was, and how we could defend them, and that's how we started scoring points and winning some big games. And we were able, in the middle of the game to say, 'hey, she just hit three cuts, let's go take that away now,' or 'let's let that look like it's open and then go get it.' We could really talk about things. And that's happened with Cammy right off the bat, because she's been at that level before. She knows how to do that and she's really helped me tremendously with that, with setting strategy, or changing it mid-game. I'd say that's the key. And the reason I'm able to do that is because of my increased strength, increased stamina and working on my skills. It comes with everything. It's not like it just happens.

Q: So all the practice and training is finally starting to pay off?

Blomquist: Yes, I'd say that. And that's how it paid off. I didn't know that was how it was going to pay off. I was just in the middle of the year last year, and I said, 'oh my God, this is it.' It's like somebody opened my eyes. It's just this focus. It's this very clear path of what you're supposed to do, and once you know what you're supposed to do you can attempt to get it done. But if you're not really sure how to go about it, you're just fumbling. You know what I mean. It's like that in a lot of things in life. You know, if you're looking for a job, but you're not sure exactly what it is, then you're not going to find it unless you happen to be lucky and it falls into your lap. You have to know exactly what you're looking for. (In a game) you have to set the other team up. You have to make them hit here or there. You just don't say, let's see where they're going to hit and then go get it. You set them up to do that.

Q: What do you think it's going to take now for you to continue moving on? To consistently make the final four and then get into your first final and then finally win your first tournament?

Blomquist: Just fine tuning what I know I already know. Going into every event and being as prepared as possible to perform at a peak level, which is being alert, being able to focus and concentrate, being able to stay positive and have motivation and confidence. To me, it's a lot of mental and emotional things that are going to help me get there at this point. I feel like I've done all the work and all the physical stuff, and yeah there's going to be days when I just don't play, physically, as well. But (the key is) if I can take control of the mental things, which I always can, because sometimes the physical you can't; you might be sick or something is hurt and you just can't take total control of that, but, emotionally and mentally you can. Intellectually you can say, I have the confidence and I have the ability to do this, and this is how I am going to get it done and stay really focused. So it's going to come from fine tuning, like, one tournament we did great and we took a third, and the next one was a ninth. So, what was the differences between those two events. Well, it turns out they were night and day. Miami, I was fully prepared in every capacity, and in Deerfield, I wasn't. In Miami, I visualized so much and I could see things so clearly and I saw us winning that event. And then at Deerfield, I just couldn't see so clearly when I visualized. It's amazing how that (visualizing) really works. It's not hokey, you know what I mean. It's true.

Q: Visualization is definitely a strong tool.

Blomquist: It's so true. And I never really knew. Miami was the first time that I ever played in a tournament where I had absolutely no self doubt. I couldn't believe it, I thought maybe there was something wrong with me and I was all cocky or something. And then I said, you know, I'm not cocky. I just know. And so what, it's ok to know that you're going to do well. I didn't feel like anyone was going to judge me and say, 'oh, she thinks she's great.' You know, before I was afraid to think that, or say or talk confidently, because I was afraid people might think I was being cocky or arrogant or something, and I don't want people to think that about me. But, in Miami, I knew I wasn't being those things, I was just being matter of fact.

Q: Why do you play the game of volleyball? What is your goal in playing the game? Is it winning, the money, or are there other reasons that make you want to play the game?

Blomquist: One thing I definitely want to say is that Cammy and I have talked about what our goals are and doing well, and it's not financial. I mean even if we were the number one team, the money is not that lucrative that it's that much of a lure. It's just that we love the sport and we really feel like we can make a difference. And, I think that all the players should really be focused at some point that they are role models and that there are a lot of girls and women out there that they could affect. And, knowing that you are playing for something other than your own gain, and your own personal financial gain, and you're playing to grow the sport and get other people involved with it, and you know that you and your partner feel that way together, it just makes you feel unstoppable. It's amazing, it's really cool. I've never really talked about that with anyone else, and I kind of felt that way, and that's why I serve on the Board of Directors, to try and make a difference there as well, on the business side. But, even on the playing side, being good role models is really important.

Q: Last year you were voted Most Improved Player of the Year. What did that award mean to you, especially considering it was voted on by your peers?

Blomquist: Well, I went into last season thinking that improvement would show in the beginning of the year, based on the training I had done in the off season. So, it was kind of a frustrating first half of the year for me, because I knew I had this potential and I physically had it at that point in time. This time last year, it wasn't paying off because I couldn't convert with the mental part of the game. And, playing with Danalee (Bragado), because it was fresh, and new, and fun, I think there was no pressures on me to do well, so that opened up and let me play and have fun. But, I don't know. I didn't think too much about it. I mean, it is an honor to be looked on by your peers and have them notice that you've worked that hard. And, have it pay off and actually show enough for them to choose you out of the the whole entire membership, it was definitely an honor. But, I didn't really think too much about it. I knew that I had improved and I had improved on some things off the court, and I was just glad that I could make that happen on the court as well. And it didn't really kick in until I took the fourth in Newport, RI with Danalee. I really didn't know who was going to get the award. There was a lot of people that had improved. I felt like I was up against some tough competition as well. I mean I only improved one seed. I went from 19th seed to 18th seed. And a lot of times those things can be voted on by how much you moved. Sometimes your ranking doesn't really show the best.

Q: For the past few seasons, there's been a dominant team on the tour. First, Liz (Masakayan) and Karolyn (Kirby), then (Holly) McPeak and (Nancy) Reno. Last season, (Barbra) Fontana and (Linda) Hanley, as well as, McPeak and (Lisa) Arce seemed to be the two strongest at the end of the season, but they weren't really "dominant". What's your feeling, and the feeling on the tour, as far as opportunity for new teams to get to the top this season? Do you and everyone feel that it's more open?

Blomquist: Yeah, definitely. In the first two tournament, there were seven teams in the final four. I mean, that's got to be a record right there. I don't know if there will be openings to win the tournaments. I think, the better Arce and McPeak do, the more confidence they'll have and the more confidence they'll take away from their competitors. But, I think what's really exciting to me is not who will be the winner, but at this point in time, any team on the tour can get to the final four, because upsets are happening all over the place. Whereas, a couple years ago, when upsets were scarce, it was pretty much, the quarters were won by the top four teams and now, that's not so. So, I think anybody can come in and do really well. I'm not going to say that anybody can come in and win a tournament. But, I'd say that any of the top eight teams are really prime to be in a position to win the tournament, and anybody in the top 12 - 16 teams, should definitely be tough. Because the competition is really growing. All of the women worked really hard this off season and it shows big time, how much time people put in. And, smart time, too. I mean they really got themselves in great shape.

Q: You mentioned that you are on the Board of Directors. What kind of responsibilities does that entail?

Blomquist: I'd say my biggest responsibility is to try to communicate with the membership on some of the decisions the board is making and try to find out what their feelings are about it. So that way, when I go back to board meetings, I can best represent the membership. That's a really hard task, because I don't talk to everybody all the time. But, I try to go out of my way to talk to a different person every now and then and say, 'hey, here's a couple issues coming up, what do you think about this,' and see how they feel. And, basically, the main job of the board is to manage the management team. And that's tough, because we only meet like once every six weeks, so there's a lot of decisions that are being made that we give Nancy Lengel, the executive director, the go ahead on. But, I'd like to be more involved, but it's a Catch 22, because, as a player I want to be playing and not so involved with the business, certainly not on a day to day business. But, I look forward to going to the meetings and knowing that my decisions are going to help the organization.

Q: What kind of goals do you want to see the WPVA moving towards?

Blomquist: The obvious are that I'd like to see the WPVA increase membership, have a lot more women coming out to play. Increase the prize money so that more women can call it a living and not have to work at all. And, that will bring out a lot more people, because it won't be so hard to make some money, if we could pay down to 25th place, instead of 13th like we do now. So, I'd say that two of my biggest dream goals are to have a tour that's just the best place to play for women's beach volleyball, above and beyond anything else in the world, and have the money to do so. That would mean having some real strong corporate sponsors, big name, with real good name recognition and a positive image. So, those three things: more prize money, more athletes, and good, key corporate sponsors.

Q: How about off the court, what do you do relax when you walk off the court?

Blomquist: I love to watch the sunset, I like to jog on the strand. I like to meet my friends for coffee and go to the movies. Going out to dinner, I'd say is our favorite date for Steve and I, and then come home early and relax. When we're home together, which is rare, we usually spend a lot of time at home.

Q: Anything else you'd like to add?

Blomquist: I guess maybe to just reiterate that this season is going to be a very, very exciting one for a couple reasons. One is that the depth seems to have grown and it's anybody's tournament really, which increases confidence and gets the interest of other people, like sponsors and, actually, existing sponsors get excited about that too. And, also just because it's like a rebuilding year for us. It's kind of exciting because there probably will be some changes, just because there's room for change. I don't really know exactly what they'll be, but I'm kind of excited to see it.

Q: Thank you for your time.

Blomquist: You're welcome.