misty may-treanor

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By Jim Caple

I thought there was no crying in beach volleyball.

This is a sport of sand, bikinis, dance teams, sunscreen, music and laughter. But after completing a 12-year journey on a little stretch of Southern California-like beach imported to within sight and sound of Big Ben, Kerri Walsh Jennings was sobbing and hugging Misty May-Treanor as if she was never going to see her again.

Inside the Edge: Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh

She will, though. Just not on the sand of an Olympic venue with a pair of intimidated competitors on the other side of the net. Beach volleyball's best, most famous team went out the way it wanted to by winning its third gold medal on a sublime summer night at the Horse Guards Parade venue. "Our competitive journey is done and that's a big deal that just crushes me," Walsh Jennings said. "But the next stage is going to be so fun. We're going to be able to be girlfriends and just share each other's families and each other's lives."

"The first two gold medals it was more about volleyball," May Treanor said. "The friendship we had was there, but it was volleyball, volleyball, volleyball. This was so much more about the friendship, the togetherness, the journey — and volleyball was just a small part of it."

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The two have never lost a match in Olympic play, going 21-0, and dropping only one set ("That pissed me off for a day and a half,'' Walsh Jennings joked). They won their gold by beating a familiar duo, Americans Jen Kessy and April Ross, in a U.S.-versus-U.S. finale. Under such a scenario, Prime Minister David Cameron, whose No. 10 Downing Street residence is literally across the street, must have really found the endless soundtrack of "Moves Like Jagger" and "Party Rock Anthem" extremely annoying. Or perhaps it was more irritating for him to hear "The Star-Spangled Banner" played during the medal ceremony when two American teams took the top two steps on the podium.

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Kessy estimated the two teams have played each other "a gazillion times" over the years, though that statistic has yet to be confirmed by Elias. "We're definitely on the losing side of that battle," Kessy said. "But they are the best team of all time, so it doesn't feel too bad being second to them right now."

Read on for more.

The daughter of an Olympian and wife of a Major League Baseball player, professional beach volleyball player Misty May-Treanor knows a thing or two about competing. She even tangoed her way across the stage in Dancing With the Stars a few seasons ago. After winning back-to-back Olympic gold with teammate Kerri Walsh in Athens and Bejing, the duo is hoping for top honors again this Summer in London. While on the Nike campus in Beaverton, OR, I caught up with Misty, where she let me in on a few pregame rituals and what the scene is really like at the Olympic Village.

Misty, 34, is looking forward to competing and isn't letting her nerves get the best of her — the mark of a seasoned athlete. "I know when things are going to get me a little nervous, because nervous to me feels good." Asked about pregame rituals, Misty says she and Kerri make a habit of jumping over the sideline to enter the court together, which is followed by a complicated handshake. She'll also turn to music; to psych up before a match, she listens to anything from hip-hop to Euro. And, of course, the fans: Misty looks "at the stands and gets energy."

Find out what Misty says about the Olympic Village and her pregame meal after the break!