Life for Volleyball Team No Day at the Beach

Some people think members of the U.S. women’s volleyball team lead a lifestyle of the rich and famous. Kim and Elaina Oden would be quick to disagree.

“People don’t realize how hard it is,” Elaina Oden said. “We get up at 6 a.m. and practice from 7:30 to 11:30, then run or lift. It is better than 9 to 5, but it is really hard on your body. A lot of people have been through this program and not everyone can do it.”

The team plays throughout the world. The sport has taken the Oden sisters to Japan, China, Germany, Italy and Spain.

“But people don’t understand,” Kim Oden said. “When we’re there, our priority is to play volleyball. We’re there to eat, sleep, practice and play. If we get to sightsee, that’s fine.

“A good example is when we go to China. Everybody talks about the Great Wall. People spend days, if not weeks, going through it. When we were there, we only had one day to sightsee.

“It was the summer and really hot there. It’s way out, an arid area. It was like 90 degrees, and we had one hour to see the wall. We had practice after that, so we had to be careful. We had our running shoes on, so we just ran as far as we could one way to just see as much as we could. We ran out for 20 minutes, and back for 20 minutes.

“That thing is not easy to walk on. These little old Chinese ladies would be passing us because they were used to it.”

The team members receive a monthly stipend, based on experience, and also receive money from tournaments. Some, including Kim Oden, have jobs through the Olympic Job Opportunities Program. The program allows players to gain real-world experience by working part time, but still having the flexibility to train and compete.

Kim Oden is employed by Waste Management of North America, working on a program that informs clients how to discard special waste materials.