Olympian David Lee is turning out for Calicut Heroes at the Prime Volleyball League. The champion volleyball player from USA chatted with t2 on his volleyball passion, taking the podium at the Olympics, his fitness routine and who he prays to for good health.
How are you prepping? We are sure you are in a bio bubble...
We are currently in a bubble and we had a short quarantine of two days, but so far we are back training again. It’s been difficult because we have stuck in the hotel the entire time. Luckily, we have our team and friends from other teams as well to keep us company, but we are training as much as possible, just preparing for the next three weeks of play. We are training every day and we are going to be playing every other day or every three days. We are looking forward to it. Like you said, it’s been difficult because the bubble is a kind of stressful environment.
As a professional athlete, how has playing a sport changed for you in the last two years?
It has been difficult to stay prepared in the last two years. There wasn’t much competition to look forward to. So, staying in shape we don’t know for what is difficult to stay motivated for. I set up a home gym because I got rid of my gym membership because it was shut 80 per cent of the year. It’s been hard to play with bigger groups of players.
What kept you going?
Just knowing at the back of my mind that this day would come and that we would be training and competing again. So being in a constant state of readiness even though there was nothing to be really prepared for.
Is there anxiety?
It is definitely not easy. Your professional life and your regular life. You live in this world where the virus is shutting down what you can or can’t do. So, there is definitely a lot of stress for everyone, whether it be their work or their family members getting ill. It is not easy to navigate that, but what can you do? You just stay positive and keep pushing forward.
Going back, was volleyball the only thing you fell in love with?
Volleyball was a bit of a late endeavour for me. I started with basketball and American football, baseball, soccer. I have played everything under the sun. I got into volleyball a bit later, around when I was 14. I was playing outdoor in my middle school and then I played for my high-school team. Around 16, I joined an elite club in San Diego that travels around the country playing against other elite clubs. I then got into the system of collegiate sports and then I was seen by USA volleyball scouts who brought me to the youth national team and junior national team and I played university games. It opened up a huge door for me to be in the Olympic pipeline but also see a multi-sport event like university games. It is a mini Olympics for the university kids. That kind of gave me this fire that I want to be in the Olympics and be on that stage and represent my country.
And you did! How have you kept fit?
It is very difficult. I was in a situation where I was playing professionally for eight months and for the national team for four months... you are trying to stay fit and injury free for almost the entire year and also be at a level where you are able to compete. For me, it’s a healthy diet, a lot of flexibility but also strength and religious focus on the sport side than overdoing it in the weight room.
Anything specific for your arms and legs?
It goes around in cycles... a building phase or an explosive phase. For me, I am trying to do one or two exercises of loading, a deadlift or a hex bar, lift for the legs. Then I would do some preventative stuff... leg extension, a lot of balance... a lot of single leg work as well. In volleyball, you are often positioned on single legs. You have to be strong throughout your core. As for shoulders, I was always big into doing a lot of back exercises because when you are hitting balls, you are doing such fast motion forward, you need the back muscles to kind of slow down your arm to keep everything in place. So, I always work a lot with bands but also strength with pulling and rowing.
Is there a magic exercise for the core?
There is nothing really magical! I like power press where it’s like a strength with rotation. I like Superman hold, static holds, suitcase crunch, normal crunches... pretty basic stuff. As long as you are keeping those core strength muscles active... you are going to be fine.
Olympics are the dream for any athlete. What does that podium do to an athlete?
The Olympics are the pinnacle of sports and I was able to go three times for which I am incredibly grateful to my national team as well as the infrastructure we have in the USA to get you there. Beijing was my first Olympics and we won... I was 26. I had this feeling that we are USA volleyball and we go to the Olympics and we win. Then I went to the next Olympics in London in 2012 and we took a fifth and it was super disappointing. We wanted to go to the Olympics and get back on the podium and win another gold. We got a bronze in 2016 and it was my last attempt. To represent your country and watch my family weep as the American flag rose and a gold medal being put on my shoulders is a feeling I will never forget. Pretty priceless.
Cricket has been a religion in India, but it’s a good time for other sports to get a platform too. What are your thoughts?
I agree. I think India is such a great market. You have over a billion people. Obviously cricket and football dominate that market. For sports like volleyball, which is widely played in the South, if this league can gain some traction, you’ll see it grow and move northwards. I think there is great potential and there are so many great athletes in India and it is fortunate that they have the kind of stage they have right now. Hopefully this continues and it can showcase the talent and continue to grow as a national team and compete against China, Iran, Japan, Australia....
The quality of athletes and players are great. If you look at any other country in this region, India has some absolute super athletes. There are some guys in our team who are well over two metres. With the continued growth of infrastructure, this is all positive steps.... I think they are missing some other stuff like video analysis or some key components that can help, but I think they are on the right track.... Just analysing stats from other teams to know how to approach their opponent and knowing what they are doing in specific situations... these small things play a huge role.
What are your India loves?
I do like Kerala a lot. The South is beautiful. Say some butter chicken, masala dosa... the ginger tea is high on my list. And, I would say the people, the friendliness of the people. I can say Krishna, Ganesha... a few of the Gods I pray to for my health.
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