After Kerri’s revelation last week that she and April Ross have ended their partnership, the 3 time Olympics gold medalist posted a message on Facebook calling out those people who have made harsh comments about their break up.
My husband just pointed out to me that all the quotes out there referring to April Ross and I parting ways are pretty harsh. That’s one thing that’s hard with the media — I can give full length answers full of love and admiration and yet when they follow up with “so you’re finished?!” And I confirm, that’s what they go with. Make sense?! I said it and yet it’s not the entire story nor is it my full answer.
I have so much love in my heart for April. We fall on different sides of this situation, but that does not change my high opinion of her nor can it change the amazing times we shared together. April has made my life better. Period. It was a true joy to get to know her better and to compete with her. She is deserving of everything beautiful in this world and in her life.
Life is about growth and change and loving your way through all of it. That’s what I aim to do as I dance my way through the changing landscape. I am so excited for what the future holds and I am forever grateful for the true blessings that I’ve experienced these last years. They’ve been priceless and beautiful. April is on the top of my list of beautiful blessings in my life.
Kerri’s 2016 Olympic beach volleyball partner, April Ross, has already released her statement about the end of their partnership. In an article released by nbcsports.com, April says:
“The timing [of splitting with Walsh Jennings] was a little rough because it was right before the season, but I’m really excited for the opportunities this summer with Lauren. I feel like this is just the next step for me on my journey to being the best I can be and for growth. I just feel like the future is exciting for me.”
As for her four year journey with Kerri up to the 2016 Olympics:
“I’ll look back on it fondly. It was a period of a lot of growth for me. … I loved our journey through the Olympics, and I’m so proud of what we did there. I have good feelings about the last four years.”
April’s new partner is 2016 Olympian Lauren Fendrick while Kerri is in the process of finding a new one.
April and Lauren will make their partnership debut next month in Moscow while Kerri plans to compete with her new partner at the tour stop in Croatia later next month.
If you missed Kerri’s Facebook post about her decision to part ways with the AVP. Please see below.
As many of you have heard, at this point, I have not signed the AVP player agreement and will, therefore, not be competing for the foreseeable future at any AVP events. It has been a challenging period over the last 5 months as I, along with many other players, have worked hard to foster a dialogue amongst ourselves and with the AVP to express our concerns with the highly questionable and contestable AVP player agreement. There have been countless meetings, phone calls, and conversations amongst the athletes to try to unify around a few changes we felt essential and wanted to see in the contract. In the end, many players of every level, were forced to make the decision to sign the agreement as is or lose the opportunity to play at AVP events.
For my part, I do not ever want to settle for less than what I feel is deserved for myself and for my sport. The AVP has a rich legacy that has been built over the past 30 years and yet, when I see the way things are going on the tour that I have loved and competed on since I was 23, I can not support it.
I have said many many times over the past weeks and months, that if we continue to argue for our own limitations, if we think small and if we don’t believe ourselves worthy of more or better, we will never get more or better; our amazing sport will never grow with such thinking and as consequence, the professional side of the sport will remain what it has been for a large majority of the “professionals” over the past four-plus years, a hobby with a beautiful lifestyle. The thought of re-signing a 4 year, exclusive, heavily lopsided and broadly restrictive contract is not something that I could ever entertain …. the stakes are too high and our sport is ready to launch. I hold a very high estimation of the place beach volleyball can hold in the market place and in the sporting world — I’ve been blessed enough to have experienced this at the highest levels.
I have both experienced and been privy to poor treatment of the athletes and of the sport at the hands of this rendition of the AVP and I, in good conscience, can not support something in which I do not believe. It is counter to who I am.
The “negotiation” process was confusing to say the least. In order to see the contract, every player (who was willing) was made to sign an NDA — atypical behavior at best, which immediately divided the athletes and greatly hindered our ability to openly discuss the player contract. This was followed by a negative response to every counter proposal that was put forth. A hard line was drawn and the players were forced to choose; for all intents and purposes, there was no real negotiation.
I in NO WAY believe that I am above the sport or any of my peers in the game. I do not pretend to think that I do everything right or that I know all there is to know about … life/business/volleyball. In fact, I believe that I am a constant work in progress and a constant student of life. I know that I am closely connected to every single player no matter the age or gender of the athlete and that my choices to settle or not, to push for higher standards or to compromise/settle for less, to work toward creating more opportunities of the highest quality or to settle for the status quo, greatly affects the current athletes in the entire pipeline, as well as the generation(s) to follow. I hold a deep respect for this sport and I feel responsible to help lead the charge & the eventual and inevitable RISE of the game.
I understand every player needs to evaluate the situation from a personal basis and make the decision they feel is best for him/her and their respective families. Some feared they would not be able to pay their bills if they sacrificed the immediate income, others may have felt it was not worth the time/energy to rock the boat, and some may have felt ok with the agreement altogether. I hold no ill-will towards my fellow players who elected to sign the agreement. I have great respect for everyone in the sport and hope that we will continue to compete against each other over the next 4 years.
Sometimes the only way to make significant progress is to take a stand. To choose the harder path. My goal is to blaze a trail and build Beach Volleyball to be as strong as possible on the domestic and global levels. There is a great appetite for our sport and all the indicators are pointing in the right direction. The TV #’s show that. The youth participation continues to grow in the USA. Inclusion in the NCAA Championships at last year’s inaugural event will help to raise the competition to a new level for years to come.
I have always felt there is room for more at the professional level for our sport. I want the AVP to succeed, yet more importantly, I want our sport to grow in stature and prestige, and I want the athletes to be able to make a living. The AVP is happy in the position they are in and have made clear their growth plan and strategy. I wish them well.
What became very clear to me after sitting down with the AVP last fall, is that there is a huge void on top of the AVP tour that is primed and ready to be filled with professionalism, integrity and competition at the very highest level. I want there to be a ton of other major events that allow more people to play, watch, and be exposed to the game and to the lifestyle around the sport. I am doing everything I can to try to help create these additional opportunities (they are coming!), which will hopefully benefit all players (& the sport) in the long run. I have no doubt this will be the outcome, yet there is much work to be done.
I am NOT retiring — Far from it! I am as energized to compete, to grow and to learn every single day as I work toward my dream of winning gold in Tokyo 2020, as I’ve ever been.
I am so appreciative of the continued support and inspiration that I receive from so many out there. I have always been an internally inspired and driven person, but it must be said that the love and support that I have received throughout my career has made it all so fun, so inspiring and so incredibly meaningful. I am humbled and can not thank you enough.
There is so much to express and so much behind this decision. I hope this helps to give some clarity behind the decision I have made. Ultimately, this is not about my lawsuit with the AVP, nor is it about rule changes or hurt feelings. This is not about me being “right” and the AVP being “wrong”. This is absolutely about my love for the game and my knowing that “in order to change the existing reality, a new model must be created” AND believed in AND fought for. I believe there is plenty of room for everyone to succeed here. Despite the heartache and divisiveness of the current situation, I wholeheartedly believe that more and better is coming — I am going to help create it!
❤️,
Kerri
As for the AVP, they respect Kerri’s decision and wish her the best.
We wish both great athletes and strong women the BEST as they move forward and start new adventures.