The rising star from Team USA and she is none other than …
Jordan Larson!
She has been instrumental for the American squad and has been one of the key players to help Team USA attain amazing volleyball success in the last 3 years (and in the coming years).
Before heading to London for the Olympics, the former star of Nebraska University has opened up to the Fremont Tribune and shared these:
On her Olympic dream:
“I remember talking about it when I was about 12. I sat down with my family and I set goals that included playing varsity in high school, playing in college and playing in the Olympics. I think people thought I was crazy, but I thought it was possible.”
“It is hard to put into words what this means to me because it is something I’ve worked toward for so long. I’ve put in a lot of hard work and made sacrifices for this. It is a dream come true and now it is time to live in the moment because I know this will fly by fast.”
On being the #1 team in the world:
“Whether we are No. 1 or not, a lot of teams are out to get the U.S. just because of our country and everything about it. The pressure on us hasn’t changed from when we started to now. We feel confident we can overcome any challenges that come our way. Truthfully, there is some pressure on us but nothing that we haven’t handled before.”
On her teammate Logan Tom:
“Logan is someone who leads by example and she is someone I looked up to when I was a little kid. I used to want to be Logan Tom and now I’m playing next to her. That is a little humbling.”
On Coach Hugh McCutcheon:
“He has been really good for me. Coming out of college, the margin you can improve is so small because you are already a pretty good player,” Larson said. “But I feel like I have grown so much over the last four years. I can hit the ball harder and I see the court better. I owe a lot of that to him. It is unbelievable what he has taught me and the team.”
On becoming an Olympic Champion:
“There have been a lot of great (USA) teams that have gone before us and worked hard,” Larson said. “If we could win the gold, it would be amazing. It is kind of like being a national champion, no one can take that away from you.”
Click HERE to read more.
With that kind of determination growing in her over the years, no doubt Jordan aka J-LA is among one of the players to watch out for in London.
Also, we can’t wait to see more of Jordan in the years to come.
Go J-LA! Go USA!
(images: FIVB)