Latest / Set 6: The Official MLV Podcast / Episode 008 | Alisha Childress and the LA Blueprint

Transcript

Episode 008 | Alisha Childress and the LA Blueprint · Set 6: The Official MLV Podcast

• Mike Moline: I think there's so much happening in LA and that can be, you know, a beautiful thing and also a challenge. I I I'm competitive, I like challenges. ⁓ I have been really grateful to land in a place where they're giving me a lot of autonomy to kind of bring my volleyball ⁓ perspective and knowledge to kind of building the team. What's going on, everybody? Welcome to the Set Six Podcast. I'm your host, Severn Laverstein. Thank you so much for joining us on whatever podcast platform is your preference. Apple, Spotify, YouTube. Thank you for making us part of your day, part of your week, part of your weekend, maybe potentially, and we're so happy to have you. This is episode eight. Please, before you listen to this one, go listen to our extensive library now that is eight episodes deep, including episode seven, which was just a great one. We almost had almost a double feature with Our first appearance from correspondent Jenna Rosenthal and then our interview with head coach of the land Orlando Valkyries, Francois Salvani. ⁓ just an awesome, awesome stuff. Great insight from Jenna. Love the enthusiasm from Francois. It was it was so great to talk to both of them. ⁓ really have gotten some some positive feedback from others too, that they really enjoyed those conversations. And you know, I'm I'm excited to bring on Jenna more to really break down some more of the details ⁓ that only really she can do from her perspective. And I'm excited to talk to Francois when we see him in person ⁓ this year. But just just a some some fantastic interviews, and we really appreciate both of them. ⁓ before we go any further, please like, comment, share, subscribe. It's how we grow the podcast, how we get more listeners. So thank you for those of you who've already done so, and thank you to those of you who maybe will do so now. But ⁓ we appreciate it as always. Show format for this one. We're gonna kind of try to keep it going at a at a relatively rapid pace because I've got some things to tell you, and then also we've got ⁓ just another in the line of fantastic interviews with ⁓ Alicia Childress, the new head coach of the Los Angeles team coming in twenty twenty seven. This is one of my favorite interviews that I think I've done so far, and I've only got to talk to Alicia, I think, one or two times before this, and ⁓ my gosh, she was just she was tremendous. I hope that you get as much of a kick out of this interview as I did because I think she's just so ⁓ she's just so intuitive, I think is the word that I would use. But I'm getting ahead of myself. So first we're gonna do The news. ⁓ we're gonna talk to Alicia and then we'll come back and wrap up with some fun stuff that has some or or maybe none to do with volleyball, but ⁓ we'll we'll we'll make we'll connect the dots where we can, but you know, as we like to have fun towards the end of the show. But it's a great interview, so I don't want to ⁓ take up too much of your time before we get to that. So without any ⁓ further ado, let's get to the news. ⁓ VNL first week in the books for the U.S. national team, and ⁓ Morgan Hence and Stephanie Sandy had some pretty good results. They Must saw the most action in the France match last week. That was one that went five, actually. So ⁓ a lot of action for both of them. Morgan had fifteen digs, three assists. Stephanie had twenty points on eighteen kills. The U.S. finished the week three and one with a surprising loss to Canada that I think a lot of us did not see coming. We'll obviously keep an eye on who's selected for women's week two. We're hoping to see Cammy Minor and Elena Scott maybe in the mix as well. But we'd also love to see Morgan and Stephanie maybe get some some more starting reps. Maybe that first week just to get. kind of the rust loose a little bit for ⁓ the US team, but ⁓ you know, those two doing what they do when they came in, they they had some great results. So good to see that. Looking forward to week two. Remember, those are alternating weeks for the men and women if you're unfamiliar with the national game or the international game, excuse me. ⁓ in this VNL, it's women one week, then off if then the men play the second week and then, you know, they still count as week one, week two for the women. You get it. Anyway, ⁓ so yeah, looking forward to week two over there. Hey, how about this one? This was a really cool bit of news that came across ⁓ my email. ⁓ Grand Rapids, shout out to the Grand Rapids Rise, raising over $160,000 for charity. That's pretty darn good. $163,387 to be exact over the course of the season in support of schools, nonprofits, and community organizations throughout West Michigan. That's 53 community appearances by players too and coaching staff. Along with 17 appearances by the Team Mascot, Ember. You know, Ember's gonna get in there with all of the great community ⁓ engagement. So that's awesome. And 11 Rise players, even outside of this program, participated in ⁓ players with a purpose program. So it's a s a separate thing, partnering with local nonprofits connected to the causes important to them. ⁓ just, you know, all around fantastic ⁓ engagement with the community and also just awesome fundraising by the Grand Rapids Rise. For more information on the organizations that they partnered with. for how to get involved, you can head over to the Rise page and and get more info on that. But just so cool to see that come through and and all of those ⁓ those good that great fundraising effort that really paying off throughout the season. So ⁓ we're hoping to get some more I'm hoping to get some more news and insight on ⁓ some of the rest of the teams around the league as well. But ⁓ that was ⁓ just just one that that came across with the their ⁓ press release there and that's so cool ⁓ to hear. So we know how great the fan the fan engagement, the community community engagement is. And ⁓ Grand Rapids really, really showing us how it's done there. So great job from them. Okay. One of the things that you all ⁓ really love to talk about of and that I love to talk about too. Let's get to our final piece of news here is free agency. So I'm gonna go through the listings of the the most recent free agent signings that I have at this point, that being Wednesday, June 10th. ⁓ and then hopefully some of you might get to know some more as we get through towards the weekend, and we'll update you on those as next week as well. ⁓ a lot of a lot of outside hitter signings this week, which I think that run has really started, ⁓ and a lot of ⁓ international signings there too. So ⁓ I think it's really interesting that a lot of these teams have identified the international ⁓ route to take for their outside hitters. So without further ado, let's get to that. Columbus, ⁓ Reagan Pittman Nelson. We were actually sitting on this one for a while. ⁓ Jen and I filmed a whole segment about Reagan returning and then they hadn't announced it yet. They pushed it another week, so we're like, Okay, we gotta wait on that one. So but Reagan Pittman Nelson is back. ⁓ for Columbus. I actually saw they announced her as Reagan Nelson. So I'll need to check check with her to see if if she's dropped the Pittman Nelson, but it's just just rolls off the tongue, you know, and you got so used to saying it Reagan Pittman Nelson. So ⁓ I'm gonna continue to say it until ⁓ she corrects me but ⁓ she's she's going back. ⁓ Avery Carlson is the setter. Kaelin Horde middle blocker signing there. ⁓ Emily Emmy Click, excuse me, is ⁓ a libero signing Kamile Hiapo, also Libero, and then Mina Mijatovich at outside hitter, Eveta Stanch stanchilova at outside hitter, and Alexis Shelton at outside hitter. So Columbus making some moves and some signings in free agency. Good to see that we can kind of start s getting some of those names out to you for Columbus. And again, we we talked with Jenna too about the just roughly the retooling that will happen in Columbus. I think is going to be great. As you can tell with these signings, they're off to a great start. So ⁓ some more should be coming out relatively soon. ⁓ but those are Columbus's signings. Grand Rapids, Alyssa Jensen at middle blocker, Maddie Bug, setter, Carly DeHogue opposite, and Tessa Polder, middle blocker. A couple players who played internationally last year. ⁓ we're coming over to Grand Rapids and then onto NorCal. ⁓ Ali Czech. We knew that was a big signing from la this past week. At opposite, Whitney McEwen, middle blocker, Pia Timmer, outside hitter, Shayla Heft, middle blocker, and Jessica Kosanen at outside hitter. So some good signings there for NorCal. No Ali Czech made some waves. I believe she was a former Nebraska Cornhusker. So ⁓ know everybody's very excited to see her come over to this league and and compete next season. MLV Minnesota, Peyton Caffrey is the lone signing from this week that I have for you. Dallas, ⁓ Acharaporn. Congrat, who goes by pure from Thailand, ⁓ outside hitter. And so maybe the the first ⁓ the first domino to drop it, who will replace Sofia Maldonado Diaz and Mimi Collier. And then Atlanta, Lauren Matthews at opposite, Oksana Yakushina at outside hitter, and Orlando, Sheridan Leverett, ⁓ Natalie Foster at middle blocker, Mokiana Tufono. at setter and Janice Liao at middle blocker. And we ri of course wish Janice a speedy recovery, hoping we'll be able to see her ⁓ this season, which would be great. ⁓ the news I was teasing for Orlando has been delayed, so I'm gonna stop for now and just leave that in their capable hands until they ⁓ decide to announce that. I think it's coming from what I heard, expect middle towards end of the month. And we're already at June 10th at least for me. ⁓ so I would expect that, you know, in a couple weeks, but I'm gonna just relax on that because I feel like it's been two weeks now saying it's coming, it's coming, and it's pushed down the road a little bit. So ⁓ just you know, still will be some good news when that gets going. So that's what I've got for you right now. Those are all the signings. And for any of anybody listening beyond Thursday, you probably know more than I do. So keep ⁓ an h an eye on or two eyes on our Instagram feed. ⁓ that's where we're we're kind of collaborating with all of the different teams that are announcing. all of their signings. If you want a complete list, head over to our website. That's got everything for you there on all the transactions. ⁓ but they're they're coming fast and furious. So ⁓ we'll we we'll keep breaking them down. And when we get kind of some more signings, I think we'll bring Jenna back on ⁓ to talk more about the the complete rosters. We know some are more filled out than others. So ⁓ yeah. And so then with that done, let's get you over to this conversation with Alicia. And just again, I won't really talk too much about it because I think it it's gonna be best if you just sit back and enjoy. ⁓ but I I just love this conversation. I thought it was fantastic. I think Los Angeles is in very capable hands with Alicia. I think she more than proved just how how great of a tactician she is in San Diego. ⁓ but also as you'll hear from this conversation, the the relationship with her players I think is also at the forefront of her mind. And ⁓ to me, as I'll talk about on the other side, I think it's it's so great. with seeing the j I I I just love seeing the different ways that coaches go about head you know how they will how they will attack building their team and attack winning for lack of a better term ⁓ and and they all do it in different ways. So there you go. That's my my preamble and here's is our conversation with Alicia Childress. Alicia, thank you so much for joining us. The new head coach of the LA Team coming to MLV. We're so excited. We're excited for more details, but first we were so excited to see that you were going to be leading this program. Just first start with what the conversations were like with ownership and and discussing this role and really how it came to be. Yeah, I it happened all very quickly. ⁓ I think ⁓ with ⁓ opening free agency and ⁓ letting everyone know that LA is gonna be a market and ⁓ I was just super excited to be in the conversation to learn more from ownership of what the vision is for the team, the kind of over time. and so just it sounded really like a really great opportunity for me personally with the family and being closer to Orange County kind of as home base for us, and then really just got excited about what they're trying to build and how serious they are about ⁓ you know, getting into the market and and making a community feel and and really wanting volleyball to be a big thing. So I I'm like, I'm on board with that. So let's go. Yeah, I love that. And so some of those first conversations with like kind of showing you their vision for obviously we don't know where it's gonna be yet, but I know the headquarters will be in El Segundo and then, you know, just kind of kind of what their vision of of the ultimate place in the community was gonna be. Yeah, I think they just understand that sports is happening at a very serious clip in LA but also in El Segundo and I think we're seeing you know, women's sports also be getting more popularity in that area and in that market. And so this is the time and volleyball's having a moment right now. And so they're understanding that that about volleyball and then wanting to bring that to ⁓ this stage and getting involved with MLV. And so I think ⁓ they just have a vision for how successful it can be and recognizing ⁓ that the market in LA is different. It is niche and and because they're kind of boots on the ground and they've had that experience, they know ⁓ how to get it up and running really quickly. What were your impressions of Ben and and Dr. Patrick? I've yet to meet them. I'm excited to do so. But just what were your what were your first impressions of them? I mean, I think they are so knowledgeable in kind of their respective fields and also with a lot of charisma and passion about this project, ⁓ I was I couldn't tell who was more excited. I mean, I was excited for just being in the conversation, but they were also just excited for what this can be and I think that's infectious. And I think you'll feel it ⁓ you know, when you meet them and hear the things that they're trying to do. And ⁓ yeah, I think we just I think we're like minded in in what the possibilities are in LA. One of my dreams is to walk a r a red carpet at some point or like any kind of s and I know we have one on awards, but when they if they do like some big announcement in LA, I wanna like kinda sl slowly shuffle my way out of the red carpet with the mic and maybe that's the first time I don't meet them. I'm still hoping for that. But Alicia, like I mean You you've barely had any time to breathe, I'm guessing, from the the championship run and then right into this. I mean, how and and you've you sort of touched on it a little bit, but what is it, was it like a couple weeks to breathe and then right into this? Or or do they kind of were they really building things as ⁓ as we kind of only been what a month removed here from from the championship? Just w where in the timeline was that process? Yeah, I ⁓ there was kind of some overlap and some blur. I think initially with the conversation was can you consult, you know, with ⁓ with the approval you know, from San Diego and kind of what you're building there. ⁓ but as as soon as kind of that announcement went live and, you know, all parties were okay with me, at least just consulting to help them, you know, get a foothold in the market while players are available and maybe not even aware that there was a team ⁓ you know, coming there, it was really important that we don't get so far behind. And so it was, you know, just prelim conversations on helping guide us and kind of what would you see, how would you go about it, more strategy, get to know you and then ⁓ as we had more time removed from the championship, it was okay, now what we're talking about and what the role will be moving forward and how we can kind of build build the LA team together. So some overlap, but also ripping and running. ⁓ just understanding that, you know, things happen really quickly ⁓ with with the market and and players and signing free agency, all of that. And so just trying to do my best the best that I can to build a good culture. I think that was something that was a core tenant of San Diego ⁓ and the team that we built and the run that we had. And so making sure that that's at the forefront of what we're doing in LA as well. Yeah, we know you can do that for sure. And I know that I'm gonna add rippin' and run into my vocabulary. I love that as well. ⁓ Alicia, being a being a SoCal resident, I mean I feel like you're more qualified than a lot of people to to just talk more about what excites you about a franchise in in LA. And obviously we know that connecting to the community is important. So, you I'll I'll hit on that next. But just what excites you personally about having a a team that's going to be based in Los Angeles? I think there's so much happening in LA and that can be, you know, a beautiful thing and also a challenge. I I I'm competitive, I like challenges. ⁓ because there is a lot of things going on, but I think it is a sports town. ⁓ and we're seeing kind of all these other teams. I think it's gonna require that collaboration across ⁓ different sports and seeing if we can't you know, work together and and get us all up and running in that way. And I think also tapping into the volleyball community, there's, you know, so many clubs and schools, universities th in there that have had success. And so figuring out what's made them successful, learning from them, having those conversations. So I think any and all ⁓ you know, communication is welcomed in the volleyball community, especially, to know kind of what's gonna help this team get successful from a fan base standpoint, from a support standpoint, ⁓ as quickly as possible. Yeah. Is that is that what makes it stick for lack of a better term? And and you know, just like talking to ⁓ a couple episodes, we we talked to ⁓ Iko Jones from Atlanta and I asked her, I was like, the the community feel in Atlanta and just how how the athletes have connected with the community and and how the community seems to embrace them. And then obviously everybody knows, you know, Omaha and Indian. You could name a bunch of different ⁓ franchises in this league, but I feel like a lot of them have done a great job with connecting to their communities. And is that something where you can really look at, you know, these other teams or c or does it really have to be like, hey, this is LA, this is a different animal and and we've got to approach this the way in our own unique way, essentially. I think it's a little bit of both. I think it's recognizing that people will show up when they get to know you, when they feel like they're connected to you. I think that's why social media has played such a big part in the advancement of women's sports. It's that storytelling, that getting behind, you know, the camera to understand what the day in the life of an athlete is. I think that's really helped and and then opened them up for partnerships and different strategic relationships that way. ⁓ so I do think it is getting out there. and connecting and because LA is so big and there are lots of different pockets, it is trying to get out into every one of those ⁓ to get them involved in what we're doing in LA. And at the same time, it also is different. The city is big. And so just being really strategic about when we hit different areas and when we pull them in. And I think that's going to be important and just knowing the audience of competing against so many things going on. ⁓ and figuring out where we fit in the landscape of all the other things and how we can maybe play off of different industries and ⁓ and also different sports and and helping kind of the the rising tide floats all boats as you as people say. So I think it's a little bit of both. I I don't think anyone's gonna go wrong by getting out in their community and having that community support and that relationship build. ⁓ but at the same time I think there's some unique pieces to LA that make it really advantageous but also really challenging. I love that perspective. And I I think too, yeah, when I talk to my friends who aren't from here, I'm always like, Yeah, it's more like little pocket cities that make up one big city and then you know, I I just always think it's fascinating too. Like across the street from me here in Anaheim, there's a huge deal about how th they're named Los Angeles, but they're not really Los Angeles. They're Orange County's team and and then the way, you know, down the street the Ducks have really embraced no we're Orange County and the LA Kings are the LA Kings. And I just find all of those dynamics fascinating of of How a team can authentically embrace their community, but they have to be so in touch with it because if you're if you're trying to brand yourself with the wrong community out here in Southern California, I mean, like those pocket cities and communities really, really exist. So I I just find it fascinating. And I and that sounds like you all have a already a great grasp on on what your what your market, what your community is. So I I think that's amazing. Just Alicia, my next question for you is what's happening for you now? I mean, we're we're fully zooming into this offseason with with the Los Angeles team, but Is this building a roster where you're making a lot of those calls and and just what's happening for you right now? Yeah, I have been really grateful to land in a place where they're giving me a lot of autonomy to kind of bring my volleyball ⁓ perspective and knowledge to kind of building the team. And so I've had ⁓ high level involvement in ⁓ conversations with athletes and thinking about how we want to structure this team. ⁓ so definitely have a say in that, which is always greatly appreciated. I think when your coaching you really want to say because you're the one that's kind of day in and day out with the athletes and know kind of what makes them tick. So being able to evaluate talent that way, evaluate like the type of human being they are because I'm a big relationship person and ⁓ I think that's really important for ⁓ your head coach to be doing. And so I'm I'm really grateful that they've given me a lot of space to ⁓ make those decisions. I'm gonna steer us both out of trouble, but with we're not gonna talk any roster specifics, but I've I've seen names and I've teased on this podcast before. I love the the what you're building over there and I think everybody's gonna be super, super excited once we hit those those reveals. But from a high level view only, what what are you looking for as you build the roster? You mentioned, you know, relationships is very important, but just Maybe in terms of on the court and if you can describe the kinds of players that you look for to build this team from the ground up, ⁓ from that from that forty thousand foot view, what would that be? Yeah, I think ⁓ you know, a a lot of coaches talk about culture being kind of the main tenant or the core tenant. And I I think that's true ⁓ also of what we're trying to build. ⁓ but I think that requires being really intentional about how you acquire players. And so it is, you know, that personality of a player that's team first that is interested in learning. I think, you know, we make an assumption about professional volleyball that it's where you come you've arrived, like that you know everything. And that's really not the case. I think what's beautiful about this league is that we have such a wide range of experiences from college to pro to long tenured pro. And so it's I think it's finding a really good balance of all of those things, ⁓ but also recognizing that there's still a lot of development, there's still a lot of growth for a lot of these athletes that are kind of in the prime of their careers, that they need a system where they can learn and they can try out new things and they can ⁓ you know, improve and expand on their game. ⁓ so I think we're looking for people that fit that mold, that wanna that are hungry, that wanna get better, that wanna learn from, you know, their peers, their teammates, they wanna learn from coaches that are gonna break it down for them. ⁓ in a way that helps them grow as athletes. And I think also they wanna be cared for. They wanna know like they wanna be, you know, trained mentally. They wanna be trained, they wanna become better teammates. They wanna show up for each other. And and so we're looking for people really invested in that space. ⁓ and and also I I think the last thing that doesn't get talked about enough is people that will promote the brand, that will go out in the community and be coaching up young athletes and, you know, are fine on an off day to, you know, show up at a club gym and give their time and are willing to kind of take, you know, the the brand out into the community even on on their off times, but recognizing that they are a piece of that, of a team getting started and up and running. And so people that understand that that it's not just I play volleyball and I go home that but that like we're all in this together trying to create a beautiful experience, but also that for the fans so that we can, you know, have more and more support as we build out our community and make it feel like family. Just to pick up on something you said about sometimes running into athletes who who get that sense of feeling like they've arrived, w what what goes into that? Is that because of just how high level the college game is? Is that because y there are so many so many leagues that that people feel like they've learned it all before they get here. And and I I I I think it's interesting because talking to some athletes like They've I at least in my conversations, they've definitely admitted, like, hey, I that used to be me. And then I came in here and I learned, hey, I've I still, you know, that the speed of the survey, I was like, Whoa, I need to get used to that or things like that. So I just I find it interesting because from my own experiences, I I've found the same thing, but I'm curious where it comes from. Yeah, I think, you know, when you put a lot of time into a specific skill set, you want to feel like you've come to a place of really knowing, right? Come to a place of experience. And I think that's true of really any job that you have, like what is that, you know, years of experience if it's not to tell me that I have arrived in some way, shape, or form. ⁓ and it is those, I think the people that become great are the ones that they go yes and on that a little bit and say, there's still more that I want to learn and there's still more that I want to add to my toolkit. ⁓ and so I think it's not necessarily a fault of anyone feeling that way, but ⁓ being okay with being challenged to go, I think there's more or I think there's something different or trying and failing at something that maybe this is a skill I thought I was really proficient at and now you're asking me to almost go backwards and then start again because you see a higher ceiling for me. That's not an easy thing to do. And so it is it is a little bit agitating to maybe the more like tenured athlete. ⁓ but I I hope that we want as humans to become great and continue and continue and we can take our, you know, our notes from people that are great that just have not stopped. They just continue to go. There's no 10 years in, 15 years in, they're still learning and adding to their game or their profession or their, you know, the job that they have. And so I I hopefully that culture, that lifelong learner aspect is contagious and becomes part of, you know, what we're doing because I think it is important. But it isn't it's normal because when you do get experience, you want to feel like, what was all of that for if it's not for me to become more of an expert in my field? ⁓ but then there's more. And so I think that's true of kind of any profession, volleyball included. Yeah, if I was one of your athletes, I would want to hear that. And there is availability to be my life coach if you want to do that too. I mean, that's that's perfectly that's exactly what I want to hear. If if I if someone needs to tell me to get better at something, that's that's exactly the way I want to hear it. That's so cool. ⁓ yeah, awesome. Alicia, just with your experience from San Diego last year, an unbelievable season and and you know, I won't touch on this more in a second, but what a group that just felt like such a team and was such a well rounded team that you created, but just Overall, first from the high level, what what from last year do you want to kind of take and and recreate in in Los Angeles? I think this past year was, you know, this understanding that we're all coming to a place ⁓ to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. And I think sometimes people say that, but it requires that ⁓ you're a little bit selfless in how you view your role within that team. ⁓ and you understand that it's flexible and then it can change. ⁓ and so I think that requires high level clarity from coaching staff to players to say, here's how your piece of the puzzle fits into the greater picture. and it can change if these things ⁓ happen. So if we do get better at this, then your puzzle might fit in a different way. ⁓ and I think if you can articulate that and they can understand it and feel and that rings true for them, they're committed to that. Like I'm okay with. not playing if you tell me this is if I get better at this, I will get an opportunity and this is how you see me fitting in. I'm here for that. And I can support the other people that are out there and I know I'm gonna get my shot. And when I get my shot, I'm gonna recognize what I'm trying to accomplish with that shot. And I think that was probably the biggest piece is that there was so much buy-in on that aspect. And so everybody got to work and recognized hey there's something that I can get better at and I do want to get better. And here are maybe the answers to how I do that. ⁓ in practice and in training. And then also I think it's creating an environment where it's safe to ⁓ mess up or ⁓ make mistakes. I think, you know, there's a lot of conversation around being one and six and like what, you know, what do you do? And I think we held true to, you know, we are working on something and we are gonna be worse before we get better. And that's okay. And we have to really be comfortable operating in that space. And then we continue to see the growth. It might not be a win, but it is better than the other loss. And that loss was a little bit better and so on and so forth. And, you know, with this league, when we're playing a team four times, you can start to measure that growth in the times that you play them. So this next time is ⁓ better than the last time. And so they really like stuck to their their guns on that. And I think that was really powerful to then get to those wins and go see, like this is this is brewing here. We can feel it. ⁓ and then even more buy-in and even more work and ⁓ being more diligent on that path. And so I think there was a lot of ⁓ good energy in that direction for the team. And I hope that that that will be wherever I go, I want to be a part of that and and get people who wanna be a part of that. And I think that's been cool in the conversations I've had with players that have watched Mojo and the way that we operated this year, that are like, hey, like I like. I like what you did there. And I don't know exactly, but I I've heard and I can see and I and I I want to be a part of that. And I think that will be a core tenet for ⁓ whatever we're doing and definitely what we're building in LA. Can you tell as a coach that you have that buy-in, you know, to be one and six, I I think it's probably fair to say that it's, you know, you could understand if if some athletes lost buy-in, but you didn't. And can you d can you tell that? Can you tell that you still have it? I think you can tell when you're asking them to do something different. I think when you're one and six and or you're losing, there is something that you're not executing well. And I think we had a, you know, a fair amount of everybody has their statistical analysis to go, hey, we're not hitting this number, we're not hitting that number. And they could see that. Like we had given them pretty ⁓ clear standards for what we need to be successful in this league. And it was very clear that we weren't hitting those standards. And so when you can path make a path or map what we're not doing and what we need to do and connect it to the data, it's easier to have that buy-in. And I think you can see it resonate with their willingness to try something new, their willingness to continue to work on the thing that's not working. ⁓ and so I think you notice in practice, like how they come into practice after a loss. Is it hungry? Is it, okay, I am going to try this new thing that you're asking? Like that's where I think you see the buy-in of recognizing what we're doing right now isn't good enough. And that's not necessarily mean or, you know, there's not there's no negative connotation around that. It's just a statement. We're just not good enough yet. Right. And then the power of yet, I have kids, three daughters, and we we talk about that a lot, like the power of yet, so we're not good enough yet. ⁓ and then these are the things that we needed to do in order to do it. ⁓ and so I think you could feel that in the way that they train, you could feel that in the language that they use when we would talk. ⁓ we had a lot of one on ones to check in kind of with each individual athlete to And how are you feeling? How do you like how does it feel out there when you're playing? What are the things that you want to work on or what are the things that you see us needing to spend more time on? And so I think there was a lot of good collaboration ⁓ in that direction as well. How much crossover is there from mom Alicia and Coach Alicia? I think there's a lot. I I as soon as I got back into playing as a mom, I was like teammate Alicia and Mom Alicia. Like I gained all these new children. And then certainly as a coach, I think it's definitely ⁓ an overlap. ⁓ but I think that's what's beautiful about both motherhood and coaching is that you get to create an environment where your children can thrive. And and the goal is ⁓ you know, it doesn't have to be perfect. Like my kids aren't requiring that I'm perfect all the time, but they require that I continue to engage with them and continue to evolve how I'm gonna be in their space. And I think coaching is really similar. I and that was the promise I made to the athletes. This is year one of me head coaching. I've never done this before, and I'm not gonna be perfect. I'm gonna make the wrong call. I'm gonna maybe not structure practice just right, but I'm gonna figure it out. I can promise you that I'll be different at the end of the season than I am in the beginning, ⁓ in certain ways that I are aren't working or are serving us in the beginning that will and will change and will be helpful in the end. And so I think that. that was really important, both as a mom, it's important, but it's also important as coaching, is recognizing it's not perfection, it's just that kind of constant growth and adjusting as we go to make sure that the environment works for the athletes. Do are are any of these squishy volleyballs in their hands yet or how long how long until that happens? You know, they definitely have been more interested, ⁓ that's kind of one of the goals of me playing was being able to share the sport that I love with them. ⁓ and they certainly got more interested the more I was playing versus just kind of watching an old video of mom. ⁓ and my oldest for sure, ⁓ is interested. I think they all are to an extent. ⁓ but I also wanna be really respectful and mindful that they don't have to. and I want them to explore lots of different sports and different things that they like doing. And so they'll always have volleyball available to them and I'll always help them when I can, but not feeling like, ⁓ I had to because mom was super into it. So wanting them to lead that a little bit ⁓ and see what happens. Super into it is an awesome way to couch like a career that also includes being an Olympian as well. So that's that's awesome. But ⁓ I want to hit back on something that you said ⁓ earlier as well with just what you learned from your from your first year of being a head coach. And I'm curious where do you feel like you're a different coach now versus when you started last year? I I I think experienced Teaches you a lot. I think there's more efficient ways to, you know, design the practice, things that I think went really well, and then things that maybe we didn't have to spend a lot of time with, or things that we hit in the beginning that I would have liked to kind of touch on before. So there wasn't ⁓ necessarily anything major to change other than to like consistently evolve over time, make practices more efficient. How much do we need to break it down? How much film do we need to overlay versus kind of time spent physically doing it? ⁓ so I think I learned a lot in that space. ⁓ and then I think there was just a lot of reaffirming what I and ⁓ had anticipated or what I thought was going to happen. And then it was affirming that I think that deep care, that check-in, that understanding kind of where the athletes are coming from was really valuable. And so I think sticking to those guns of ⁓ just really getting a gauge for what they need ⁓ and then doing it more. ⁓ because I think the more they feel heard, feel seen, feel understood, the more they flourish. And I think just doing that more often. So I feel like we did that a lot and especially in preseason when you have just kind of your full on ⁓ you know, checking in them, you know, each week and and how they're doing and just making sure that ⁓ you know, we're on the right path. ⁓ and just continuing to do that with a really busy season. ⁓ so I think everything will just become more and more optimized as we as we grow in this space. ⁓ but I think just reaffirmed this idea that relationships really are the thing that make everything go. This is not really a question, more of a statement, but I'd be curious to get your reaction to it. I I'm fascinated to see when this when when the season starts and you're with LA, how what similarities stick out between what I saw last year because You know, the the immediate reaction was this is such a a defensive ⁓ identity team, you know, and then and at the same time as we talked about earlier, just the ability to score from anyone on the court, you know, there's no one there's there's no one where we're really looking at it and being like, if you shut down this person, that's it, you know. And and I I think there there was such benefit to that. I mean, we I would hear from ⁓ you know, other players and teams like, ⁓ man, we gotta play the San Diego's defense, it's gonna be really tough. And I I'm fascinated to see How the identity molds and how you shape it. Will it be some of the same? Will it be some of the different for for next season? Yeah, I would imagine there's ⁓ I'm I like playing defense. I I think that resonates with the way that my brain works is predicting and seeing patterns and recognizing, and then also trying to arm our athletes with that same sort of understanding of recognizing when someone's about to tip, recognizing when the setter's gonna go back and And really just picking up on the nuances of the game in that way. So I think I'll always be a defensive ⁓ focused person. And I think offense is often unique, yes, to the coach, but also to the setter and the attackers that you have. So I think that's a place where that can evolve in that, okay, we have a different attacker. So that changes maybe the offensive system. So defense is really you're recruiting people that can fit into that space that have high level vol volleyball IQ or want to continue to upgrade their their understanding of how the game is played. And so I do think that will be always ⁓ a core tenant of the program. And then the offense piece is, you know, it's really the setter and what she's capable of, ⁓ the attackers and what style is best suited to them. Because I think, you know, in professional volleyball, if the change if the team changes, you have a different set of people coming in. And so being able to adjust and evolve versus trying to say this has to be the way that we do it. I think that's a little bit more rigid and requires more diligent recruiting and that like I always have to get this type of player, always have to get someone that's gonna play this style. I I like the idea of being flexible of getting people at their strengths. So if it is a little slower or if it is a little faster, ⁓ let's adjust and figure out what that looks like for us in in a season. and then continue to kind of put those pieces together. And I love the I bit the idea of having stability over time. I love what Indy did and re-sign so many of their players and then they're allowed to expand on the system they already put in place. ⁓ but as if a team's reshuffling, I think it's really important to understand what are the pieces and how are they going to fit together. And that will always be unique to kind of each individual team as as we move forward. Can we pick up on that? I love what you just said about Indy. Was there I since we can't talk about your roster, can we talk about other signings that we've seen that you've seen throughout the league? What you've noticed, you know, similar to what you just said about Indy. Yeah, I'm I mean, I'm fired up about ⁓ Indy having so many people back. I think ⁓ bittersweet, but ⁓ understandable move for Marley. ⁓ you know, losing our setter from this past year. ⁓ but ⁓ also recognizing that her family's all there. She's going home, which, you know, you can't really kind of out recruit ⁓ in that way. I can't transplant her whole family to come. ⁓ but you know, I think that's a a great fit for her. and then I think you know, Samity being ⁓ coming into the league. I think that's a huge one. I love that. ⁓ NorCal, ⁓ you know, coming out with a a foreign bro, which I love, and ⁓ their opposite having r some really good experience in France. And so I I like the pieces that people are adding and even the rumors that I've heard, ⁓ I think people are ⁓ I think we're getting different styles of volleyball. I think we're getting people with international experience, which I think is only gonna make the, you know, the league ⁓ get even higher, get even tougher. ⁓ so I I like seeing them and seeing how they're gonna put them all together. I think that's the fun part of it. And I'm excited to see if, you know, rumors are true and people are going where we think that they're going. So we shall see. Me too. I need to know do you have a defensive strategy for when for when Marley, you know, decides to go for the kill. Like do you know how to defend that from the other side? No, she's always available. It's always available to her. Be ready at all times. It was crazy. No, I think She's super talented. And obviously at one point she was one of the highest efficiency attackers in the league. And ⁓ you know, so there's some things that I think when you're scouting, like, you know, can we limit it a little bit? Can we slow it down a little bit? Because she is gonna score because she is really good at it. ⁓ and so just making sure that we're paying attention to it when we have eyes on the right things. But ⁓ I certainly am not looking forward to that ⁓ specifically, but ⁓ also excited to see her always ⁓ flourishing and thriving. I'm looking forward to seeing it, if nothing else. But Alicia, this next one's a little bit of an unfair question, but I'm gonna ask it anyway. ⁓ I couldn't really fit your resume into all of my notes, but just the overview, three time NCAA champion, Olympian, world champion, former player in this league. How have your elite level playing experiences shaped who you are as a coach today? Because it's experience that frankly not a lot of people get to have before they come to your position. ⁓ well thank you for all that. ⁓ it's nice ⁓ confidence boosts in the middle the day. No, I I think so growing up, I my mom was my coach, ⁓ my high school volleyball coach, my grandfather was my ⁓ high school basketball coach, and all of the dinner table conversations were ⁓ you know, strategy and like how to deal with this athlete and how to deal with that. And and then I think from then on I viewed l looking at coaches and evaluating ⁓ interesting that decision, or interesting the way that they taught that, or ⁓ how they broke down that sort of skill or film, or in, you know, it goes on and on and on. And so I think my whole playing career, there's been kind of this back of mind thought of interesting. I wanna I'm I wanna take that forward or I wanna put that in my back pocket for later. ⁓ and so I've been really grateful to be a part of a lot of programs that are high level and have really talented coaches that bring unique things to the table. So my goal in coaching moving forward is getting to be little pieces of all of those of those coaches and those experiences. And so figuring out what serves me and my personality and then what doesn't ⁓ is also equally as important. And then ⁓ trying to be really authentic in how I show up. And then, you know, what is the, you know, the benefit of having volleyball experience at the highest level is that I do see the game ⁓ maybe in a unique way from the athletes that I'm coaching. And so how do we meet in the middle of like what you're seeing, what I'm seeing? And then can I share andor expedite or accelerate your learning in a way that feels really good to both of us? That I can share what I've come to understand. And then you're able to see it maybe faster or execute it ⁓ in a different way than you had before because we're having that ⁓ kind of meeting of the minds. And that's definitely a contribution from all the grades that I got to play either with, ⁓ against or for. I had read that you'd worked with Michael Gervais, I believe it was. And what what was that experience like? What did that that teach you? And what was your what was your connection to him? Yeah. So Dr. Mike Gervais, he was the our mental performance coach with the national team. ⁓ and he came in and helped us really intentionally build our culture and kind of create and craft our mission statement, but then also individually work on our own kind of mental performance ⁓ psychology, both individually and kind of alongside each other. And I thought that as a strategy was really beautiful and it was really practical. I'm I'm a very logical human and it was like if you do a plus B, plus C, like good things are gonna happen. So can you just do them? And they're based in science and research and data ⁓ that will only enhance ⁓ what you're doing. And ⁓ so he he always said there's three things that you can train, you know, your body, your craft and your mind. And he goes, I know you're training two of them 'cause I'm watching you, ⁓ but how much are you training your mind? And I think at the time it was like, what do you mean by that? ⁓ and now I think mental performance training is so much more integrated in what athletes are doing these days. But at the time it was kind of like, there's there's a whole bucket here that we haven't really tapped into. And how cool is that to know that we're playing at a high level and it can only be enhanced by this this training. ⁓ and then I did. I got to work for his company, Finding Mastery. ⁓ and basically it's taking those mental performance skills and putting them ⁓ into corporate settings. So, you know, large scale businesses, organizations. ⁓ and teaching that at scale. ⁓ and that was really beautiful for me because I think I really resonated with how he taught and the things that he taught. But then getting to really learn the back end science of it all so that I could teach it to others. I think it was just the a pay it forward opportunity. Like this really helped me with my confidence. I can help someone else who's struggling with theirs. What a beautiful thing for me to be able to do. ⁓ so super grateful for my time there. And then I love to bring it To what we're doing as a team. So making sure that we are also training, mental performance training, that we're also doing that with each other to create, you know, a shared experience, shared learning, ⁓ and that we can support each other in our various journeys ⁓ on that side, the mental side of things. So I I will forever be grateful for my relationship with Mike and and the company, Finding Mastery. and I think he's continuing. I mean, he worked with the Seattle Seahawks back in the day when Pete Carroll was there, and then recently, work with them this past year and is getting, you know, another Super Bowl ring. I'm like, this guy is crazy, ⁓ crazy good. He's really onto something. So just trying to ⁓ always connect to my time with him and, ⁓ with the with the company because I think the skills are ⁓ invaluable. My camera is pointed away from all the Patriot stuff in my room, so that one hurt me a little bit, but I understand completely. I w I root for him specifically. There you go. Just the human. Yeah. Just him, yeah. No, I have a friend from college too. Her dad is a scout for the Seahawks, and she texts me, she's like, sorry, after they won. I'm like, yeah, I I get it. I get it. Yeah, it's a it was a dagger. It was a dagger. Alicia just ⁓ I'm trying to figure out how to phrase this, but you're so well rounded as a coach. And I I don't mean that in in any way other than the most complimentary way because you are you you just talked about the mental side and how important it is to see how things are going in practice. And and you know, for lack of a better word for my part, you know, the vibe of the team just seems very important to you. And just all the way around. And and I feel like a lot of times in any sport you'll run into people in in your position who are like, ⁓ it's just my way and it's it's this way and it's always been this way. For you Has it always been important from whether it was coaching or from playing to be, you know, as well rounded as you are? Or if not, when did you really flip a switch to be like, you know, I need to really explore these other areas of how to bring out the best in performance? You know, I think the the culture piece or like that that concept of being well rounded, I think that came when I was even young. My mom was a ⁓ I mentioned she was a high school volleyball coach and And she, you know, my high school is really teeny tiny, really small town. ⁓ 48, my graduating class, that's the biggest class to like have ever graduated. ⁓ so very small. And if you c you you can imagine as a high school volleyball coach, you're not getting the average like D1 recruit. You're not getting kind of the highest level athletes always. You'll get some, but you're not getting a whole team of them. You're not making cuts, certainly. You're just getting whoever will come out and play volleyball. And I think she really understood. This idea of one, we would have a theme, we would work with quotes and how they resonate. But she really understood that she was trying to give them tools and give them opportunities to learn about themselves so that they could serve them moving forward in life. Like if this person never plays volleyball again in their lives, like they just they tried it because they it was the cool thing to do in high school, but like really not lifelong volleyball athletes. But they could take leadership skills, they could take relationship skills, they learn how they like to learn. They learned, you know, how to embrace challenging and difficult moments or challenging, you know, coaching and getting coached and then having this low moment and then having to respond. And so it was such a cool thing to watch her do that and and see how important and then have players come back and be like, I c you know, it was so important what I learned from you. And I think that that piece of that really resonated with me. And so I think that's probably just been in me this whole time. And so how do I continue to do that as a teammate, continue to do that now as a coach, ⁓ is recognizing that, you know, what are we doing if we don't absolutely love it? What are we doing if we don't like care about the people that we're around and like look forward to being with them every day. And so if we're not doing those things, it feels really challenging to me to want to operate in that space. So I think that probably is the piece that we're trying to achieve is that idea that like we love d what we do, one, because we love volleyball. We just happen to all be joined in and loving volleyball. But we love doing it at a really high level and continuing to work in that because it it comes with, you know, professional sports comes with challenge and discomfort and losses and difficult moments. And so if I don't absolutely love what I'm doing, it's going to make all of that really, really hard. So recognizing that if I like the people that I'm doing it with, I understand the path of what we're trying to accomplish. And I love the sport, like I'm gonna be more likely to have that infectious culture and to showcase like I just really love what I'm doing. I like this is so great. And I I think I would want anybody in any profession to want to feel like that when they show up to work. And I know that's a privilege and a blessing that not everyone feels that way, but I that's the goal or that utopian vision of like I would hope that everyone finds that thing that makes them happy and makes them want to go to work and want to work with the people that they're around. love of the sport is apparent, absolutely. But Alicia too, as we as we come to the close of our conversation here, we we know that you're a mom and we know that there's gotta be some points when you're doing things away from volleyball and being one of the best coaches that we have in this league. And and what is that? What do you do when you're not coaching and and when you maybe are getting a break when when the kids have taken nap time or whatever it may be, just what do you do away from volleyball? You know, ⁓ it varies by day, honestly. Some days ⁓ when I started playing again actually, I got back into I was a reader kind of growing up and then like took a break when you're at academia. I feel like it sometimes it fizzles out 'cause you're like reading, you know, not necessarily just for joy, but ⁓ got into reading a little bit more through my time in Vegas and like kind of all the athletes were reading the same similar books. And so just kind of deep dive in that kind of got me back into the reading space. So definitely reading or listening audible is really helpful as a mom to be so there was MLV book club? Absolutely. That's kind of cool. We gotta get that official. I know. They really we really should. So that year specifically, I I think Molly was on the team, ⁓ Berkeley Oblad. She's a big reader and she kind of initiated and they were passing around books. I like, Well, I want it in, let's go. And so we're reading it, but then the joy of like you're getting to almost read it a second time when someone else reads it. I got my mom to read some of the books that we were reading, and then you get to talk about, you know, the plot and all of that. And so that's been really fun ⁓ to kind of continue on and then hope to instill in my kids as well. ⁓ I also like to organize things. So I'm I just moving kind of the house back to Orange County, like just all right, let's do dive these drawers and let's, you know, s donate some stuff and, you know, reduce the amount of things that I think we have. And so I do like to organize and all that. But I yeah, reading and I I like to binge a good T V show also. So, you know, ⁓ when there's time and space to do that, when off season specifically, when there's a little more time. ⁓ Love a good TV show or ⁓ good movie. Please at least give us before we before we end things your your book recommendation and your TV show recommendation. We need one of each. My gosh. Okay. I'm looking at like my bookshelves. Well, I'll actually plug this, and this is like a shameless plug, but also really beneficial. ⁓ but my so Dr. Mike Gervais actually wrote a book. ⁓ and it's kind of the first rule of mastery, and it's dealing with the fear of other people's opinions. and I think that book is great. One because it's a really easy read, like it's heav heavily backed in science, but it's anyone can pick it up and go, I understand this resonates with me. And it's also written just intentionally for people who are really busy and don't don't have maybe the time to get through a huge long dense book. ⁓ and so he wrote it very intentionally for that reason. So I would I would say that's that's the book wreck for sure. ⁓ and then gosh, movie or T V show. I I mean I I would love to say that I haven't succumbed to the the the the new show that's out with all the young people the college one gosh what is it called Is it Euphoria? No, I have not watched Euphoria, have you? 'Cause I have not me. No, I'm trying to think. It just came out on Netflix, but it's a hot hockey college kind of young adult show. Heated rivalry? Nope. No, not that one. Okay. So I I'm 0 for two, so I'll stop guessing. But yeah, I mean what I'll absolutely need is the first practice that I come to for LA. I will need ⁓ to get that book recommendation again because ⁓ I d that sounds like one I absolutely need to read. So I I would love that. No, I I highly recommend it. It's great. I I actually gave it to our rookies this past year ⁓ as a gift kind of like welcome. And I know Allison Jacobs is a big fan of kind of doing that deep dive in that work, and same with ⁓ Hayden. Qubic also ⁓ you know, working through some similar things. I think we had ⁓ a like-minded temperament in terms of the things that we were working through. And so it's really cool to kind of h give them that book and and have them just be reading through it and go, okay, this part like really resonated with me. So it's there's something for everyone. That's the other piece, is that ⁓ I it feels like I'm going on and on about it, but there's something for everyone it and it's It's kind of the way that the fear of other people's opinions like shows up in different ways. And then if it shows up for you in this way, this is the solve and thing that you would do. And then if it shows up for you in this way, ⁓ then this is what you would do and this is how you would kind of train against that. ⁓ and so it there's really not gonna there's gonna be a chapter that's gonna really resonate with you and all the people out there that go, maybe it's not the exact same thing for you and me, but it there's something for everyone in that book. And I think it's ⁓ you know, hugely helpful in the in the age of social media and you know, the standards and comparisons now with AI coming in. I I think it really just helps, you know, guide against and or bulletproof yourself against a world that's, you know, moving fast and steeped in judgment, ⁓ and the perception of others. So I I love it and I highly recommend which I should stop talking about it. But No, please don't. No, we we love it. And and Alicia, whether we're talking to you about the mental performance, just the the the right mental state in life or whether we're talking about your team on the court, it's just so amazing to talk to you and we really appreciate you've been more than more than generous with your time. So we'll we'll end it there. But man, it's I I fantastic. Thank you so much for stopping by and chatting with us on set six. We truly appreciate it and we cannot wait to see you with LA next season. We're fired up. And thank you so much for having me. This has been great. A huge thank you to Alicia. I was just so happy to talk to her. It was so funny after our our ⁓ our conversation I I w we talked about her her husband is ⁓ Josh Childress, who's on the cover of College Hoops two K five for the PlayStation Two, which ⁓ I played I would like to say back in the day when the Playstation Two was like in its heyday, which I did, but also ⁓ I I said I said we brought it back ⁓ in college before they were r releasing the new N C double A games and ⁓ yeah, that was it's so funny that ⁓ it it seems like she she got a kick out of me saying that we brought it back, you know, insinuating that ⁓ that that that game definitely is is not the the most up to date, but no, it was it was so cool to ⁓ be able to chat with Alicia and I got all caught up on on the the coaching stuff. I'd love to eventually bring her back for part two and get to talk more about the personal side, but I was just fascinated with ⁓ you know just just the way that that her vision is for everything. I mean I think you can hear in all of her answers. She is so thoughtful but also it's like she has just the right perfect answer for anything that you could possibly ask. That's the sense that I got. ⁓ you know, that it seems like you you could never catch her off guard. And I feel like that's the way that she probably is with the way that she coaches as well. ⁓ and I I think it just kind it contrasts with last week when we were talking to Francois. I think it's no secret if you look at both of them, they're very different coaches, I think. And I'm ex I'm excited to see how that transpires in terms of the play of their athletes. But, you know, I think you can just tell with the way that they they both talk and the way that they both approach it. And to me it's like taking two separate paths to achieve the the same goal, right? Everybody's path is is hopefully gonna lead them to winning. But I just I continue to find it so interesting how the different styles and the different tactics get you to the same spot. I mean, not everybody builds their team the same way. And, you know, an Alicia Childress is different from a Shannon Windsor who is different from a Francois Salvani. So ⁓ I I I just think that's great. I don't know, maybe maybe I'm alone there, but I think that's that's really neat. So ⁓ thanks again to Alicia. We've got a couple more coaches ⁓ coming up for you. We're gonna hopefully talk to every new coach ⁓ along the way at some point here over the summer and into the fall. ⁓ but we'll space it out a little bit for you as well. I know that ⁓ we should have Omaha and Chris McGowan coming up for you either next week or the week after, but ⁓ stay tuned for that. And ⁓ yeah, we're looking forward to really getting in inside the minds of these coaches, but maybe I'll do a little bit better as we go along with ⁓ getting to know more of the personal side as well. So ⁓ I owe you that ⁓ a little bit more with Alicia the next time that we talk to her ⁓ there as well. Well I hope that you enjoyed that conversation. We'll just wrap it up with ⁓ a little bit of fun. What I'm watching honestly is the NBA and NHL finals. That Vegas market is nuts. I mean the fact that they're on the verge of of winning another Stanley Cup, I think that would be would that be their third? It'd be their second or their third ⁓ in less than ten years of of existence. And that's ⁓ that's just crazy. So I think it's less than ten years. I remember them being around since twenty eighteen, I think. So ⁓ and probably even earlier. So I I of course I have not done ⁓ done enough research as you can tell with having this all in front of me, but a little bit more of an NHL than an NBA guy, but I've also been keeping tabs on the NBA Finals. I have way too many Knicks fan friends, so ⁓ I can't e escape that even if I wanted to. And ⁓ that that really seems like it's at the forefront of the sporting world right now. I feel like everybody I talk to is watching the NBA finals. ⁓ but both of these series have been really good, so I'm excited for that. And then we've got the World Cup next week. ⁓ as you can tell I'm desperate for sports. I want anything on my television ⁓ that honestly right now baseball's not doing it for me. Just sad sad to say. But it's mostly 'cause my team is terrible. But either way, we've got World Cup. ⁓ I think this week actually ⁓ Europeans discovering American food has been some of my favorites. ⁓ there's this guy That's been going around on Twitter. I think it's Frank. ⁓ and it's like, you know, a very generic. I think it's ⁓ I think it's a what do you call it? ⁓ it's not an misidentity handle. It's anonymous, gosh, yeah. It's an anonymous sort of handle, I think. But ⁓ he's his whole thing has been trying different American food and there was a tweet, I think it was by Warren Sharp, where it's like the guy did Taco Bell and Chili's and then Wendy's, like all it as his Consecutive three meals and he like, Yeah, that was the secret citizenship test, and he passed. But it's funny to me, ⁓ listening to or seeing all these tweets about Europeans discovering American food and ⁓ one was about like discovering ranch, which I thought was was funny. So, ⁓ yeah, th those that World Cup is happening all across the US. So I'm I'm excited to see ⁓ how that goes. A huge soccer fan, but I think it's always fun to get together with your friends and ⁓ you know, all kind of cheer on a a sport, especially when you don't really know a whole lot about it with the World Cup. I think that could be Could be fun. So that's what's on my on my agenda. And ⁓ yeah, like I said, just again with the N and N NBA and NHL Finals, ⁓ yeah, that those those two mar those markets are are incredible. And and seeing how the the Vegas market for the ⁓ for the Golden Knights has been just embraced that team and and really immediately built a culture of winning. I think it's cool. I think it's cool. That that Vegas market seems very ⁓ very special. So ⁓ and then another random thing that I that happened for me this week, I just went down a real rabbit hole on I don't know if anybody's a fan of Drummeo. Which is ⁓ it it was just again, this is so random, but maybe somebody else out there gets a kick out of this as well. It's ⁓ they the one of their s segments is they take or one of their series is they take drummers of other bands and other genres and they they play them tracks of a completely different genre and they have them come up with their own drum part for it. So the one that I got ⁓ completely completely down the rabbit hole of was Matt Cameron, who I believe plays in a bunch of bands, but ⁓ has gone on tour with P Pearl Jam, played ⁓ one of my favorite kind one of my favorite songs, ⁓ Just Pretend by Bad Omens. And ⁓ he came up with this whole new part to it and it was cool because it had kind of that, you know, ⁓ classic for I'll say dad rock for a better lack of a better term. Someone will probably hate me for that. But it had that kind of dad rocky sort of style to it with a, you know, alternative kind of medley sort of song. And and I thought that was kind of neat. So ⁓ that was the rabbit hole I went down. And I think it's just kinda cool seeing all the different genres come together. I mean, everybody loves music, I feel like. I've I haven't met anybody who doesn't, but ⁓ obviously everybody has all different tastes too, and I think that when that merges, it it's really neat and then s you got a classic song in in your mind that gets sort of revamped a little bit. ⁓ I love it. So I I think that was cool. It was a fun little rabbit hole I went down as well. So I'll leave you there with that. ⁓ my two things that have almost nothing to do with volleyballs we like to do to end the show. But ⁓ we hope that you enjoyed the volleyball portion of this too, because I certainly did ⁓ getting taught to talk to Alicia and then also ⁓ it continues to be fun breaking down all of the free agent signings ⁓ with you as well. We still have more to go, so excited to see more of those come down the pike. But for now, that is it, and that is it for this episode. Thank you for tuning in to episode eight of the Set Six podcast. A huge thank you to our producers. Mike, Jenna, and Amy. It doesn't happen without them, and it doesn't happen without you. Thank you so much for listening. We'll see you next week. I'm Severn Lavenstein and thanks again.