April Ross

April Ross is one of only a few female beach volleyball athletes to win medals at many Olympics. She is set to compete in Tokyo for her third Olympic medal with Alix Klineman who is a first-time Olympian. Ross hopes to win more than her initial Olympic medal. It could be the last time she has the chance at age 39. Her optimism is that she can achieve top honors. Ross said on NBC Boston: "If we perform our best and If we play our best I'm sure we'll be able to win gold." Also, I am going be relying on a little bit of good luck. Ross was born in Costa Mesa, California in the year 1982. Her parents as well as her sister were residents in the area. At Newport Harbor High School, she played in a variety of activities. In addition to the indoor game, she also ran track and basketball in her pre-college days. She clearly was the top at the sport of indoor volleyball. According to her biography, she was a middle blocker and outside hitter on the volleyball court throughout her time in high school. As a tribute to her efforts she was awarded the Gatorade Award for the National Player of 1999. Also, she won the 1999 Orange County Athlete of the Award for volleyball. Ross and Klineman started their relationship in 2017 but Ross has been a beach player for years prior to. In actual, Ross has won several significant tournaments during her time along with her two teammates. One of them is a volleyball legend. From 2007 to 2013 she was in a partnership by Jennifer Kessy, who is now her coach. Kessy was Ross's co-coach at the World Championships in 2009. The pair eventually picked up a silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. They were beaten out for the gold medal by the legendary group comprised of Misty May-Treanor as well as Kerri Walsh (Jennings). The fate of the matter was that Ross turned out to be Walsh Jennings' new partner as May-Treanor stepped down. Together, they took home beach volleyball bronze for the Rio Olympics of the year 2016. Ross began her collegiate time with the Trojans at USC in graduation from high school. The Trojans were a few years away from when Ross made her debut on the sand and turned professional. It was a successful performance for Ross during her time at the college level. In 2000 she was voted Pac-10 Freshman and NCAA Freshman Of The Year and an All-American. The Trojans could also make it to the Final Four with her help. She suffered a devastating personal loss in her sophomore year, but she still repeated in the ranks of an All-American. Through her last two years as a player, she led the Trojans to the summit by winning two successive national titles. In 2003-04, Ross was named as the most successful female volleyball player at a collegiate level in the US through the Honda Sports Award. Ross studied International Relations at USC. Margie Ross was not able to witness Ross reach beach volleyball's highest level. Ross suffered the loss of her mom to cancer of the breast in the year 2001. Ross was then a sophomore. But, she will always hold her lost parent near and dear. Margie is a constant source of inspiration for her, both in and out of the water.