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 September
8, 2008
KRIKORIAN:
May-Treanor two-steps to a new challenge ...the greatest athletic team on the planet, the women's beach volleyball tandem of Misty-May Treanor and Kerri Walsh, winners of 112 matches in a row including the Olympic gold medal one in Beijing, now find themselves on a losing streak. They were beaten on Aug. 31 in the finals of an AVP Tournament in Cincinnati by Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh, and then were beaten over the weekend in the semifinals of another AVP event in Santa Barbara by Jennifer Boss and April Ross. Two losses in a row for the Golden Girls!? "I think we're just emotionally drained," says May-Treanor, who has said she'd like to start having children - she's married to Florida Marlins catcher Matt Treanor - and is uncertain about her volleyball future. "It's been a long season and we haven't had too many weekends off." They also might be physically drained - at least Misty May Treanor might be. In addition to appearing on many TV shows including Letterman, Ellen and Good Morning America, May-Treanor also has been spending a lot of her time the past couple of weeks with a gentleman named Maksim Chmerkovskiy, a Ukrainian-born 28-year-old professional dancer who will be Misty's partner on her Sept. 22 appearance on "Dancing With The Stars." Chmerkovskiy, who owns three dance studios in New York and has been a regular on the show for five seasons, has worked with May-Treanor both in Cincinnati and L.A., teaching her the fine points of such disciplines of his craft as the mambo and foxtrot. "I just hope I don't embarrass myself," says May-Treanor. Why, Misty May-Treanor is so serious about her newest challenge that she has been watching snippets of old Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers movies on YouTube. "Those two could really dance," she says. "Do you consider yourself a good dancer?" I wondered. "No," she replied quickly. Lest you think Misty May-Treanor will embarrass herself on "Dancing With The Stars," forget it. The same drive that has made her one of the top players in her sport's history figures to make her a hit on the popular program that also will feature this season such other celebrities as Cloris Leachman, Susan Lucci, Warren Sapp, Maurice Greene, Kim Kardashian, Toni Braxton, Lance Bass and Brooke Burke. May-Treanor already has had many instructional sessions with Chmerkovskiy, including a four-hour one in L.A. last Friday after which I spoke to her. "I've got so much to learn in such a short period," she says. "But there already have been some benefits. If nothing else, it's made me more graceful. You have to be to do some of the dance routines." When I last saw Misty May-Treanor, she and Kerri Walsh were celebrating their dramatic 21-18, 21-18 victory over China's Wang Jie and Tian Jia in the Olympic championship match. "I didn't think this would be the case, but this gold medal was even sweeter than the one we won at Athens," she says. "We were younger then, and we played without a lot of expectations. But this time there was such a buildup, and a lot more pressure on us to win. Plus the field was a lot deeper and stronger than it was in Athens. "Everyone expected us to win in Beijing, and that's not easy to do because everyone was out to beat us. At one time, the U.S. and Brazil dominated the sport, but no more. The whole world is catching up because so many more people are now involved in beach volleyball." Misty May-Treanor says she had a terrific time in Beijing when she wasn't playing volleyball. "I had a lot more fun than I did in Athens," she says. "I got out more, met a lot of athletes in the village, just got around a lot more than I did in Athens. Went out and saw some table tennis and boxing and indoor volleyball." But now Misty May-Treanor has been learning new dance steps, while still competing on the AVP circuit. "It's a difficult balancing act," she says. "I was extremely tired when I first got back from Beijing. The time change is quite an adjustment." And learning the mambo and the foxtrot is, too, for May-Treanor, who admits to being surprised to have been invited to be a guest on "Dancing With The Stars." "I never thought in a million years I'd have such an opportunity," she says. "Sure, I've always watched the show. But I never figured to be on it. And now I am. It's just unbelievable." While it's doubtful Misty May-Treanor ever will become another Margot Fonteyn, much less a Ginger Rogers, the strong feeling here is that she will make a strong impression in her latest endeavor, as she always has done throughout her fascinating life. |
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