#46 Nicole DAVIS [2x Olympian]: How to Harness Your Competitiveness (& Why You May Need To Pivot)

#46 Nicole DAVIS [2x Olympian]: How to Harness Your Competitiveness (& Why You May Need To Pivot)

October 30, 2016

Listen to hear story below... More show notes and links to come...

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CONTACT INFO

@nicolemdavis6

http://www.nicolemdavis6.com/

MORE INFO

Awards

2014 - FIVB World Championships - Italy (Gold Medal)

2014 - Montreux Volley Masters (Silver)...USA Volleyball Cup vs. Brazil...FIVB World Grand Prix (5th in Preliminary). 

2013 - USA Volleyball Cup. 

2012 - FIVB World Grand Prix (Gold)...Olympic Games (Silver). 

2011 – Montreux Volley Masters (Fourth)...Pan American Cup (Bronze)...FIVB World Grand Prix (Gold)...NORCECA Championship Gold...FIVB World Cup (Silver). 

2010 – Montreux Volley Masters (Silver Medal)...FIVB World Grand Prix (Gold Medal)...FIVB World Championship (Fourth). 

2009 – Tour of Egypt…Pan American Cup (Fourth)…FIVB World Grand Prix (Ninth)…Final Four Intercontinental Cup (Silver)…NORCECA Continental Championship (Fourth). 

2008 – Tour of China…U.S. Olympic Team Exhibition for Volleyball versus Brazil…FIVB World Grand Prix (Fourth Place)…Olympic Games (Silver Medal). 

2007 – FIVB World Grand Prix (Eighth Place)…NORCECA Championship (Silver Medal)…FIVB World Cup (Bronze Medal).

2006 – World Grand Prix (Seventh Place)…World Championships (Ninth Place). 

2005 – Front Range Tour vs. Brazil…Pan American Cup…World Grand Prix…FIVB World Championship Qualifying Tournament(Gold Medal)…NORCECA Continental Championships (Gold Medal)…World Grand Champions Cup (Silver Medal).

Biography

Position: Libero
Height: 5-4/162 cm
Weight: 145 lbs/66 kg
Hometown: Stockton, Calif.
Current Residence: Newport Beach, Calif.
Birth Date: April 24, 1982
College: University of Southern California
Joined USA National Team: January 2004.

Nicole is a professional indoor volleyball player, graduating from Lincoln High School (Stockton, CA) in 2000. She helped her team to the NorCal championships in 1999 and 2000, as well as a gold medal at the Junior Olympics in 2000, with her local volleyball club, Delta Valley.

While attending and graduating from USC on a full-ride scholarship, she dominated the libero position (a defensive specialist who can substitute freely in the back row) in both her junior and senior seasons, leading USC to two consecutive NCAA National Championships, including an undefeated season. Following her collegiate career, she was invited to join the USA Women’s National Team. Internationally she has won two NORCECA Continental Championships in 2005 and 2011. Davis was also a part of all three World Grand Prix Gold Medal teams, winning back-to-back-to-back championships in 2010, 2011 & 2012, entering the record books as one of only two countries in the history of the tournament to win three-in-a-row. Other international highlights include podium finishes in 2007 and 2011 at the World Cup, earning Olympic births with both efforts. Nicole made her Olympic debut in 2008 in Beijing, winning a silver medal. You saw her wearing her number 6 jersey on television, while the USA team won another silver medal in London Olympic games in 2012. Most recently, she and her team made history winning the 2014 World Championships for the first time. 

Nicole has also played professionally in 8 different countries, including Poland, Turkey, China, Azerbaijan, Italy, Germany, Romania and currently in France. Nicole continues to play and train with the USA National Team, and hopes to make a third Olympic roster for Rio in 2016, and is still chasing an allusive gold medal for the program. 

Her happiest moments in sports include, winning back-to-back National Championships at USC, taking part in the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games, and representing our country on the USA Team.

#33 World Champion At Age 23... What Now? with Trofym ANDERSON

#33 World Champion At Age 23... What Now? with Trofym ANDERSON

Athlete Case Study: Rower for George Washington University; 3 High school National Championships; Winner of 2 Canadian Henleys; 2014 World Champion at coxed four; Under 23 senior Developmental Team for Canada

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March 12, 2015

Listen ON-THE-GO (00:56:37) NOW -or- mobile via iTunes | Stitcher | TuneIn Apps!

BACKGROUND

On today’s show, Trofym will tell us about his journey from where we was as a young kid, to how he got to where he is now. He will share his experiences as an “obese” young boy who was pushed to the limit at an early age and became an elite rower and received multiple scholarship offers from the United States. He explains WHY he decided to compete and receive and education in the US instead of staying home in Canada. We will get many lessons from today’s episode as Trofym expresses the importance of Never giving up and always making sure you are “10x better.”

BIO

• Born, Trofym Anderson, from Ontario, Canada.

• Trofym grew up as an only child.

• Started rowing in the 9th grade; eventually transferred schools and rowed for the best high school in Canada, E.L Crossley High School; has won a total of 3 high school Championships; has won 2 Canadian Henleys; was 7th in the men’s 8 at the 2010 Junior World Championships.

• Received Scholarship offers from the University of California, British Columbia, and George Washington, which is where he attended and received his bachelor's degree in Business

• Finished 5th in the men's coxed four at the 2013 Under 23 World Championships; Won the 2014 World Championship at coxed four

• He is now preparing to get a shot at the next Olympics with the Canadian Under 23 Senior Development Team

• Currently working on masters degree in Sports Management; has done research at the last 2 Olympics; desires of working with the International Olympic Committee in Switzerland

LEAVE A REVIEW & Subscribe to #BeyondAthletic in iTunes so other can find us too! Share this with one person you think could benefit the most…

Listen ON-THE-GO (00:56:37) NOW -or- mobile via iTunes | Stitcher | TuneIn Apps!

PERSONAL QUOTE:
“You always gotta make sure you are 10x better than the next guy.”
-John Ruscitti

Key Mentors in his life:

• John Ruscitti: His high-school coach that pushed him through and helped him overcome the adversity of being an undersized rower

• His Uncle Harry (ex-NHL Player): Trofym was obese at an early age and his uncle got him up early in the mornings at 5am and pushed him to the limit

Key Discussion Points:

• When was one of your biggest struggles?

• When was your lightbulb moment?

• When was your proudest moment in life so far?

• Why did you choose to go to a US college over a Canadian College?

Key Lessons:

• You can change if you want to, its all about taking that first step

“My biggest lesson was just never giving up no matter what.” TA @ 16:12

• Nothing ever comes easy, you have to work hard always

• We don’t always know our talents or what we are good at until we branch out and try different things

• Sometimes we need to stop what we are doing, look at our situation and ask ourselves what we are willing to do to get what we truly want

“It was that day that I said...‘I gotta stop what I’m doing. I gotta revamp everything, I gotta look at my training..I gotta get a strict week program..I needed to get serious with my training..it all started there.” TA @ 24:19

• Once we make the decision to make a positive change, we should never look back

• If you’re serious about whatever you’re doing, demand more of yourself, put a plan together, and associate yourself with the best

• Winning at the highest level comes with struggle and obstacles along the way

“It’s not because we won, but its because during the 9 years to get there, there were just so many obstacles and so many miserable days.” TA @ 27:15

• Having a champion like mindset means you know you can always push to be better

• When choosing a school for your sport, it's important to think about what you truly want out of it

“In trying to choose where I wanted to go… ‘ do I want to go to a massive, already established team, and maybe be the guy that helps continue to make the team as good as it is..or do I want to come to a smaller team at George Washington..take them from the absolute bottom, to now finishing 14th in the country last year.” TA @ 36:51

• If we stay in our comfort zone, we will stay where we are; you have to get a little uncomfortable in order to improve

Listen ON-THE-GO (00:56:37) NOW -or- mobile via iTunes | Stitcher | TuneIn Apps!

TROFYM’S TIP JAR

What is the best advice you have ever received?
Nothing is impossible

One thing you like to do when you come to a new arena to compete?
Walk around really slow and look at everything, become comfortable with the area

Sleep & Morning ritual:
In bed by 9 or 10pm, wake up at 5am, stare out the window..check my phone, 2 shots of espresso; 20 minutes to get ready, bike to practice, 20 minutes of core stretching; row for 90min-2hours; get home and have breakfast. “Maximize your day by starting early.” -TA

One way you’d like to improve yourself as a person?
Reading more and further educate myself

One tip on how to live a little bit healthier?
Planning; writing down a weekly plan on Sundays

Knowing everything you know now and having all the resources now available (ESS, Beyond Athletic Podcasts, Mentors), if you had a do over, what would you do differently?
I would have started rowing the single earlier; challenged myself as it was something that I always avoided

INFO

Past/Current Teams:
Current: George Washington University Men’s Rowing; also Under 23 Men’s Canadian Team
Past: Canadian Junior National Rowing Team

Mentioned:
Ontario, Canada
Canada
E.L Crossley High School
Canadian Henleys
2010 Junior World Championships.
University of California
British Columbia
George Washington
2013 Under 23 World Championships
2014 World Championship
Olympics
Under 23 Senior Development Team
Sports Management
International Olympic Committee in Switzerland
John Ruscitti
George Washington University Men’s Rowing
Under 23 Men’s Canadian Team
Canadian Junior National Rowing Team

Resources:
Tim Ferriss; Speed Reading
Audible.com

 

Follow Trofym:
Twitter

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Parting Pieces of Wisdom

"10x better, that’s the way you gotta approach everything, this goes for any sport...even if you’re in a sport that doesn’t require as much cardio or is more technique based..always being able to improve...always FINDING and area you can improve on" -Trofym Anderson

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3 Things I Learned In Italy, Switzerland & Turkey by Gabi KOEVA [blog]

3 Things I Learned In Italy, Switzerland & Turkey
by Gabi KOEVA

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“As I often like to remind myself - there are no good or bad experiences in life. They are all experiences from which we learn. Same rule apples for our sport lives. ”

— Gabriela "Gabi" KOEVA (CEV Cup Silver Medalist)

1. Switzerland (CH)

What did I know about CH before going there? Pretty much what everybody knows - it's the land of swiss chocolate, swiss watches and swiss banks! What I didn't realize is that Switzerland was the land of rules...a lot of rules I mean. In fact when I first went before the season to sign my contract and meet the president, he asked me one simple question: 

"How are you with following rules?". 
"I guess I'm good, I can follow rules..." - I said.
"Then you'll have no problem whatsoever in Switzerland!"

How to follow the rules is one of the most important things I've learned there. Being organized and disciplined, scheduling your time wisely and never, absolutely N-E-V-E-R permit yourself to be late for an appointment! Swiss tend to take it personally! They are very sensitive when considering time...and wasting it.

2. La Bella Italia... (ITA)
(lit. 'The beautiful Italy')

As Italians lie to refer to their lovely country is no doubt (or at least it was few years ago) the country of some of the strongest European club teams. Teams that merged experienced with young athletes on the court, playing side by side, leaded by some of the best coaches in the volleyball world. 

It was a great experience to get to be a part of Serie A1! The only thing that went bad that season was the fact that our team Riso Scotti Pavia struggled a lot and we finished the regular season second last with just two victories behind our backs. 

Even though season was difficult for the team I played really strong. I scored over 70-80% in attack almost every game and even finished a couple of matches with 100%. Every once in a while I meet some of the coaches from IT that year and they'd tell me "Wow it was an incredible season for you in Italy..."

So the most important thing I'd learned from my Italian experience? It was that even though "team comes before individual," it's still important to be able to focus on your own performance. Even when the team is doing bad, to be able to give your best, no matter the outcome! There will be always someone who notices that and it will probably open many doors for you in the future. 

3. Türkiye (TR)

Turkey...I fell in love with this (I'm here now!) country and most of all with the crazy, sleepless, colorful Istanbul! But let's talk about volleyball. 

The last few years the Turkish championship has been one of the strongest in the world alongside of Russia's and Brazil's. Turkish teams play many finals and win gold medals in (almost) every CEV and FIVB tournament during the past 4-5 years. So it's never easy to go out on the court, facing the best players in the world, not feeling like an underdog. 

But being the underdog has it's advantages and that's what I've learned here in Turkey. As long as you give your best on the court and fight for every ball, even when it seems impossible, no team can underestimate you for it only matters what's the result after the game. I am playing for the team of Besiktas JK and we have never been one of the top teams in the league but that didn't stop us from winning against the big teams of Galatasaray and Eczacibasi for example. 

Let me help you picture the situation of being an underdog with one other example where we made IT despite the odds and expectations of everyone else:

So it's season 2013-2014, the team of Besiktas didn't have the chance to play any European cup tournament, because previous season finished in 7th place after the regular season. The only chance we had was to compete and try to win the Balkan Cup and get a wild card for the CEV Challenge Cup. And we did it, we won! So there we were, last team to make it to Challenge Cup and guess what? We played final that year! It was a tough journey, we advanced 5 times by winning a golden set and we truly surprised everyone by making it to the final round.

Unfortunately, we lost that one against a Russian team, but the lesson we all learned was that no matter the expectations, no matter who's on the other side of the net - the court is still 18 m2  for both teams, the ball is round and at the end, if you never give up and your heart is big enough, you can beat the odds and prove everyone wrong!

Hugs, 
Gabi

Have Questions? Need Help? ASK ME! CLICK HERE

#29 See Yourself As Exceptional (Not Ordinary) with Norisha CAMPBELL

#29 See Yourself As Exceptional (Not Ordinary) with Norisha CAMPBELL

ATHLETE CASE STUDY | Feb 13, 2015

Listen ON-THE-GO (00:46:36) NOW -or- mobile via iTunes | Stitcher | TuneIn Apps!

BACKGROUND

On today’s show we will talk about Norisha CAMPBELL’S duties not only as a mother, but also as a professional athlete and a very talented singer. She competed in one of the biggest singing competitions in Germany. Having these talents has given her energy throughout her life and they allow her to pursue EVERYTHING she is passionate about. We’ll talk about how she balances each of these aspects in her life.

BIO

• Born, Norisha CAMPBELL in California, USA, on September 21, 1980.

• Norisha grew up in a single parent home of five kids, two brothers and two sisters. She was born in California, but grew up in Florida, later moved to Texas. Was introduced to volleyball in the 7th grade.

• Has a nine year old daughter, Aniya, who sings and plays tennis.

• Norisha has been living in Germany since 2002.

• Graduated from Florida State University where she played as a Middle Blocker

• Received NCAA All-American honorable mention. Was on the USA Women’s National Team from 1999-2002, and then again in 2007-08. Best finish as a pro player was fifth place in the Champions League with VBC Volero Zurich. Was on “The VOICE of Germany” in 2013 and made it to the “show down.” She is also currently a singer in Germany performing live at various events.

MOST GRATEFUL TODAY FOR:

“That I am surrounded by wonderful friends, I have such a great family, I’m blessed with my daughter, I’m grateful that I have health.” -Norisha Campbell

PERSONAL QUOTE:

"Your destiny is not determined by what others think and say about you. It is determined by  what you think, say and do. Anything is possible when you believe that you are exceptional and not average” - Norisha Campbell

MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSON IN HER LIFE:

Her mother: “My mother was strong and she’s also Christian and spiritual...and she always taught me to go beyond average and to never limit myself.” -Norisha Campbell

Listen ON-THE-GO (00:46:36) NOW -or- mobile via iTunes | Stitcher | TuneIn Apps!

Key Discussion Points:

• When was one of your biggest struggles?

• How were you able to humble yourself?

• As someone who was the first person IN and first person OUT of the gym, what was it that you were doing during those time slots?

• When was a time that you took a risk, and you failed? How did you move forward?

• When was a light bulb moment in your career?

• When was one of your proudest moments so far in life?

• What has you most excited these days? (hobbies, projects, goals, etc.)

Key Lessons:

• Prepare yourself for opportunities that may come your way, and when they do use them wisely

“I went to practice everyday, I worked my butt off, I never complained, I was the first one to be in the gym and the last one to leave the gym because I wanted to work hard to earn my spot.” NC @ 10:50

• Always look ahead when you feel yourself in a difficult situation

• Humble yourself and always encourage others instead of complaining or being negative

• Always work on your weaknesses

“When I stayed after practice, I worked on my weaknesses, on my weak points, like my serving was my weak point and my blocking was my weak point….I gave myself a GOAL.” NC @ 12:59

• ONE mistake, ONE point, never loses a whole game or match, EVERYBODY makes mistakes

• Average athletes give just enough, Exceptional Athletes give beyond what is required

• When it feels like you have nothing left to give, and you push a bit more, that is when you have given 100%

“That’s when you improve, when you feel like you can’t give but you push anyways, THEN you have given that 100%.” NC @ 20:54

• Having multiple passions doesn’t mean that you can only pursue one

• As an athlete, whether you like it or not, you will always have eyes on you, and many will look up to you as a hero

• As much as we love our sports, it’s important to have something to fall back on when our career is over

• Living abroad gives you the opportunity to see the world from a different perspective, learn the different cultures, different languages, and overall a different way of life than you are used to, as well as the opportunity to GROW UP

Listen ON-THE-GO (00:46:36) NOW -or- mobile via iTunes | Stitcher | TuneIn Apps!

Norisha’s TIP JAR

What is the best advice that you have ever received?
If opportunity doesn’t knock, then you I should build a door, sometime you have to create an opportunity, go out and make it happen.

How do you adjust to a new team/arena?
I look around and explore the gym, get a feel for the environment, I take myself away from everything and everyone, meditate through prayer, and then visualize how I want the game to turn out.

What personal habit do you believe has contributed most to your success until now?
If I start something I’m determined to finish it.

Sleep & Morning ritual:
I try to get at least 7 or 8 hours of sleep. Normally I wake up at 7 to get my daughter ready for school. When I wake up, I go to my kitchen, and I look and stare in the fridge. I try to have at least an hour to myself.

Give a tool/habit you love to use to stay healthy:
I educate myself on health by reading books. I work out and train on a daily basis. 

A useful tool or tip for eating on the go -OR- for traveling in general?
I eat to be healthy. Try to pack a healthy snack such as nuts and fruits. I find it more convenient to pack a healthy snack or lunch. Try to avoid fast food.

How would you like to improve yourself as a person?
I always try to be a better friend, mother, and athlete.

What book would you give away and why?
I would give away “The Compound Effect” by Darren Hardy, It teaches you how to put your life together, and taking tiny steps.

With the resources you have now that you didn’t have before, if you had a do-over, what would you do differently to set yourself up for success?
I would have looked for a mentor, and maybe a hero, and I would have followed that person. I also would have read a bit more.

INFO

Charity/Organizations/Action they take to Add Value:
Volunteer work with little kids in schools. She also visits the elderly who may be alone that living in her apartment building, taking the time to talk and listen to them. “Sometimes time is the best thing you can give.” -NC

Business/Work:
Professional Volleyball Player
Singer in Germany, performs at big events

Past/Current Teams:
Current- Rote Raben Vilsbiburg, Germany
Past-  Barcelona, Spain; VBC Volero Zurich (Switzerland)

Recommended Books:
The Bible
“The Compound Effect” by Darren Hardy
“The Dream Manager” by Matthew Kelly

Tags:
California, USA,
Florida
Texas
Florida State University
NCAA All-American
USA Women’s National Team
VBC Volero Zurich
“The VOICE of Germany”
Rote Raben Vilsbiburg

Follow Athlete Here:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest

Definition of An Athlete?

"A person that not only plays their sport as a living, but because they enjoy it and its a passion that they have and the same lessons that they learn on the court they use off the court. A role model and a leader, on an off the court." -Norisha Campbell

Pieces of Wisdom

“Take the gifts and the dreams that you have a live them out, we only get one life, we don't get another opportunity after this..JUST GO FOR IT.”-NC

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