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Gold-medal celebration

Olympian Misty May-Treanor headlines a festival supporting Chicago for the 2016 Games

By Katherine Nichols

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jun 19, 2009

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Two-time beach volleyball Olympic gold medalist Misty May-Treanor did not hesitate when she received an invitation to be the celebrity guest at Honolulu's weeklong Olympic celebration.

HONOLULU OLYMPIC CELEBRATION

» When: 5:30 p.m. tomorrow (registration begins at 4 p.m.)

» Where: Les Murakami Stadium, University of Hawaii at Manoa

» Cost: Free

» Info: 768-4141 or hsblinks.com/ct

 
"I didn't really give it a second thought," she said. After all, her father was born here, attended St. Louis High School and played with some of the state's volleyball stars before and after his appearance in the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. Though he now lives on the mainland, he still has relatives in the islands.

But family ties aren't the only draw. May-Treanor, who played many stops on the AVP tour in Hawaii, loves the food.

"They have L&L out here, but it doesn't taste the same," she said in a phone conversation from her part-time home base in Long Beach, Calif. (She and her husband, Matt Treanor, also have a house in Florida, purchased when he played catcher for the Florida Marlins; this year, however, he played for the Detroit Tigers.) She also enjoys Hawaii's relaxed environment and weather, but it's "the people who really make it special."

May-Treanor will be the headliner in the Olympic celebration in Honolulu that is part of a nationwide rally to bring the 2016 Olympic Games to Chicago. Additional events have been planned through Tuesday; tomorrow's 5K fun run will be followed by a free movie screening at 6:45 p.m.

"I think we're the only city that's really put together a weeklong set of activities," said Mayor Mufi Hannemann, who is chairman of the Tourism and Arts committee for the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and co-chairs with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley the task force trying to bring the 2016 games to the Windy City.

"We want to show broad, grassroots support for the Olympics coming to America," he said. "The vote will be taken this fall, and Chicago is one four cities (in contention). The others are Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Madrid."

So he led the charge with activities that highlight the ideals of the Olympics, and provide good PR for the United States as host nation.

"At the end of the day, I think Hawaii will benefit. I want to put together a very good strategy to have Honolulu and the state of Hawaii be a stopover for athletes on their way to Chicago.

"We have world-class facilities here. And Hawaii has a great history of Olympic athletes. We are a sporting community. We are a community that prides itself on a healthy lifestyle."

He's especially excited about May-Treanor's visit. "It's great; she has such a huge following, especially given our love for volleyball," said Hannemann, who plays racquetball, runs and shoots hoops to stay fit, and plans to participate in all of the festivities -- including the 5K fun run. "We plan to maximize her time here."

After injuring her Achilles tendon during the "Dancing with the Stars" competition last October, May-Treanor has focused on rehabilitation following surgery. Though she usually cross-trains with sprints, she's just starting to jog and will participate in the Healthy Honolulu 5K tomorrow at the University of Hawaii.

"I'll use it as a marker," she said.

Plans for a volleyball clinic in Honolulu are also in the works, and May-Treanor has plenty to share with prospective world-class athletes. She has 103 career wins to her credit, and she and beach volleyball partner Kerri Walsh were the first team ever to win consecutive gold medals when they topped the podium in Athens and Beijing.

But nothing about it was easy. In Athens, she said they lived and breathed volleyball. In Beijing, they had to work harder to retain their title, so they appreciated the victory even more. But they also enjoyed the journey and made time to experience China, which provided a little more balance.

Because at that level of play, she explained, "The favorites don't necessarily always win. There's a different champion on any given day. Everything has to fall into place."

At 31, she's not ready to commit to another Olympics and may start a family soon, but also makes it clear that she has not retired. With or without volleyball, however, she's always busy. While regaining leg strength, hoping for another invitation to "Dancing with the Stars" and working on a memoir, she and her husband started the May-Treanor Ohana Foundation. As she explained, "family always helps each other."

They wanted to keep the concept of the foundation broad, with the ability to offer assistance in educational and athletic programs for disadvantaged children. May-Treanor also is passionate about animal conservation, and plans to devote some energy there as well.

"People need things at different times; it doesn't have to be huge, but anything that you can give back is appreciated. We have a lot of ideas that we feel people would be willing to get on board with, and this brings out our creative side."

 

Two-time beach volleyball Olympic gold medalist Misty May-Treanor did not hesitate when she received an invitation to be the celebrity guest at Honolulu's weeklong Olympic celebration.

COURTESY MIKASA SPORTS USA

HONOLULU OLYMPIC CELEBRATION

» When: 5:30 p.m. tomorrow (registration begins at 4 p.m.)

» Where: Les Murakami Stadium, University of Hawaii at Manoa

» Cost: Free

» Info: 768-4141 or hsblinks.com/ct

 
"I didn't really give it a second thought," she said. After all, her father was born here, attended St. Louis High School and played with some of the state's volleyball stars before and after his appearance in the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. Though he now lives on the mainland, he still has relatives in the islands.

But family ties aren't the only draw. May-Treanor, who played many stops on the AVP tour in Hawaii, loves the food.

"They have L&L out here, but it doesn't taste the same," she said in a phone conversation from her part-time home base in Long Beach, Calif. (She and her husband, Matt Treanor, also have a house in Florida, purchased when he played catcher for the Florida Marlins; this year, however, he played for the Detroit Tigers.) She also enjoys Hawaii's relaxed environment and weather, but it's "the people who really make it special."

May-Treanor will be the headliner in the Olympic celebration in Honolulu that is part of a nationwide rally to bring the 2016 Olympic Games to Chicago. Additional events have been planned through Tuesday; tomorrow's 5K fun run will be followed by a free movie screening at 6:45 p.m.

"I think we're the only city that's really put together a weeklong set of activities," said Mayor Mufi Hannemann, who is chairman of the Tourism and Arts committee for the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and co-chairs with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley the task force trying to bring the 2016 games to the Windy City.

"We want to show broad, grassroots support for the Olympics coming to America," he said. "The vote will be taken this fall, and Chicago is one four cities (in contention). The others are Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Madrid."

So he led the charge with activities that highlight the ideals of the Olympics, and provide good PR for the United States as host nation.

"At the end of the day, I think Hawaii will benefit. I want to put together a very good strategy to have Honolulu and the state of Hawaii be a stopover for athletes on their way to Chicago.

"We have world-class facilities here. And Hawaii has a great history of Olympic athletes. We are a sporting community. We are a community that prides itself on a healthy lifestyle."

He's especially excited about May-Treanor's visit. "It's great; she has such a huge following, especially given our love for volleyball," said Hannemann, who plays racquetball, runs and shoots hoops to stay fit, and plans to participate in all of the festivities -- including the 5K fun run. "We plan to maximize her time here."

After injuring her Achilles tendon during the "Dancing with the Stars" competition last October, May-Treanor has focused on rehabilitation following surgery. Though she usually cross-trains with sprints, she's just starting to jog and will participate in the Healthy Honolulu 5K tomorrow at the University of Hawaii.

"I'll use it as a marker," she said.

Plans for a volleyball clinic in Honolulu are also in the works, and May-Treanor has plenty to share with prospective world-class athletes. She has 103 career wins to her credit, and she and beach volleyball partner Kerri Walsh were the first team ever to win consecutive gold medals when they topped the podium in Athens and Beijing.

But nothing about it was easy. In Athens, she said they lived and breathed volleyball. In Beijing, they had to work harder to retain their title, so they appreciated the victory even more. But they also enjoyed the journey and made time to experience China, which provided a little more balance.

Because at that level of play, she explained, "The favorites don't necessarily always win. There's a different champion on any given day. Everything has to fall into place."

At 31, she's not ready to commit to another Olympics and may start a family soon, but also makes it clear that she has not retired. With or without volleyball, however, she's always busy. While regaining leg strength, hoping for another invitation to "Dancing with the Stars" and working on a memoir, she and her husband started the May-Treanor Ohana Foundation. As she explained, "family always helps each other."

They wanted to keep the concept of the foundation broad, with the ability to offer assistance in educational and athletic programs for disadvantaged children. May-Treanor also is passionate about animal conservation, and plans to devote some energy there as well.

"People need things at different times; it doesn't have to be huge, but anything that you can give back is appreciated. We have a lot of ideas that we feel people would be willing to get on board with, and this brings out our creative side."

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