#36 A 2x Olympian & FSN/NBC Broadcaster Dumb Enough Not To Quit with Kevin BARNETT

#36 A 2x Olympian & FSN/NBC Broadcaster Dumb Enough Not To Quit with Kevin BARNETT

Athlete Case Study: Former Member of the Men’s USA National Volleyball Team,
2x Olympian & Professional Broadcaster

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April 13, 2015

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BACKGROUND

On today’s episode, we will be talking with one of my so called mentors, even though he may not have been aware of that, many things he did in the sport of volleyball, I shadowed and mimicked throughout my career to get better and create my own game. I’ve also always been inspired by the person he is and his character has encouraged me to be someone who speaks up. Today we will discuss the importance of having the will to show up no matter what and to keep going at it, and we need to give the best we have in that moment, and although we may not always be 100%, we need to give 100% of whatever we have on that day.

BIO

• Born, Kevin Rees BARNETT, from Lockport, Illinois on May 14, 1974.

• Resided in Southern California in 2006 with wife and twin sons

• There were no volleyball teams at the schools until his junior year of high school, Kevin didn’t join the squad until senior year

• Took one year off of school and just trained for volleyball and worked at the Cheesecake Factory

• Played at Pierce Junior College for two years, transferred and played two years at Pepperdine University

• Played on the USA National Team for 9 years after making the team in 1997; 2x MVP for USA, USA National Team Athlete of the year

• Kevin is a two-time United States Olympian turned professional broadcaster; specializing in ball and motorsports, Kevin has covered a variety of broadcast roles since 2006. Over the past three years his primary focus has been Play by Play and Studio Host. This type of work includes: Volleyball / Basketball / Football and Racing.

• He can be seen regularly on NBC / PAC 12 Network / Fox Sports West / ESPNU and elsewhere throughout the television universe.

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PERSONAL QUOTE:

“Get busy livin' or get busy dyin”
- Red  (Shawshank Redemption)

MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSON IN HER LIFE:
Ken Stanley; Junior College Coach, good man and great coach
Marv Dunphy; contributed to making me into a better person
 

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Key Discussion Points:

• When was one of your biggest struggles and what did you learn from it?

• How did you bounce back from being on the bench and injuries?

• When was your lightbulb moment?

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

• What was your plan to be successful in life, other than just your sport?

Key Lessons:

• The key is to just keep showing up no matter what and never giving up

“ I’m just dumb enough not quit...there’s no genius to doing what we do, its just a willingness to show up every week no matter what happens.” KB @ 17:03

• Its important to learn how to deal with structures of a team, and be in the good graces of your coaches

“They knew I would show up every single day in practice, and would give everything I had that day..it didn’t matter what had happened before, it didn’t matter what happened after, it didn’t matter how practice went..if practice started poorly for me its not like I’d quit..” KB @ 17:48

• Give the best that you have at that moment and over time you will acquire skills

• Its important to pay attention to others and learn from them

• There can be great satisfaction with the team effort even after a tough loss

“..disappointed that we hadn’t won but very satisfied and very happy with the whole experience..I was satisfied with the play of the team and the way we had performed and fought and done our best.” KB @ 25:22

• The key is to just keep showing up no matter what and never giving up

• Strive to finish satisfied with what you’ve done

• Don’t put EVERYTHING into getting the medal, embrace the actual experience of competing at the highest level

• The big things you want won’t happen unless you put all of your eggs in that one basket

“...‘don’t put all your eggs in one basket’....well you better or you’re not gonna make it….you’re not gonna get in a National Team gym, you’re not gonna get in a professional league, you’re not gonna get yourself on a roster..its just not gonna happen unless you’re all in.” KB @ 30:50

• Don’t be discouraged by failures

“You can’t let failing at something then discourage you from trying something else.” KB @ 37:16

Listen ON-THE-GO (01:04:36) NOW -or- mobile via iTunes | Stitcher | TuneIn Apps!

KEVIN’S TIP JAR

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
“You gotta be early to be on time.” -Ken Stanley

What personal habit do you believe contributed most to your success?
Blind Stupidity

What is the one thing you would like to improve about yourself?
I would to not get so aggravated with stuff so quickly

One resource you use to improve yourself as a person?
People around you that tell you the truth and don’t be afraid of it

Knowing everything you know now with the same resources you had starting out and the new ones you have now (Beyond Athletic Podcasts, ESS, etc.), if you had a do-over what would you have done differently to reach success?
Following someone that you respect that you think is doing right that you view is successful and forge a relationship with them.

A book or learning resource you love to use?
Sacred Hoops by Phil Jackson

What is a tool/habit you love to use to stay healthy?

Going to the gym 4-5 days a week. Riding Motocross

A useful tool or tip for eating on the go -OR- for traveling in general?

Isagenix/Try and avoid eating in airports. / Always treat yourself to a good meal on the road. It's already no fun to be traveling a long distance. Good food makes it more enjoyable.

What's a cause or thing/action you like to do to add value to other peoples lives that you either know or don't know at all?

My kids! That's where my time goes.

INFO

Business/Work:
Broadcaster for the Pac-12 Networks and FOX Sports
TheNetLive Podcast/Show Host

Past/Current Teams:
Pierce College Men’s Volleyball
Pepperdine Men’s Volleyball
USA Men’s National Volleyball Team

Follow Kevin

Facebook | Website | Twitter

Pieces of Wisdom
“You’ve gotta be comfortable with yourself and know that you’ve done
right by yourself.” -KB

“Don’t say you want it and not be willing to put out the effort to get the thing and then be disappointed when you didn’t get it.” -KB
 

Definition of Being An Athlete?

"..its just another person, its like famous people, the more you meet famous people ..you realize they’re just people too and when it comes to the role model aspect of things..you gotta pick the right role model, not just the one who’s the glossiest" -KB

LEAVE A REVIEW FOR THIS EPISODE ON: ITUNES -OR- OUR SITE

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Recommended Books:
Sacred Hoops by Phil Jackson

Mentioned:
Lockport, Illinois
Southern California
NBC
PAC 12 Network
Fox Sports West
ESPNU
Ken Stanley
Marv Dunphy
Shawshank Redemption
Pierce College Men’s Volleyball
Pepperdine Men’s Volleyball
USA Men’s National Volleyball Team

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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