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Allie Wheeler:
Make sure that you are super driven, just intrinsically motivated, because that shift from College to professional is so challenging.
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Allie Wheeler:
There's just, you know, in College, you're just pretty much given everything you're given a schedule to follow.
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Allie Wheeler:
You're given nutrition, mental coaches, a coach in general.
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Allie Wheeler:
Just making that shift is super challenging, but find ways to make it work.
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Allie Wheeler:
If you got to pick up a part time job, whatever it might be, find ways to make it work and go for it.
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Mark Burik:
What's up, everybody? Welcome to the Better At Beach Volleyball Podcast.
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Mark Burik:
My name is Mark Burik, and today we have a very special guest, Allie Wheeler, who is a longtime volleyball pro.
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Mark Burik:
As far as I know, she's got three FIVB medals under her belt, AVP High finish of a fifth.
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Mark Burik:
She's been playing on tour for quite a bit, and she is a fellow entrepreneur, has a company called AW Recruiting.
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Mark Burik:
Allie Wheeler Recruiting, where she helps volleyball players, both indoor and beach, find a home in some colleges.
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Mark Burik:
And she's going to tell us all about that and more.
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Mark Burik:
And we're going to learn a lot from her volleyball path.
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Mark Burik:
So without further Ado, Allie Wheeler, thanks for showing up.
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Allie Wheeler:
Awesome.
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Allie Wheeler:
Thanks for having me, Mark.
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Allie Wheeler:
I really appreciate it.
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Mark Burik:
Yeah, absolutely.
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Mark Burik:
What was your day like today? What was it for?
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Allie Wheeler:
It was good until now. Yeah.
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Allie Wheeler:
So far, so good.
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Allie Wheeler:
I woke up, I usually wake up at 06:00 a.m.
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Allie Wheeler:
And I had practiced this morning, had a couple of meetings, and now I'm here.
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Mark Burik:
Who are the meetings with?
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Allie Wheeler:
Had some meetings with some athletes this morning.
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Mark Burik:
Okay. For your recruiting company? Yeah.
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Mark Burik:
Now how does that go? So does somebody just come and they sign up on your website and then they have to provide videos? You teach them how to provide videos.
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Mark Burik:
You reach out to colleges for them.
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Mark Burik:
How does somebody utilize Awrecruiting.com so that they can get themselves to a call?
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Allie Wheeler:
Yeah, great question. So basically how the process works.
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Allie Wheeler:
A lot of people find me via Instagram or word of mouth is usually how I've been getting my clients.
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Allie Wheeler:
And how it starts is we'll talk and have kind of that first consultation call, talk about what they're looking for in a school, what's important to them.
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Allie Wheeler:
And from there, I help them basically with every step of the way when it comes to emailing, phone calls, figuring out the best fit for them academically and athletically, too, and also help with talking to coaches for them.
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Allie Wheeler:
So just helping them step by step through the process and helping the parents to better understand what to expect for their kids.
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Mark Burik:
What do you think before we kind of get into the flow of our regular questions? Number one, the biggest misconception that parents and students have is and then number two, the biggest problem, what are you really discussing with them the most?
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Allie Wheeler:
It's a great question. I think a lot of it is just a big learning curve for kids and parents for the kids.
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Allie Wheeler:
It's just learning how to it's pretty much like learning these skills that you will then later have to learn in College and after school as well.
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Allie Wheeler:
Just like simple writing an email like, best way to do that and the best way to market yourself to these coaches as well.
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Allie Wheeler:
And the best way to just make a phone call.
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Allie Wheeler:
How are you supposed to be communicating with these coaches? So it's not only just like recruiting process, but teaching these kids life skills as well.
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Allie Wheeler:
So I would say that's the biggest thing that can be like, oh, I didn't even think about having to do this.
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Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
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Mark Burik:
Presentation over an email and showing up in a good way that the majority of the people will at least appreciate or feel comfortable with you when you talk.
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Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
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Mark Burik:
It's not an easy skill for everybody.
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Mark Burik:
Everybody's like, yeah, they'll accept me for who I am.
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Allie Wheeler:
Right.
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Mark Burik:
Show up to a business meeting, to a presentation, you want to have something to say so you're not just your way through a first conversation.
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Mark Burik:
And then even if a coach is on the line, I think where athletically, you're kind of the same person, but they actually vibes with you just a little bit better as a person just because you're able to communicate or present yourself like that's.
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Mark Burik:
Somebody I kind of want to represent my program.
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Mark Burik:
So you're going to get that upper edge, right?
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Allie Wheeler:
Exactly. And you can't just show up and blow up at a tournament and just play really well.
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Allie Wheeler:
You got to do the behind the scenes work, too, of emailing these coaches and talking to them and really just laying down that groundwork and foundation and yeah, just that on court presence is super important along with that behind the scenes work.
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Mark Burik:
So do you give them kind of coaching critique on how they are acting on court or like their reactions? Yeah, you do exactly that's.
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Mark Burik:
Awesome.
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Allie Wheeler:
Body language is so important in general.
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Allie Wheeler:
But to get recruited, too, it's so important for coaches to see that they're supportive to their partner.
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Allie Wheeler:
They're positive.
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Allie Wheeler:
Maybe they're quiet, but they're a quiet leader, stuff like that, to just make sure that they are presenting themselves in the best light.
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Mark Burik:
Yeah, that's got to be so important, especially when you're inviting somebody to your culture, like a coach and the teammates that they've now hopefully become sort of their family.
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Mark Burik:
You live with that team day in and day out.
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Mark Burik:
And if you can't glean some sort of positivity, some type of personality that you want on your team or if it's just hidden and it's a question Mark and you're like, well, then I don't know.
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Mark Burik:
And I think that on court presence for a coach, looking at somebody who they want to bring and then as you said in the interviews, emails, how they present themselves is crucial for signing somebody up to live with you for the next four or five years.
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Allie Wheeler:
Exactly.
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Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
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Allie Wheeler:
Because that team just becomes your family.
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Allie Wheeler:
And obviously it's important to be athletic and good volleyball player with good skills, but there are just so many other factors that a lot of kids just don't even think about it's.
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Mark Burik:
Funny, personally, we had a guy, Brandon McLaughlin, on our College team, and Huntington Beach had the ultimate slow, California trailing off at the end time.
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Mark Burik:
Well, this is a good practice.
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Mark Burik:
Like, didn't smoke it ever in his life.
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Mark Burik:
No drugs, barely any drinking, and just had that like, California slang talk.
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Mark Burik:
Not slang, but slur trail off.
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Mark Burik:
And then we called it public speaking, Brandon, because as soon as he was in front of a group of people or you saw him write any of his emails that he sent to Fred, he was a complete and other person.
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Mark Burik:
He knew how to show himself off in front of groups and how to speak loud and clearly and assertively and in his writing.
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Mark Burik:
Fantastic writer.
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Mark Burik:
And when you take a look at the emails that he sent to our coach versus how he actually talked to us and hung out, it was completely different.
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Allie Wheeler:
Like unexpected, same day, different.
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Mark Burik:
Yeah.
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Allie Wheeler:
That's so funny.
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Mark Burik:
But, you know, like, hey, this guy's, like, smart.
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Mark Burik:
He knows how to present himself.
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Mark Burik:
So he's somebody that I want to represent my program and presentation versus who you really are.
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Mark Burik:
You can be careful and you can be purposeful, I think with both of them.
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Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
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Allie Wheeler:
Purposeful is a good way to put it, for sure.
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Allie Wheeler:
Yeah, agreed.
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Mark Burik:
Cool.
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Mark Burik:
Well, I want to get back into that recruiting talk, but first let's go back to the beginning, and I just want to hear when and why you started playing beach volleyball and if indoor came before it, if there was a mix of those two and just kind of tell your origin story.
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Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
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Allie Wheeler:
So I started playing indoor when I was about nine years old, and I know a long time and I was playing a bunch of different sports from soccer to cross country to ski racing, too.
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Allie Wheeler:
Just was basically thrown into everything.
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Allie Wheeler:
And then my freshman year of high school, I decided to really just focus on volleyball.
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Allie Wheeler:
And I started playing beach volleyball when I was twelve more just for fun on the weekends.
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Mark Burik:
Could you tell me what that decision was like? Was it an active decision at that age? Was there an adult or coach influence that you can pinpoint that made you say focus that early? Because I didn't focus on volleyball, I think, until I was 19.
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Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
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Mark Burik:
And there was a lot of different ebbs and flows around there.
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Mark Burik:
So what was that like as a 12 13 year old to say? I know.
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Allie Wheeler:
I think for me, I just really liked the concept of volleyball in general.
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Allie Wheeler:
I liked how technical it was.
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Allie Wheeler:
I was just such a technical player, and I was deciding at the end whether to play volleyball or soccer and soccer.
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Allie Wheeler:
For me, I just wasn't as physical, like, actual physical.
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Mark Burik:
Why did you think did somebody tell you how to choose or you felt that you had to choose?
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Allie Wheeler:
No one told me I needed to choose, but for me, I knew that I really wanted to play Division One and go on to play at a high level. And I felt that I wanted to just focus on that one.
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Allie Wheeler:
I don't think there's any right or wrong way to do it, but I think at the time when I was playing indoor, indoor club was super intense, too, on the girls side, where it was like, it's not as much like this now, but it was from December to July of tournaments every single weekend.
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Allie Wheeler:
So it was tough for me to do both or different sports in general.
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Mark Burik:
Okay.
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Mark Burik:
So you were heavy in that club scene for me.
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Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
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Allie Wheeler:
The club wasn't really for me.
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Mark Burik:
It wasn't an issue.
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Mark Burik:
It's just what sport I was going to go out and play that weekend for fun, right?
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Allie Wheeler:
Yeah. Honestly, I wish I could have played more sports in high school.
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Allie Wheeler:
It was just that club scene was pretty heavy with tournaments pretty much every weekend.
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Allie Wheeler:
So then started focusing on indoor my freshman year playing club and all that.
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Allie Wheeler:
My sophomore year, I started kind of looking at schools all along East Coast and West Coast, and I got invited to play at this USA High Performance Camp down in Chula Vista.
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Allie Wheeler:
And Anna Coyer, the former USC head coach, she was down there as well.
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Allie Wheeler:
And I had emailed her probably like ten times, trying to just introduce myself, get in front of her, and no response.
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Allie Wheeler:
And this was before the new role of the June 15 role for recruiting what's, like sophomore to.
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Allie Wheeler:
So basically before your sophomore to junior year, June 15, before that time, you basically can't talk to coaches.
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Allie Wheeler:
Like, it's basically a one way street.
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Allie Wheeler:
So you're communicating with them, giving updates, but they can't respond back to you
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Mark Burik:
in any way. Can they acknowledge that they received an email?
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Allie Wheeler:
They can acknowledge and they can send camp information and questionnaires that's it
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Mark Burik:
okay. Yeah. All right.
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Mark Burik:
Yeah.
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Mark Burik:
Because I was trying to say there's a crazy good player in in Missouri, and I was trying to set him up with Hudson, who's the associate coach at Ohio.
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Mark Burik:
And he's like, I can't do this.
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Mark Burik:
I can't do this.
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Mark Burik:
I can't do this.
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Mark Burik:
If you send me his email, I can send him camp information.
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Mark Burik:
And I was like, wow, the rules are so strict for NCAA, but that's good.
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Mark Burik:
You don't want coaches hounding 8th grade freshmen who are the daughters of six, seven Olympians, then their lives are miserable, too.
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Mark Burik:
So there's good and there's bad in general.
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Mark Burik:
Ncaa is brutal to navigate.
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Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
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Allie Wheeler:
I honestly think that rule is good because it used to be where coaches could recruit kids when they were in 8th grade, which was pretty insane.
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Allie Wheeler:
How do you know where you want to go to school at 8th grade when you're in 8th grade?
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Mark Burik:
I was trying to figure out which hostile I should pick. That was the biggest choice in 8th grade.
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Allie Wheeler:
Exactly.
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Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
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Allie Wheeler:
So that rule, I think, has been good.
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Allie Wheeler:
I forget where I was going with that.
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Mark Burik:
So you're in high school.
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Mark Burik:
This is before the June 15.
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Allie Wheeler:
Yes.
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Allie Wheeler:
But that rule wasn't a rule back then.
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Allie Wheeler:
So I was able to communicate with Anna.
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Allie Wheeler:
So I was just waiting for a response from her.
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Allie Wheeler:
Never received one.
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Allie Wheeler:
So at that USA High Performance Camp, I went up to her, introduced myself, you know, told her I'd been emailing her, I'd love to have you watch me at this camp.
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Allie Wheeler:
And she basically said, all right, let's see what you got.
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Allie Wheeler:
Just treated it like kind of try out in a way.
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Allie Wheeler:
And so I emailed her after the camp, didn't get a response for like two months, and she said, hey, I love to have you on a visit.
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Allie Wheeler:
So I went on a visit and ended up getting an offer at USC.
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Mark Burik:
Unbelievable.
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Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
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Allie Wheeler:
That was my only beach offer.
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Allie Wheeler:
I had offers indoor.
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Allie Wheeler:
And at the end of the day, I absolutely loved beach volleyball.
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Allie Wheeler:
And I had two concussions from indoor.
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Allie Wheeler:
That kind of just drove me away from indoor.
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Mark Burik:
Wow.
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Mark Burik:
Okay.
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Allie Wheeler:
Yeah, it's pretty gnarly.
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Allie Wheeler:
So I just basically got pretty burned out from indoor and really liked beach volleyball and wanted to pursue it in College.
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Mark Burik:
Okay, cool.
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Mark Burik:
Now, you were probably the generation where it was like, that had to be the first three years of beach, right when it was a College board.
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Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
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Allie Wheeler:
So I was actually one of the first recruited scholarship athletes for beach volleyball.
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Mark Burik:
Wow.
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Allie Wheeler:
It was like me and Sarah Hughes were the first ones that's wild.
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Allie Wheeler:
Yes.
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Allie Wheeler:
It's pretty awesome.
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Allie Wheeler:
And a lot of my coaches thought I was absolutely crazy.
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Allie Wheeler:
They're like, this is a new sport.
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Mark Burik:
It's like, of course they want you to follow the path that they follow and that they're comfortable with.
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Allie Wheeler:
Exactly.
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Allie Wheeler:
But I absolutely love beach and really wanted to pursue it and took a chance.
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Allie Wheeler:
And it was risky.
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Mark Burik:
But look at where the sport is now.
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Mark Burik:
It's pretty awesome.
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Mark Burik:
And now I think that USA women for the next decade and a half at least are just going to annihilate the world.
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Allie Wheeler:
I agree.
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Mark Burik:
Our club system, the way that America does, it just turns athletes out.
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Mark Burik:
We see this in basketball a lot, and we see it definitely in volleyball.
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Mark Burik:
I don't think the strength really is in as many other sports.
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Mark Burik:
There's some travel, baseball, but there's really no one who can compete with us in baseball in terms of leagues or Olympic games, I guess, like Cuba, Dominican Republic, Japan.
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Mark Burik:
But for volleyball, at least having the strength of our indoor club system turn to beach club system is a little for a lot of people, a little scary for beach volleyball because there are those that don't want beach volleyball to turn into what indoor became, from my point of view, crazy parents, an overbearing situation where, like you said, from December strike in July, you're going every weekend.
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Mark Burik:
This is your life.
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Mark Burik:
There is no opportunity anymore to be like a teenager.
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Mark Burik:
And once you're committed to a team, you should commit.
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Mark Burik:
I am a full believer in that finish the season.
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Mark Burik:
Whatever you do, you finish the season and then you reassess in the off season like you made a promise to your coaches and your teammates, so you should be there for them.
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Mark Burik:
I think it's an intense route, and I think if you love it, it's awesome for you.
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Mark Burik:
But if you're on the fence, that's where it's different.
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Mark Burik:
And I imagine people who are coming to you probably make the same hopefully they're going through the same thought process when they talk about maybe division one, division two, Naiad three.
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Mark Burik:
Do you want this to consume your life? Do you want volleyball to be everything for you or do you enjoy it? And do you have lots of other endeavors that you're interested in? So what do you tell exactly the people who are that you know might be on the fence of how much they love the game?
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Allie Wheeler:
Yeah, that's a great question because I don't think it's so much of like on the fence of how much I love the game. It's more so understanding of how much you have to give up and prioritize when you're playing at a Division one or division two level and finding that good balance.
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Allie Wheeler:
So I think a lot of the athletes I work with absolutely love the sport.
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Allie Wheeler:
I think it's just more so just that understanding of what kind of College experience do I want? Do I want to just be playing on this highly competitive team where we're always competing against each other, fighting for different spots, and give up that balance of school or social life, whatever it might be, or having that good balance of like, school is obviously number one important.
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Allie Wheeler:
But I really want to just focus on school and have volleyball as that outlet kind of thing and have it be that friendly, good community, but maybe not as competitive.
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Mark Burik:
Do you have any questions that you try to source that answer from? Do you ask your players, hey, how much do you look forward to off season when it's not clipped, and then you say you're miserable in the off season because there's no volleyball, you're probably maybe a candidate, at least emotionally wise, for D one, or if they love off season, you're like, cool, let's maybe move away from the full time job that is D One, definitely.
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Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
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Allie Wheeler:
And I asked them tough questions, too, about what really do they want to prioritize? Because this decision that they make is basically the most important decision that they'll make up to date of really what they want their College experience to look like.
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Allie Wheeler:
So, yeah, definitely ask those tough questions and make sure that we're all on the same page, like their family too, and themselves and me too.
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Mark Burik:
For me, I always try to it is an important decision, and it weighed on me tremendously.
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Mark Burik:
And going and doing that.
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Mark Burik:
I went to my first College, I went there to play football.
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Mark Burik:
And when I left that, it was to play volleyball.
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Mark Burik:
So the decision of which College I went to.
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Mark Burik:
Yes.
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Mark Burik:
Now I'm on a new branch that can lead to a whole other branches.
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Mark Burik:
But when I talk to kids, I also want to let them know that this decision is not the end.
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Mark Burik:
Wherever you go, you can stop playing after a season.
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Mark Burik:
I don't want them to stop playing season.
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Mark Burik:
People are counting on you.
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Mark Burik:
So, like, hold yourself to your word and be there for them.
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Mark Burik:
But you can change.
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Mark Burik:
This is not the end of your life.
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Mark Burik:
It's an important decision.
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Mark Burik:
It will affect the next year.
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Mark Burik:
But remember, you're going to reassess at the end of the year or midway through the year and then figure out again what you want.
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Mark Burik:
And there's always that choice of you can continue on the same road.
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Mark Burik:
People think that when you're on one road, there's no choice.
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Mark Burik:
The choice is continuing or turning off of that road.
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Mark Burik:
And you have that every single day.
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Mark Burik:
And I wish more kids could understand that at that time when you feel a chest full of air and you can't breathe because you think this decision is going to be everything for you and everybody who's looking at you.
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Mark Burik:
It's a tough time for kids.
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Allie Wheeler:
Totally.
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Allie Wheeler:
And one thing that I always tell my kids is that you want to choose the school for the school.
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Allie Wheeler:
Let's say you pray to God this doesn't happen.
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Allie Wheeler:
But what if you get injured, like first practice and you're out, you can't play volleyball.
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Allie Wheeler:
Are you going to like the school as is? I always tell my kids you need to just make sure you love the school for the school.
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Allie Wheeler:
In the case that maybe you do change paths and don't want to play volleyball anymore.
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Mark Burik:
Well, I do want to hear how you went from USC to playing pro.
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Mark Burik:
What was that process like?
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Allie Wheeler:
It was good. So I actually went from USC to Cal Poly San Luis Fispo to get my MBA.
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Allie Wheeler:
So I was there for two years.
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Mark Burik:
What was your master?
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Allie Wheeler:
Business administration.
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Mark Burik:
Awesome. Good choice.
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Mark Burik:
I wish.
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Mark Burik:
Oh, God, I wish I had any education.
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Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
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Allie Wheeler:
So went there for two years and then coached there as well as the assistant coach there for the beach team with Todd Rogers.
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Allie Wheeler:
And that was an incredible experience.
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Allie Wheeler:
Learned so much from him.
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Allie Wheeler:
Yeah, it was epic.
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Allie Wheeler:
So I was doing that while playing which was honestly really tough, just commuting down to La a lot for practices and finding partners and whatnot.
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Allie Wheeler:
So it was challenging, made it work.
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Allie Wheeler:
And then after those two years, I moved down to Hermosa in 2019 and have been here ever since.
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Mark Burik:
Nice.
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Mark Burik:
Who are you playing with this year? What's the plan? What's the roadmap? I know you had a back injury for the last little while, so you got knocked out.
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Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
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Allie Wheeler:
So coming back from that, still trying it out right now.
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Allie Wheeler:
Have some things in the works, though, that I'm really excited about.
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Mark Burik:
Oh, all right.
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Mark Burik:
Not divulging ever since leave you on a cliffhanger.
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Mark Burik:
All right, cool.
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Mark Burik:
I do want to talk to you because I know that you see a lot of players who are talking so much about potential, where they are, what they're going to be.
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Mark Burik:
And you see this because you've played pro because you've played at a high level in College.
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Mark Burik:
So what do you think? And as a recruiter, what do you think are the two most important attributes? And they can be mental or physical, but the two most important attributes of a successful player, a beach player.
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Allie Wheeler
Okay.
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Allie Wheeler
Are you saying just in general successful beach player? Okay.
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Allie Wheeler
I would say number one thing is mentally tough, having that confidence in yourself, especially in tight situations, just being fully mentally tough.
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Allie Wheeler
And I would say second thing is driven because it's such kind of like an individual sport in a way where you have the freedom to set up your own practices, your own schedule, your own weight lifting.
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Allie Wheeler
You have to be so intrinsically motivated to be the best version of yourself.
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Allie Wheeler
So I would say those are the two most important things.
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Allie Wheeler
There's so many others.
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Allie Wheeler
But if I were to choose those off the bat,
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Mark Burik:
yes, I think driven can be one of those. Every field.
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Mark Burik:
Can I exercise it's like, hey, do you want to be excellent? You have to do more than everybody else is doing.
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Mark Burik:
There's always a Bell curve for every industry, for every job.
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Mark Burik:
People think like lawyers of prestigious job, like doctor is a prestigious job.
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Mark Burik:
Guess what? There's a Bell curve of doctors and lawyers.
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Mark Burik:
There are crappy ones and there are the average ones.
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Mark Burik:
And then they're the ones that go above and beyond and continue to push themselves and drive themselves, like you're saying, to the next level of knowledge, practice, care and effort.
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Mark Burik:
It's very easy to just ride in whatever you're currently doing instead of putting that extra energy into getting it going faster, better, more efficient.
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Allie Wheeler:
Exactly.
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Mark Burik:
You said mental toughness, being mentally tough.
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Mark Burik:
Can you give an in game example of what it actually means when you say mentally tough? What do you really mean? And do it by an example?
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Allie Wheeler:
Yeah. Okay.
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Allie Wheeler:
So let's say we're in.
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Allie Wheeler:
Let's say it's 1413 in the third set, you're down having that focus and that confidence in you and your partner that you guys are going to find out.
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Allie Wheeler:
I would say to me that's being mentally tough and having that focus to be able to sign out and make sure you're able to trust and rely on your partner and yourself.
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Mark Burik:
So would you say that mental toughness to you directly translates as confidence?
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Allie Wheeler:
Not directly. I think there's a lot that goes into mental toughness with that.
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Allie Wheeler:
I think that's a part of it.
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Allie Wheeler:
I think a part of it is focused.
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Allie Wheeler:
Like I said, I think a part of it is just like that trust as well.
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Allie Wheeler:
I think there's a lot that goes into it.
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Mark Burik:
Is there anything would be like the three do you do anything or say anything or practice anything specifically that makes you mentally tough on the court or off the court?
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Allie Wheeler:
Both, I would say on the court. For me, breathing really helps and then also just leaning on my partner as well to find that trust and confidence with each other off the court.
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Allie Wheeler:
I do a lot of visualization and that helps with my mental focus, with my mental strength.
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Allie Wheeler:
And visualization is like another practice to me and reps for me.
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Allie Wheeler:
So I would say those are the things that I really focus on.
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Mark Burik:
So when you're visualizing, what do you visualize? Do you see a picture of yourself on a podium? Do you see yourself hitting nonstop high lines that are untouched, passing nails like lip and everything? What is your visualization session actually visually look like?
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Allie Wheeler:
Great question. So it depends if it's before a tournament, I have this visualization, like, voice memo that talks about basically me getting ready for the tournament, going on to the court, warming up, and then it goes into, like, Endgame.
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Allie Wheeler:
So I have some scenarios where it's like I'm passing really well.
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Allie Wheeler:
I'm setting really well, hitting, just nailing everything down.
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Allie Wheeler:
And then I have some scenarios where I would say 80% is those scenarios where I'm doing well, and then 20% is where I'm in a rut and I need to help myself get out of it.
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Allie Wheeler:
And some of that is within visualization because I think it is important to visualize some bad times because it's going to happen and you need to visualize how you're going to get yourself out of it.
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Allie Wheeler:
So I think that's part of it.
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Allie Wheeler:
And then I think when so that's like before a match, you said every day you had a voice memo.
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Mark Burik:
Voice memo? Yeah.
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Mark Burik:
Like, you've recorded yourself talking yourself through points and saying, like, and you pass perfect, and you take a slow to fast approach and you see the defender and you crisply, cleanly shoot this line.
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Allie Wheeler:
It's actually a voice memo where it's talking me through the feelings of what I'm feeling.
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Allie Wheeler:
So let's say the voice memo says, like, all right, you're walking onto the beach.
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Allie Wheeler:
You feel the sand from the strand pavement to the sand beneath your feet.
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Allie Wheeler:
You drop your bags down.
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Allie Wheeler:
It walks you through kind of that visualization.
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Mark Burik:
Whoa.
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Mark Burik:
How cool is that? Are you on your phone right now? Can you play like 30 seconds of it?
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Allie Wheeler:
I can play part of it. I'll play the one that
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Mark Burik:
this is blowing my mind. That's so much dedication that you sat down and you actually went off court and you recorded yourself going through this.
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Mark Burik:
Who led you through this?
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Allie Wheeler:
Yeah. So actually, when I was injured, I worked with a mental coach, and she really helped me with a lot of stuff because it was really tough for me just getting back onto the court.
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Allie Wheeler:
I was really nervous because that's how I originally got injured was playing.
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Allie Wheeler:
So she really helped me with the visualization and figuring out what I can do to get over that hump of being nervous.
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Allie Wheeler:
And so she really helped me with that confidence aspect.
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Allie Wheeler:
And then I also have this voice memo of just like a practice as well.
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Allie Wheeler:
And it kind of takes you through same kind of concepts.
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Allie Wheeler:
But also there's like this portion where it's just meditating and you're just focusing on just one specific skill in that practice.
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Allie Wheeler:
And it's like for about five minutes.
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Mark Burik:
If you could pull up 20 seconds.
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Allie Wheeler:
I know I'm trying to pull it up here.
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Allie Wheeler:
Might be like on my laptop, though.
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Mark Burik:
No rush, no pressure.
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Mark Burik:
If it happens, it happens.
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Mark Burik:
But I think what people don't understand is that there's an actual true science behind visualization and that your nervous system literally builds physical pathways when you take your brain through a sequence of activities.
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And it's been studied again and again, mostly like with foul shots from basketball players where they measure three different people, people who are just shooting, people who are just visualizing and people who are visualizing and shooting, and the people who visualize and shoot free throws always outperform the other groups.
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Mark Burik:
The physical pathway that is built, when you imagine and take yourself through those movements, it actually translates to nervous system and muscular regulation.
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Allie Wheeler:
Oh, wow.
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Mark Burik:
Yeah.
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Mark Burik:
I go from the biomechanics and exercise science standpoint of it.
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Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
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Allie Wheeler:
Love that stuff.
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Mark Burik:
Along with that, the two most important attributes you said are the drive, going and doing your own thing, which for young athletes, the majority of them, of course, just like anybody else, do not understand that when you show up to practice, no one should Pat you on the back.
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Mark Burik:
For that, you are doing the bare minimum requirement by attending practice.
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Mark Burik:
So when the parents and students and they talk about playing time, how many hours have you put in outside that gives you the right to come and talk about playing time, gives you a glimpse into your future.
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Mark Burik:
Because if your kid is not the one that's out there in the driveway, like hitting a ball against a wall for an hour and a half after practice, if you're not the parent that has to say, hey, Sarah, come on, get off the court, mom has to go to work.
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Mark Burik:
Like, I don't know if that person gets to the next level.
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Mark Burik:
The person is the one that gets addicted to it so early and you can't pull them away from it.
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Mark Burik:
So that whole kind of like, bare minimum stuff where people just show up to practice and they say, like, why aren't I at a certain level? Because you're only.
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Mark Burik:
Right, you're doing less or just the same as the average.
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Allie Wheeler:
Right.
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Mark Burik:
So people need to understand that driven part and what it actually means if you're not improving faster than the people around you.
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Mark Burik:
Hey, how many extra hours have you put in compared to them?
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Allie Wheeler:
Right. And there's a quote on this, like, talent only gets you so far, but effort is what really gets you to the top.
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Mark Burik:
And I think especially with practice.
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Mark Burik:
Right.
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Mark Burik:
It's beyond practice.
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Mark Burik:
It's beyond I can't just say I work harder.
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Mark Burik:
Practice.
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Mark Burik:
No kidding.
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Allie Wheeler:
Yeah, exactly.
356
00:33:18,650 --> 00:33:27,066
Allie Wheeler:
And I think a lot of kids in high school, too, it's like everything's kind of just done for them in terms of practices and schedules and all that.
357
00:33:27,128 --> 00:33:32,806
Allie Wheeler:
But yeah, it's so important for them to just, like, go that extra mile of putting in that effort.
358
00:33:32,878 --> 00:33:33,954
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah, 100%.
359
00:33:34,052 --> 00:34:00,790
Mark Burik:
All right, well, aside from the mental game and pushing and being driven, which I can't give enough credo to, but what skill for you? Like, what volleyball technique was the hardest for you to learn or that you have the most struggles with or that keeps coming back like a monster in your closet?
360
00:34:01,530 --> 00:34:06,550
Allie Wheeler:
I would honestly say right now it's passing. I felt like last year my passing was just really solid, felt really good.
361
00:34:06,600 --> 00:34:27,310
Allie Wheeler:
And then I had my back injury, and for some reason, this weird concept of my posture when I'm passing, it's just super interesting, and I've been trying to mess around with it and figure out a way with the limitations, like how I can be a good pastor again and just really feel good about it.
362
00:34:27,420 --> 00:34:32,974
Allie Wheeler:
And my passing is not horrendous or anything, but it's just something that I've really been focusing on.
363
00:34:33,012 --> 00:34:35,734
Allie Wheeler:
And I would say I've been struggling with.
364
00:34:35,772 --> 00:34:41,350
Allie Wheeler:
So that's something that is a skill that I've really been wanting to Hone down since my injury.
365
00:34:41,790 --> 00:34:53,460
Mark Burik:
Is it because you're so consciously feeling stiff, like you don't want to move your torso freely, like the twists and the dips that happened with passing?
366
00:34:54,270 --> 00:34:58,440
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah. Disassociation from your torso and legs, I think.
367
00:34:59,250 --> 00:35:02,974
Allie Wheeler:
And like this movement and going forward as well.
368
00:35:03,072 --> 00:35:14,174
Allie Wheeler:
So I would say having that disassociation is the part that I'm still training my body to do
369
00:35:14,222 --> 00:35:14,506
Mark Burik:
to get back to being comfortable with where it used to be unconscious. Right.
370
00:35:14,568 --> 00:35:19,198
Mark Burik:
It used to be like, I can sit in my chair and wiggle my upper body and do whatever I want.
371
00:35:19,224 --> 00:35:29,926
Mark Burik:
But now it's like from the top of your knees all the way to your armpits, you want them to move together because you don't want that feeling of being near paralyzed again from your back.
372
00:35:30,108 --> 00:35:30,814
Allie Wheeler:
Right.
373
00:35:30,972 --> 00:35:31,546
Allie Wheeler:
Exactly.
374
00:35:31,668 --> 00:35:34,882
Allie Wheeler:
So that's something that I've just been messing around with.
375
00:35:34,896 --> 00:35:42,060
Allie Wheeler:
And honestly, it's been kind of fun just being able to just retrain my body to do certain things in a way.
376
00:35:42,810 --> 00:35:45,490
Allie Wheeler:
So, yeah, it's been a journey with that.
377
00:35:45,540 --> 00:36:04,200
Mark Burik:
Are there any things that you thought? I guess you never assumed that you would be uncomfortable twisting or bending over, but are you discovering anything about passing that you pay zero attention to before?
378
00:36:04,830 --> 00:36:18,914
Allie Wheeler:
Honestly, yeah. I wouldn't say zero attention to, but it's kind of fun learning different ways that you can be successful with passing without being very specific with a certain technique.
379
00:36:19,022 --> 00:36:28,774
Allie Wheeler:
Like, everyone can have their own technique and have it work for them, which I've been finding kind of interesting and kind of fun to mess around with.
380
00:36:28,812 --> 00:36:40,474
Allie Wheeler:
It's just like finding what works best for each person in terms of a technique, if you have specific limitations or mobility wise can't do a certain movement as well. Like what's going to work best for your body?
381
00:36:40,512 --> 00:36:59,306
Mark Burik:
When you were first starting, like pre injury, did you have any fears or worries? What were your biggest concerns walking into a game or practice as you were trying to grow your game and get to the next level? When you're thinking about going pro, you're thinking about your first AVP.
382
00:36:59,378 --> 00:37:07,798
Mark Burik:
What were the biggest fears when you were stepping up to that level of tournament? Did you have any? Do you even think of them?
383
00:37:07,884 --> 00:37:12,190
Allie Wheeler:
I don't know if I had any. I mean, my first AVPs were in College.
384
00:37:12,300 --> 00:37:18,074
Allie Wheeler:
And that kind of mindset, like, when you're in College is like you have no worries.
385
00:37:18,182 --> 00:37:20,890
Allie Wheeler:
You're just going out there, you're playing, you're getting better.
386
00:37:21,000 --> 00:37:23,938
Allie Wheeler:
So there's really, like, nothing on the line with that.
387
00:37:24,084 --> 00:37:28,814
Allie Wheeler:
I think after College it was still kind of same mindset.
388
00:37:28,922 --> 00:37:31,330
Allie Wheeler:
At least tried to keep that same mindset.
389
00:37:32,190 --> 00:37:40,490
Allie Wheeler:
You are doing this as a job now, but to go out there and have fun and get better, every game is still the goal.
390
00:37:40,550 --> 00:37:40,846
Mark Burik:
Nice.
391
00:37:40,908 --> 00:37:43,762
Mark Burik:
So you just walked out to the court? Yeah, I get to play.
392
00:37:43,956 --> 00:37:44,700
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
393
00:37:46,470 --> 00:37:50,054
Allie Wheeler:
When I was first starting, I definitely had that mindset.
394
00:37:50,102 --> 00:37:54,646
Allie Wheeler:
I think I try and remain to have that mindset, and that fun.
395
00:37:54,708 --> 00:37:58,690
Allie Wheeler:
Like going out there, you're playing and competing.
396
00:37:59,490 --> 00:38:14,386
Mark Burik:
So how do you talk to or help people who actually do have that doubt where they're nervous to be in their first tournament? They don't want to be looked at, they're worried about what they're going to look like or how they're going to play. How do you help that person?
397
00:38:14,568 --> 00:38:20,578
Allie Wheeler:
I mean, I've definitely had those scenarios where you have doubt that creeps in.
398
00:38:20,664 --> 00:38:28,860
Allie Wheeler:
I think everyone has or a game where you don't feel as confident because you're not feeling that great or whatever it might be.
399
00:38:29,310 --> 00:38:43,814
Allie Wheeler:
The main thing that I tell them is just like, to trust your reps and trust what you're doing off the court and just remind yourself that you've done everything you can to prepare for this moment and just play freely.
400
00:38:43,982 --> 00:38:49,378
Mark Burik:
So in game the act of telling yourself, I'm prepared, this is where I am.
401
00:38:49,404 --> 00:38:49,774
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
402
00:38:49,872 --> 00:38:50,974
Allie Wheeler:
I've prepared for this.
403
00:38:51,012 --> 00:38:52,306
Allie Wheeler:
This is where I'm at.
404
00:38:52,488 --> 00:38:53,842
Allie Wheeler:
Whatever happens, happens.
405
00:38:53,916 --> 00:38:57,300
Allie Wheeler:
But leave it all out on the court and that's all you can do.
406
00:38:57,690 --> 00:39:00,970
Mark Burik:
I think that helps you get your mind off of the result.
407
00:39:01,080 --> 00:39:01,462
Mark Burik:
Right.
408
00:39:01,536 --> 00:39:12,062
Mark Burik:
Of like if I don't get this, I don't make the next tier or flight of the tournament, and then I might not get to exactly regionals and then I won't get looked at by that coach.
409
00:39:12,206 --> 00:39:18,900
Mark Burik:
And once you go two steps down that path, the spiral, it's over.
410
00:39:19,890 --> 00:39:20,290
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
411
00:39:20,340 --> 00:39:27,718
Mark Burik:
I love that you said breathing in the beginning because that's something that I really just started incorporating to my game in the last two or three years.
412
00:39:27,744 --> 00:39:34,178
Mark Burik:
I started listening to Headspace, the sports performance, led meditations for Headspace.
413
00:39:34,214 --> 00:39:37,406
Mark Burik:
And he constantly talked about quiet, calm, confidence.
414
00:39:37,478 --> 00:39:40,920
Mark Burik:
And he focuses on getting you to breathe at a certain rate.
415
00:39:41,250 --> 00:39:44,114
Mark Burik:
And I felt my heart rate getting up in this last tournament.
416
00:39:44,162 --> 00:39:45,518
Mark Burik:
Like me getting excited.
417
00:39:45,614 --> 00:39:59,854
Mark Burik:
And I said you played your best when you're like when you slow your heart rate down and you stop thinking about because when you're getting excited, it means that you're probably thinking about what's about to happen.
418
00:39:59,952 --> 00:40:00,600
Allie Wheeler:
Exactly.
419
00:40:00,930 --> 00:40:05,362
Mark Burik:
And then you're in the wrong spot already instead of right.
420
00:40:05,556 --> 00:40:07,730
Mark Burik:
I'm going to pass the volleyball.
421
00:40:07,850 --> 00:40:10,020
Mark Burik:
That's the thing that I'm a part of right now.
422
00:40:10,890 --> 00:40:11,640
Allie Wheeler:
Exactly.
423
00:40:14,050 --> 00:40:21,290
Mark Burik:
Do you have a breathing rhythm? Do you like go in through your nose, out through your mouth? Do you have any beat to it?
424
00:40:21,340 --> 00:40:36,762
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah. So this is something I've also been really focusing on since my injury is I try and do it like three times a day where I'm breathing in through my nose, 4 seconds, hold at the top and then breathe out for about six to 7 seconds.
425
00:40:36,846 --> 00:40:45,894
Mark Burik:
You do that on court?
426
00:40:45,942 --> 00:40:53,740
Allie Wheeler:
I try and do it on court because that's what really helps. I think just like calm yourself down and just get yourself settled in in like the moment and present.
427
00:40:54,550 --> 00:40:57,580
Allie Wheeler:
I think that's something that's helped a lot for sure.
428
00:40:58,270 --> 00:41:00,486
Mark Burik:
And it doesn't only help when you're in trouble.
429
00:41:00,678 --> 00:41:02,558
Mark Burik:
It helps when you're too fired up.
430
00:41:02,584 --> 00:41:11,622
Mark Burik:
Like in my case, occasionally I'll get too fired up and it's the time to slow myself down, get myself back to a normal regulation.
431
00:41:11,706 --> 00:41:16,730
Mark Burik:
And then if I'm getting too upset, it's like you can't get too mad either.
432
00:41:16,780 --> 00:41:21,290
Mark Burik:
So it works on both ends, I think to again regulate the heart rate.
433
00:41:21,400 --> 00:41:23,474
Mark Burik:
It's not to slow down your heart rate.
434
00:41:23,572 --> 00:41:27,530
Mark Burik:
It's regulate your heart rate, which is a great way to put it.
435
00:41:27,580 --> 00:41:28,010
Mark Burik:
Yeah.
436
00:41:28,120 --> 00:41:31,660
Mark Burik:
It could wake you up or it could slow you down, I guess.
437
00:41:31,990 --> 00:41:32,462
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
438
00:41:32,536 --> 00:41:34,960
Allie Wheeler:
Or if you're getting frustrated or something.
439
00:41:35,650 --> 00:41:38,080
Allie Wheeler:
Maybe things just aren't going your way.
440
00:41:38,770 --> 00:41:41,918
Allie Wheeler:
If you're breathing and really focusing on that, it's good.
441
00:41:42,064 --> 00:41:56,500
Allie Wheeler:
I also, like, learned this is something really interesting, but I learned focusing on the pulse in your fingertips is something that it's really interesting.
442
00:42:01,130 --> 00:42:12,814
Allie Wheeler:
I don't know if you're just sitting here, can you feel the pulse in your fingertips? Where would I put my finger? If there's somebody listening on a podcast and you can't see us, where would I put my finger? You wouldn't.
443
00:42:12,862 --> 00:42:15,898
Allie Wheeler:
You would just like, I don't know, just keep your hands normal.
444
00:42:15,934 --> 00:42:20,898
Allie Wheeler:
But if you can feel it, it just draws your attention to that.
445
00:42:20,984 --> 00:42:27,742
Allie Wheeler:
So you're not thinking of anything else and you're just like focusing on just the moment, something that's helpful.
446
00:42:27,766 --> 00:42:35,340
Mark Burik:
Am I doing it right?
447
00:42:36,510 --> 00:42:37,774
Allie Wheeler:
I mean, it's just like something that you can just feel. But that's helped too.
448
00:42:37,812 --> 00:42:40,486
Allie Wheeler:
And just feeling where your feet are too.
449
00:42:40,608 --> 00:42:43,320
Allie Wheeler:
That's something that's helped me stay present, too.
450
00:42:44,310 --> 00:42:45,742
Allie Wheeler:
That's kind of fun.
451
00:42:45,876 --> 00:42:46,560
Mark Burik:
Yeah.
452
00:42:47,130 --> 00:42:48,790
Mark Burik:
Something to get your mind.
453
00:42:48,900 --> 00:42:51,770
Mark Burik:
And I think this is what people don't understand about meditation.
454
00:42:51,890 --> 00:42:54,494
Mark Burik:
Meditation is not trying to go into a void.
455
00:42:54,602 --> 00:43:04,680
Mark Burik:
Meditation is focusing completely on one thing so that your mind doesn't attach itself to the many things that are flying into it and around you.
456
00:43:05,190 --> 00:43:14,820
Mark Burik:
So in ultra focus on one thing, it allows you to stop attaching to everything that's coming in and going out.
457
00:43:15,810 --> 00:43:16,570
Allie Wheeler:
Exactly.
458
00:43:16,740 --> 00:43:21,770
Mark Burik:
There are some people that say, like that meditation stance where you hold your middle finger to your middle thumb.
459
00:43:21,890 --> 00:43:24,094
Mark Burik:
Some people choose to press that as hard as you can.
460
00:43:24,132 --> 00:43:31,658
Mark Burik:
Some people focus only on getting your fingers as close as possible without touching.
461
00:43:31,754 --> 00:43:32,794
Mark Burik:
That's interesting, too.
462
00:43:32,832 --> 00:43:35,926
Mark Burik:
You can't think about anything else while that's happening.
463
00:43:35,988 --> 00:43:45,730
Mark Burik:
And that's one of the exercises of mental focus and not trying not to attach to anything, because at some point you're going to find yourself thinking about dinner and you're like, my fingers touched.
464
00:43:47,910 --> 00:43:48,274
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
465
00:43:48,312 --> 00:43:49,786
Allie Wheeler:
There's so many different ways.
466
00:43:49,908 --> 00:44:04,442
Allie Wheeler:
And I think it's different for everyone of different ways to just keep yourself present and not thinking of too many things when you're meditating or end game scenarios, just keeping yourself really present and focused.
467
00:44:04,526 --> 00:44:25,490
Mark Burik:
Do you have any warnings for any players who are trying to be in your position right now who want to play AVP, want to go to World Tour or just want to play in College? Are there any things that you would say, hey, this is a mistake I made in my career, or you should look out for X?
468
00:44:25,550 --> 00:44:42,010
Allie Wheeler:
I don't know if there's any particular warnings. I would say any advice I would give would be to just make sure that you are super driven, just intrinsically motivated, because that shift from College to professional is so challenging.
469
00:44:43,530 --> 00:44:49,258
Allie Wheeler:
In College, you're just pretty much given everything you're given a schedule to follow.
470
00:44:49,344 --> 00:44:54,960
Allie Wheeler:
You're given nutrition, mental coaches, a coach in general.
471
00:44:55,650 --> 00:44:58,334
Allie Wheeler:
You're just given everything coach.
472
00:44:58,502 --> 00:45:09,118
Mark Burik:
That's like probably 80% of your battle as going pro is like, how do I actively go out and recruit a coach to coach me when I was given coaches my whole life, right.
473
00:45:09,204 --> 00:45:14,794
Allie Wheeler:
So I think just making that shift is super challenging, but find ways to make it work.
474
00:45:14,832 --> 00:45:23,494
Allie Wheeler:
If you got to pick up a part time job, you have to whatever it might be, find ways to make it work and go for it.
475
00:45:23,652 --> 00:45:24,226
Mark Burik:
Okay.
476
00:45:24,348 --> 00:45:25,006
Mark Burik:
I like those.
477
00:45:25,068 --> 00:45:26,042
Mark Burik:
These are good answers.
478
00:45:26,126 --> 00:45:42,814
Mark Burik:
I do want to know, aside from the passing, let's go like pre injury again and what weaknesses if you could think about your path along trying to correct one weakness, what was it like? For me, it was three years ago.
479
00:45:42,912 --> 00:45:46,202
Mark Burik:
And Evie Matthews said, Dude, you need a cut shot.
480
00:45:46,226 --> 00:45:53,126
Mark Burik:
And I literally think I went seven or eight years in AVPs and probably hit four cut shots.
481
00:45:53,318 --> 00:45:56,734
Mark Burik:
It was hard cross, hardshop, high line, hard line.
482
00:45:56,892 --> 00:46:03,840
Mark Burik:
And I didn't even know that the seam, the middle swing existed until I guess like four years ago.
483
00:46:04,590 --> 00:46:19,630
Mark Burik:
So to me, the exploration of just going every single day for 45 minutes, hitting cut shots and trying to establish that early in games so that I can open up my line, that was a big process that I had to go through.
484
00:46:19,680 --> 00:46:27,934
Mark Burik:
Did you go through any pre injury like weaknesses that you remember specifically padding up?
485
00:46:28,032 --> 00:46:32,040
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah, I definitely did. I would say a lot of those happened in College.
486
00:46:33,090 --> 00:46:37,450
Allie Wheeler:
In College was the first year that I had only just played beach.
487
00:46:38,430 --> 00:46:39,634
Allie Wheeler:
It's so different now.
488
00:46:39,672 --> 00:46:46,246
Allie Wheeler:
Like, you're playing in club for beach and some people are only playing beach only in high school.
489
00:46:46,308 --> 00:46:54,842
Allie Wheeler:
But for me it was just like I was playing indoor, playing beach on the side, but I had to remain indoor in order for me to get enough touches.
490
00:46:54,926 --> 00:47:01,870
Allie Wheeler:
So I would say, like those four years in College were really, really big, gross years for me.
491
00:47:01,980 --> 00:47:05,390
Allie Wheeler:
And I would say, like, I mean, a lot of it was like offense.
492
00:47:17,110 --> 00:47:31,960
Allie Wheeler:
know the techniques specifically until my freshman year when I was really taught by Anna on how to specifically hit those, especially the cut shot too similar to you.
493
00:47:33,790 --> 00:47:34,754
Mark Burik:
What was your best?
494
00:47:34,792 --> 00:47:39,410
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah. So I would say, like tip that you got during that time your freshman year, you're learning a cut shot.
495
00:47:40,150 --> 00:47:48,906
Mark Burik:
What made the difference to giving you some confidence in that shot to be able to finally use it in a match?
496
00:47:48,978 --> 00:47:50,918
Allie Wheeler:
I wouldn't say it was so much tips. I would say just like repping it out.
497
00:47:51,004 --> 00:47:52,840
Allie Wheeler:
We just repeat it out so much.
498
00:47:53,830 --> 00:47:57,630
Allie Wheeler:
And for me, the way I gain confidence is through repetition.
499
00:47:57,750 --> 00:48:04,010
Allie Wheeler:
And so I would say we just repeated out so much that it was just ingrained in my head.
500
00:48:04,060 --> 00:48:17,726
Allie Wheeler:
And Anna was such an amazing coach that she would just say over and over again, like, got to get that thumb down or got to keep Pinky down, whichever side I was on.
501
00:48:17,788 --> 00:48:22,394
Allie Wheeler:
But she always called it like a shot hit.
502
00:48:22,492 --> 00:48:25,478
Allie Wheeler:
Like it's not a shot, but it's not a hit.
503
00:48:25,624 --> 00:48:26,620
Mark Burik:
I love it.
504
00:48:27,430 --> 00:48:30,470
Allie Wheeler:
She called it a shit and it was pretty funny.
505
00:48:31,090 --> 00:48:32,980
Allie Wheeler:
It's always stuck with me.
506
00:48:34,870 --> 00:48:36,950
Mark Burik:
It's not a curse, it's an abbreviation.
507
00:48:37,750 --> 00:48:39,520
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah, exactly.
508
00:48:46,550 --> 00:48:48,114
Mark Burik:
I completely agree with that.
509
00:48:48,212 --> 00:48:48,898
Mark Burik:
The cut shot.
510
00:48:48,934 --> 00:49:08,434
Mark Burik:
I think so many players think about it as this Arky spinny loopy thing that falls prettily and daintily close to the net, where if you have the ability to be higher than the top of the net and hit a cut shot straight down off of your hand, all it is is a sharper angle.
511
00:49:08,482 --> 00:49:14,694
Mark Burik:
And you take off only as much speed as you need to take off from your hard cross to make that angle happen.
512
00:49:14,792 --> 00:49:15,306
Allie Wheeler:
Right.
513
00:49:15,428 --> 00:49:22,198
Mark Burik:
So that shot hit is a really good piece of feedback, and you can definitely hit that when you're wide on the court.
514
00:49:22,294 --> 00:49:27,298
Mark Burik:
And I think a lot of people try to hit it with the same pace when they're like in the middle of the court.
515
00:49:27,394 --> 00:49:33,380
Mark Burik:
And you have to take so much more off of the ball once you're in the middle and people can feel that out.
516
00:49:34,490 --> 00:49:35,240
Allie Wheeler:
Right.
517
00:49:35,810 --> 00:49:41,540
Mark Burik:
So that was the biggest feedback that you got, was hitting quicker, faster, more down.
518
00:49:42,710 --> 00:49:50,466
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah, I would say just like keeping the biggest part of it is just keeping your approach the same.
519
00:49:50,588 --> 00:49:52,230
Allie Wheeler:
You want it to look the same.
520
00:49:52,400 --> 00:49:56,338
Allie Wheeler:
And yeah, just like making it faster.
521
00:49:56,374 --> 00:50:01,530
Allie Wheeler:
You don't have to drop your elbow and try and really get it over the net.
522
00:50:01,580 --> 00:50:04,470
Allie Wheeler:
Like you just want to keep your arms super fluid still.
523
00:50:04,520 --> 00:50:09,846
Allie Wheeler:
And it's just like the angle of when you're contacting the ball on your hand.
524
00:50:09,968 --> 00:50:10,640
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
525
00:50:11,630 --> 00:50:13,906
Allie Wheeler:
Like I said, it's not like that shot.
526
00:50:14,098 --> 00:50:18,898
Allie Wheeler:
And what you were saying just like really has to be nice and over and loopy.
527
00:50:19,054 --> 00:50:21,870
Allie Wheeler:
You want it to be a bit faster pace.
528
00:50:22,910 --> 00:50:32,060
Mark Burik:
I think the best piece of advice that I got for my cat shot, maybe into two, but it was maybe for shots in general was controlling the timing of it.
529
00:50:32,390 --> 00:50:39,738
Mark Burik:
I think a lot early in my career I would jump, feel the top of my jump, make sure I was still seeing where the defender was, and then hit.
530
00:50:39,764 --> 00:50:44,900
Mark Burik:
So by the time I ended up actually contacting ball, I was on my way down, I was lower.
531
00:50:45,410 --> 00:50:57,610
Mark Burik:
And that most defenders, they find that rhythm where they try to match their footstep or their split step to the contact of your jump.
532
00:50:57,790 --> 00:51:10,602
Mark Burik:
And if you hit before the height of your jump, you can get them while their feet are still in the air, about to be settled so that they don't have the time to take that first step.
533
00:51:10,736 --> 00:51:16,986
Mark Burik:
And so when Evie was really working on it with me, he said, you got to get on it quick, get on it quick, get on it quick.
534
00:51:17,048 --> 00:51:20,660
Mark Burik:
And I didn't quite know what he meant until we finally.
535
00:51:21,470 --> 00:51:22,220
Mark Burik:
Yeah.
536
00:51:22,850 --> 00:51:33,090
Mark Burik:
First of all, to learn how to hit on your way up, to learn how to hit at your peak, and then to learn how to hit on your way down, and then how to intentionally control them based on your shots.
537
00:51:34,130 --> 00:51:34,530
Allie Wheeler:
Right.
538
00:51:34,580 --> 00:51:38,566
Mark Burik:
Is huge because it's not jump hit at the top of your jump.
539
00:51:38,638 --> 00:51:41,118
Mark Burik:
Like people have to stop doing that.
540
00:51:41,144 --> 00:51:46,258
Mark Burik:
And then when they get their brain mixed up is when they jump, they say, I have to hit the top of my jump.
541
00:51:46,294 --> 00:51:51,106
\Mark Burik:
So their brain goes, okay, feel the top of your jump, then swing.
542
00:51:51,298 --> 00:51:53,886
Mark Burik:
When now in actuality, you're hitting on your way down.
543
00:51:53,948 --> 00:52:02,360
Mark Burik:
So your swing has to start generating almost for most people, almost as soon as they take off from the range, start going through that swing quick.
544
00:52:03,050 --> 00:52:03,738
Allie Wheeler:
True.
545
00:52:03,884 --> 00:52:04,880
Allie Wheeler:
Very true.
546
00:52:05,570 --> 00:52:23,970
Mark Burik:
Do you wish at this point, especially as a mentor for young athletes with AW recruiting, do you wish you made any different choices at any point in your athletic career? I know you said that you kind of wanted to play other sports in school but also put you on the path that you're on.
547
00:52:24,140 --> 00:52:35,734
Mark Burik:
Were there any choices in volleyball or just your sports career in general that you're like? I wish this
548
00:52:35,782 --> 00:52:42,066
Allie Wheeler:
I mean, I wouldn't take anything back because I wouldn't be where I am today without those decisions.But I do wish I was able to play more sports in high school.
549
00:52:42,128 --> 00:52:48,342
Allie Wheeler:
And I honestly encourage athletes to play more sports in high school just because it's such great cross training.
550
00:52:48,416 --> 00:52:54,630
Allie Wheeler:
And I think it's important to just keep yourself athletic.
551
00:52:56,210 --> 00:53:00,486
Allie Wheeler:
So I would say that's something that I wish I was able to do.
552
00:53:00,668 --> 00:53:05,170
Allie Wheeler:
I think it was just really tough with indoor, though, and had to make those decisions.
553
00:53:05,230 --> 00:53:16,482
Allie Wheeler:
But I think now if you're playing beach only and you have your club practices, I think it's manageable to play multiple sports in high school, for sure.
554
00:53:16,676 --> 00:53:17,106
Mark Burik:
Yeah.
555
00:53:17,168 --> 00:53:19,374
Mark Burik:
At least be open to it one or two years.
556
00:53:19,472 --> 00:53:20,120
Mark Burik:
Yeah.
557
00:53:21,710 --> 00:53:27,810
Mark Burik:
I know that that's a crucial time for College recruitment for everybody, but I don't know.
558
00:53:27,920 --> 00:53:53,202
Mark Burik:
And also maybe it's very different from guys attempting to go into like a collegiate volleyball or maybe I was just clueless during my high school period because I was like, yeah, I can play volleyball and in two years get on a College team or there are a lot of tough decisions at that time that I don't envy the emotional state that a lot of the young kids go through.
559
00:53:53,276 --> 00:54:00,042
Mark Burik:
I just wish that you can make it clear to them that this isn't the end.
560
00:54:00,236 --> 00:54:03,906
Mark Burik:
This does not determine where you end up.
561
00:54:04,088 --> 00:54:09,186
Mark Burik:
This just determines where you go next and if they could hear that and understand it.
562
00:54:09,248 --> 00:54:09,618
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
563
00:54:09,704 --> 00:54:18,980
Allie Wheeler:
And that's the part that kids get so stressed out over making these decisions because it is a very tough decision at that age.
564
00:54:19,790 --> 00:54:20,154
Allie Wheeler:
And.
565
00:54:20,192 --> 00:54:20,394
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
566
00:54:20,432 --> 00:54:21,560
Allie Wheeler:
And it's so important.
567
00:54:21,950 --> 00:54:25,640
Allie Wheeler:
Like, when I'm communicating to them, it's not an end all be all.
568
00:54:26,630 --> 00:54:28,160
Allie Wheeler:
It's not the end of the world.
569
00:54:29,570 --> 00:54:30,870
Allie Wheeler:
You can make changes.
570
00:54:30,980 --> 00:54:32,806
Allie Wheeler:
You don't have to continue down this path.
571
00:54:32,878 --> 00:54:41,470
Allie Wheeler:
And I think kids sometimes have that tunnel vision, and it's just really important to just have them keep that open mind when they're making this decision.
572
00:54:41,590 --> 00:54:41,874
Mark Burik:
Okay.
573
00:54:41,912 --> 00:54:58,218
Mark Burik:
So just for your as a player, number one, are there any tools or equipment or must haves that you need either in the gym, at a tournament, at a practice, or at home when you're traveling? Maybe.
574
00:54:58,244 --> 00:54:58,820
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
575
00:54:59,870 --> 00:55:05,420
Allie Wheeler:
Oh, gosh, there's so many diving into gympieg right now.
576
00:55:05,930 --> 00:55:06,680
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
577
00:55:08,210 --> 00:55:19,760
Allie Wheeler:
I pretty much set up the whole court at practices, but definitely must have if there's already a court set up with lines, antennas, balls, whatever.
578
00:55:20,090 --> 00:55:20,814
Allie Wheeler:
Definitely.
579
00:55:20,972 --> 00:55:30,878
Allie Wheeler:
Pull downs are so important, especially for women's nets, because I'm constantly pulling it down, adjusting.
580
00:55:31,034 --> 00:55:39,718
Allie Wheeler:
So those are definitely a must have for equipment for the net, for me attached to the crank that you can like.
581
00:55:39,864 --> 00:55:41,940
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah, exactly.
582
00:55:42,270 --> 00:55:44,940
Mark Burik:
Very California specific.
583
00:55:47,650 --> 00:55:48,400
Allie Wheeler:
Exactly.
584
00:55:49,390 --> 00:55:51,314
Allie Wheeler:
I would say those are super important.
585
00:55:51,412 --> 00:55:57,062
Allie Wheeler:
And then having bands for warm up is really important for me.
586
00:55:57,136 --> 00:56:05,450
Allie Wheeler:
Just makes it a lot more of an efficient warm up and gets my legs much warmer and prepped for practice.
587
00:56:06,790 --> 00:56:15,086
Mark Burik:
Do you have the circle bands, like the hip bands? Do you have the bandwidth, any like of the stick resistance bands? What do you got?
588
00:56:15,148 --> 00:56:24,138
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah. So I have like the thick circle bands, I guess, for just getting my glutes warmed and legs warmed.
589
00:56:24,294 --> 00:56:30,770
Allie Wheeler:
And then I have bands for my shoulder to get my shoulder warmed up and prepped and.
590
00:56:30,940 --> 00:56:31,274
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
591
00:56:31,312 --> 00:56:33,566
Allie Wheeler:
So I'd say those are the only bands that I have.
592
00:56:33,628 --> 00:56:39,246
Allie Wheeler:
But for travel, super great equipment to have is like the Hypervolt.
593
00:56:39,318 --> 00:56:41,140
Allie Wheeler:
Those are great on the road.
594
00:56:42,370 --> 00:56:44,800
Allie Wheeler:
You have it right now, be sponsored by it.
595
00:56:45,730 --> 00:56:49,070
Mark Burik:
I prevaled if you're listening, we'll promote you on the show next time.
596
00:56:49,120 --> 00:56:49,778
Mark Burik:
It's going to cost you.
597
00:56:49,804 --> 00:56:50,860
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah, definitely.
598
00:56:52,690 --> 00:56:53,474
Allie Wheeler:
Those are great.
599
00:56:53,512 --> 00:57:00,990
Allie Wheeler:
And like, they also have this thing called a venom, which goes on your back and it heats up and massages.
600
00:57:01,110 --> 00:57:13,478
Allie Wheeler:
And that has been such a game changer on the road for me because I just put it on when I'm on the plane and it keeps my back super loose and it's super nice.
601
00:57:13,624 --> 00:57:14,894
Allie Wheeler:
I like it a lot.
602
00:57:15,052 --> 00:57:15,686
Mark Burik:
That's awesome.
603
00:57:15,748 --> 00:57:16,360
Mark Burik:
Yeah.
604
00:57:17,050 --> 00:57:19,840
Mark Burik:
Adam Roberts, give me let me wear it.
605
00:57:20,170 --> 00:57:21,362
Mark Burik:
Matt, we're playing together.
606
00:57:21,436 --> 00:57:24,630
Mark Burik:
And I was like, this is a game changer.
607
00:57:24,810 --> 00:57:26,054
Allie Wheeler:
It's so nice.
608
00:57:26,152 --> 00:57:26,738
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
609
00:57:26,884 --> 00:57:27,602
Allie Wheeler:
So nice.
610
00:57:27,676 --> 00:57:28,634
Allie Wheeler:
These are great.
611
00:57:28,792 --> 00:57:29,402
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
612
00:57:29,536 --> 00:57:34,566
Allie Wheeler:
So I'd say those are my must haves when I'm traveling.
613
00:57:34,698 --> 00:57:35,246
Mark Burik:
Cool.
614
00:57:35,368 --> 00:57:37,910
Mark Burik:
Your bands, your Hypervolt, your Venom.
615
00:57:38,710 --> 00:57:39,434
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
616
00:57:39,592 --> 00:57:41,906
Mark Burik:
And pull downs, which is incredibly important.
617
00:57:42,028 --> 00:57:42,582
Mark Burik:
Pull downs.
618
00:57:42,606 --> 00:57:45,482
Allie Wheeler:
I wouldn't say like traveling, but for practice, for sure.
619
00:57:45,616 --> 00:57:53,680
Mark Burik:
I mean, if you're going to like a Norseca or a one star, you might have to set up their desk this is true.
620
00:57:55,750 --> 00:58:00,878
Allie Wheeler:
Although I was just at the Norseca in Mexico and it was awesome.
621
00:58:01,024 --> 00:58:06,710
Allie Wheeler:
It was such a great second in that I did.
622
00:58:06,760 --> 00:58:07,046
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
623
00:58:07,108 --> 00:58:08,166
Mark Burik:
Nice job, Silver.
624
00:58:08,238 --> 00:58:08,930
Mark Burik:
Very nice.
625
00:58:09,040 --> 00:58:09,940
Mark Burik:
Very nice.
626
00:58:10,510 --> 00:58:10,838
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
627
00:58:10,864 --> 00:58:13,166
Allie Wheeler:
And it was a really great event.
628
00:58:13,228 --> 00:58:14,030
Allie Wheeler:
Honestly.
629
00:58:14,710 --> 00:58:15,074
Allie Wheeler:
Great.
630
00:58:15,112 --> 00:58:16,720
Allie Wheeler:
Sometimes not.
631
00:58:18,250 --> 00:58:21,134
Mark Burik:
The Norsecas are unfortunately more missed than hit.
632
00:58:21,232 --> 00:58:26,198
Mark Burik:
Some of the events are so cool, fun, awesome to be a part of some of them.
633
00:58:26,224 --> 00:58:40,540
Mark Burik:
You're looking around going, how did anybody allow this? And Where's the oversight? Where is somebody getting yelled at for what's happening right now? He showed me somebody getting yelled at, right? Yeah.
634
00:58:41,110 --> 00:58:43,130
Allie Wheeler:
For me, that was last year.
635
00:58:43,180 --> 00:58:47,898
Allie Wheeler:
I played in Rwanda, and that was pretty gnarly.
636
00:58:48,054 --> 00:58:52,538
Allie Wheeler:
My partner and I, we both got pretty sick, man.
637
00:58:52,624 --> 00:58:55,490
Allie Wheeler:
The courts weren't really set up.
638
00:58:55,600 --> 00:58:55,838
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
639
00:58:55,864 --> 00:58:57,618
Allie Wheeler:
There was just a number of scenarios.
640
00:58:57,654 --> 00:59:01,898
Allie Wheeler:
I missed my flight because I didn't get my covid test in time.
641
00:59:01,984 --> 00:59:03,160
Allie Wheeler:
There was just a lot.
642
00:59:04,210 --> 00:59:07,790
Allie Wheeler:
So some events are really throw you through a loop.
643
00:59:08,170 --> 00:59:10,874
Mark Burik:
That's where that mental toughness thing comes in.
644
00:59:11,032 --> 00:59:35,922
Mark Burik:
Exactly what crap can you put yourself through, exactly? If you remember Eric Zon, a good buddy of mine, he put himself he would go to McDonald's, and a couple of times he did this 45 minutes or a half hour before a practice, he would consume as much McDonald's as he possibly could and then practice.
645
00:59:36,006 --> 00:59:40,094
Mark Burik:
And he said, it's adversity training.
646
00:59:40,252 --> 00:59:51,618
Mark Burik:
He goes, you have to be able to perform when there's crap in your body and that you haven't eaten the right things, just like you would on tour or at a crazy world tour.
647
00:59:51,654 --> 01:00:00,258
Mark Burik:
And I was like, your insanity has so much like, knowledge that needs to be Dove into that's.
648
01:00:00,294 --> 01:00:00,930
Allie Wheeler:
Honestly.
649
01:00:01,050 --> 01:00:03,520
Allie Wheeler:
So smart, though, because it's so true.
650
01:00:04,030 --> 01:00:31,110
Mark Burik:
Can you play? Can you still win when you're puking your guts out? Yeah, there's some tournaments where you're just, I try and bring good food on the road, but there's some tournaments where you're just not going to find good food and you have to figure it out in China and me and Ian went and paid in Cambodia, and they're like literally serving stuff you're not used to seeing, like chicken feet.
651
01:00:31,290 --> 01:00:33,446
Mark Burik:
There's just chicken feet in boiled water.
652
01:00:33,508 --> 01:00:39,990
Mark Burik:
And you're like, I'll have one of these, but the thought of it is going to make me throw up and then I won't be able to have the rest of my meal.
653
01:00:40,110 --> 01:00:47,006
Mark Burik:
And so you have to learn how to pack your own food and then you have to learn how to just let that stuff go.
654
01:00:47,068 --> 01:00:51,674
Mark Burik:
And instead of being on the court and saying, well, I ate crap, well, I didn't do this.
655
01:00:51,832 --> 01:00:53,726
Mark Burik:
Guess what? It's time to win now.
656
01:00:53,848 --> 01:00:56,522
Mark Burik:
So whatever is in your body, whatever is going on with it.
657
01:00:56,536 --> 01:01:11,390
Mark Burik:
Like, I saw Jake Gibb take over a semi final match, literally doing a two step walk in between side switches where he would just absolutely house the guys he's playing with.
658
01:01:11,500 --> 01:01:22,538
Mark Burik:
Billy Allen and Staffords, like, we get like, three blocks in a row, wouldn't pick his head up, wouldn't look at anybody, stepped under the net and turned the other way and just waited, like, tired for the next point to start.
659
01:01:22,684 --> 01:01:29,234
Mark Burik:
And that's a guy who's world champion, right? Somebody who can put their body through whatever it needs to go through.
660
01:01:29,272 --> 01:01:44,342
Mark Burik:
And at the moment when they have to win, no matter how they're feeling, what happened to them before, what they ate, you get it done in that moment, and then you recover afterwards, right? For sure.
661
01:01:44,476 --> 01:01:47,070
Mark Burik:
Make sure you tell that to your recruits.
662
01:01:47,250 --> 01:01:52,480
Mark Burik:
Hey, at least once this week, go get yourself some Jack in the box.
663
01:01:53,050 --> 01:01:53,450
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
664
01:01:53,500 --> 01:01:54,340
Allie Wheeler:
There you go.
665
01:01:55,330 --> 01:01:55,754
Mark Burik:
All right.
666
01:01:55,792 --> 01:02:00,350
Mark Burik:
Well, I do want you to for sure, talk about your company.
667
01:02:00,400 --> 01:02:13,862
Mark Burik:
But before we get to that last little part, are there any projects other than your recruiting company that you're currently working on outside of beach volleyball or any interests or passions that you're pursuing right now?
668
01:02:13,996 --> 01:02:19,698
Allie Wheeler:
Outside of beach volleyball, my business. Honestly, I've been pretty busy with those two other passions of mine.
669
01:02:19,854 --> 01:02:25,360
Allie Wheeler:
I just love being outside and hiking and doing all that.
670
01:02:26,050 --> 01:02:33,158
Allie Wheeler:
So I would say those are other passions of mine, but right now, I've just been so, so busy about it.
671
01:02:33,184 --> 01:02:39,482
Allie Wheeler:
But luckily, those two things are my passion, so it's been awesome.
672
01:02:39,616 --> 01:02:56,842
Mark Burik:
I feel you trying to run a business and play volleyball at the same time is another level of busy and then relationships than any other endeavors you might even attempt to think about pursuing.
673
01:02:56,866 --> 01:03:10,770
Mark Burik:
It's like, Where's this going to fit? If you're playing as a professional athlete, your day should be an hour and a half to 2 hours in the gym, a two hour practice, which should literally take like, three and a half hours because of travel.
674
01:03:10,880 --> 01:03:17,074
Mark Burik:
Set up some mental tests or mental training before and after some journaling.
675
01:03:17,182 --> 01:03:20,120
If you're doing it for real, it's a full time job.
676
01:03:20,690 --> 01:03:26,742
Mark Burik:
Unfortunately, it doesn't always pay that way, so you got to make it work.
677
01:03:26,816 --> 01:03:38,600
Mark Burik:
And it's cool that I think you and me both have found jobs and found a situation where we still get to hang out around the sport that we love and make it easier for other people.
678
01:03:39,770 --> 01:03:40,458
Allie Wheeler:
Exactly.
679
01:03:40,604 --> 01:03:41,130
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
680
01:03:41,240 --> 01:03:42,774
Mark Burik:
So just talk to us.
681
01:03:42,872 --> 01:03:50,840
Mark Burik:
Give us a two to three minute summary of what AW recruiting is, how somebody signs up and when they should come and find you.
682
01:03:51,590 --> 01:03:52,170
Allie Wheeler:
Definitely.
683
01:03:52,280 --> 01:03:54,498
Allie Wheeler:
So just a little background on it.
684
01:03:54,524 --> 01:04:03,678
Allie Wheeler:
I started it in 2020 when Covid hit, everything was shut down, and it was something that I was super passionate about.
685
01:04:03,764 --> 01:04:11,790
Allie Wheeler:
I had seen the College game as a player and a coach, and it was something I was super passionate about.
686
01:04:11,960 --> 01:04:29,600
Allie Wheeler:
Helping young kids further their education and be able to play in College and chase their dreams is something that I was really passionate about and wanted to help these kids have that guidance to be able to play at the next level.
687
01:04:30,230 --> 01:04:42,498
Allie Wheeler:
Sometimes parents are able to help them, but it's a really tough process and I wanted to be their mentor to guide them through it and through the ups and downs of it.
688
01:04:42,524 --> 01:04:52,830
Allie Wheeler:
So I would say if you're a freshman or sophomore out there or junior and want to get recruited, come and find me my Instagram AW recruits.
689
01:04:53,870 --> 01:05:03,814
Allie Wheeler:
You can slide into the DMs or whatever you want to do, but yeah, doors always open and I'm more than happy to do any consultation calls.
690
01:05:03,982 --> 01:05:04,698
Mark Burik:
That's awesome.
691
01:05:04,784 --> 01:05:05,142
Mark Burik:
Yeah.
692
01:05:05,216 --> 01:05:11,338
Mark Burik:
I would also say that people think that just a side note, like an example of calling a lawyer.
693
01:05:11,494 --> 01:05:14,874
Mark Burik:
Just because you call them doesn't mean they're immediately going to start charging you.
694
01:05:14,912 --> 01:05:17,922
Mark Burik:
You don't have to be ready at that moment to spend your money.
695
01:05:17,996 --> 01:05:25,378
Mark Burik:
If you just have questions about recruiting and you're just trying to get them answered, at least reach out to Allie.
696
01:05:25,414 --> 01:05:32,230
Mark Burik:
That doesn't mean by texting her that you're going to be spending all this money and that you're definitely going down the recruiting trail.
697
01:05:32,350 --> 01:05:34,702
Mark Burik:
But at least get some easy questions answered.
698
01:05:34,786 --> 01:05:46,770
Mark Burik:
Because as somebody who's been through it, she is going to save you the three, four, five, 6 hours of Googling and looking at a bunch of different sites and blogs with a ten second answer.
699
01:05:46,940 --> 01:05:55,362
Mark Burik:
And that's why you hire experts, because they get you the answers faster so that you don't have to invest all of your time and energy into finding them.
700
01:05:55,436 --> 01:05:57,174
Mark Burik:
Can you figure out on your own? Yes.
701
01:05:57,212 --> 01:06:16,914
Mark Burik:
Is it going to take you literally 15 times as long and be that much more expensive? So go to an expert, somebody knows what they're doing, and go to AW recruits and at least start asking the questions so that if you decide it's time to work with Ally, she's there, then it's an easy step if you need it.
702
01:06:17,012 --> 01:06:17,418
Allie Wheeler:
Exactly.
703
01:06:17,504 --> 01:06:18,190
Allie Wheeler:
No harm.
704
01:06:18,250 --> 01:06:20,046
Allie Wheeler:
I'm always open to questions.
705
01:06:20,228 --> 01:06:20,960
Mark Burik:
Cool.
706
01:06:21,350 --> 01:06:23,478
Mark Burik:
Ali, thank you so much for your time.
707
01:06:23,564 --> 01:06:24,270
Mark Burik:
Appreciate it.
708
01:06:24,320 --> 01:06:24,786
Mark Burik:
Nice talking.
709
01:06:24,848 --> 01:06:25,460
Allie Wheeler:
Yeah.
710
01:06:26,090 --> 01:06:27,174
Allie Wheeler:
Thank you so much, Mark.
711
01:06:27,212 --> 01:06:28,098
Allie Wheeler:
I really appreciate it.
712
01:06:28,124 --> 01:06:29,238
Allie Wheeler:
It's fun talking to you.
713
01:06:29,324 --> 01:06:29,910
Mark Burik:
Yeah, definitely.
714
01:06:29,960 --> 01:06:31,122
Mark Burik:
Let's have you on again.
715
01:06:31,316 --> 01:06:32,960
Mark Burik:
I'll get more into it.
716
01:06:34,070 --> 01:06:38,262
Mark Burik:
Maybe we could run a little like Q and A if I can shoot out to the email list.
717
01:06:38,396 --> 01:06:55,434
Mark Burik:
And you know what, guys? If you're at home and you're watching and you're a parent or a kid who is talking about recruiting, go ahead in the comments, wherever you're seeing this on podcast, on YouTube, on our Instagram, and throw into the comments any recruiting questions that you have.
718
01:06:55,472 --> 01:07:00,534
Mark Burik:
We'll make sure we'll tag Allie and she can just jump in there and she can start answering that.
719
01:07:00,572 --> 01:07:05,002
Mark Burik:
But if you have more recruiting questions and you want to see more of this, go ahead and Chuck it into the comments.
720
01:07:05,146 --> 01:07:07,338
Mark Burik:
And then we can start the conversation that way.
721
01:07:07,364 --> 01:07:18,270
Mark Burik:
And then maybe we'll discover 50 new questions to give you an interview for and we can help grow your business and help some people find some easier answers.
722
01:07:18,830 --> 01:07:19,554
Allie Wheeler:
I love it.
723
01:07:19,592 --> 01:07:20,562
Allie Wheeler:
That sounds great.
724
01:07:20,696 --> 01:07:21,462
Mark Burik:
Nice.
725
01:07:21,656 --> 01:07:22,350
Mark Burik:
All right.
726
01:07:22,460 --> 01:07:22,770
Mark Burik:
Cool.
727
01:07:22,820 --> 01:07:23,420
Mark Burik:
Perfect.
728
01:07:23,870 --> 01:07:24,826
Mark Burik:
Good luck this season.
729
01:07:24,898 --> 01:07:26,350
Mark Burik:
Looking forward to seeing you kick some butt.
730
01:07:26,410 --> 01:07:26,958
Allie Wheeler:
Thank you.
731
01:07:27,044 --> 01:07:28,362
Allie Wheeler:
You're fill up that foot.
732
01:07:28,496 --> 01:07:28,938
Mark Burik:
Yeah.
733
01:07:29,024 --> 01:07:29,840
Mark Burik:
I will.
734
01:07:31,250 --> 01:07:32,166
Mark Burik:
All right, girl.
735
01:07:32,288 --> 01:07:33,162
Mark Burik:
I'll see you soon.
736
01:07:33,236 --> 01:07:34,098
Allie Wheeler:
Thank you, Mark.
737
01:07:34,244 --> 01:07:35,290
Mark Burik:
Sounds good bye.