Karch Kiraly

“It tastes sweeter when you come close and suffer some really painful losses.”

“Chicago is one of my favorite cities because it has great sand, weather and an enthusiastic crowd.”

“I certainly think it's ironic that beach volleyball was first played in the 1930s in Santa Monica and tournaments of a high caliber have been happening in this country since the 1940s, and the FIVB, for many years, has ignored beach volleyball.”

“From what I've heard, the Gold Crown is kind of in a class by itself. The other players tell me it's superbly run and promoted. The money is kind of nice, too.”

“I consider myself lucky that I grew up in a time that there were no video games to keep my attention on indoor activities.”

“In many parts of this country, there is still a stigma about volleyball, that it is a sissy game, the one to go out for if you can't win a letter in anything else. People don't realize what a difference there is between the picnic game and the top level.”

“I love to visit any gym or any training site of any coach in any sport.”

“The regular pro tour focuses on just the very few top players. But it doesn't focus on the other thousands of passionate volleyball players out there.”

“It's hard to grow up to be a good man and a good husband and a good father and at least at some level, my dad gave me a great gift to be able to grow up in the volleyball context and know that I was on a good path.”

“We'd get right up and go straight to the beach for practice. Afterward, we'd leave on our wringing, dirty clothes and jump in the ocean. Then we'd leave them drying on the beach. That was our laundry break. Then, we'd play all afternoon.”

“Sometimes a team can be a little too rested. Then they never really snap out of it.”

“The United States has a superb cadre of coaches, some of the best minds of volleyball ever, and I aspire to join that group.”

“Any beach is more attractive than the inside of any stadium in the world.”

“I have a hunger to grow and to learn, so coaching is a natural extension of a lifelong love of the game of volleyball.”

“In college, I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do as a career.”

“We don't like to be forced off our own tour, onto foreign soil, to qualify for our Olympic teams. That's ridiculous.”

“I sit at the beach and I keep thinking there is something more I could be doing.”

“I'm very happy being able to travel freely and go anywhere I want to.”

“Since June of 1981, between school and the national team, I haven't had much time to spend with myself or my family.”

“If it were easy, everybody would have a gold medal, but they don't.”