Best beach combo may wave goodbye
BEIJING – They danced and screamed and celebrated in the raindrops, looking like two kids who didn’t know any better than not to come inside and find cover.
That seemed fitting because Kerri Walsh’s and Misty May-Treanor’s second straight gold medal, earned this morning in a driving rainstorm, could mark the end of one of sport’s most successful and recognizable partnerships for a simple reason.
Both Walsh and May-Treanor want to have babies.
You have heard of maternity leave. For the many fans who follow this dynamic duo’s every beach volleyball move, including today’s 21-18, 21-18 victory over China’s Tian Jia and Jie Wang, this could be maternity grieve.
Walsh and May-Treanor put off parenting plans until after the 2008 Beijing Olympics to put a semicolon, if not a period, on their eight-year run with a second gold medal.
Mission accomplished. From rain showers to baby showers. May-Treanor and Walsh, who ended this match with a spike, will take their hiatus with winning streaks of 69 straight international matches and 108 overall counting AVP Tour play.
“This one feels even better because we fought so hard,” Walsh said. “I hope we don’t stop after having babies. We are proud, honored and humbled.”
Before the match, Walsh said: “We want to go out in high style and on top. Misty and I have worked so hard and fought so hard together for eight years to get to this point.”
The reason their unique partnership could be in jeopardy is Walsh, unequivocally, has talked about taking a year off before returning to the AVP Tour and international play. Her husband is fellow pro beach volleyball player Casey Jennings, so they already have mastered the balancing act of home and work lives.
May-Treanor, who is married to Florida Marlins catcher Matt Treanor, has been less certain of her future. Their seasons run concurrently, making child care potentially problematic.
“That’s too far in the future,” May-Treanor said. “You never know how you will react if you’re lucky enough to become a parent.”
If this is the end, Walsh and May-Treanor can savor every moment from this Olympic run, which featured seven consecutive straight-sets victories.
May-Treanor spread half of her mother’s ashes in the sand after their semifinal victory and planned to tip the rest of the tribute after the final win. Walsh has continued her practice of shaking more hands than a politician following matches.
“We just enjoy what we do and it comes with all our hard work,” May-Treanor said. “We like young kids looking up to us and building a future for the sport and getting it in the limelight. The fans have fun. The athletes have a good time.
“I don’t know if we’re a dynasty. Maybe we’re legends?”
Partnerships come and go in this sport like waves off the beaches where it’s played. But Walsh and May-Treanor have endured.
“I am so reliant on Misty and I love her so much,” Walsh said. “About nine to 11 months a year, we’re together. You need to have a special relationship. We hit the jackpot when we found each other.”