We take a look back at when beach volleyball back-to-back gold medalist Kerri Walsh was profiled before her senior year at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif.

By Mark Tennis & Kirstin Olsen, ESPN RISE

Kerri Walsh's suitcase took as much of a beating during the months of July and August in 1995 as her shoulder. Some of the destinations she headed to from her hometown San Jose airport included Orlando; Boulder, Colo.; San Diego; Frankfurt, Germany; and Bratislava, Slovakia.
 

	Kirby Lee
	Kerri Walsh on cover of Student Sports the Magazine

But Walsh wasn't on a United Nations diplomatic mission. The then 17-year-old from Archbishop Mitty High School was playing volleyball. And if she already wasn't considered one of the brightest young talents in the world in her sport, those summer accomplishments sure did it.

Among the highlights that summer for Walsh was leading her club team to the 18-under national championship at the Junior Olympics. She also finished second in kills among all players at the U.S. Olympic Festival and led the U.S. Junior National Team to a first-place finish at an international competition.

One prominent college coach watching Walsh elevate her 6-3 frame well above the net time and time again at the Olympic Festival said: "Someday, she could be the best right-side player in the world.

Such a compliment would probably illicit a giggle and a shrug from Walsh, who turned 17 on August 15 and only in the last few months of that summer began to understand her potential.

 "It was a great Olympic Festival and going to Europe was just a great experience, Walsh said at the time. "I made a lot of friends and now I can't wait to get to college.

Nearly all of the players Walsh went up against during that summer were juniors or seniors in college. That's why her showing at the Olympic Festival in Colorado was so impressive. She not only led her East team in kills, but also was first in blocks, second in digs and first in service aces.

"Kerri was by far the youngest player there, " said her father, Tim, who since then watched two more daughters play in college. "The team was very talented but jelled too late and was only able to win the bronze.

Tim Walsh traveled to many of Kerri's tournaments due to the flexibility he enjoyed by owning his own insurance company. But not even dear 'ol dad could join in the fun of traveling overseas.

The trip to Slovakia included a 20-hour bus ride from Germany. On the way back, Walsh and a few of the other American players even had to get out and push when the bus encountered mechanical problems.

Other teams involved in the Slovakia tourney were from other countries in the region. The U.S. team lost its opening match to Slovakia's No. 1 national team, but then won three matches and defeated Slovakia in a rematch to win the tournament title.

"I was so tired but so happy when the plane finally landed in San Jose, Walsh recalled. "I slept two days. But I'm now looking forward to school and to the start of volleyball practice.

While that schedule sounded hectic enough, the beginning of the fall high school season was actually the easiest of the year for Walsh, who mixed high school volleyball and high school basketball in November and December. She then tried to fit in club volleyball and high school basketball in February and March.

	Kirby Lee
	Kerri Walsh took a break from traveling to pose for Student Sports.

When she was in high school, Walsh estimated she played 30 to 40 high school volleyball matches, 30 to 35 high school basketball games and nearly 100 club volleyball matches in the course of a typical year.
 
"It does get tiring, but in the long run playing two sports should help me a lot, said Walsh, who also maintained a 3.65 GPA. "It's going to be nice when I start focusing on one sport.

There was little doubt about Walsh's sport of choice. Despite being named to the 1995 Cal-Hi Sports All-State team in basketball and leading Mitty to the California Interscholastic Federation Division III state championship, volleyball was her No. 1 priority.

"I only start thinking about basketball at the start of the season, she said at the time. "I started playing basketball first, but sometimes I get tired with all the running. I never get sick of volleyball. I just love it. And I feel I'm better at it.

Walsh, who was named the 1994-95 State Girls Athlete of the Year by Cal-Hi Sports, stuck with basketball for one more season because of a commitment she made with her basketball teammates. She hoped to lead Mitty to another repeat of a state championship, but the school moved up to Division I and lost in the state final.

One of her coaches said that summer that he believed her commitment to basketball could have slowed down her volleyball career.

"If she was training full-time in volleyball I think she could be on the national team in about a year, said Dick Montgomery, who coached the Club Mizuno team out of Los Gatos that captured the Junior Olympic 18-under national title. "She's certainly going to be fine at the high school level, but supposing her goal would be to make the 1996 national team. She'd almost have to be there training right now.

Exceptional hands that any receiver in football would be proud to own and a sleek long-legged body generated those kinds of comments from Walsh's coaches and opponents alike.

"You have to thank the genetic structure provided by her mom and dad, which is the same thing you could say about Michael Jordan in basketball, Montgomery said. "She has great size, great timing and rhythm and she competes.

In 1994, while watching Walsh go through drills at a camp in Santa Cruz, Montgomery went to her parents with the idea of moving her from the middle block position over to the right side, where her leaping ability, long arms and quick hands might thwart the best left-side outside hitters on any team and at the same time make it possible for her own team to set up effective back row attacks.

"When Dick came up to me and asked about the right side, I told him I had been thinking the same thing, Tim Walsh said. "Kerri was a little uncomfortable with it at first, but toward the end of the club season was really starting to dominate.

When Walsh put on her Mitty uniform, however, she was happy to switch back to the middle where she covered a wider area of the net.

"She plays above the net so high and has real good court sense, said 1993-95 Mitty coach Mike Pitts, whose team won back-to-back CIF state titles and later added a third straight with Walsh as a senior. "She's really aware of everything going on in a match.

Walsh's third straight CIF state title in volleyball was different than the first two because it came in Division I instead of Division III.

Walsh naturally was happy about the move upward, but was wary of the difficult competition.

"Northern California is now getting a lot better, but we know they're great down south, she said. "If we try our hardest and don't take anything for granted, I think we can win it all (they did).

Stanford, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, Pacific and Arizona were considered the finalists to land the future All-American. It was no surprise when she picked Stanford since the campus is located only about 20 minutes from the Walsh home in Saratoga.

At Stanford, Walsh went on to lead the Cardinal to NCAA titles in 1996 and 1997, where she also was a four-time AVCA All-American. She was on the U.S. Olympic indoor team in 2000 in Sydney, then began teamed up with Misty May-Treanor on the beach shortly afterward.

Since 2001, Walsh has become one of only four American women to have won $1 million in prize money on the beach. She and May-Treanor have won 97 tournaments together on the AVP and FIVB , which is getting within range of the 114 that the legendary most winningest men's duo of Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos achieved. They've also both gotten married as Kerri wed AVP player Casey Jennings while Misty exchanged vows with Matt Treanor, a catcher for the Florida Marlins.

At the Athens Olympics four years ago, Walsh and May-Treanor romped to the gold and won it again in Beijing. In winning their 107th straight match, which was played in the rain, the duo faced some tough challenges from China's Tian Jin and Wang Jie, but came through for a 21-18, 21-18 triumph.

But it all started in that summer of 1995 and in those years at Mitty, a school famous for its girls sports teams. Mitty is also where Kerri's parents, Tim and Margie, actually met as high school sweethearts.

"I grew up in a very athletic, very competitive family, Kerri said recently. "My family is my biggest inspiration because they have always supported me and helped me through many tough and wonderful times. Without them&I'm not so sure where I'd be.

They also proved to be good travel agents, training partners, and recruiting advisers. It was the main reason why Kerri was the best high school girls volleyball player in the nation in 1995 and why she became one of the two best beach volleyball players ever.


The two-time Olympic gold medalist talked recently to ESPN RISE's Kirstin Olsen

Q: What advice do you have for today's high school athletes?
A: My advice for the kids is to not only work hard on the court, but in the class room as well.

Q: How have you evolved as a player from high school?
A: I feel that I have grown in so many different ways each year of my career. My skill level has obviously gotten way better, my decision making skills are way smarter and I feel that I am a better communicator and teammate than I ever was in high school. Now that I am a little bit older and a little bit wiser, I understand the importance of communication and of helping make your teammates' job as easy as possible.

Q: What is the most important part of athletic training in volleyball as it relates to high school athletes?
A: The most important part for any individual volleyball player is skills work. Work on the fundamentals. Regardless of which sport you play, if you have a solid handle on the fundamentals and have a
good attitude you will be an asset to any and every team. Practice, practice and practice some more.

Q: How would a young athlete gain confidence?
A: Confidence comes from being well prepared for battle. When practicing, I always make sure to work my buns off and focus on turning my weaknesses into strengths and making my strengths even stronger. My confidence has come from 18 years of playing this sport. It comes from finally understanding that bad games will happen and that they are not the end of the world. Every time I've had a bad game I get back out on the court and focus on those skills I need to fine tune, so that the next time I am in a game situation I will have confidence in myself to get the job done. Preparation is the key to confidence.

Q: What would be your tips for preparing to play in a big match or being in a state championship level event?
A: Generally, I focus on getting a good warm-up and also make sure to find some time to get away from the madness so my nerves and mind can settle down. I always get very anxious and nervous before I play, so I remind myself to settle down, have fun and go out there and kick some butt.

Q: What has motivated you in the past and what motivates you today?
A: I am driven to win, to improve and to be the very best athlete and person I can be. God has blessed me with so many wonderful attributes that I must foster and work hard to improve. I feel that I am blessed to have the skills and the life I have so I want to work hard to not only be deserving of them, but to be the best version of me possible. This is so cheesy, but I love the quote "Be happier than a thousand rainbows." It reminds me to keep life in perspective and when in doubt to smile.