Krystal Rivers on The Ace Space
Quotes
Power hitter Krystal RIVERS joined the Podcast team this week where they chatted over Allianz MTV STUTTGART's season so far, her struggles as a child, as well as answering some questions from fans.
Here are some of her top quotes from the conversation.
On looking back at the first tournament"We are always optimistic, but there are some really tough matches still to come. We fought a lot in the first round of the pool, coming out of the 5 setter against Dinamo MOSCOW, went five with Eczacibasi and then lost in three to Lokomotiv KALININGRAD Region."
On the upcoming 2nd Tournaments"It is going to be a tough week with really good competition. I think those teams are going to come even stronger, but I think that we have gotten stronger as well."
On the national season so far in Germany"I am really happy to still be able to play after being stopped last March. It is a bit sad without fans but we can still feel their presence as they write to us a lot and watch a lot. We lost in the Cup semi-finals but we are in first place in the table with a few more matches to go before we start Playoffs. Tough matches ahead, but hopefully we will continue doing well."
On starting as a Middle Blocker"I started when I was 16, so kind of late, as a Middle-Blocker. I didn't get set at all, but when I got to college my blocking wasn't the best but I was scoring the most points. So my coach was like 'Maybe you should be an Opposite? You are physical enough and can hit high balls'. It was exciting to switch as I got to hit loads of high balls and sets from the back row."
On her struggles when she was younger"My parents were told at some point that I would never walk. They always tell this story that I was once told that I should lye down and rest, but I wanted to do cart-wheels and flips! The focus when I was younger was to just adjust my quality of life to get it to a decent point. I always wanted to play sports, but my family were always really cautious. But I had the best doctors who always said if you feel confident then try and do it! That is still my approach to life now."
On battling cancer as a teenager"Once I was a good point and had all the major surgeries that I needed, I ended up being diagnosed with cancer. This was completely unrelated to the birth defects. For me it was still the same sort of situation, so I went into it head first. I was at University at the time, I kept playing Volleyball - even during the chemo. It went on for six months and things went well for me. Then after this I had one of my best seasons of Volleyball!"
On what advice she would give to her 10 year old self"There is a lot I could say to my 10 year old self. I had already been through a lot but there was a lot still to come. I think I would just say to be confident, keep going and be yourself."
On her mobile phone issues"Once my phone flew out of my hand and landed on some concrete. It was still working, but all of a sudden it started sending text messages to my contacts with pictures from my photo album. I turned it off very quickly!"