Misty May-Treanor

"...a hero is someone who rises above his or her fears and limitations to achieve something extraordinary ... a hero embodies what we believe is best in ourselves" (Fleming 14).  As Fleming expresses in the article, “Review of Superman on the Couch: What Superheroes Really Tell Us about Ourselves and Our Society”, heroes overcome feelings of angst in order to accomplish their goals. Although, what constitutes a hero changes with time as a result of society idolizing those who aren't worthy. One could be considered heroic one day and then be cast to the drudges of society the next. On many occasions, athletes have been looked up to solely based on their physical achievements. However, they can be loathed as a result of their moral decisions. Once reaching the top of their sport, a feeling of superiority begins to set into an athlete's mind. This leads them to feel invincible. Unlike superheroes featured on television screens, athletes can be harmed both mentally and physically although they may feel untouchable. A hero can be defined as an individual possessing valiance, a will to achieve, and allegiance. Contrary to the popular expectation of heroism, imagined from fabricated characters on screens, modern idols do not have fantasy powers. Though we have been indoctrinated, as humans, to revere the films and written pieces about these superheroes, real heroes provide a sense of realism and relatability while maintaining bravery and perseverance.

Misty May-Treanor(Left) with her partner Kerri Walsh-Jennings(Right) along with President George W. Bush(Middle)googleMisty May-Treanor hes exemplified characteristics of bravery and determination on the volleyball court as well as off. There is no question that May-Treanor has excelled in both indoor and beach volleyball. However, unlike many talented athletes, her ethics and morals are balanced with her personal expectations on the court as well. May-Treanor was born in Los Angeles, California to her parents Robert and Barbara May on July 30, 1977. May-Treanor was born and raised in Southern California and played competitive indoor volleyball for the majority of her life. Her parents were well known beach volleyball players at a Los Angeles beach, where they played for fun and competitively. May-Treanor played indoor volleyball for California State University, Long Beach. In 1998, her senior year, she led her team to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) title and then went on to play indoor volleyball for the United States National team. May-Treanor began to realize that the national team program was making her lose her passion for volleyball. She wasn't receiving much playing time and the practices were mentally and physically straining.  After much discussion with her parents, May-Treanor decided to leave the team and play beach volleyball; something that she'd grown up with her whole life. She began her career with Holly McPeak, an older player entering her last years in the world of beach volleyball. McPeak and May-Treanor had their hearts set on qualifying and competing in the 2000 Olympic games. Eventually the pair qualified, but unfortunately lost early on.  After the devastating loss, May-Treanor ended her partnership with McPeak and set out for a new partner. After some convincing Kerri Walsh-Jennings decided to also make the transition from indoor volleyball to beach volleyball and play with May-Treanor. In 2002 before Walsh-Jennings and May-Treanor made their debut at that years Olympic games, May-Treanor’s mother, Barbra, died of cancer. Despite the emotional setback the two went on to win gold in the 2004, 2008, and 2012 Olympics. Also in 2004 May-Treanor got married to Matt Treanor. In order to be a hero one must be able to overcome their fears and be brave. Furthermore, one must remain determined and have the strength to overcome setbacks. As a result of her well-rounded volleyball career and motivation, Misty May-Treanor is a hero to society and athletes around the world. Misty May-Treanor is a hero because of her decorated volleyball career in which her bravery propelled her through an environment plagued by alcoholism, and her motivation while persevering through mental and physical setbacks.

Throughout her adolescence Misty May-Treanor developed a brave personality while coping with her parents dipsomaniac tendencies. For the majority of her childhood, May-Treanor’s parents suffered from a horrible alcohol addiction. She was forced to watch her parents turn into monsters she didn’t recognize: “With her being drunk, and Dad putting in so much time at MGM, there were many hours when nobody was looking after me. That ended my childhood long before it should have. I had to become an adult well before I was ready. All those nights, at home, alone with Mom, a beautiful, loving woman, who turned into someone else as the evenings, and the drinking, wore on, hurt me deeply,” (May-Treanor 238). Misty May-Treanor had to raise herself from a young age as well as protect herself from her own parents. She had to look after herself in order to make sure she was safe in her own home, an environment that was supposed to be a sanctuary. Unlike the average teenager, May-Treanor was stripped of the comfort provided by her parents. It took immense courage for her to stay in her home during these chaotic episodes. Without batting an eye, she could have easily left her mom and dad. But, instead, she was determined to believe the love with her sober parents would be strong enough to overcome the alcoholism. May-Treanor also had to think about her own future while her parents were hurting themselves: “While I was living in their tumultuous, alcoholic hell, though, I promised myself I wouldn't let them pull me, and my future, down the drain with them,” (May-Treanor 246). Although Misty loved her parents dearly and wanted to believe things would get better, she knew she would have to leave if their addiction worsened. May-Treanor had to make a decision whether her family or her career needed to become a priority. Her family was the reason she ever began playing volleyball and she clearly wanted her parents to be a part of her career. But in the long run she had to realize she needed to put her own future first. Through her bravery to put herself first before her alcoholic parents from a young age, Misty May-Treanor demonstrates her courage and will to fight for herself and relationships in her life.  

Misty May-Treanor persevered through emotional turmoil and physical setbacks throughout her career, but always managed to keep her eyes on the prize. After a loss in the NCAA finals, May-Treanor’s Long Beach State team was devastated. However, May-Treanor decided to take the loss in a different way than her teammates: “After Stanford beat us, we congregated in the locker room.  ‘What do you want?’ Brian asked us. ‘We want to be the best team in the country,’ I said,” (May-Treanor 378).  May-Treanor used this devastating loss as motivation to drive her teammates to want to win next year. She wanted to rally the team; the next season would be her last at the school and she was determined to make it count. Rather than feeling sorry for herself, she wanted to win even more than before. Apart from dealing with devastating losses, May-Treanor also suffered an array of injuries throughout her career. One particular injury happened during one of the most important games of her beach career. If her team lost, it would take them out of the running for qualifying for the Olympic games. May-Treanor was badly hurt, but was not willing to quit: “‘If you’re badly hurt, you don’t have to keep playing,’ Holly keep telling me.  No way I was going to give up our Olympic quest ,” (May-Treanor 476-477).  The amount of pain she was experiencing did not phase her, she was determined to finish the game one way or another. May-Treanor refused to go down without knowing she had given the challenge everything she had. The agony she felt was no match for everything that led up to this match. She was willing to sacrifice her own health, putting her partner first, in order to achieve what they had been working towards for months. Misty May-Treanor refused to back down even when her health was on the line. No matter how grueling the circumstances, May-Treanor continuously looked to what was next and how she could push herself to be better.  Once she had something decided there was no turning back.

Misty May-Treanor is a gifted athlete; however, her bravery as a young child and her perseverance are the real reasons why she is a hero. Through a rocky upbringing, May-Treanor continuously kept a positive outlook on life. Her drive to consistently finish everything she started allowed her to excel as an athlete and as a person. Her bravery for sticking up for herself as a young child transferred into her game of volleyball as well. She learned to put her needs first.  Once she realized how unhappy she was on the national team she decided to do something about it.  Not only does Misty May-Treanor inspire me as an athlete, but as a person as well. May-Treanor reached the highest possible level  in her sport while maintaining a positive mindset. Misty also continuously prioritized her family and remained loyal, no matter what. Although her childhood began with a rough start, she keep family a priority in her life. The death of her mom led her to seriously question why she played volleyball to begin with. There were many days where quitting the sport completely seemed like the best option.  But instead of throwing away everything she had worked tirelessly to achieve, she stayed with her sport. After winning her first Olympic games May-Treanor made sure her whole family was there. “I pulled out the prescription pill bottle and joyously sprinkled her all over the sand. Now, everybody in my family was there.” (May-Treanor 779) I have been playing indoor volleyball for almost six years.  Recently I have suffered from a severe concussion that I got in a tournament. At the beginning of this season I felt like quitting volleyball because I had lost my love for the sport. After my injury I continuously thought about stopping. Some days are better than others. But the good days on the volleyball court outweigh the bad ones. Misty May-Treanor has inspired me to keep fighting to get back into volleyball despite my injury.  She makes me want to strive to be the best at what I do on and off the court. In a society where young children look up to athletes, it is important for them to be justifiable idols. We cannot have five year olds putting sex-offenders on a pedestal solely because of their athletic abilities. Misty May-Treanor herself is an extremely talented athlete and her morals are up to par with her talent on the court. As stated in “Review of Superman on the Couch: What Superheroes Really Tell Us about Ourselves and Our Society”, a hero must overcome challenges and be what is the best in themselves. Misty May-Treanor has been through an alcoholic childhood and come out a strong person. She continued to thrive in volleyball and not become a victim to her upbringing.  Misty May-Treanor is an example of a hero for society and athletes around the world.

Works Cited

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