St. Mary's volleyball grad gunning for 2012 team

Representing ones country in the Olympic games is something most people can only dream about. But for one former Saint Mary's College student-athlete, this could very well be a reality in the near future.

Stacey O'Connor played volleyball at Saint Mary's from 2001-04 and finished her career as one of the most successful players in Gael history.  After working as a volunteer assistant coach at Saint Mary's this past season, she is now training for a roster spot on the Great Britain National Team in hopes of competing in next year's 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. 

Originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland O'Connor grew up in Southern California and found success developing her volleyball game at an early age and has now transitioned to competing with the best in the world. 

O'Connor has dual citizenship with the United States and Britain which allows her to compete for either country. Her experiences so far this summer training with the British team has been described as having many "highs and lows". 

The British national women's volleyball team was created in 2006 when it was announced that London would be the site of the 2012 Summer Olympics and it brought together players from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. 

Currently, there are 16 full-time players on the National Team roster, which will be cut down to 12 before the 2012 games in London. O'Connor's main focus right now is to make the roster to represent her country in the international spotlight.  However, a lack of funding for the team has caused hardships for the players who are also focused on fundraising to help pay for traveling expenses, accommodation, food, and competition.

Last summer, national media followed O'Connor and her teammates when they rode bicycles 310 miles from Sheffield, England to London in hopes not to just raise money, but to spread the word about the British volleyball team to get more people interested in the sport. 

O'Connor explains that, "Our funding has been reduced over the years, leaving us with not enough to enter International competitions such as Euro League and left us without a center base. Currently, we live out of our bags traveling all over the county. We've also been lucky to be provided hotels, student accommodation and families homes throughout the summer. All generously aided by the community, businesses and families." 

Despite this, the team has already beat many top teams in the world. Since Stacey joined the team in 2007, they have travelled to Japan, Russia, South America and many countries throughout Europe to compete against as many different styles of play in preparation for next year's Olympic Games. 

A typical day for O'Connor consists of waking up early with the first practice of the day beginning at 9 a.m. After two or so hours of work on the court, the team heads to nearby Claremont hospital where they take a break and eat lunch before the next practice at 3:30 in the afternoon. Two days a week, they find time before or in between practices to lift weights, metabolic session, and rehab. 

"I think she is motivated by different things, such as pride in her work, her innate desire to prove to herself that she can do what she sets out to do, and obviously she is motivated by her dream to be an Olympian. That is something very few athletes in the world are able to achieve," says current volleyball head coach Rob Browning. 

"It is hard to stay mentally prepared all day and physically ready to jump and play your best at each practice. But it's all worth it," O'Connor explains. "The harder it is, the more I want to be part of the London 2012 team. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it." 

The 5'11 middle-blocker had a very successful career as a Saint Mary's Gael when in 2004, she led the team to the NCAA Sweet 16 and to finish with a No. 10 ranking in the nation. She is currently second all-time in career blocks (490) and block assists (459).  In her final three seasons at SMC she posted the second, third and fourth highest totals for block assists in a single season in the history of the West Coast Conference. 

In 2002-2003 O'Connor was ranked 4th and 7th in the Nation for blocking.  This past year, O'Connor came back to Saint Mary's to work as a volunteer assistant for the team where she would help them to a 12-2 West Coast Conference record, which is the second best conference record in program history.  The Gaels also finished the year with an overall record of 20-8, marking the third straight 20-win season, an accomplishment that has never happened in program history. 

Not knowing what her future holds after 2012, her top priority is just like any other Olympic hopeful;  to compete for a gold medal. O'Connor explains, "You only live once (YOLO), a constant motivation for me to enjoy what I do wherever I may be." 

Notes: Check out www.gbwomensvolleyball.co.uk for more information about how you can help support the team and see the latest news about the Women's British National Volleyball Team. 

And for those who want to follow Stacey on her journey, you can follow her blog which she updates regularly at:  (http://staceyo2012.blogspot.com/).  The blog goes into greater detail about her experiences as the life of an Olympic hopeful and the daily routine she goes through.