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I was fortunate to start the sport at a young age. I was 6 years old when my dad started teaching me. We started playing tournaments together when I was 11, in the lower ranking of beach volleyball in California. We weren't playing against kids we played against grown men, so immediately, I had to raise my game to compete.

Karch Kiraly

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Karch Kiraly
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More quotes by Karch Kiraly

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I had four different colors of hats, one of which was pink. I just got on a roll with the pink hat. So what started out as a superstition grew into a tradition and an easy way for my family to find me at tournaments because I am the only one with cojones big enough to wear a pink hat.
Karch Kiraly
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One of the best ways to [improve my longevity] that is to minimize injury or avoid it by being more flexible—especially when we are meeting at the net. There is a hitter and blocker, which means a lot foot contact, where you can twist your ankle easily.
Karch Kiraly
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A lot of guys are out there with their iPods. I'm not one of them. I just never really got into it.
Karch Kiraly
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I want to be as self-reliant as possible and do it all from within.
Karch Kiraly
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I just think about what I am doing on my side of the net, which requires focus. Even after all the years I've been playing, I still get butterflies before each match.
Karch Kiraly
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It's the best. And the job site isn't too bad, either.
Karch Kiraly
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Volleyball is not like a formula so we must give players some freedom.
Karch Kiraly
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It's hard to give a career like this up, when I tell my wife I'm going to the office, and it's the beach.
Karch Kiraly
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I had a bunch of different colored hats I wore. When I started wearing a pink one, we won five or six tournaments in a row, so I stuck with it. It started as superstition and now it's tradition—my hideous trademark that I always wear.
Karch Kiraly
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I still get excited just attending a final four, because the process is so long, so arduous, so challenging, that when it finally arrives, the adrenaline can't help but take over. I love the sense of accomplishment and camaraderie that the indoor game can engender.
Karch Kiraly
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I have adrenaline going and then focus on what I have to do and do it well. I know we'll have a good chance to win the match that way. I don't concern myself with the other team.
Karch Kiraly
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Physically I'm not as strong as I was, but I try to make up for it mentally. It's a big challenge, and I relish it, competing with guys half my age.
Karch Kiraly
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No volleyball play can begin without a serve, and the serve is the only technique that is totally under your control. In other endeavors, you cannot succeed without believing in yourself, and that belief is completely under your control.
Karch Kiraly
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When I warm up now though—especially on center court—there is usually music playing, so I don't really mess with music.
Karch Kiraly
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We are all going to fall short. We are going to have some bitter losses, very painful defeats and failures. We have to use those to come back even stronger. That's what makes it sweeter, when we can overcome those and figure out a way to win. The great teams can do that, and those are the gold medal winning teams.
Karch Kiraly
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It's a serve and pass game.
Karch Kiraly
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I don't have to get myself pumped up or calm myself down. As we get into the later rounds of a tournament and there is more at stake, I have even more adrenaline. If we make the finals, it's just an extra opportunity to win a tournament at my age. That doesn't come along that often.
Karch Kiraly
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I played a kid's game, I got to do it at the beach, and I was able to support my family. I consider myself incredibly lucky.
Karch Kiraly
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I didn't want to use anything as a crutch and ever have excuses heading into a match.
Karch Kiraly
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Playing against better competition makes you better and more focused, so you can do what you have to, to win.
Karch Kiraly