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Questions With Keao Burdine

4/29/2008

by Christine Phillips

20 Questions with AVP Star/Indoor Star

Keao Burdine

Photo by Ken Delgado

•    When did you start playing volleyball?

I started playing for the Park & Rec at 7 and club when I was 8.

•    Did you have a volleyball star that you looked up to?

I always loved watching Misty May-Treanor play when I was growing up.

•    Where did you attend HS? Where did you play club?

I attended La Habra High School. I played club for Fusion for 8 years and Diggers (no longer around) for 3 years.

•    Any favorite HS or club memories?

Here is a funny memory. Back in the club days a couple of us used to steal food from the Spoilers VBC (no longer around) tent because they always had bomb grub. The 7-layer bean dip was the best. Haha, their parents would just spoil them with good food and we were only allowed to eat healthy during tournaments. Sometimes our parents would only allow us to have pb & j sandwiches between matches so we wouldn’t get "weighed" down. But we were growing girls who needed some substance, so we could always count on the spoilers to come through for us. Wink wink.

photo by USC Sports Information

•    Where did you attend college? Did you get a scholarship?

I played volleyball and was on scholarship at USC.

•    What were some of your favorite drills for practice? Individual drills? Team practices?

Honestly, I always hated indoor practice, but the best drills were always the ones that incorporated some fun. For example, queen of the court, 2 on 2 and dodge ball.

•    You were a 2 time national champion in college. What are some of your memories from those experiences?

Winning the first national championship was the most fulfilling moment in my career thus far. After working so hard for my team, my family and the school, it was just an amazing experience to know that all that hard work had paid off. Also, spending time with my best friends is probably what I miss the most. We used to have so much fun even off the court just goofing around and being stupid.

•    After college what were your options? Europe? AVP?

My options were to play overseas and play on the AVP. It was a hard transition to the beach at first because you have to start from nothing unless someone picks you up. So I had to play in qualifiers for a couple years to get going. I also played in Puerto Rico for 2 seasons and now I’m playing in Turkey.

•    What are your thoughts on the evolution of the indoor game?

The indoor game has changed so much from when I started, but with the current rules I cant really imagine it any other way. I couldn’t imagine going back to the sideout game because those games could last forever. Now that its rally scoring you can judge how long a match may take. That was not the case with the sideout game. You could never do that because both teams could go back and forth forever. I once played in a 5-game match in high school that lasted 4 hours and I could never imagine playing a 4-hour match now. There’s no way my body would hold up to that.

•    What are your thoughts on the growth of the Collegiate Beach Championships?

I think the collegiate beach championships are a great idea. I wish they would’ve had it when I was in college. It’s a great stepping-stone for the beach game. The more youth and collegiate beach involvement will only benefit the game as a whole. Getting kids involved in the game is a great way to feed into the AVP and the international game as well. And plus its fun to see the different colleges compete against each other.

photo by USC Sports Information

•    What year did you start your professional career?

I started my first year at Puerto Rico in 2006 and also played my first full season on the AVP in 2006.

•    What have you learned since you started playing professional ball?

I think if anything, I‘ve learned how to be patient. I‘m already a pretty mellow person, but I’ve had some challenges in my career and the thing that has really kept my head on straight is the key to be patient. Be patient with my skills and the decisions of others who you’re involved with because you cant always control everything around you.

•    Have you had the opportunity to coach people now?

I’m not really the coaching type. I’m more of a person who goes out and gets things done, but I have helped out my parents a little here and there with their high school and club teams over the years. I love working with little kids because they’re so eager to learn and they’re just so cute.

•    What are some of your favorite memories from the 2007 AVP season?

My last tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio was probably the best tournament to date. Britt and I finished our overall best as a team and took 5th. We just played really well all weekend and it seemed like we had come a long way from the beginning of the season, so that sense of improvement was a good feeling.

•    What are some of your favorite memories from your indoor Turkish team?

Well considering I’ve only been here a month there isn’t much to go by. It’s been fun getting to know the people out here. Learning the language has been difficult because it’s unlike any other language. Our team is really solid so were hoping to finish really well. We’re #1 in the league right now and if we continue to play well we should have the opportunity to finish as champions.

•    What is some advise that you were given in the past?

If you work your hardest you can’t be disappointed by the results. As long as you give it your all there’s nothing else you can do, but hope for the best.

photo by Ken Delgado

• What advise would you give college volleyball players looking to get into the professional beach volleyball world?

The transition from indoor to beach is one that is very difficult and challenging. Beach is much more challenging mentally than indoor in the fact that you have to learn to correct yourself most of the time. Unless, of course, your working with a coach. It’s easier for them to see things as they’re watching you, but you have to learn to be patient with yourself if you’re not working with coach. If you can take positive feedback then listening to your partner is a huge part of the game as well. As long as there’s good communication between partners its easier to correct yourself and improve on your game at all times.

• What is some advice you can provide high school players looking to continue their volleyball career in college?

One thing that I would advise kids who are looking to play in college is to learn how to time manage. Lots of times you have to go from school to practice and then home only to study for the next day of classes, and then do it all over again. Sometimes having a social life is very important when you are going through a routine like that because it allows you to not have to think about the demanding physical and mental challenges. Once you get to college its even harder because you’re traveling and on the road a lot and so time management is something that’s very important.

• Who are your current sponsors?

Unfortunately I don’t have any current sponsors, but I’m working on it.

Links to Check Out:

Keao's AVP Bio

Keao's BVD Bio

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