April Ross

April Ross was one of the few female beach volleyball stars who won medals in more than one Olympics. Ross will compete in Tokyo to compete for her third Olympic medal alongside Alix Klineman who is a first-time Olympian. Ross is determined to earn more than just her first Olympic medal. With her age of 39, this may be Ross' last opportunity to claim the Olympic gold. However, she is convinced of winning top awards. Ross was mentioned in NBC Boston as saying that If you put in your highest, and even perform well, you will win the gold. That's why I'm taking a little bit of luck as well. Ross was born in Costa Mesa, California in the year 1982. Her parents and her sister were residents there. Ross competed in many sports while attending Newport Harbor High School. She played basketball and ran track, in addition to her volleyball skills in the indoors in her time as a college athlete. However she was clearly superior to the rest in the latter sport. According to her biography, she was a middle blocker and outside volleyball player during her senior year at high school. Gatorade Circle of Champions named her the national Player 1999. The year 2000 was the time she was awarded an Orange County Athlete of the of the year for volleyball. Although Ross Klineman and Ross are a couple from 2017 onward, the former was already a big-time athlete on the beach even before the pair formed. As a matter of fact Ross has won a number of significant tournaments during her time with two partners. One of them is a volleyball legend. From 2007 until 2013 she was in a partnership with Jennifer Kessy, who is currently her coach. Together with Kessy Ross, she was a major force on the international stage, claiming an international title in 2009. In the 2012 Olympic Games, they won a gold medal. Misty Maytreanor (Jennings) as well as Misty Maytreanor took home gold overtaking them. Ross Walsh was Walsh Jennings new partner after May-Treanor's retirement. In 2016, the pair took bronze at the Rio Olympics for beach volleyball. Ross played for the USC Trojans in college after graduating from the high school she attended. Ross's time in the Trojans was remarkable. As a freshman in 2000 she earned Pac-10 and NCAA Freshman of the Year honors and was an All-American. The team also saw her help in helping the Trojans get to their first Final Four. Her heart was broken by a tragic incident in her sophomore years, yet she went on to be an All-American once more. Over her final two years within the team, she guided the Trojans to the top of the mountain winning successive national titles. She was a great player on the court, and was awarded the Honda Sports Award in 2003-04 as the top female college volleyball player. Ross was an international relations student at USC. Margie Ross, Ross' mother, was never given the privilege of watching her daughter grow into a beach volleyball superstar. Ross suffered the loss of her mother to breast cancer in 2001. Ross was then a sophomore. However, she keeps her parents close to her the heart. Margie has been an inspiration both in her personal life and at the beaches.