Is the U.S. a medal contender going into the Olympics?
We finished off last year (2007) very well with the bronze medal. I think we feel renewed and we have a new spirit; we just want to fight. Our first goal: make it to quarterfinals. From there, I think once we make it to the quarterfinal round, anything’s possible. I definitely think that we should be on the medal stand. The U.S. women’s team got a new coach after 2004, Jenny Lang Ping, who’s a legend in China for her role on the 1984 gold medal-winning Chinese team and later as the Chinese coach. Were you aware of her celebrity status in China before she got here? Not so much. I knew a little bit about her, of course, from playing volleyball. But traveling with her is a completely different experience. She’s like Michael Jordan over there. You know, we’re sitting on the plane and people are coming by taking pictures; we go to baggage claim and they swarm her. It’s unbelievable. No, I didn’t know that she was so famous to that extent. When was it that you traveled with her over there? I
