July 11, 2008
Northridge, Calif. - The Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, are set to be held August 8-24. Cal State Northridge women's volleyball head coach Jeff Stork knows about the Olympic Experience. Stork was a three-time member of the United States men's volleyball team, and helped the Americans to a gold medal in 1988, and a bronze medal in 1992. Stork relives several of the great memories of being an Olympian.
Q: You were a distinguished member of three U.S. Olympic men's volleyball teams (1988, 1992, 1996), and helped lead the Americans to the gold medal in 1988 as the team's starting setter. Looking back to your first Olympics in 1988, what were your thoughts as you were set to compete in such a great athletic event?
A: The U.S. Olympic men's volleyball program, at the time, was such that we had played so many international matches (60 to 70 matches per year). We were very seasoned as a team. The Olympics are the most prestigious tournament in the world but we were always preparing between the four years of each Olympics. Participating in my first opening ceremonies in 1988 was certainly unique since I didn't have anything to compare it too. The amount of recognizable athletes from the other sports was tremendous. Taking pictures before you marched into the stadium with the other U.S. athletes was a great experience. I remember taking a picture with Chris Evert (legendary tennis star), and taking a picture with the Mongolian wrestling team in their traditional garb. That was pretty special. Standing on the field at the Olympic Stadium with all the other great Olympic athletes from around the world and watching the Korean runner carry the Olympic torch and lighting the Olympic flame was very special. In Barcelona (Spain) in 1992, the archer shooting the arrow from the stadium field to light the Olympic flame at the top of the stadium was also special and memorable. In Atlanta in 1996, there was Muhammad Ali standing atop the stadium holding the Olympic flame. Each opening ceremony was extremely special. By the time I competed in my second and third Olympics, I knew many of the Olympic volleyball players from the other countries. I had played professionally in Italy and Greece for several years, so I knew many of the athletes that were representing the other countries."
Q: The 1988 U.S. Olympic team was certainly the prohibitive favorite to win the gold medal. No doubt it is considered the greatest American U.S. Olympic men's volleyball team in history. What sort of pressure was there to meet such high expectations?
A: "The pressure on us was extreme to succeed. We were the best team by 10 to 15 percent than anybody else in the world, but to sustain it from the 1984 gold medal winning U.S. Olympic team to 1988 was quite difficult, mentally and physically, for the entire team. I hurt my back going into the Olympics and I didn't play the first two or three matches. But fortunately we were able to succeed and win the gold medal. Playing for your country is certainly an honor. Very few people get that opportunity to compete at the Olympics. It was a special time to play for your country at the Olympics."
Q: In the championship match, the Americans posted a 13-15, 15-10, 15-4, 15-8 victory over a very strong Soviet team. What do you remember about that match, particularly the fourth and final game?
A: When the score at 9-4 in game four, I knew we were going to win the match. The celebration was actually starting at the ninth point. We were on a roll. Each additional point was a mini-celebration. That was actually the pinnacle for me; not when it was actually over. Certainly the celebration after the match was memorable. The awards ceremony was very emotional and memorable with the national anthem being played. Something significant that I remember during the awards ceremony was the relief that the tournament was finally over. The way we trained for four years prior to the Olympics was extremely intense. It was a relief that that portion of the journey was over. But there is nothing like hearing the national anthem and seeing the American flag and knowing that you are the best. My parents and wife were there. That was something real special to have them involved along the way."
Q: After the United States loss game one to the Soviets in the gold medal match, were the Americans nervous they might be the victims of an upset?
A: We had played so many matches against the Soviets. We must have played them nine times prior to the Olympics and beat them eight times. It was probably gold medal jitters that we lost game one. We lost game one only by a score of 15-13, and we were not playing well. I can recall our head coach, Marv Dunphy, looking at his assistant coach, Jim Coleman, and asking him `what do we have to do?' Jim's reaction was to say `nothing. They are going to come back to us and we're going to take off.' That's exactly what happened. We settled down and started playing USA Volleyball. We beat them to win the gold medal.
Q: In 1988, the United States swept through the competition with a 7-0 record, and captured 21 of 25 games. Describe the feeling of the moment when the gold medal was draped over your shoulders on the winners stand.
A: "I've won a bagful of medals playing on great teams, but there are four medals that are above the rest. The Olympic gold medal is the pinnacle. Just to know that you are the best in the world is significant. The World Championship medal is significant because it is a tougher tournament to win than the Olympics. The other medals are the World Cup in 1985 because of the format of the tournament. It was a 12-team round robin tournament and we beat everybody. Then there was the gold medal at the Pan Am Tournament in 1987. What was significant was that it was a tougher tournament than the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Cuba, Brazil, Argentina and Canada were all in the mix. We played the Cubans in the finals of the Pan Am Games and it was a very memorable gold medal winning effort."
Q: That 1988 U.S. Olympic was certainly a great collection of Hall of Fame talent. Karch Kiraly (UCLA), Steve Timmons (USC), Craig Buck, Eric Sato, Bob Ctvrtlik and Troy Tanner (Pepperdine), Jon Root and Scott Fortune (Stanford), Doug Partie, Ricci Luyties and Dave Saunders (UCLA) were members of that team. What memories come to mind when playing on such a great team?
A: "Not only did we have an outstanding group of players, but the coaching staff (led by head coach Marv Dunphy) played an integral part of the team's success. We just dominated play from 1984 to 1988. Because this all happened 20 years ago and we were all around 27 to 30 years of age, we all now have kids. Just last weekend I saw Doug Partie and Karch Kiraly. Troy Tanner I see quite a bit. I see most of my old teammates at least three or four times a year. Most of them are Southern California residents."
