Three-time Olympic gold medalist holds clinic for local athletes

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — One special athlete paid a special visit to some volleyball players in Wilmington Saturday. Players young and old came out to learn from the best of the best.

“We love the game. We love to support those who are fighting for more and fighting for better,” said three-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh-Jennings.

Walsh-Jennings wants to instill that same feeling of love into the future of the sport.

“I’m very excited. I have been looking forward to meeting her for really long. And I’m really excited to be playing out here in front of her and seeing my idol playing,” said Marlee Cook, who has been playing club volleyball for three years.

Cook was one of dozens who came out the volleyball clinic at East Coast Volleyball Academy in Wilmington. The chance to play with one of the best.

Walsh-Jennings chose Wilmington all the way from her home in California.

“To be able to travel to a place that people might not equate with a great volleyball program or even beach volleyball, but to know they love our sport is so beautiful. And we want to give back just as much as we’ve been given,” said Walsh-Jennings.

Through giving back, Walsh-Jennings says she finds her own inspiration.

“For them to see her and be able to see how down to earth she is, and how relatable she is to them, and how much she loves the game and her passion, that’s kind of the reason we love having her here,” said Larry Salefsky, the owner of East Coast Volleyball Academy.

Salefsky says Walsh-Jennings is a role model in more ways than one.

“To be one of those people for these kids is a beautiful thing. It holds me accountable. It makes me want to be better. And it certainly makes me want to practice what I preach,” said Walsh-Jennings.

This is Walsh-Jennings’s second time hosting a volleyball clinic in Wilmington. She also came in 2015.