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HI, THIS IS PARISH PRESIDENT CYNTHIA LEE CHANG, UM, WITH REALLY EXCITING NEWS.
THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS ARE GONNA BE SO FUN FOR US AS WE WATCH OUR VERY OWN KRISTIN NUSS, BE A MEMBER OF THE US OLYMPIC TEAM FOR WOMEN'S BEACH VOLLEYBALL.
I HAD THE HONOR OF, UH, KNOWING KRISTEN AT LAKESHORE PLAYGROUND.
SHE'S A COUPLE YEARS OLDER THAN MY CHILDREN, AND REALLY SEEING HER PROBABLY IN SOME OF HER VERY FIRST VOLLEYBALL GAMES, I COULD SEE THEN THAT SHE WAS SPECIAL.
SHE WAS JUST A NATURAL ATHLETE.
AS A KID, I PLAYED SO MUCH, UH, UH, IN MANY DIFFERENT SPORTS, UM, ESPECIALLY AT LAKESHORE PLAYGROUND, JUST PLAYING BASKETBALL.
I STARTED OUT PLAYING BOUNCE BALL AT LAKESHORE, UM, AND I THINK IT REALLY JUST SHAPED ME INTO THE, THE PERSON I AM TODAY.
SHE JUST WAS A GREAT KID, QUIET KID, AND SPECTACULAR.
WHAT I'M VERY PROUD ABOUT IS THAT IS A PRODUCT OF OUR VERY OWN BELOVED JPRD SYSTEM.
AND SO IT'S NOT EASY TO MAKE IT THAT FAR.
SHE WENT ON TO PLAY AT MOUNT CARMEL AND LSUI WAS ACTUALLY A, A EXTREMELY SHY, SHY CHILD, UM, WHENEVER I WAS PLAYING ON THE TEAMS, AND I ALWAYS JUST KIND OF PUT MY HEAD DOWN AND WOULD JUST, JUST KIND OF GO TO WORK.
AND I TRIED TO JUST BE AS COACHABLE AS POSSIBLE, WHATEVER THE COACH WAS SAYING.
AND LIKE MISS AARON, SHE WAS KIND OF ONE OF THE FIRST COACHES THAT I HAD, ESPECIALLY IN BASKETBALL, AND IT WAS JUST WHATEVER SHE TOLD ME TO DO, I WAS JUST GONNA TRY AND DO IT TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY.
AND SHE WAS JUST ONE OF THOSE PLAYERS.
I MEAN, SHE LITERALLY HAS A GIFT FROM GOD THAT IS UNBELIEVABLE.
SHE WORKS HARD NOW, AND ESPECIALLY NOW.
I MEAN, SHE REALLY WORKS HARD.
SHE WAS DEFINITELY, UM, A VERY HARD COACH, BUT IT WAS JUST SOMEONE WHO I RESPECTED GREATLY, EVEN AT THAT AGE, AND I KNEW THAT WHAT SHE WAS SAYING, IT WAS TRYING TO MAKE ME A BETTER PLAYER AND OVERALL JUST A BETTER PERSON.
WHAT I LOVED ABOUT KRISTEN IS THAT SHE WAS SO HUMBLE OF AN ATHLETE AND IT WAS HARD NOT TO ROOT FOR HER.
AND I KNEW SHE WAS GONNA GO FAR, BUT I NEVER DREAMED THAT SHE WOULD GO THIS FAR.
SHE IS, I HAVE NO OTHER WORD FOR HER.
ANYBODY THAT KNOWS ME KNOWS THAT THAT'S WHAT I'VE CALLED HER.
I MEAN, I WOULD MOST DEFINITELY SAY DREAM BIG IF I WAS THAT LITTLE GIRL PLAYING BOUNCE BALL AT, UH, LAKE SHORE PLAYGROUND, AND I WOULD'VE THOUGHT, MAN, I REALLY WANNA BE AN OLYMPIAN.
I, I WOULD'VE JUST KIND OF DISCREDITED THAT AND NOT ACTUALLY FULLY BELIEVED IT.
I DON'T THINK I'D BE SITTING HERE TODAY AND ABOUT TO GO REPRESENT THE UNITED STATES.
SO IF THE, IF THE DREAM DOESN'T SCARE YOU AS A LITTLE KID, THEN I THINK YOU NEED A, YOU NEED A DREAM A LITTLE BIGGER.
ONE DAY SHE'S IN HERE WARMING UP WITH HER BROTHER AGAIN, PRACTICING, DOING DRILLS, AND I GO OVER AND I SAID, WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO? IT'S MAYBE BETWEEN HER JUNIOR AND, I DON'T KNOW, SENIOR YEAR, I'M GONNA GO PLAYING SAND VOLLEYBALL.
I SAID, WHAT? I SAID, SAM, VOLLEYBALL, I'M NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO WATCH YOU ON TV.
I SAID, WELL, I BETTER SEE YOU IN THE OLYMPICS IF YOU GO TO SAM VOLLEYBALL.
WE HAVE GOTTEN SO MUCH SUPPORT ALONG THIS WHOLE JOURNEY THAT WE STARTED OUT BACK THREE AND A HALF YEARS AGO, AND NOW IT'S, IT'S RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER, THE THE BIGGEST STAGE OF ALL.
BUT YEAH, WE HAVE JUST BEEN SUPER BLESSED BY EVERYONE BACK HOME IN LOUISIANA.
AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN BRING HOME SOME HARDWARE, NOT ONLY BACK TO THE UNITED STATES, BUT ESPECIALLY TO LOUISIANA.
KRISTIN, JEFFERSON PARISH IS PULLING FOR YOU.
WE COULDN'T BE MORE PROUD OF YOU.
GO SHOW THEM WHAT YOU'RE ALL ABOUT AND REPRESENT US WELL AND WE'LL BE PULLING FOR YOU AT THE OLYMPICS.