When I was fourteen, I met Danielle Scott through my coach, Ruth Nelson. Not personally - but by reputation.

Ruth had just agreed to work with me one-on-one. She was very brave! And from the very first day of lessons I heard about Danielle Scott. Her many accomplishments, from her college reputation to her professional career in Japan and Italy and then, of course, the Olympic stories. She talked about Danielle a lot. How she trained, how she respected her body and health, how successful she had been, how cool she was. I felt really lucky to know someone who knew an Olympian.

Then, a couple of years later, I had a chance to actually meet and talk with Danielle at her surprise birthday celebration hosted by Ruth. She had been traveling for days but she seemed so enthusiastic when she talked to us about her love of the game and shared some words of wisdom with us. But it gets even better! She surprised my team the next day at practice and spent two hours with us demonstrating blocking and hitting, answering questions and giving advice - I, Cat Mundy, was getting advice from the woman voted World's Best Middle Blocker! Now that was the biggest thing that had ever happened to me! I was so psyched and nervous that it seemed like every ball I hit slammed into the back wall like a field goal! When I saw her play on TV in the 2000 Olympics, I never dreamed that I would someday have the opportunity to meet her in person, yet alone work with her on the court. That meeting inspired me to be the best that I can be, to focus, work hard and concentrate on the next step - playing in college.

Of course, I couldn't wait to brag to all my friends at school but they didn't believe me. An Olympic athlete would never spend time helping players she didn't know. But that's not Danielle at all. She has become my idol not only because of how incredible she is on the court, but also because of her easy-going nature and her genuinely humble personality off the court. A personality that is obviously a reflection of her family.

I know, because I had another awesome opportunity. My team was invited to sit with Danielle's family last year when the National Team played Brazil here on its U.S. tour. Her family is just as nice as she is and they seem so supportive of what she does and even more proud of what she represents.

At the Olympics in Athens I watched the U.S. Team fight for a medal and Danielle performed incredibly to help her team push for a win against Brazil. They fought hard and I am still in awe of how fast she moved, how quickly she reacted on the court and how smart she was at the net. She is in such great shape and her stamina is amazing. But when I saw tears of disappointment rolling down her cheeks at the end of the match, I just hoped she would be back for the 2008 Olympics so she and the U.S. team could get their revenge on the Brazilians and bring home the Gold! They deserve it!

Danielle has a very strong faith, spiritual commitment and a peace about her that makes her even more beautiful on the inside than the out. Faith in the Lord can give you an inner beauty and strength that you didn't know you had. And Danielle embodies a strength that seems nearly impossible to achieve. The Lord is obviously with her and this has encouraged me to keep my faith strong and to never give up my dreams.

Thank you, Danielle Scott, for giving me the opportunity to know you and to learn from you, for taking the time to mentor and inspire other young volleyball players, for so proudly representing our country, and for being my idol, my inspiration, my teacher and my friend.

Cat Mundy
09-13-04