Mizuno takes a look into the lives of professional athletes and their passion and dedication to keep striving for their best.
Mizuno’s philosophy: “Contributing to society through the advancement of sporting goods and the promotion of sports,” takes center stage in their new global campaign titled “Crazy Love.” Mizuno’s dedication to the world of sports is no secret considering their century-long existence, and Mizuno’s team of professional athletes share that same drive. In a series of interviews, some of the world’s top athletes share their journey and obsession with their sport and how their “Crazy Love” for what they do has brought them to their own apex of success.
USA Volleyball National Team member Annie Drews shares the ups and downs of being a professional volleyball player and the undeniable joy she feels from the sport. Drews explains that volleyball has “become something all-encompassing” in her life. She goes on to say, “It’s my stress reliever, but it’s also my stress inducer, but it’s just where I find a lot of joy. It’s taken me to a lot of different places in the world and…I’m still learning a lot about myself and about this sport, and I love having something that’s teaching me new things every day.” The thing that keeps Drews devoted to the sport is the fact that “volleyball specifically is the sport of errors. It’s rally scoring. So my loss is your gain and vice versa. It’s impossible to play a perfect game. But having that pursuit of getting as close as you can, especially under pressure, is just really enticing to me.”
View Annie Drews’ interview here.
Drews’ USA Volleyball National Teammate, Lauren Carlini, shares a similar sentiment in her interview with Mizuno. Carlini shares that her journey and dedication to the sport of volleyball taught her to preserve at a young age, but she also counts herself lucky to have the opportunity to do what she is passionate about on a daily basis. Carlini said, “There have definitely been tough times throughout my career, and they’ve come at different points. I played club volleyball for about 11 years straight with no summer breaks, and of course, after 11 years, it kind of takes a toll on you… I love playing volleyball and have since the day I started and picked up a ball. I knew that this was always going to be my path. And here I am, over 20 years later after I started the game and still doing it and still doing what I love on a daily basis. So I count myself lucky every single day for getting paid to play a game I love.”
View Lauren Carlini’s interview here.
American Record Holder and USA National Swim Team member Erika Brown details her love for the sport and her dedication to perfecting every component of the race from start to finish. Brown answers what keeps her coming back to the pool for more, “There are days that I really struggle, and I think, is this something that I want to keep doing?… But I look back at everything that swimming has given me and all the opportunities and the friendships and just the joy it brings to my life. And that’s an immediate reminder that it’s something that I want to continue doing for as long as I can.” Being a sprinter, Brown focuses much of her time on the details of each race; “Something that I’ve been working on a lot is my start, and that’s somewhere I get beat a lot. So I’ve been practicing using my arms for power and getting my hips through and working on it every single day. All those little details. And just recently, I was finally able to see a breakthrough in my start. So that feeling is amazing because not only is that hard work paying off, but I know that when I go to meets, I’m not going to get beat in those areas anymore…practicing it adds up, and it really makes a difference that’s motivating for the future.”
View Erika Brown’s Interview here.
Longtime USA Volleyball member David Smith illustrates the countless steps in his journey to mastering his skill and his exuberance for competition. Smith shares his perspective on why athletes can be so obsessed with certain nuance actions involved in sports; “Sports have a unique way of allowing you to invest everything you have into one small finite skill and being able to show the world, this is the best I have…I’m always trying to push myself to be the best, but I have someone across the net who’s trying to push themselves to be the best too. Even though we’re opponents and sometimes we feel like we’re enemies, we’re almost united in our journey together to try to be the best.” Smith depicts mastering skills as “hitting steps in a tier, but you don’t even know what is next. It’s like you’re climbing a pyramid; you can’t see the top, you just know that there’s a step, and that’s one more thing to conquer. Once you conquer that, you see the next one. When you’re at the bottom of the pyramid trying to look at the top, you don’t know all the steps you have to take. And honestly, if you probably did, it would be so discouraging because it looks like it’s such a large journey. But I think if you can put all your energy into that next step, you get there, and then it will become obvious what your next step is. Instead of trying to lay out your whole professional career in front of you and say, okay, I need to do that, and then I’ll be great, just be great at the thing that’s in front of you.”
View David Smith’s interview here.
Learn more about Mizuno’s “Crazy Love” here!
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About Mizuno USA:
Mizuno USA, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mizuno Corporation, one of the largest specialty sporting goods manufacturers in the world. Mizuno USA, Inc. manufactures and distributes golf, baseball, softball, running, volleyball, swimming, and tennis equipment, apparel, and footwear for North America. Mizuno USA, Inc. is based in Peachtree Corners, GA.
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