For this 7th Episode of Volley SOAPs Podcast, we sit down with Team Latvia's Anastasija Kravčenoka

A champion in the European tour and already a semi-finalist in the Tokyo Olympics at such a young age, it was an utmost pleasure to talk about her origins in the sport, how her coaches played a major role in her development into one of the elites in the world, how she manages to train competitively despite time away from her partner Tina and what’s in store for them moving forward in their careers. We also talk about the importance of technical knowledge as well mental fortitude at the elite level so I hope you enjoy the show!

In this episode, we talk about her Volleyball Journey in the "SOAP notes" format as follows

(S)ubjective History
- Her origin story from being an indoor player initially then finding her true calling on the Beach
- How she looks up a lot to her idols like Aleksandrs Samoilovs and how he is a major inspiration in her life both inside and outside the court.
- How the support from their federation was crucial for her to build a sustainable career as a beach volleyball player

(O)bjective History
- What technical beach volleyball skills she is most proud of
- What skill every aspiring player should master
- How mental fortitude is crucial especially at the elite level

(A)ssessment 
- An introspection of her journey and how she may or may not be done with the sport just yet

(P)lan of action
- Her excited she is to finally have more training time with her partner Tina given the latter's last years in college
- How she manages to train at an elite level despite the distance with Tina
- How they are setting their eyes on a podium finish in the next Olympics.

I hope you get to enjoy and be inspired by her story as much as I did! 

Feedbacks would be highly appreciated and let me know which Beach Volleyball Icon you want to get featured next!

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Anastasija's Socials
IG: @kravcenokaa
TikTok: @ kravcenokaa
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Kravcenokaa

Doc AJ's Socials
IG: @doc.ajpareja
TikTok: @doc.ajpareja
YT: Doc AJ Volleyball
Patreon: patreon.com/docajvolleyball

Audio File Title:
Mesmerizing by Gvidon

Audio File URL:
http://pixabay.com/music/soft-house-mesmerizing-15617/