Among the final Olympic medals awarded in Rio: a bronze for the U.S. men’s volleyball team. And Charlie Sullivan, the head men’s volleyball coach at Springfield College, was a part of it.
Sullivan has been involved in international competitions before, but said there’s nothing quite like the Olympics.
“There’s a lot more pressure, it’s bigger, it’s more recognized than any other tournament I’ve ever been to,” Sullivan said. “It was amazing to witness that and experience that first hand.”
Sullivan was a scout coach, which means he watched contests between other nations to help prepare the U.S. team for upcoming matches. He said watching 26 volleyball games doesn’t leave much time to explore, or go to other events.
“I’m going to come back and probably hear a lot of stories about the Olympics,” Sullivan said. “To be there, you’re just kind of locked in to what you’re doing. And that’s what was really unique about the Olympic experience for me. It’s the first Olympics I didn’t really see at all.”
Sullivan said he plans to use some of what he saw from the best players in the world when his Springfield College team starts its season in January.