Sam Pedlow: From working hard to working smart
DOHA, Qatar, March 7, 2020 - Sam Pedlow has been known as one of
the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour's hardest workers for some
time now, but he insists that this season is about working
smart.
The Canadian blocker is currently in Doha with partner Sam
Schachter preparing for the first 4-star tournament on the World
Tour in 2020, and the pair need a big season to ensure
qualification to what would be Pedlow’s first Olympic Games.
The duo known as Sam2 teamed up after Rio 2016 and are one of a
number of teams who are looking to gain a place at the Olympic
Games in July. Pedlow, like many, knows it’s not going to be
easy. The team had an impressive 2019 with lots of results
within the top 10, although they only managed to finish in the
top 5 once in Espinho. To be in contention for an automatic
qualification place, they will need to finish in the top 15
places of the Olympic ranking by the time the five-star event in
Rome is completed in June. But as we know, the competition on
the World Tour is tough and the Canadian boys will have to be at
their best.
“With such a competitive men's field we know we need a few more
top 5 results to solidify us in the Olympic ranking. The 2016
quad was foreign to me, it was my first kick at the can. It
taught me you can't force anything. You just have to go out week
after week and bring your best. The results will come if you can
do this.”
“As the Olympic years get
closer, I think the level of the game continues to increase. I
was proud of our team's ability to compete with the best in the
world. We were able to finish the 2019 campaign with more top
ten finishes than in our previous two seasons together, which is
a great display of our consistency. We are still looking for
that breakthrough performance we both know we are capable of,
and have a good feeling 2020 is prime for that.”
The Canadians had a few tough
draws in some of the early knockout rounds in 2019 and started
the 2020 season with another ninth in Chetumal. It was felt
worldwide that Canada were on the brink of a big result on a few
different occasions, something that Pedlow hopes is coming their
way in 2020.
“Every season is a roller
coaster. When opportunities arise the best in the world take
advantage. Were there some missed opportunities, definitely.
Some tough draws, for sure. I think success in this sport is
granted to those who are ready for anything and to compete on
any given day. That is what we are working towards in 2020, to
be prepared to bring our best no matter the situation.”
The team have just completed another year training in Hermosa
Beach, California which alonside Tenerife and Brazil is one of
the most used to training bases in the world. To many,
California is the home of beach volleyball with so many big
names down there training and winning competitions. And that
helps inspire Pedlow to be at his best. The team have been
training with the likes of Jake Gibb and Taylor Crabb to get
ready for the sprint to the Olympic finish line.
“I have been training in
California every winter since 2013. It is a great spot to test
out skills vs a wide variety of American opponents, each with
their own unique style. There is something about LA that
signifies volleyball, it's a great place to call our second home
and I look forward to going back every year. In Canada we
consistently train with our third team (Aaron Nusbaum/Michael
Plantinga). I really can't thank them enough for pushing us week
in and week out. It's not always easy to train for months at a
time indoors, which is why we make the transition to California.
Down in the States we normally rotate between the top five
American teams, with a new opponent each day. The variety of
style is what makes California such a great training ground. It
really lets us put our systems to the test under different
situations. For us we are always focusing on cleaning up our
side out and defensive efficiency. If we keep these areas high
we know we are a tough team to beat.”
In an era of teams bringing lots
of support staff on tour and performance analysis becoming a
must, Canada are one of the only teams on tour not to have a
coach on site with them at events. But as the Olympic race
starts to fire up, this may well change for Pedlow/Schachter.
“As a team who do not consistently travel with a coach you have
to be adaptable. However technology has really made it easy to
stay in communication, and with games being uploaded shortly
after they are finished, we are able to receive feedback very
quickly even with a coach back home. Being a beach volleyball
player from Canada, unfortunately we don't have the luxury of a
coach full time on tour. But I think we have created a really
solid system with our current coach Ahren Cadieux. With this
being the Olympic year, you can expect to see him more
frequently on tour.”
Just by looking at Pedlow’s
Instragram, it is easy to see that he’s one of the World Tour's
hardest workers. But when asked for advice, he suggests more
than just hard work. He is looking for a new type of mastery
going into an exciting new season. Pedlow suggests: “Work
smarter, not harder. I think for the longest time I thought
grinding myself into the ground was the route to success. When
you are younger you can maybe get away with this. But as I get
older, I am learning to look for specific areas both on and off
the court that can have a meaningful impact without overloading
myself. No matter how you approach it, it's going to be a large
volume of work, so having an amazing support system surrounding
you is critical. I can't thank Ahren, Sam, my parents and my
wife Rebecca enough for the huge part they play in my success.” |