In addition to watching the Olympians compete, we are always looking at what type of gear the athletes are wearing. This year, athletes like Allyson Felix and Simone Biles walked away from lucrative sponsorships to create lines of their own and even create new products. While walking away from a sponsorship might seem easy now, we caught up with 1996 Atlanta Games Beach Volleyball Olympian Gail Malone who shared how it wasn’t always that easy.
Malone explained that athletes were often responsible for getting their own sponsorships and deals with brands. If they wanted to get paid it wasn’t enough to just wear the clothing or sip from a bottle, they had to be photographed or filmed using the product and there was no social media back then. This proved very challenging for beach volleyball players as their uniforms are usually two-piece swimsuits and not jerseys or jackets. Malone shared how she got creative and would make hair bows with her sponsors logo on them as volleyball players are often filmed from the back. They also created temporary tattoos for their sponsors as well and of course they had to get creative with the real estate on their two-piece swimsuits.
According to the Beach Volleyball Hall of Fame, Malone played in an astounding 190 tournaments. She was a pioneer in the birth of women’s professional beach volleyball. Over the course of her career, Castro won seven tournaments and remained a top competitor well into her forties. Her career culminated at the Atlanta Olympics where along with partner Deb Richardson, she wore the red, white and blue when beach volleyball made its debut at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Today, you can still find Malone playing sand volleyball as well as coaching at Santa Fe Christian. After an almost 20 year career, she began coaching. During that time she was the indoor girl’s volleyball coach until 2013 and won two state championships. She currently coaches the boys and girls beach volleyball club. Malone was also inducted into the California Beach Volleyball Associations Hall of Fame in 2017 and the Crescenta Valley High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018.
The Ecke YMCA was the perfect setting for the morning as Malone reminded us that indoor volleyball got its start at the YMCA!
LOOK LIKE A CHAMPION AS YOU CHEER ON TEAM USA
After waiting an extra year to cheer on our favorite Olympians, everyone is ready to go for the gold. Opening Ceremonies are here with all the competition to follow. We know you’ll be cheering for local favorites and getting decked out from head to toe, so Family Entourage shares some fun ways for your family to get in the Olympic Spirit!
Since spectators won’t be allowed to travel to Japan, all eyes will be watching Team USA online or through their television as they take on the world. Whether it’s swimming, gymnastics, track or skateboarding making its debut, sport your red, white and blue for the Americans.
In support of the Tokyo Games, Macy’s has launched an Olympic store that will run until August 8th to help your family with patriotic gear and accessories.
We love the Olympic collection from Polo Ralph Lauren at Macys. From Team USA Mesh Pullovers to ECOFAST Pure Team USA Jersey T-Shirts, Team USA Stretch Mesh Polo Shirt, to Team USA Twill Ball Caps and all the other patriotic selections, you are sure to find a favorite.
Plus what’s so cool is that royalties from the Polo Ralph Lauren Team USA Collection sales go to the United States Olympic Committee. Unlike most Olympic and Paralympic Teams, American athletes are not supported by federal funding and our heroes have triumphantly made it through the last year with resilience, a dream, and help from all of us.
From emulating looks, like the outfits worn during the opening ceremonies to just sporting red, white and blue like the perfect puma patriotic sneakers to jean twirl jumpers and athletic champion gear we found everything we needed at Macy’s!
Don’t worry if you have to work through the Olympic Games, you can still showcase your love for Team USA… with your socks! We love socks by Stance for their creativity and comfort. They have turned socks into one of the world’s most exciting accessories so of course they want to help you rock your red, white and blue. They have fun flag socks, stars and stripes, americana and more.
Plus from Captain America and Marvel favorites to Star Wars and sports teams, you can honor our Olympic heroes while wearing your favorite heroes — and many come in our country’s color schemes. With no spectators, we know we’ll be watching from our couch and now our entire family can be cozy in our colorful socks to cheer on the athletes. Another fun aspect, family matching!
Whether you’re decked out head-to-toe, or just “toe” — you can’t go wrong making a statement with Stance on your feet.
