Q&A: Nicole Hragyil

Texas Tech Volleyball alum Nicole Hragyil (2011-14) is one of 91 athletes who trained at the United States Olympic Training Center this July, and looks to be featured on NBC Sports Network's two-hour television special "Scouting Camp: The Next Olympic Hopeful" airing this Friday at 8 p.m. CT.

After years of injuries and setbacks from the physical toll of collegiate volleyball, Hragyil is back on path athletically and will soon be moving to California to pursuing her dream of playing professional beach volleyball while coaching a club team. In the meantime, why not sign up to see if you have what it takes to become an Olympian?

What made you decide to do this and how did this process begin?

"I'm a personal trainer at 24 Hour Fitness, and one day at work I saw a flyer on one of our desks. I glanced at it and noticed the Olympic logo. My co-worker saw me looking at it and told me that I needed to tryout. I read into it more and saw that there would be tryouts for potential bobsled, skeleton, track cycling and rugby athletes at 24 Hour Fitness locations across the country. I thought, "Why Not?" and signed up later that day.

The first tryout was at my gym, 24 Hour Fitness Castle Hills in The Colony, Texas. There was about a four-hour window to get all of your testing done, but it took about 30 minutes for each athlete to complete everything. They tested us in broad jump, vertical leap, 10-meter sprint, underhand medicine ball toss, and a 30-second cycling sprint test.

There were about 4,000 people who submitted an application. All applicants had the option to choose one or all of the sports, and I chose bobsled and skeleton. I didn't know much about either of them other than they go down an ice slide really fast, but I assumed speed and power would be important. Pushing sleds on turf has always been my favorite conditioning exercise, so I hoped that would translate well at the tryout."

How did your time as a student-athlete at Texas Tech help you get here?

"I loved my time at Tech. The athletic department provided me with so much. I met so many great people and found lifelong friends. Lubbock will always be home, and the people I met will always be family. I love being a Red Raider.

Although my time at Tech was overwhelmingly positive, I left Lubbock with a bitter taste in my mouth. My collegiate volleyball career was far from what I know it could've been. The whole experience taught me a lot about how to handle life and the cards that we're dealt, and I'm certainly more resilient because of it. That experience has fueled me. It's a big reason why I keep going at it everyday; I know I have so much more to give."

How has your training evolved since being a collegiate student-athlete?

"Five years of collegiate athletics beat me up pretty good! My workout regimen is a lot less structured now. I play beach volleyball several times per week and have one to four days of light to moderate exercise that revolves around stabilization, proper movement mechanics and targeted muscle work. I get help from my physical therapists and co-workers and use common sense. Above all – and this sounds so cliché – I just listen to my body!"

You were one of 25 Big 12 volleyball players to attend the U.S. Women's National Team Open Tryouts in 2015, how did that experience at the OTC help with this?

"The training center is an incredible place to be. So many of the world's top athletes have step foot on that campus; it's easy to get awestruck and forget you earned your way there one way or another too. I think having been there as a kid and visitor, as well for the volleyball tryout, made it less nerve-racking. Sleeping in the dorms, eating in the dining hall and making my way around campus weren't new, so there were at least a few things I didn't have to adapt to, at least consciously."

Where will you be watching the show from when it airs?

"I'll be watching the show from Denver City, Texas. I'll be in Temecula the following Wednesday!"

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