Along the journey in this amazing story we have captured the attention and hearts of so many great people and amazing athletes.  I have been fortunate to have struck up distant friendships with many of them.  Today takes us in a slightly different direction as "Five Questions" features it's first professional football player, Former Pittsburgh Steeler placekicker Jeff Reed.

I contacted Jeff on twitter about Jam the Gym 5, he was moved by our story and did a feature on his blog about us.( The Jeff Reed Show )

Jeff also does a podcast.  He discusses a wide variety of topics, some serious and some, well, not so much!  It is great fun either way and I recommend you give it a listen!  The podcasts are also available at the link above.

Five Questions takes on Thee Man Cave in our first endeavor into professional football.

Jamming in Five Questions, Jeff Reed!

Jeff Reed Charlotte, NC Pittsburgh Steelers, Placekicker (2002-2010) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Journalism and Mass Communication You were blessed to play on some great teams and witness some great teammates.  Who was the hardest worker on those Steeler teams and what did you learn from him? The greatest teammate and hardest worker I played with was Hines Ward, although there were many guys that truly worked their tails off. Hines handed out shirts one time in the locker room that said: "Hard Work Beats Talent when Talent Doesn't Work Hard." Not sure I really need to explain this, but I will. There are many people that are just flat out freaks of nature. Many times, these individuals lack a great work ethic and end up not meeting expectations and not reaching their utmost potential. Hard workers may not be the freaks of nature that I referred to, but they are the athletes/individuals that exceed expectations and maximize potential, leading to a great amount of success. Hines exemplified this description. To be honest, growing up that is all I knew. I had to work for everything. NOTHING was handed to me. You have also had opportunities to be the difference in many close games.  If you could choose just one, what is your defining moment as a professional football player?  Which bad moment would you like to get another crack at?  My defining moment as a professional football player was the day I put the black and yellow on for the first time in November of 2002. It hit reality, not in practice, when I jogged on to Heinz Field to people yelling my name from pregame warmups all the way through the 4th quarter. The dream became reality. If I had to pick one game and one big kick I made to help the team to victory, I couldn't pick it because it is just too selfish to view it that way.     The one "bad" moment I want back is missing 2 4th-quarter field goals with the score tied against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Not only did I miss a 38- and 43-yarder, Robbie Gould made it that much harder on me by kicking the game-winner just a few minutes after the second miss of mine. It is still hard to swallow to this day, because I felt that I let my team down tremendously. What was the longest Field Goal you have ever made, practice or game? The longest field goal I ever made in a game actually occurred in high school (my first year ever playing football), and it was 54 yards. My longest kick in the pro ranks was 53 yards. Now, in practice in college, I made a 72-yarder that banked off of the crossbar and continued through the uprights. That was a "wow factor," as I surprised myself! Along the way you have been influenced by many coaches.  Who was your favorite and what set him/her apart from the rest? My favorite coach was Bill Cowher. He gave me a chance. He also spit on me a handful of times. The reason he is my favorite is because he was never a huge fan of specialists, but I earned his respect rather quickly. It was pretty cool how he welcomed me with open arms. As far as a football coach, he was emotional and passionate, yet he was very laid back as long as the work was being put in. He actually listened to his team and respected every single individual in the organization. He had the power and reigns, but he never acted like he was better than anyone. Your podcast(Barely Controlled Radio) seems to be growing at a great pace.  What are your hopes for it and what is the next natural step for Jeff Reed? Barely Controlled Radio is my podcast. It is rapidly on the rise. My ultimate goal is XM radio, but who needs that when you have a successful podcast?! I will continue to get prominent guests (hopefully once a week) and take over the air waves. I am very serious about the material and really have fun expressing it. The definition of "passion" is "barely controllable emotion." Hence, the name of my podcast has "barely controlled" in it. Not many people get to participate in work they actually enjoy, but I do! Add BCR to my dedication to motivational speaking, charities, and working with young kickers, and you have the recipe for success for Jeff Reed. Bonus Question: Five Questions has a big following among elite female volleyball athletes.  Who is your all time favorite female athlete and why?  My all time favorite female athlete is Mia Hamm. My true love is the sport of soccer. Yes, she is a fellow Tar Heel, but basically she was the face of all female athletes for so long. I truly believe it goes back to what I was saying about Hines. She said this quote: "The vision of a champion is bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion, when nobody else is looking." Does anything else need to be said as to why this woman helped her teams win the Women's World Cup in 1991 and 1999, and take Olympic gold medals in 1996 and 2004??? I don't think so. A BIG thank you to Jeff Reed for taking the time to answer "Five Questions".  Make sure to check out his podcast http://www.thejeffreedshow.com/tag/barely-controlled-radio/ and read his blog posts.  Thanks #3, YDM!

     Next Wednesday night an elite international star is coming home to Pittsburgh to tell her story, and to take questions from those in attendance.  It is an opportunity that shouldn't be missed.  No it's not Frances McDormond, not Jackie Evanko, heck its not even Christina Agulaira.  It's the captain of a World Champion, the owner of an Olympic Silver Medal, and an NCAA Champion.  It's Hopewell's own Christa Harmotto-Dietzen.

     While asking questions from Frances, Jackie, or Christina would be ok, they can't match the path of our "Hometown Hero" Christa!  Why?  Because Christa walks the walk, and talks the talk.  She is someone all athletes from our area can look up to.  Someone who has gone from Hopewell to Penn State, from State College to the US Training Center in Anaheim, to a Silver Medal in London, and a World Championship in Milan.  You don't have to be a volleyball player, or a female for that matter to recognize how special Christa's story is.  Here is what teammate Cassidy Lichtman has to say...

 "Christa is a ridiculously good athlete. And a World Champion. And an Olympian. But those aren't the reasons that you should want to go meet her and listen to her speak. The reason is that she can tell you what it takes to get to be all of those things. She can tell you about perseverance, focus and commitment. She can tell you about mindfulness and how much sport can teach you about who you really are. And she can tell you about the responsibility of being a leader of the top program in the world. I know for a fact that she has first-hand knowledge of all of these things. And, also, she's a pretty great person so you should really go hang out with her."

     So if you want to know what it took, from training, to strategy, to mindset, and faith, come out and welcome Christa Harmotto-Dietzen back to the "Burgh" next Wednesday night, November 18th, from 7-9, at Hopewell High School.

     This is the sixth edition of "Five Questions" and I just can't get used to how cool

 it is to get answers back from people I personally find so fascinating!  I can't tell 

you what a kick it is to open my email and find a response.  I am so honored, every

 time.  Today, I clicked open the "old" Gmail to find some insightful answers from 

 Team USA Libero Nicole Davis.  Nicole's bio is available at

http://www.teamusa.org/usa-volleyball/athletes/Nicole-Davis   

She has been in the National Team program for ten years and has traveled the world 

as a professional since her graduation from USC in 2004.    

Jamming in Five Questions, Nicole Davis!

Nicole Davis

Current Location- Cannes, France

Team Name- Le Cannet-Rocheville

College Attended-USC

Major- Political Science / Minor: Business

The libero position was not yet used when you started playing at USC.

What did it feel like to don that opposite colored jersey for the first time?

          At the time, I felt a little special, but didn't really understand the importance

         of the role/position in volleyball, in the way that I do now.  I think the position

         is often under valued and certainly lacking the glory of an outside hitter, for

        example, but I believe we are the glue that holds things together for a team-we

        are emotional and strategical leaders, and we create extra opportunities for our

        team to score points, and I've since grown into that mindset.  Whereas, when

        I first started playing the position, it was about passing and defending as best

        I could.  Still part of the job description, of course, but a good libero has the 

        ability to change the course of a match for his/her team at any time.  

Coming from USC, when did you first realize you might be able to represent

 your country, and what was that like?

              Volleyball was a means to an end for me when I went to USC.  I never imagined

         I would play for this long (in my 10th year as a professional and with the USA team).  

         I was invited to the USA team in January of my senior year and left school a

         semester early.  It was probably my third summer with the national team that I

         realized I could do this and fully committed to the process, in an all-in, heart and

         soul kind of way that it takes to be successful at this level.  I didn't know what I

         was getting myself into ;) 

Who has been the most influential person in your playing career and why? 

                I've been coached by and played with some of the best in the world.  I've tried 

           to be like a sponge and take as much in as I can from all of them.  I've learned

           from and been deeply touched and influenced from countless people.  I've been 

          really fortunate in that regard.  

Is there anyone on the planet who makes you wish you were somewhere else

when they serve? 

     There are a ton of phenomenal servers nowadays.  However, I haven't felt like  

 "I wish I was somewhere else when they serve" since the beginning of my career

        and the days of the dominant Cuban players with their top spin serves that rivaled the

        speed and movement of some men.  (Cuba won four Olympic gold medals in a row 

        and had/have some of the best players in the world in their respective positions, but 

        have since defected).

You have traveled the world.  Who has the most courteous fans?  The rowdiest?

The most knowledgeable?  

The most courteous fans I would say go to the Japanese.  The rowdiest probably

          Brazil or Turkey, depends on if it's a "derby" match or not...as for knowledgable,

          haha who knows, everyone is a self proclaimed expert at a sporting event ;)

Bonus Question;

  If the "Nicole Davis Story" had a soundtrack, what three songs would surely be on it?

 "Started from the Bottom" by Drake,

 "Some Days You Gotta Dance" by Dixie Chicks,

   hmmmmm and "I'm in a hurry" by Alabama are the first three to come to mind.

 *I don't have all my music with me, and those are pretty random but that's my best go

   at that question!

So far "Jamming in Five Questions has
explored a Middle Blocker, an Opposite,
 a Outside Hitter, and a (THE) Coach.
Today we sneak inside the mind of a Libero.
What makes Tama Tick?  Some unique insights into 

the training and playing of her position.
Get to know Tama Miyashiro.

Tama Miyashiro

 Position Libero

 Current Location  Anaheim, CA

 College Univ of Washington

 Major  Art

 Training for your position has to be challenging.  What specific exercises
 are good for the skills needed

 for a libero?  

I think from a non-volleyball standpoint building a strong base and having 
strength in your legs is always

 a good start. Doing serve receive, defensive drills and out of system
 setting should be a main focus if you 

are in small groups. If you have the ability to play with a live serve
 or attack that is always the best way to 

train your eyes. 

 Preparation and scouting have come a long way.  If you are breaking 
down film of an opponent what tendencies are you looking at?

I like to look for patterns when players are contacting the ball. Servers at a high level can hit targets so as

a passer if I can get some information as to what kinds of things the ball does for each server or a baseline 

trajectory it can help in serve receive. The less a passer is surprised the better.  As for hitters I like to look 

for tendencies based on their approach or where they hit the ball in relation to their body. Hitters also have a

 lot of range at this level so figuring out what half they like to hit the ball can help a lot because it can give 

us a starting point on how to set up our defense. Reading the setter is important as well the sooner I know 

where the ball is being set the sooner I can get my eyes on the hitter which allows me to get as many clues 

as I can when trying to defend these quick and powerful attacks. Im looking for patterns in hand position, 

body position and situational tendencies. To be more specific a lot of setters drop their hands when setting 

quick sets. If this is a tendency I can look for this when I am playing and hopefully get set up to dig before 

she hits it.

 If you were looking for an athlete in another sport to train as a libero, which sport and what position has 

the skills that most closely mimic what he/she will need?

Out of the sports I have played I think tennis can translate fairly well. The movement patterns can be the 

same. Moving laterally as well as forward and backward are important in both sports.

 What other sports interest you?  What else have you played, and what are you a fan of?

I like to watch a lot of sports. I'll watch baseball, basketball, football, soccer, and tennis. I have played all 

of  those except football. I like the Seattle Seahawks. I like what they stand for and Seattle has a special 

place in my heart. When I played in Germany I watched a Bayern Munich game and became an instant fan. 

I read Rafael Nadal's book and enjoyed learning about him as an athlete and a person.

 Long road trips are great for reading.  What is the last book you read and what is your all time favorite?

The last book I read was "The Art of Learning." I recommend that to everyone. 

"Mastery" by George Leonard is a book that I find myself reading multiple times.

 Bonus Question:

 Most likely your iPod is loaded up with a wide variety of music.  Is there a song that you think you could 

perform and would your family or teammates agree?

Performing songs is not really in my genes however you will find a lot of reggae on my ipod.