Jamie Davis’s final day on the job because the CEO of USA Volleyball is Monday.
His alternative can be introduced this week.
Curiously, after Davis introduced he wouldn’t proceed with USAV, the chance arose for him to take the identical job with USA Water Polo. So he’ll transferring from the courts to the pool in October.
Davis, 58, took over at USA Volleyball after the 2016 Rio Olympics, in January 2017, changing Doug Beal. We caught up with Davis final week:
VBM: Ideas about it as you wrap up?
Davis: I’m extraordinarily pleased with what the group has been in a position to accomplish over the past eight years. Once I look again on the group and I take a look at it now, I believe it’s in a a lot more healthy place and on actually stable footing and I’m hopeful the subsequent CEO will be capable to construct on this basis to take it to even better heights.
Our membership went from 339,000 members in 2016 to 435,000 members this previous membership season. That’s up simply over 30 p.c. Over the 2 (Olympic) quads we received 4 golds, one silver and one bronze, we’re within the healthiest monetary form we’ve been in, we weathered COVID and got here out stronger.
And, while you take a look at volleyball, the game itself, in the USA, the game is simply booming. It’s simply wholesome throughout the board, the expansion of the game is constant, we’ve obtained three professional leagues that at the moment are going to be in the USA when LOVB launches in January because the third.
I’m simply actually pleased with the work the entire group has achieved. It’s not me. It’s the entire group and I’m actually pleased with what we’ve been ready accomplish.
VBM: You referenced COVID. That was a time while you needed to do layoffs and firings and actually pare again. That needed to be onerous.
Davis: COVID was the toughest factor I’ve needed to handle in my whole skilled profession. We did every part we may to not do what you simply talked about, to not have to put off or furlough workers. We did it with full transparency.
What we did when COVID hit was we began monitoring our money move. It was all about money move at that time. Each week we might replace the group on how we had been doing on money move, and we had been telling them, these are the issues that we’re making an attempt to maintain and if this doesn’t occur, these are the results that may have we didn’t. Nobody knew what COVID was at the moment, so we had been hoping to have the ability to nonetheless get a few of our championships off and our qualifiers off.
However because the shutdown occurred, and people (occasions) weren’t in a position to occur, numerous our income and money move is available in from there. We obtained to some extent when, sadly, it was, it was one of many worst issues I ever needed to do with my skilled profession. We made the choice that we did should do some paring down, layoffs and a few furloughing of workers,
VBM: You didn’t deliver everyone again, however you’re in a position to deliver some folks again.
Davis: We weren’t in a position to deliver everyone again, however in that course of, we had been in a position to restructure a little bit bit and presumably turn into extra environment friendly in sure issues we do, and we’ve continued to develop. And now our head rely at USA volleyball is bigger than it ever was earlier than. Even pre-COVID.
VBM: One of many issues that occurred whilst you you’ve been there was the boys juniors have turn into disenchanted and numerous them have gone over to AAU. What are your ideas about that and tips on how to how does USA volleyball get that again?
Davis: Boys has been a problem for us. There’s little question about that, and it’s one thing that we’ve tried to tried to handle and we’re going to proceed to attempt to handle. It’s a precedence for us, and it isn’t one thing that we’re taking evenly. And we’ve tried to institute a bunch of recent issues, to be interested in the boys golf equipment, to have the ability to deliver them again, and we’ve made some progress in there, however I’m hopeful that we’ll proceed, that the group will proceed to take it as a precedence and proceed to do extra extra issues for the boys golf equipment and the boys athletes as a way to try to appeal to them again.
VBM: What different issues do you hope that the subsequent CEO does to maintain the momentum going and or addresses drawback spots?
Davis: I hope the brand new CEO will are available in with an open thoughts and hearken to our constituent teams. One of the essential issues I’ve tried to do all through my whole time at USA volleyball is hear. Attempt to hearken to our golf equipment, attempt to hearken to our nationwide groups, attempt to hear. And which means the coaches and the athletes, attempt to hearken to our areas, attempt to hearken to our board, and to take all of that in after which attempt to take advantage of knowledgeable choices for the general group and the game.
And at instances, you get conflicting opinions from totally different teams. If you concentrate on it, each greenback you spend on one space that will get grassroots is a greenback you’re not spending on nationwide groups. And every part you spend on nationwide groups you aren’t spending on grassroots. So in case you are from the a type of constituent teams, you’re not usually completely happy when one thing is being achieved within the different space, as a result of everybody would love extra, and that’s human nature.
So you actually should try to hear, search for traits, and in the end make choices that you simply consider, that the subsequent CEO will consider. That is what I’ve tried to do. I hope the subsequent CEO will do the identical, make choices that they consider will greatest profit the group, the game, the athletes, the membership and all of our constituents.
VBM: Do you could have any regrets, or are there any initiatives that you simply want you’d been in a position to tackle however simply couldn’t as a result of there wasn’t sufficient time or cash or vitality?
Davis: I remorse the state of affairs that has occurred with the boys. You talked about them. I don’t suppose that was all from USA Volleyball, by any means. I believe numerous it truly began in a sure area after which sort of obtained some momentum.
So it’s one thing that, as I discussed earlier, I’m hopeful that the brand new CEO and the group will be capable to rectify. However total, if I take a look at the massive image, I’m very, very pleased with every part that we’ve completed, as a result of I consider that the plusses have far outweighed the negatives total for the group.
And I consider in while you are available in as a CEO, that you simply wish to try to depart the depart the group higher than you discovered it. And I consider I’ve achieved that, and I additionally consider you wish to depart it on a stable basis, so the subsequent chief can depart it higher than they discovered it. And I’m hopeful and believing that that’s additionally the case.
VBM: I’ve teased you earlier than that you simply wouldn’t know a water polo ball from a hockey puck, and while you took over this job, I might need teased you a similar method and stated you wouldn’t have identified a volleyball from a hockey puck. And I do know personally how huge of a fan and aficionado of the game you’ve turn into, and the way a lot you care concerning the USA groups you’ve grown near.
Davis: I got here into the game — very transparently — that whereas I had a enterprise background utterly in sports activities my whole profession, however volleyball experience was not a part of my portfolio.
I’ve grown to utterly love the game, embrace it, and am really going to be a fan for all times. I’m going into water polo with the very same mentality. I went and watched 4 matches on the Paris Olympic Video games, and was simply energized by the joy, the athleticism of the game.
I don’t are available in as an knowledgeable, however hopefully I can come into water polo, bringing contemporary eyes and contemporary perspective like I did the volleyball, to have the ability to assist work with the group there, to have the ability to develop the momentum that they’ve and have hopefully related success that we’ve been in a position to obtain at volleyball.
VBM: And what an ideal be aware to finish this with and put up the image of you and me watching an Olympic water polo match collectively in Paris:
