Jamie Davis’s final day on the job because the CEO of USA Volleyball is Monday.
His substitute shall 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 shifting 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 happy with what the crew has been capable of accomplish over the past eight years. After I look again on the group and I have a look at it now, I feel 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 larger 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 gained 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, once you have 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 continuous, we’ve bought 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 happy with the work the entire crew has carried out. It’s not me. It’s the entire crew and I’m actually happy with what we’ve been in a position accomplish.
VBM: You referenced COVID. That was a time once you needed to do layoffs and firings and actually pare again. That needed to be exhausting.
Davis: COVID was the toughest factor I’ve needed to tackle in my total skilled profession. We did all the pieces we may to not do what you simply talked about, to not have to put off or furlough staff. We did it with full transparency.
What we did when COVID hit was we began monitoring our money circulation. It was all about money circulation at that time. Each week we might replace the crew on how we have been doing on money circulation, and we have been telling them, these are the issues that we’re attempting 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 have 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 capable of occur, plenty of our income and money circulation is available in from there. We bought to a degree 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 must do some paring down, layoffs and a few furloughing of staff,
VBM: You didn’t convey all people again, however you’re capable of convey some individuals again.
Davis: We weren’t capable of convey all people again, however in that course of, we have been capable of restructure just a little 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 plenty of them have gone over to AAU. What are your ideas about that and the right way to how does USA volleyball get that again?
Davis: Boys has been a problem for us. There’s little doubt about that, and it’s one thing that we’ve tried to tried to deal with and we’re going to proceed to attempt to tackle. It’s a precedence for us, and it’s not one thing that we’re taking frivolously. And we’ve tried to institute a bunch of latest issues, to be drawn to the boys golf equipment, to have the ability to convey 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 entice 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 with an open thoughts and hearken to our constituent teams. One of the vital essential issues I’ve tried to do all through my total time at USA volleyball is pay attention. Attempt to hearken to our golf equipment, attempt to hearken to our nationwide groups, attempt to pay attention. And meaning 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 selections for the general group and the game.
And at occasions, you get conflicting opinions from totally different teams. If you consider it, each greenback you spend on one space that will get grassroots is a greenback you’re not spending on nationwide groups. And all the pieces you spend on nationwide groups you aren’t spending on grassroots. So if you’re from the a type of constituent teams, you’re not usually completely satisfied when one thing is being carried out within the different space, as a result of everybody would really like extra, and that’s human nature.
So you actually must try to pay attention, search for traits, and in the end make selections that you simply imagine, that the subsequent CEO will imagine. That is what I’ve tried to do. I hope the subsequent CEO will do the identical, make selections that they imagine will finest profit the group, the game, the athletes, the membership and all of our constituents.
VBM: Do you will have any regrets, or are there any initiatives that you simply want you’d been capable of tackle however simply couldn’t as a result of there wasn’t sufficient time or cash or power?
Davis: I remorse the scenario that has occurred with the boys. You talked about them. I don’t suppose that was all from USA Volleyball, by any means. I feel plenty of it truly began in a sure area after which type of bought some momentum.
So it’s one thing that, as I discussed earlier, I’m hopeful that the brand new CEO and the crew will be capable to rectify. However total, if I have a look at the large image, I’m very, very happy with all the pieces that we’ve completed, as a result of I imagine that the plusses have far outweighed the negatives total for the group.
And I imagine in once you are available as a CEO, that you simply need to try to go away the go away the group higher than you discovered it. And I imagine I’ve carried out that, and I additionally imagine you need to go away it on a stable basis, so the subsequent chief can go away 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 once you took over this job, I may need teased you a similar approach and stated you wouldn’t have recognized 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 total profession, however volleyball experience was not a part of my portfolio.
I’ve grown to utterly love the game, embrace it, and am actually going to be a fan for all times. I am 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 thrill, the athleticism of the game.
I don’t are available as an professional, 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 crew there, to have the ability to develop the momentum that they’ve and have hopefully related success that we’ve been capable of obtain at volleyball.
VBM: And what an ideal word to finish this with and submit the image of you and me watching an Olympic water polo match collectively in Paris:
