BOCA RATON, Fla. — The Florida Atlantic beach volleyball team might not be getting ready for the Paris Olympics, but they hope their former Olympian coach will help them get there someday.
Marketa Svozilova said Wednesday she can remember first watching the Olympics when it was in London in 2012.
"That's when the Czech women's team got fifth in the Olympics, and I feel like that was the moment that introduced me to beach volleyball," the Czech Republic native told WPTV.
She started playing the year after and has been playing ever since.
It's a dream shared by fellow Czech native Julie Honzovicova, who called the Olympics the "top of the top."
"If I would get the chance, it would be just awesome," she said.
Head coach Steve Grotowski hopes to help them get there. He played for Great Britain in the 2012 London Olympics.
"I think that would be really special, right, just to be able to kind of pass on that knowledge and that experience and, you know, have someone who came through here be able to compete for the Olympics, I think we'd have a big party for that," he said.
For Mikayla Law-Heese, a trip to the Olympics would be carrying on a family legacy.
"It's pretty funny. I actually have a lot of history in my family," she said. "My grandpa was also an Olympian. He also went to the Olympics for canoeing for team Canada. My dad was a three-time Olympian in beach volleyball. So, my dad carried on that legacy, and so I hope I can also carry on the legacy as well."