From South America to North County, Unforgettable Summer Rolls on for Ross

Courtesy: UCSD Release: 07/20/10

Courtesy: UCSD

Calvin Ross, standing at 6-foot-8, is a senior on the UC San Diego men's volleyball team.

By Ivan Alber
UCSDTritons.com
What decibel level fits your summer? Sipping iced tea in a hammock with birds chirping overhead? That's about a 40. Building sandcastles, flying a kite and taking road trips? You're on cruise control at a 70. Meanwhile, Calvin Ross' 2010 "vacation" is cranking at a 110. Think Brazilian samba in your kitchen.
Although his UC San Diego coach describes the 6-foot-8 rising senior as quiet and unassuming, Ross' summer has been just the opposite.
From bump, set and spike competitions in South America to helping construct the "Hospital of the Future" in Escondido, Ross has found meaning in every summer minute.
Once the spring quarter concluded on June 11, Ross joined his Athletes in Action offseason team for a few days of practice at the organization's headquarters in Ohio. After a long plane ride south, the two-week journey in Brazil began.
Despite earning the reputation of a global powerhouse in soccer, Brazil is actually a regular champion in volleyball during the Olympics. During the two-week span, Ross and his Athletes in Action teammates played against four different opponents: the junior national team, the military team and two lower-level professional teams.
"We ended up losing all four matches," says Ross. "The competition down in Brazil was the best I've ever faced. Being a different country, the style is a little different. It was great experience for me and the players on the team to watch the other teams and learn from their technique and strategy. Along the way, I was able to develop friendships with my teammates and our opponents."
Ross' team included collegiate players from Cal Baptist, Ball State and Ohio State. One of his teammates was Brad Lawson, a member of the national champion Stanford squad that UCSD played twice in 2010.
The trip wouldn't have been complete without soccer though and luck would have it that the World Cup in South Africa happened to be in full swing while Athletes in Action made their volleyball tour.
"We got to see how the entire country of Brazil shut down on days where their team played," says Ross. "We were on the beach during one game and we'd hear cheering and fireworks for each goal. There was a crowd surrounding every public TV."

Upon his return to the United States, Ross experienced some rare downtime around the July 4 holiday. A few days later, he became a DPR Construction intern for a project that hits close to home. The Carlsbad, Calif., native and Santa Fe Christian High School graduate is helping with the construction of the Palomar Medical Center West project in Escondido.
Deemed "The Hospital of the Future," the facility is situated on 40 acres and is designed to accommodate 360 patient beds, 12 operating rooms and a trauma center, with an overall construction budget in excess of $550 million.
"Each day, I'm on the site in a mobile office," says Ross. "We are constantly looking at project maps and coordinating with different subcontractors, whether it's the suppliers of air conditioning, plumbing or fire extinguishers. The utilities might not be set up in the right way and we're always fixing problems and making changes as the project moves along."
Although the internship strays somewhat from Ross has been studying in school with his Mechanical Engineering major, he knows that UCSD has left him well prepared.
As the hectic summer schedule rolls along for Ross, volleyball will never leave his agenda. Entering his senior year, he and his teammates have big plans for the Tritons in the 2011 season.
"Playoffs is still our goal and I definitely want that to happen in my last year," says Ross. "We've accomplished a lot of firsts for the program already and we just have to keep taking steps forward."
While attending Santa Fe Christian in Solana Beach, Ross got a late jump on the sport of volleyball. He spent his earlier days as a lanky goalkeeper on the water polo team. Once he got going though, there was no turning back.
"He's always put in the time and the work to become a better player," says Kevin Ring, head coach of the Tritons. "The best example of that was the summer before his freshman year. He put in the hours with our strength and conditioning coach, working out three days a week consistently, and you could see the results when fall practice started."
Classes return in late September and with graduation ahead in June 2011, his classmates will grow wary of the real world that lurks. The 2010 summer that Ross split between South America and North County is shaping his mindset as a student-athlete and member of the UCSD community. He knows that the values and experiences picked up along the way will prove to be priceless once he's deemed a Triton grad.
"I landed from my trip to Brazil on a Wednesday and I started my internship the next Tuesday," says Ross. "They are two totally different experiences and it was a quick transition. But that's what life is all about - transition. I feel that this is good practice."

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