Dain Blanton’s claim to fame was winning an NCAA volleyball championship (with Pepperdine in 1992) and an Olympic gold medal in beach volleyball (with Eric Fonoimoana in 2000). The latter accomplishment was something out of a storybook, and Blanton has devoted much of his time since then to telling the rest of the story.
It was because he was a responsible high school student that he had the opportunity to achieve the highest goals he could have set for himself as an athlete. That’s a message Blanton has been delivering at school assemblies and educational conferences. He was the keynote speaker at last weekend’s Get Focused … Stay Focused! workshop at SBCC.
“If you don’t get the grades, you’re not going to college, and you close the door on these opportunities,” Blanton said. “My older brother was as good a player as I was, but he didn’t keep up his grades. He’s got a good life as a contractor, but I learned I’d have to be a good student if I wanted to meet my goals.