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For Catherine Motiejūnaitė, volleyball instead of basketball became her first love, despite the fact that her older brother was already established in the most popular sport in the country.
The 183cm tall volleyball still faces serious challenges on sports fields, although future priorities are different.
– Catherine, you are the Lithuanian indoor volleyball champion. What are the next plans for this sport?
– This year is quite special both for our club and probably for Lithuanian volleyball, because after a long time, one of the Lithuanian teams will play in the tournament at European level, which, in my opinion, is a very big achievement.
Of course, when you get such a highly dominated team for your opponents, probably one of the tournament favorites, the Swiss club, optimism doesn’t flow around the edges. However, this is certainly not a reason to give up. I have no doubt that our team will do everything possible to fight, and we will see what the final result will be. Of course, I do not lose my ambitions due to the next season of the Baltic League and the Lithuanian Championship, where we will try to achieve the best results.
Personal album photo album / Kototna Motiejūnaitė
Are you planning to pursue a career in volleyball in the future and perhaps have a goal to go somewhere to play? Are you not taking your future with volleyball?
– If you had asked me this question a couple of years ago, I probably would have answered without hesitation for a long time, I would have answered that I really plan to pursue one more career in volleyball and I would like to go abroad to play. Now things are a little different.
My priority at the moment is education. I am convinced that I will connect the future with my science and studies. In short, sport is something very temporary, and volleyball even more so. Sure, it’s fun to play, do what you really love and love, but I won’t miss a life on a volleyball court. As a result, I learn a lot and try to invest in education.
Personal album photo album / Kototna Motiejūnaitė
– Has the coronavirus touched your career in any way, the volleyball season?
– Of course. We were really looking forward to the Lithuanian championship finals, sadly they were canceled due to the coronavirus. Furthermore, the entire training process was canceled during the quarantine. It didn’t really help, it just forced me to take a step back. Now, since mid-August, we have been working with the team in the hall, preparing for the next competition and looking forward to starting the volleyball fights.
– What does it mean to be a networker in Lithuania? Is it possible to survive that?
– Being a networker in Lithuania, in my opinion, is definitely not a prestigious career or status that you can be very proud of. Volleyball is probably not comparable to basketball, which has already become the second religion of Lithuanians. So, unfortunately, in Lithuania, volleyball is more of a hobby than a stable job, which can guarantee you a good standard of living. More so as a child, I am well aware that volleyball is only a temporary stage in my life that I will probably not eat bread from.
Personal album photo album / Kototna Motiejūnaitė
– What do you think would help raise the level of volleyball in Lithuania?
– In fact, I think the concept of volleyball in Lithuania is more related to amateur free time with friends than to professionalism.
It’s no secret that we lack many world-class teams. To reach the heights it is necessary to increase interest in volleyball as a professional sport and it is best to do it with high achievements both on the beach and on the indoor volleyball courts.
For a new strong generation of volleyball to grow and be interested, I believe that the indoor volleyball teams must come back and the young men and women must be able to return to the international arenas and be able to try their luck there. In my opinion, one of the best investments of the volleyball federation was in our team of players born in 2000-2001, when we had the opportunity to play sports together, participate in many international level tournaments, train with the best Lithuanian coaches and foreign. I think that not only our generation should enjoy that privilege, but also others, because when looking at girls in a sports school, there really are many people with a lot of potential who need to be nurtured.
Personal Album Photo Album / Kototna Motiejūnaitė
Of course, I am very excited about the fast growing beach volleyball. And it is very gratifying that participation in international competitions is encouraged and a lot of investment is made in equipment. It’s also fun that world-class beach volleyball tournaments are already being organized in Lithuania. I think it also helps the name of volleyball to get louder and louder.
– For many it is no secret that your older brother is a famous basketball player. Why didn’t you follow in his footsteps?
– In fact, I get this question from a lot of people. It is no secret that I myself have always been very tall and even much taller than my peers, so there was no question whether one of the sports would appear in my life. Both my parents and I were eager to try “sportsman’s bread.” And so it happened that the first batch I entered when I was 10 domesticated me. After measuring volleyball shoes, there was never a desire to exchange them for others. So, for more than 10 years, I have followed the rhythm of volleyball.
Personal Album Photo Album / Kototna Motiejūnaitė
– What does it mean to have a very famous brother? Don’t you feel in its shadow? Or maybe just feel their support?
– I never underestimated his reputation, he was always just a brother to me, giving me many wonderful childhood memories, helping me take my first steps.
I don’t really feel like I’m in his shadow. Exactly, I am very happy with each of their achievements, I try to support and always be happy. For his part, I feel a great support both in science and in sport. My brother always supports my ambitions, my goals, he never leaves his hands down and I give up, I prefer to get kicked in the back to be able to improve, hold on and grow fully, to achieve my goals.
Personal Album Photo Album / Kotryna Motiejūnaitė and Donatas Motiejūnas
– What are the main and most important things for the benefit of a brother?
– My brother was the man who helped me both to say the first words and to take the first steps. We have always been very close and I still learn a lot from him.
I think the most important lesson he taught me is that not everything in life will be presented on a plate.
Personal Album Photo Album / Kotryna Motiejūnaitė and Donatas Motiejūnas
You have to fight, work hard and sacrifice to reach your goal. And probably one of the thoughts that he instilled in me and that gives me a lot of strength and confidence in myself: the fact that he believes in me always supports me and knows that I can achieve everything in life if I set myself a goal.
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