Jillian Dressel
Up next from our epic crew is Jill Dressel, currently coming to us from the Silicon Valley, California. Her company works for a few other companies you may know: Google, Facebook and Fitbit. I believe that Jill is the only athlete to have completed both an undergraduate and masters degree while playing volleyball (sidenote: both those degrees were in Engineering). Jill was the starting middle blocker the year that Laurie took over the Panda volleyball program from Suzi Smith. Here is what Jill shared about her experience as a Panda.
I am so proud to have been a Panda and it was such a special time in my life. If only one could bottle times like that!
It was certainly challenging trying to balance a full Engineering course load and fitting in practices and travel, but it pushed my limits and made me more complete. There is a reason why student athletes excel; I think the body and brain both need to be challenged. It’s funny now, though, that I thought those times were busy. I guess it prepared me for starting my own business, home remodels, marriage, and being a mother of two incredibly active girls.
The search to get that ‘feeling’ again (the one that all elite athletes know) has certainly contributed to the success of my company. There is nothing quite like a well-oiled machine where all the parts are contributing and having fun. My firm, The Core Group has been named on the Top Work Places list 4 years in a row (we first applied 4 years ago), has made it to the fastest growing company list 3 times and we are on the quest to have that feeling. We have amazing clients like Google, Stanford, Fitbit, eBay, VMware, Linked In, Yahoo! and we love that year after year we provide a key service to them. Time after time clients comment on our passion and it’s true, we love what we do.
My life today is wonderful, crazy and full to the brim. Kendon (Bears Basketball) and I have been in the Bay Area for 20 years and are now quite established with work, friends, schools and sports. I can complain about the cold weather as much as everyone else when it drops below the 60’s (Fahrenheit). Soon after arriving I shifted sports to triathlons and although it is on pause, I still have a personal goal to compete in Kona when the girls are older. My current triathlon is (family, business, after school activities) and my work out are runs/bikes/walks near soccer fields and gyms. What I am most proud of are my girls Nicole (13) and Ayla (11). They are happy and deeply kind girls who are making their own paths. They are smart and musically/arty and sporty. Speaking of sports - times are a little different than when Kendon and I entered club sports in high school. In the Bay Area, if you have not declared your sport by 11 it feels too late. My girls have been playing soccer daily since they were 5 and volleyball 3 times a week since they were 8.
The level of development is astonishing; jump serving at 11 years old?! Nicole plays in an Academy Soccer program with National team coaches, traveling throughout the USA for games, while at the same time her volleyball team was 4th in the NorCal and she played in the Junior Nationals and with the National training program. Ayla is following in her footsteps. They also both played volleyball in London, Paris and Barcelona this summer. It’s commitment to say the least, but sport had certainly altered the course of both my and Kendon’s life and we are happy to support them. Like Tawana said, this new stage in life is really fun and we have been enjoying bonding with other sporty parents.
A funny moment?
Our team psychologist starting working with us in ’93 at one particular session he talked about how there is always someone on the team that is the troublemaker. Clearly that wasn’t me, but somehow Dr. Hogg would use me as the example and the team nicknamed me Maverick / Mav. My championship ring has it inscribed.
Thanks Jill for being such an amazing teammate, roomie, epic mama and wife! You are a bit of a Maverick my friend! Always going above and beyond! Thanks for sharing a piece of who you are. Who would you like to hear from next?
I would love to hear from Deb Dyson. I have completely lost track of Deb and would love to know her story.