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RIO DE JANEIRO -- One day over lunch in Serbia three years ago, Kim Hill began yodeling. Solomon Thomas Jersey .She is quick to downplay her talents for a practice rooted in the Alps. She insists its just a song she learned growing up that happens to include yodeling.Regardless, her teammates and coaches absolutely love when she does it, even if yodeling is not on the Olympic program.I dont know how to actually yodel, definitely never took lessons, Hill said. Growing up, my family went to this German restaurant every year and theres a song they sing there that has some yodeling in it.However the story goes, theres one thing most everybody agrees on: That first yodel marked the moment Hill fit right in with U.S. womens volleyball team and a group drawn to the spontaneous.A song. A dance. An improvised cheer.The way U.S. assistant coach Tom Black remembers it, the players were talking over their meal and Hill mentioned yodeling. Of course, they begged her to demonstrate.And it caught on real fast, Black said. There was a lot of yodeling going on by the group and it was tradition for about a year and a half. I was laughing and also really happy for Kim. She was the new kid on the block, and the way she handled it -- self-effacing, having fun but willing to laugh at herself -- and the genuine enthusiasm the veterans showed about it helped them coalesce into a tighter group. I was more encouraged for that aspect of it. There was never a problem before, but I think that was the moment Kim was officially in.So, hows that saying go? For this group, the team that yodels together wins together.That remains to be seen for the unbeaten and top-ranked U.S. squad, which is chasing its first Olympic gold medal and topped rival China in four sets Sunday night. The Americans won 22-25, 25-17, 25-19, 25-19.Coach Karch Kiraly knows he has an immensely talented, family-first roster. The most decorated player of his generation and only person with gold in beach and indoor volleyball has embraced the quirky moments along the way. Whatever it takes to build a unit that will stick together in pursuit of the top prize in Rio.Its different than coaching a mens team. Sometimes the womens team will just be at lunch and break out in song, Kiraly said. And Im OK with that, I think its awesome. Theyll just break out and start dancing, like well be warming up in the warmup gym and theyll start dancing a little bit. We love to play our music, they love to dance, they love to sing. And I love that they are in an atmosphere where they feel they can be themselves and do that and break into a dance if they feel like it. So, Kim, they all have the freedom and the trust and the safety to do that.After that first yodeling show came Kiralys 53rd birthday four months later on Nov. 3 during a tournament in Japan. Of course, Kiraly requested a celebratory yodel from Hill for the occasion.We love throwing twists on the traditional `Happy Birthday song, so yodeling was what Kim threw into the mix, captain Christa Dietzen said. Each of our younger teammates all had to find their role or place on the team. It takes a while, but the culture weve created allows people to be all of themselves.The soft-spoken outside hitter from Portland, Oregon, has been a regular Olympic starter so far. Dont let her demeanor fool you.She has got the most amazing spirit about her. Nothing fazes her, Kiraly said. I dont know anybody in this world who could find a bad word to say about her. Shes just a sweetheart. And I think that fools some people. I think that sweet exterior makes people think that she might not be very competitive, but shes extremely competitive in her sweet way.Assistant coach Jamie Morrison is sure the 6-foot-4 Hill should take the yodeling lead.I have attempted to join in but my yodeling skills are not up to par with Kim, he said, noting he first heard the yodel in 2014 at Montreaux, Switzerland. I was left wondering if Kim was actually from the Swiss Alps. Jerry Rice Jersey . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. Joe Montana Jersey . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue. http://www.official49ersnflauthenticshop.com/bradley-pinion-stitched-jersey/ . -- On the field, it was business as usual for Jameis Winston and No. Swansea City overcame Sunderland with a superb 3-0 victory Saturday at the Liberty Stadium as Fernando Llorente grabbed a second half brace.Jermain Defoe came close early on for the visitors but he rifled his shot just over the bar. Alfie Mawson and Jordi Amat then had good headed chances from Gylfi Sigurdssons free-kicks but they both failed to find the back of the net. However, the Swans started the second half brightly and were awarded a penalty on 50 minutes when Jason Denayer was adjudged to have handled a cross from Wayne Routledge. Sigurdsson took the resulting spot-kick and buried it down the middle to make it 1-0.It was then 2-0 just minutes later when Llorente turned home a low corner from Sigurdsson which beat Jordan Pickford and found the back oof the net. Youth 49ers Jerseys. Bob Bradleys side kept going forward in search of more goals and nearly made it 3-0 on the hour mark. However, Jordan Pickford made a superb save from Amats header, tipping the ball over the bar, to keep the score 2-0.The Black Cats could only hold out till 80 minutes though as substitute Jefferson Montero hit the byline before crossing to Llorente, who nodded home his second goal of the game. Lukasz Fabianski turned a header onto the bar late on but it was too little too late for Sunderland. The result pushes the Swans out of the relegation zone while David Moyes side go back to the bottom of the league. ' ' '
