In her brief, five-year professional indoor career, former Stanford All-American Logan Tom has made a lot of money.

To respect her wishes to not print the exact dollar amount, let’s just say the figure she revealed contains a few zeroes in it.

Yet the vast majority of her bankroll has not been made from playing on American soil.
Without a women’s (or men’s) professional indoor league in this country, American players must play abroad in order to continue their indoor careers.

Tom, recently voted the No. 8 most recognizable sport name in a Volleyball poll, is no exception to that reality. In just five years she has already played on teams in Switzerland, Italy, Brazil and now Spain (she currently plays for a team in Tenerife).

“I kind of feel like a nomad,” laughed Tom, just weeks prior to leaving for Spain. “For me it’s just travel, travel. But I enjoy it. I love experiencing new cultures and I love to travel and meet new people. I get to learn new styles. But volleyball is what I go over there for.”

“Home is where my mom is right now,” said Tom, whose father, Melvyn (a former NFL player with Philadelphia and Chicago), passed away in April. “Home is my car (she drives a Cadillac Escalade). Sometimes, it’s my friend’s couch. When I come back home I don’t have a house. I’ve thought about buying property out here. But I want to be more settled before I do that.”

But when thoughts of travel drudgery hit her, Tom quickly changes her tune.

“At times this all gets old,” said Tom. “But then I ask myself, `Logan would you rather do something nine to five or would you rather do something you don’t really enjoy as much? It’s kind of a no-brainer. Poor me. I’m all alone. The thing is this definitely has its down time, don’t get me going about that. But thankfully I have my mom and a couple of good friends that keep me sane. But I can’t pass up everything that I’ve been able to experience with the travel.”
School has also been at the forefront of Tom’s thoughts.

“I need to go back to school,” said the 25-year-old Tom. “I need 2-3 quarters for my degree at Stanford. I need to go back there. A degree is something I’ve always wanted to have.”

But there is a scenario where fans may be able to see Tom more frequently in the U.S. Tom toiled on the AVP beach tour for the first this past summer and played in nine events, earning just over $10,000 in prize money. She was named the 2006 Volleyball AVP Rookie of the Year on the women’s side.

“I loved it,” said Tom. “It was very fulfilling and very frustrating at the same time. I was happy I did it. It was tough as nails and I figured it would be. I was pretty much trying to learn a new sport in a sport I’ve played for how long? I’m used to playing with confidence, but that got taken away. The beach is demanding, dude. You can feel like an idiot out there. And it’s not the most fun thing to play in an itty, bitty, tiny bikini either. But I got a nice tan.”

Tom says she benefited greatly from her partnership with beach legend Holly McPeak at the end of the season. Tom played with Brittany Hochevar, Brooke Hanson and McPeak this past season.
“Holly’s patience was unreal,” said Tom. “I would have never been able to do it if she wasn’t patient with me. I was doing stupid stuff out there. And Kerri (Walsh) and Misty (May-Treanor) always let me come out and play and they never made me feel like an airhead.”
Tom says she is not against returning to the beach.

“The way I feel right now, I’d probably go back,” said Tom. “I wanted to try it and see how it goes. That’s what it looks like right now. But who knows what will happen in eight months?”

Tom also didn’t rule out an eventual return to the national team.
“It’s a possibility,” said Tom. “It would help if they moved to California. In Southern California there would be a lot of players available. I don’t have friends out there or want to stay out there (Colorado Springs). I don’t know why you would want to? All you do is train volleyball. You go a little bit crazy. I did that for a long time and felt like I needed a break from it. But in the end, those are small sacrifices to make to be able to go to the Olympics for your country.”
Tom wishes she could play indoors in this country and be able to compete in front of the people that still view her as one of the game’s most viable American names.

“It’s flattering when people still recognize you,” said Tom. “I’m able to give something positive back to them. I’m being recognized in a positive light. I wish I could play in the states and be able to give back to the girls that are playing now and be able to play in front of my fans and family. I miss it. I never understood it (lack of a pro women’s league), especially when there are tons of girls playing in a country that is so rich. I’m not expecting us to make what NBA players make. They pay well overseas. I’m not going to downplay that. But back here, even on the beach, 80 percent of the players are barely getting by. There’s no money on the beach. It something you do mainly because you enjoy doing it.”

Despite the long stretches of being out of the country, Tom says retirement is not in her future.

“Until something else comes up,” said Tom. “Nothing else has come up that’s been more attractive to me to make me want to stop. I don’t hate this to the point I want to stop. It works for me.”
And it would work even better without the nomad moniker.

Home is Where The Heart Is: When Tom is back in the U.S. she stays with her mother, Kristine, in Long Beach, Calif. “I haven’t left the nest,” said Tom. “She’s my mom, accountant, travel agent and therapist. I should put her on the damn payroll. I’m stoked to have such a good relationship with her.”




Tom, who helped Stanford win the 2001 NCAA title, was named the 2006 Volleyball AVP Rookie of the Year on the women’s side.