3 Things Paralympic Flag Bearer Nicky Nieves Does Before a Game to Feel Her Best on the Volleyball Court

The ups and even the downs of learning a new skill in volleyball is one of Nicky Nieves’s favorite things about the sport. Nieves, one of Team USA’s flag bearers for the 2024 Paralympic Games, is a middle blocker on the women’s sitting volleyball team. She says the struggle makes the success all the sweeter.

“At first, it’s really frustrating when something new is introduced or you’re trying to execute a new skill,” Nieves says. “But then when it does come together and it’s effective and it works and you get points—regardless if it’s a block, a kill, or whatever it is—I love how it just all comes together in play.”

Perspective on how far she’s come allows Nieves to relish that feeling on the court—but that’s also true for Nieves’s Paralympics journey as a whole. While Nieves was on the gold medal-winning team for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, she skipped the Tokyo Games in 2021 due to COVID.

That prompted her to reassess the role of sport in her life in the context of her mental health. Did she want to retire? Was traveling the world to compete really what was best for her? Nieves has founded a nonprofit, called Limitless People, dedicated to volleyball inclusivity and teaches volleyball to people with limb differences during the summers. Her advocacy is part of what made Team USA select her as flag bearer for the 2024 Games. But she had to make sure playing in Paris still worked for her.

“I’ve always felt blessed to be able to travel and compete with my team, but this one just feels special in a sense that anything can be taken away from you and anything can happen. All the stars aligned, and it’s just further proof that I was delayed, but not denied.” —Nicky Nieves

Ultimately, Nieves decided to continue competing, and she’s so glad she did. In fact, her not participating in the Tokyo Games, and then taking the years in between to make a proactive choice about Paris, is part of what’s making these Paralympic Games so gratifying.

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“I’ve always felt blessed to be able to travel and compete with my team, but this one just feels special in a sense that anything can be taken away from you and anything can happen,” Nieves says. “All the stars aligned, and it’s just further proof that I was delayed, but not denied.”

Now, Nieves is making sure she’s looking and feeling on point as she and her team gets after those points on the court. Here’s how.

1. She ensures her makeup will stay put

Nieves calls herself a “makeup girl in my game,” so knowing that her makeup will “stay on through the sweat,” as she puts it, is an important part of Nieves’ preparation.

Some of her favorites are One/Size On ‘Til Dawn setting spray, Makeup Revolution Sport Fix setting spray (which specifically makes a product for sports), or Mehron’s barrier spray—one of Nieves’s current favorites because it’s made for theater actors who have similar sweat-fighting needs.

2. She chooses a vanilla-scented perfume

“I’m a vanilla girl when I’m playing,” says Nieves, so naturally she has some go-to scents for her aromatic aura. For perfume, she loves Billie Eilish Eau de Parfum or The 7 Virtues’ Vanilla Woods. For a body oil, she opts for Nemat’s Vanilla Musk or Al Rehab’s Choco Musk.

3. She gets her head in the game

Nieves turns inward for some time alone before games in order to build focus on the court. For that, her phone and her Airpods help set the mood.

“I have to have some kind of music just to get me in the zone,” Nieves says. While listening to music, she also gets focused with her Bible app, or tunes out the world with a puzzle game. She’s currently enjoying the mobile puzzle game called 2048. “That kind of keeps me engaged while we’re heading over,” Nieves says. “I don’t really have to think in the puzzle, but I’m just focused on it.”

Looking to get in the zone yourself? Check out Well+Good’s playlist of the ultimate pump-up songs, according to Olympians.