His words make us adore him even more.
He’s such a great person on and off the court and an amazing family man.
In this article released by USA Volleyball, the middle blocker shares his thoughts on his new role with Team USA.
In fact, at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Holmes, 33, was the starting middle blocker along with Lee. Holmes started all 21 sets of the Olympic Games and led the team in blocks (.81 per set) and was second among all Olympic players.
Going from starting at the Olympic Games to sitting the bench has not been easy for Holmes, who admitted he’s “always been competitive and super driven and focused on whatever is in front of me.”
But he has found a positive side to his changing role.
“It’s been a really good learning experience,” he said. “It’s made me better in a lot of ways, taking a different role, being able to come off the bench and make plays for my team at important moments.
“Putting pressure on (the other team) from the service line is a big role I’ve taken. Those have allowed me to focus on parts of my game that I maybe haven’t in the past.”
A good attitude is serving Holmes well not only on the U.S. team, but also internationally, where it is getting tougher for middle blockers to find jobs. Last winter, Holmes played for league-champion Asseco Resovia Rzeszow. But he has not found a team to play for this winter.
But again, Holmes is looking at the positive side. A winter off would mean getting to spend more time with wife Krystal and daughters Sadie Rae, was born in 2007 and Shea Golden, born in 2015.
“My role as a father is something I pride myself on, more than my occupation, more than my hobbies or my job as a volleyball player,” he said. “If I’m going to be great at anything in this life, I want to be great as a father.”
Click here to read the full article.
(images: FIVB)