Beale athlete competes on All-Armed Forces Volleyball team

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Eric Petosky
  • 9th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs
BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  A Beale Airman bumped, set and spiked his way to a 2nd place finish at the 2013 USA Volleyball National Championships as part of the All-Armed Forces Volleyball team.

Airman 1st Class Michael, 548th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group, first proved himself during a grueling tryout process for the All-Air Force team at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. He was handpicked for his athletic ability from all Department of Defense players as one of 12 members of the All-Armed Forces team.

"I had no idea the Air Force did this," said the 6-foot, 5-inch Airman. "I was thinking to myself, 'Volleyball is my job right now.' Getting the opportunity to compete on the Armed Forces team was a huge morale builder. I'm blessed and honored to have been able to represent the military."

Michael has been at Beale less than a year, but has been playing volleyball and other sports most of his life. His love of sports comes from a desire to constantly test himself.

"My first word was 'ball,'" he said. "Playing sports is the best feeling in the world. I love being active, feeling the competitive spirit, and testing yourself mentally and physically. It's almost as natural as you can get. I just feel at home on the court."

There were six Soldiers, five Airmen, and one Coastguardsman on the team. Competitors from all specialties are elgibile, including officers and enlisted. Michael said that military discipline helps the team perform at peak levels, and he is looking forward to trading in his silver medal for gold at next year's games.

"The team became a family pretty quickly," he said. "They were engineers, physician's assistants, linguists - all kinds of people, of all ranks and branches of service, all there to compete and represent the Armed Forces well. I would have never had a chance to do this if the Air Force didn't offer it. We are going to have a great team next year."

Michael said he owes a great deal to the people who supported his effort to take part in the volleyball program. Senior Master Sgt. Andrew, Michael's coworker at 548th ISRG, said the volleyball success is indicative of Michael's drive to succeed.

"A1C Michael has an extreme drive and internal determination," Andrew said. "He excels in all his pursuits, as an Airman and an athlete, and has been repeatedly recognized by leaders and peers. He has a very detailed plan for his life for the next five years, and I have no doubt he will succeed."