Micah Christenson carries a piece of inspiration from his family on the court — his Nike HyperSet 2 sneakers, decorated with the scribbles and drawings of his children, Zeke, Quinn, and Finley.
The USA captain often glances down at his shoes during matches, drawing strength from his wife, Brooke, and their kids, who wrote “Go Dad” and added doodles before the start of his FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship campaign.
“It’s great. It brings a smile to my face all the time. I’m lacing them up, I’m looking down in the middle of the block, and just seeing my family’s message to me — whether it’s a little ‘Go Dad,’ a little cross to remember our faith, or just scribbles to remind me of my kids — a little piece of my family is with me there,” said Christenson, who led USA past Slovenia, 19-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-20, to reach the quarterfinals on Monday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Though his family is half a world away, Christenson finds comfort in knowing that their love travels with him every time he steps on the court.
“I can’t forget my amazing wife, who organized this and helped them. It reminds me of my three children and my wife. It puts a lot of fun things into perspective for me when I’m out there battling and maybe taking things a little too seriously. I can look down and realize I’ve got so much love and support waiting for me — whether I play great and win or don’t play great and lose — and I still have that love,” he said.
After dropping the opening set to Slovenia, Christenson believes the adversity was exactly what the team needed ahead of their quarterfinal clash with Bulgaria on Thursday.
“I think it’s great preparation for us. We felt some pushback, we lost a set, and we faced some big bomb serves along with really tactical float serving,” he said. “We know Bulgaria is extremely talented from the service line, so we’re gonna try our best to be ready for that.”
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