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Team USA’s Micah Christenson talks to The GAME about the importance of keeping his family close.
For Team USA captain Micah Christenson, being a husband and father will always be bigger than his passion for the game of volleyball.
So while he’s all the way in Manila for the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championship, Micah has made it a point to carry a piece of home on the Taraflex by wearing Nike volleyball shoes filled with doodles from his three children: Ezekiel, Quinn, and Finley.
Asked by The GAME for the backstory of his shoes, Micah couldn’t help but break into a heartfelt smile as he thought about his wife and children back home.
“Yeah, they’re all my wife’s. She doesn’t know how to draw very well,” Micah replied in jest. “No, I’m just kidding, it’s my kids. Yeah, it’s just a little piece of family and home that I have with me when I’m on the court.”
“It’s fun to just kind of look down and see the drawings, and get reminded of the people that are supporting me,” said Micah, who fondly looked at the shoes while giving his response. “That the love is always there for me when I go home.”
For Micah, wearing a piece of home keeps him grounded, as it serves as a reminder of what his priorities in life are every time he steps on to the court.
“Just being a father, just being a husband. Volleyball, you know? Maybe top three priorities, right? My faith and then my family are the first of two things, and so it’s just continuing to understand the perspective of why I’m doing it, as well as reminding myself why I’m doing it.”
As heartwarming as Micah’s story is, however, it is also the reflection of his reality as an elite athlete. Like most of his peers, the trade-off of being a sought-after volleyball player is having to be away from his wife and children, especially due to countless travels at both the national and club team level.
If anything, this is why Micah is so grateful for his one-year break from Team USA, where he took a refresher after leading the Americans to the bronze medal in Paris. For a while, being a “setter” for Micah meant preparing food for his family, and making sure that his kids get to school on time, rather than giving his spikers easy points to convert.
“It’s not easy, right? During this past VNL, I was able to take off and be with my family every single day, all day. All day for the most part! Since I was still training and working out,” Micah shared.
“But man, that was just so special to just be there and cook dinners,” Micah continued with a heartfelt tone. “To pick [my kids] up from school and take them from school, and let my wife sleep. And to be able to do that is really really special.”
As the World Championship is his first tournament in quite a while, Micah admits that he’s still getting used to being away from home once again. Difficult as it is, however, the Team USA skipper credits his wife, Brooke, as a healthy support system that supports his career as an athlete.
“It’s tough, but me and my wife both know that this is a job; this is a responsibility that I have and we have, and we’re a team right? And if it weren’t for my wife, then I wouldn’t be able to do this without a doubt, and so we’re a team in this.”
“And you know? It’s not easy, but she’s incredible when I’m not there, and she holds it down for our family way more than I could, so she’s the real hero in this story.”
Balancing act
But how exactly does Micah balance his commitment as a father and as a volleyball player? Especially now that his kids aren’t getting any younger, and being part of Team USA means playing for a volleyball powerhouse?
For Micah Christenson, it’s a matter of communication, especially when he gets some time off from practicing with his team. However, he also knows that it is easier said than done given the time difference in between countries.
“I just try my best to talk to them when I can, especially now when we have technology, we have FaceTime and all that stuff. But it’s also a 17, 18-hour time difference. So it’s very difficult,” he shared. “You know, we have a small window, a period of time to be able to talk to the family.”
“So it’s just about doing my best to wake up a little earlier and make sure that we’re talking together, and once again, my wife does an amazing job just to be able to make some time to talk to the kids.
“And you know, she gets a lot of calls from me when I’m on the road, and so I applaud her for not getting annoyed with how many times I’m calling them,” Micah concluded.
Being an athlete and family man may be tough to balance, but at the very least, Micah Christenson will always have a keepsake of home whenever he steps onto the court, as well as a healthy support system waiting for him back home in Hawaii.
Banner images from USA Volleyball on Instagram.