Christenson always aiming higher
LAUSANNE, Switzerland, December 9, 2020 – Micah Christenson took
home the Best Setter award at each of the four most recent
international tournaments he competed at with the United States
national team, but he does not see himself as the best in the
world in his position. And he probably never will.
The ‘unfinished business’ mentality is what drives the
27-year-old Hawaiian-born setter, and what makes him always look
for more, even after being voted the best in his position at the
2018 FIVB Volleyball World Championships, the 2019 FIVB
Volleyball Nations League, the 2019 Olympic Qualifier and the
2019 FIVB Volleyball World Cup.
“To see my name included in what’s a very large list of elite
setters around the world and to be considered one of them, it’s
very humbling,” Christenson said in an interview with the Viral
Volley podcast.
“But it’s also motivation. I don’t want to be one of the many, I
want to be the one, the unanimous decision. There’s always more
to achieve and if you’re satisfied with where you’re at, then
you’ll never really push yourself to be the best you can be. I’m
trying to be the best Micah Christenson I can be and the best
setter for the USA I can be.”
Christenson’s hard-working mentality and his talent have taken
the Americans far. Since joining the team in 2013, he has helped
the United States prevail at both the 2014 FIVB Volleyball World
League and the 2015 World Cup, besides securing multiple medals
over the last seven years, most notably bronze at the Rio 2016
Olympics and bronze and silver at the 2018 and 2019 editions of
the Volleyball Nations League, respectively.
The big prize, however, remains ahead of them, Christenson
believes. After all, the entire reason he switched his childhood
passion for basketball for a career in volleyball was that he
wanted to repeat what an American team led by Lloy Ball, Reid
Priddy and fellow Hawaiian Clayton Stanley achieved by winning
gold at the Beijing 2008 Olympics.
“That 2008 Beijing team, their journey was a real inspiration
for me,” the Modena setter reflected. “When I watched those guys
winning that gold medal, I thought I wanted to do what they had
just done and to have that same feeling. That’s always been with
me and still is.”
The Americans will head into Tokyo next summer among the
favourites to win gold after several solid seasons. In 2018 and
2019, the team were on the podium at each of the five
international tournaments they appeared at, and were the only
team in the world to reach that level of consistency.
Some could see the postponement of the Olympics to 2021 as a
blow to the Americans as the extended break could hurt their
momentum. Christenson, however, sees things differently.
“I believe the postponement could actually work to our favour in
a certain way,” he explained. “We had a couple of important
players who recently had shoulder surgeries in Taylor Sander and
Thomas Jaeschke and that extra year will give us more time to
get everyone healthy. It’s not only fully recovering, but being
able to play an entire club season, getting their rhythm back
and understanding how to deal with their shoulders after
surgery. Hopefully that will make us stronger.”
Whether the Americans win gold in Tokyo and fulfil Christenson’s
childhood dream or not, only time will tell. But one thing is
certain. With or without the gold medal around his neck, he will
not be satisfied. |