Milstein: Representing my country

Lopes View provides GCU's student-athletes a platform to express their lives through stories within their sport, academic studies and community outreach.

GCU student-athlete Michael Milstein is a member of the GCU men's volleyball program. Recently, Milstein was given the honor of representing his country, Israel, at the European Championship Qualifiers for the 2017 Men's EuroVolley hosted in Poland. Milstein talks about the distinct honor of playing for his country.

MICHAEL MISTEIN / VOLLEYBALL

I have been playing the game of volleyball for over 10 years now, and it has given me opportunities, adventure, and taken me to places I never imagined going to. I always wanted to represent my country as an athlete on an international level and believe that it is the greatest honor an athlete could achieve.

This summer I got an amazing opportunity to represent Israel in the European Championship Qualifiers for the 2017 Men's EuroVolley in Poland. We started our training in mid-July with daily practices consisting of two-a-days, three times a week all the way up to mid-September when we started competing. Playing with guys who are professional athletes is always a great experience, and it's even better when we all know each other fairly well from past summers on the national team. The national team is such a different experience than playing for any other collegiate or professional team. There is a sense of calling when it comes to national team play because we no longer just represent ourselves, our club, or our university, but we represent our country. This fact hit home with me and many other members of our national team even more because we all did three years of mandatory military service after high-school.

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Milstein gearing up to serve against UC Merced. (Photo/Darryl Webb)

Israel is a country that has been through a lot of wars and hardship, but has still managed to be one of the most advanced countries in the world in many fields. Singing our national anthem in front of our flag in the pregame ceremony is one of my favorite things. It still gives me goosebumps every time, always has and always will.

I was one of the shortest guys on the team but I always take great pride in how hard I work and training at GCU helped to prepare me for the big stage and representing my country. Training with GCU performance specialist, Udeme Udofia, since I got to GCU and this summer has not only made me a better player on the court but it made me one of the best physically fit athletes on my the national team. I cannot express how grateful I am for the strength and conditioning program here at GCU because I have improved so much since I arrived on campus.

Singing our national anthem in front of our flag in the pregame ceremony is one of my favorite things. It still gives me goosebumps every time, always has and always will.

When it comes to the volleyball experience, this trip was full of great learning opportunities and chances to advance my game. We played strong opponents in Croatia, Slovakia, and Latvia. Some of the players we played against are making over $600,000 a season; they play all over the world in the best leagues out there, such as Italy, Poland, and Japan. At this level, everything counts. From the way you prepare for practice or a game, the way you practice, what you eat, how you sleep, and how you conduct yourself as a person while representing your country abroad.

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Milstein (#15) standing for the Israel National Anthem at EuroVolley. (Photo/Israel Men's Volleyball)

I learned a lot about how the game needs to be played at this level, and what my position on the court demands of me as a setter and leader. The one player I learned from the most was our captain, a 33-year-old veteran player with over 200 games on the national team. He is a guy who has played in the best leagues in the world and at the highest level. I tried to learn as much as I could from him by talking to him and asking questions, but mostly just watching how he conducted himself over our two weeks of travel together.

This month included 14 flights and over 50 hours of flying time overall and yet it was one of the best experiences I have ever had. I learned so much and hope to incorporate all of that into my future as an athlete. We have a very young core on our national team with a lot of potential, and I am already looking forward to competing with those guys again next summer. But before that happens, I am excited to be back for my final season in a GCU uniform, and hope that this experience will allow me to help our team have a lot of success this year. I want to take not only this most recent experience playing in the European Championship Qualifiers but my entire three previous years as a Lope and leave a legacy here at GCU. In our final season in the MIVA and my final season in college, I want to end on a high note and put in a good season that the program can build on. We have great coaches here and a great group of guys this year that is eager to get better every single day.

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Grand Canyon University Athletics

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