Adler Volmar
Encyclopedia
Adler Volmar is a Haiti
an-American
fourth-degree black belt
judoka. A dual citizen, he competed for Haiti at the 1996 Summer Olympics
and for the United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics
.
on March 5, 1977, while his mother Yolette was visiting that city from her home in Cap-Haïtien
, Haiti. Shortly after his birth, he and his mother returned to Haiti where they lived a prosperous life. Volmar's father was a land owner and small businessman; the family ran a home improvement
store. His father was also a veteran of the Haitian military and a former driver for dictator François Duvalier
. Volmar's parents divorced by the time he was thirteen.
In 1990, after losing a fight at school, Volmar began taking self-defense lessons at the Union Judo Club in Cap-Haïtien under the tutelage of Leandre Innocent. He was an apt student and earned a black belt after only two years. At age seventeen, his mother sent him to live with his aunts in the United States because of political turmoil in Haiti. Because he was born in the United States, he held U.S. citizenship and was able to travel there at a time when other Haitians were being denied visas
. He began competing in the U.S. and internationally.
Volmar competed for his home country, Haiti, at the 1996 Summer Olympics
in Atlanta, Georgia
. He was Haiti's flag bearer at the opening ceremony. Competing in the half-middleweight class (78 kg), he was given a bye
in the first round and lost in the second round to Flávio Canto
of Brazil
.
, in 1998, Volmar received a letter from the Selective Service System
notifying him that he must register with the system. Not yet fluent in English
, he misunderstood and thought that he was obligated to serve in the military. After speaking with a recruiter who told him of the military's sports programs, Volmar enlisted in the United States Navy
. His military service offered an excuse to ask the Haitian sport authorities for release, freeing him to compete for the United States. Volmar was trained as a combat medic
and taught classes in self-defense at Naval Station Newport
in Rhode Island
. After work, he would drive ninety-eight miles to train at a judo club run by Jimmy Pedro
in Lawrence, Massachusetts
.
Eventually, Volmar was admitted to the Navy's sports program and began competing again. He finished seventh at the January 2003 Kano Cup in Japan
and was hoping to qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics
, until tearing two ligament
s in his right knee at a training camp in Poland
. He healed enough to compete at the Olympic trials, but failed to qualify for the summer games. He left the Navy as a petty officer
at the end of his term of service in 2006.
Volmar continued to train and participate in U.S. and international competitions. By January 2008, he was a member of the U.S. national judo team and was preparing for the 2008 Summer Olympic trials under coach German Velazco. Working out with teammate Anthony Turner
that month, Volmar executed a throw which caused Turner to land on Volmar's left knee. With torn cartilage
and two torn ligaments in his left knee, Volmar's chances to qualify for the Olympics were again in doubt. After surgery to repair the knee on February 5, he began vigorous rehabilitation to regain his strength. He started full training workouts two weeks before the June 13 trials and competed in El Salvador
one week before the trials. Despite his injury, he was still expected to win the 100 kg (220 pound) weight class based on his performance throughout the previous year.
At the Olympic trials in Las Vegas, Nevada
, Volmar lost his first fight to Brian Picklo. Because of Volmar's long-standing number one ranking, a rematch was granted. The two would compete in a best-of-three series, with the winner earning a spot on the Olympic team. Volmar won the first match and Picklo won the second in overtime
. The third fight also went to overtime and ended with a throw
by Picklo which Volmar countered. Both opponents thought they had won the final point. After reviewing video of the move, officials decided that the winning point should go to Volmar. As winner of the best-of-three series, he qualified for the U.S. Olympic team. He competed in the Beijing
games in the 100 kg (220 pound) weight class
, but was knocked out in the first round after a loss to Amel Mekić
of Bosnia and Herzegovina
.
Volmar lives in Coral Springs, Florida
, with his wife Crystal and their three children.
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
an-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
fourth-degree black belt
Black belt (martial arts)
In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
judoka. A dual citizen, he competed for Haiti at the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
and for the United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
.
Early life and career in Haiti
Volmar was born in Miami, FloridaMiami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
on March 5, 1977, while his mother Yolette was visiting that city from her home in Cap-Haïtien
Cap-Haïtien
Cap-Haïtien is a city of about 190,000 people on the north coast of Haiti and capital of the Department of Nord...
, Haiti. Shortly after his birth, he and his mother returned to Haiti where they lived a prosperous life. Volmar's father was a land owner and small businessman; the family ran a home improvement
Home improvement
Home improvement, home renovation or remodeling is the process of renovating or making additions to one's home.-Types of home improvement:...
store. His father was also a veteran of the Haitian military and a former driver for dictator François Duvalier
François Duvalier
François Duvalier was the President of Haiti from 1957 until his death in 1971. Duvalier first won acclaim in fighting diseases, earning him the nickname "Papa Doc" . He opposed a military coup d'état in 1950, and was elected President in 1957 on a populist and black nationalist platform...
. Volmar's parents divorced by the time he was thirteen.
In 1990, after losing a fight at school, Volmar began taking self-defense lessons at the Union Judo Club in Cap-Haïtien under the tutelage of Leandre Innocent. He was an apt student and earned a black belt after only two years. At age seventeen, his mother sent him to live with his aunts in the United States because of political turmoil in Haiti. Because he was born in the United States, he held U.S. citizenship and was able to travel there at a time when other Haitians were being denied visas
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
. He began competing in the U.S. and internationally.
Volmar competed for his home country, Haiti, at the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. He was Haiti's flag bearer at the opening ceremony. Competing in the half-middleweight class (78 kg), he was given a bye
Bye (sports)
A bye, in sports and other competitive activities, most commonly refers to the practice of allowing a player or team to advance to the next round of a playoff tournament without playing...
in the first round and lost in the second round to Flávio Canto
Flávio Canto
Flávio Vianna de Ulhôa Canto is a Brazilian male judoka and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, who won the bronze medal in the half middleweight division at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. He previously competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia...
of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
Career in the United States
While living with an aunt in Fort Lauderdale, FloridaFort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
, in 1998, Volmar received a letter from the Selective Service System
Selective Service System
The Selective Service System is a means by which the United States government maintains information on those potentially subject to military conscription. Most male U.S. citizens and male immigrant non-citizens between the ages of 18 and 25 are required by law to have registered within 30 days of...
notifying him that he must register with the system. Not yet fluent in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, he misunderstood and thought that he was obligated to serve in the military. After speaking with a recruiter who told him of the military's sports programs, Volmar enlisted in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. His military service offered an excuse to ask the Haitian sport authorities for release, freeing him to compete for the United States. Volmar was trained as a combat medic
Combat medic
Combat medics are trained military personnel who are responsible for providing first aid and frontline trauma care on the battlefield. They are also responsible for providing continuing medical care in the absence of a readily available physician, including care for disease and battle injury...
and taught classes in self-defense at Naval Station Newport
Naval Station Newport
The Naval Station Newport is a United States Navy base located in the towns of Newport and Middletown, Rhode Island. Naval Station Newport is home to the Naval War College and the Naval Justice School...
in Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. After work, he would drive ninety-eight miles to train at a judo club run by Jimmy Pedro
Jimmy Pedro
James A. Pedro is one of the most successful American judo competitors ever, having even won two bronze medals in the Olympics.Pedro was the World Champion at 73 kg in 1998...
in Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States on the Merrimack River. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a total population of 76,377. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and North Andover to the southeast. It and Salem are...
.
Eventually, Volmar was admitted to the Navy's sports program and began competing again. He finished seventh at the January 2003 Kano Cup in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and was hoping to qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
, until tearing two ligament
Ligament
In anatomy, the term ligament is used to denote any of three types of structures. Most commonly, it refers to fibrous tissue that connects bones to other bones and is also known as articular ligament, articular larua, fibrous ligament, or true ligament.Ligament can also refer to:* Peritoneal...
s in his right knee at a training camp in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. He healed enough to compete at the Olympic trials, but failed to qualify for the summer games. He left the Navy as a petty officer
Petty Officer
A petty officer is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotion OR-6. They are equal in rank to sergeant, British Army and Royal Air Force. A Petty Officer is superior in rank to Leading Rate and subordinate to Chief Petty Officer, in the case of the British Armed...
at the end of his term of service in 2006.
Volmar continued to train and participate in U.S. and international competitions. By January 2008, he was a member of the U.S. national judo team and was preparing for the 2008 Summer Olympic trials under coach German Velazco. Working out with teammate Anthony Turner
Anthony Turner
Anthony Turner was a noted English actor in the Caroline era. For most of his career he worked with Queen Henrietta's Men, one of the leading theatre companies of the time....
that month, Volmar executed a throw which caused Turner to land on Volmar's left knee. With torn cartilage
Cartilage
Cartilage is a flexible connective tissue found in many areas in the bodies of humans and other animals, including the joints between bones, the rib cage, the ear, the nose, the elbow, the knee, the ankle, the bronchial tubes and the intervertebral discs...
and two torn ligaments in his left knee, Volmar's chances to qualify for the Olympics were again in doubt. After surgery to repair the knee on February 5, he began vigorous rehabilitation to regain his strength. He started full training workouts two weeks before the June 13 trials and competed in El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
one week before the trials. Despite his injury, he was still expected to win the 100 kg (220 pound) weight class based on his performance throughout the previous year.
At the Olympic trials in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Volmar lost his first fight to Brian Picklo. Because of Volmar's long-standing number one ranking, a rematch was granted. The two would compete in a best-of-three series, with the winner earning a spot on the Olympic team. Volmar won the first match and Picklo won the second in overtime
Overtime (sports)
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...
. The third fight also went to overtime and ended with a throw
Throw (grappling)
A throw is a martial arts term for a grappling technique that involves off-balancing or lifting an opponent, and tossing them to the ground in Japanese martial arts referred to as nage-waza, 投げ技, "throwing technique"...
by Picklo which Volmar countered. Both opponents thought they had won the final point. After reviewing video of the move, officials decided that the winning point should go to Volmar. As winner of the best-of-three series, he qualified for the U.S. Olympic team. He competed in the Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
games in the 100 kg (220 pound) weight class
Judo at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 kg
-Mat 1:-Mat 2:-Repechage:-References:**...
, but was knocked out in the first round after a loss to Amel Mekić
Amel Mekic
Amel Mekić is a Bosnian judoka.He is consistently ranked as one of top sportspeople in Bosnia and Herzegovina, held annually by Nezavisne Novine....
of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
.
Volmar lives in Coral Springs, Florida
Coral Springs, Florida
Coral Springs, officially chartered July 10, 1963, is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States, approximately northwest of Fort Lauderdale. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a population of 121,096...
, with his wife Crystal and their three children.