One-man volleyball team to speak at area schools
Published 9:15 am Saturday, February 4, 2023
- Bob Holmes, right, will be speaking to the local community at Fairmount Baptist Church and six local schools next week. Holmes is known worldwide as “The One Man Volleyball Team” and has been featured on national news outlets and television shows. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)
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A one-man, world record-setting volleyball player, Bob Holmes will be in Covington County next week to speak with several schools and a church group in the area about how to be a winner by beating the odds.
Bob will begin his journey through Covington County by speaking to members of Fairmount Baptist Church in Red Level Sunday, Feb. 5, at 10:30 a.m. He will visit Pleasant Home School at 8:30 a.m. and Fleeta Jr. High School at 1 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 6. He will share his story and skills with Straughn Middle School students at 8:30 a.m. and Straughn High School students at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 7. Florala High School will be his destination Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 9 a.m. Sixth-grade students from W.S. Harlan Elementary School will be invited to FHS. He will be at Red Level School Thursday, Feb. 9, at 10:30 a.m. Bob’s week will close with a volleyball extravaganza rally Friday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. at Straughn Middle School. The public is invited to attend any or all of these school events.
Bob travels across the United States and around the world playing exhibition volleyball games against teams of players and speaks to audiences about topics such as bullying and teen suicide. To date, Bob has played over 20,000 games of volleyball solo against teams of players and shared his inspirational message to a combined audience of over 6 million. He has over 20,000 wins to only 417 losses.
Bob has also played volleyball solo against teams of professional athletes including the Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins, Toronto Blue Jays, Buffalo Bills, the Washington Commanders, and Baltimore Orioles. He holds the world record for having played more games in any sport than any other athlete alive. He was featured in the “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” worldwide record book. He has also been featured on ABC News, CBS This Morning, CNN, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal.
Since 1983, Bob has dedicated his life to helping prevent and deal with teen and adult depression, bullying and suicide. He continues to inspire audiences with his powerful and uplifting message. Countless lives have been impacted as expressed in thousands of letters he has received. Many have shared that they considered or planned to commit suicide but changed their minds after seeing him play and speak. Others say he helped them understand how to deal with tough circumstances, negative feelings, bullying and depression.
After watching the Globetrotters basketball team entertain a crowd and seeing the joy they brought to people, Bob came up with the one-man volleyball team. He began thinking that he could play exhibition games and share his message with students in public schools.
Bob now travels around the country often playing 40 to 65 volleyball games a week solo against a variety of teams. He delivers a message that others can ‘be a winner by beating the odds’ to diverse audiences and groups including students, teachers, military veterans, prisoners at correctional facilities, the National Guard, fans at sporting events, and more.
Bob, his wife, and their three girls live in Tennessee.