Andy Burke gives credit to his older sister, Joanna, for his passion for volleyball.
She was, you see, the main player in the family and he often was a practice partner for her while growing up.
"I really idolized my sister when she played," said Burke, now 28. "I have to thank her," for his love of volleyball.
That's indoor, outdoor and of course the beach version as well.
He is now the competitive volleyballer; she is now a stay-at-home mom, though she does still play at times.
Burke, who ran cross country and played basketball at Sycamore High School, now lives in Lake View and is a healthcare consultant for Tennessee-based ProClaim.
"I'm a natural athlete. Plus, I'm 6'5," and height certainly helps in volleyball, and I really love team sports," said Burke who graduated from high school in 2000 and the University of Illinois in 2004.
Burke—who ran the Chicago Marathon in 2006 and 2007, and is training for this October's 26.2-mile event—will be in Cologne, Germany, in July for Gay Games VIII. He is part of the 10-member Chicago Defiance indoor volleyball team that also features Scott Parachek, Tony Akers, William Boulware and Brian Elizondo, among others. The team also features a player from Philadelphia and one from Hawaii.
"I think this team can [ win ] a medal. We have a solid team, so hopefully things will come together for us," said Burke, making his debut in the quadrennial Games. "I've heard the Gay Games is an amazing experience, so I can't wait to see the sights and sounds, and getting to meet people from all over the world, with so many different backgrounds all coming together around sports will be great."
Nervous?
"No; I'm just energized to go. It will be a great time to just have fun," Burke said. "The guys who I'm going with … that's who will make the trip. It's just a fun group who I love to be around."
Burke also has never been to Germany, and naturally is excited for the sight-seeing.
Burke, like the rest of his Defiance teammates, plays volleyball year-round. He is a middle hitter who also can play outside hitter.
So yes, he will be spiking the competition in Cologne.
Burke admits one of his on-court strengths is, "my ability to put the ball down."
More about Andy Burke:
—Favorite sports ( beside volleyball ) : Baseball and college basketball
—Cubs or White Sox? Cubs. "I've lived by Wrigley Field for four years and I go to a lot of games. You can hear Take Me Out To The Ballgame [ from my home. ] "
—Favorite Cubs: Ryan Dempster, Derrek Lee and Alfonso Soriano
—Favorite TV shows: Law & Order: SVU and The Biggest Loser
—Favorite movies: Forrest Gump and Shawshank Redemption
—Hobbies: "Anything active; I love being outside. I love going to the beach in the summer."
—Favorite local bar: Sidetrack. "My best friend works there."
—Status: Single, "and always looking for a quality man, [ which is ] hard work."
