After hearing friends ask for a couple of years if he'll play in the Olympics, "I can finally say yes. It's emotionally draining, that's for sure," Gibb said.

"There's been some sleepless nights, yeah. It's a different kind of emotional ride than any sort of volleyball that I've experienced."

It was a bit of a gamble to spend 18 months traveling the world trying to gain enough points to qualify because it might have been more financially rewarding to stay on the AVP tour, where the duo was usually in the top four or five and earning good money and making sponsors happy seeing them on national TV quite often. The sponsors like having Olympians, of course, but that wasn't certain until last weekend.

"I'm happy and relieved, all in one," said the new Olympian. "It's been a crazy little road." But it's worth it now. "Oh, worth every ache and pain and every ball hit out, yeah, it's well worth it, for sure."

His former partner, Stein Metzger, an established star who chose Gibb for his team in 2005 and saw Gibb become the AVP's MVP as the duo won the AVP 2005 tour, had attempted to qualify for the Olympics, but his new partner was injured, and that dream died.

Metzger texted congratulations and good luck to Gibb on Monday and also sent him some advice. Despite the breakup two years ago, they remain friends, and Gibb says he'd rather have had the chance to beat Metzger out for the Olympic spot than to have his team unable to compete.

When Metzger dumped him, Gibb said he had "the pick of the litter" for a new partner and chose rising star Rosenthal, and the two have had good chemistry playing together in the long haul toward Olympic qualifying.

"I don't look at it as a sacrifice," Gibb said of the past year and a half. "I probably would stay home and play AVP (if not for the chance at the Olympics), but I also am getting paid to go see the world, and I would go to a lot of the spots we go to, amazing places.

"We played at the base of the Eiffel Tower. You've got to experience that once in your life. For me, it's an opportunity to just go play with the best in the world in front of a big audience, an opportunity to just go showcase our sport, so it's fun for me," he said.

"What I think I'll remember is the journey, because we have a year and a half process of qualifying, and it's an amazing journey."

Jake Gibbs' career volleyball earnings

Tournament ... seed ... finish ... points ... earnings

2007
Paris Grand Slam ... 1 ... 5 ... 480 ... $13,200
Stavanger Grand Slam ... 2 ... 17 ... 160 ... $5,100