Mission, family helped Gibb achieve Olympic dream

Jake Gibb grew up fitting tightly into the Mormon mold.The youngest of 11, he grew up in Bountiful, Utah. He served a

mission, married and received a degree in business from the University

of Utah with the plan to become a loan officer.Then he learned that he had a knack for spiking a volleyball,

made his way to California, and has since become an internationally

ranked player. Gibb will compete with teammate Shaun Rosenthal in

Beijing this August during the 2008 Summer Olympics.He has his mind set on one goal. "We're going to win a gold medal," Gibb said. "There's no other reason to go."Gibb and Rosenthal are in the number 9 seed of 24 teams going to

Beijing. "I think it's the perfect spot," Gibb said. "We get to go in

and work as hard as we can and play hard and have fun."Gibb, whose middle name is Spiker, his mother's maiden name,

gained many of the qualities necessary for competitive beach volleyball

from his mission in Costa Rica. He has "nothing but the greatest

feelings" for his two-year service. "(The mission) prepares you for

life," Gibb said. "It teaches you how to work for things, and about

goal setting. All of those things transfer."Gibb also says that working with missionary companions for two

years prepared him to live and play with his volleyball partner,

Rosenthal. "We joke around that I'm with him more than I am with my

wife," Gibb said. "You learn how to get along with guys in the mission

and you live with them and you love them. I learned that and it helped

me."Many athletes ask Gibb about his LDS mission, which gives him a

chance to share his feelings for his mission and the church. He also

has a chance to speak Spanish with people while traveling abroad in

competitions.Gibb grew up in Utah but currently lives in Costa Mesa, Calif. He