COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 30, 2010) – Jean Martin, who is from the Quad Cities bordering Iowa and Illinois, has survived many things to compete for the Mavericks 60s Team at the USA Volleyball Open National Championships being held May 29-June 5 at the Phoenix Convention Center.

She is a breast cancer survivor who was diagnosed with the disease in 1993, the same year she began playing volleyball in the Open Championships.

Martin, a GS-12 civilian in the U.S. Army working as an administrative assistant for the theater property book, has also survived two tours of service in Iraq. She is also using her one-and-only furlough on her current Iraq tour to compete in this week’s tournament held in Phoenix.

“I knew I had to do it,” Martin said on why she is using her one vacation period away from Iraq to play volleyball in Phoenix. “I play this every year and would not miss it. I knew I had one vacation, and it would be used for this tournament.”

The year 1993 will be a year to remember for Martin, sort of a new beginning. In her first year competing at the USA Volleyball Open National Championships, she gained a waiver to wear a bandana to cover the effects of her breast cancer treatments. Since the 1993 championship, the event has become an annual event for her.

“I love the sport and the people who come to play in the Open Championships,” Martin said, who plans to continue coming to the event as long as she is able.

Through Sunday afternoon, the Mavericks won their pool in Women's 60-and-Over division to advance to the gold bracket, surviving a five-set match against a team from Brazil in doing so.