Resilience: the power or ability to return to the original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed, or stretched; elasticity; ability to recover readily from adversity; buoyancy.
I have a friend who, in the face of adversity, always used to say, “I can show them better than I can tell them.” After speaking with NFL hopeful Dionte Holloway, I walked away with the feeling that my friend and he are very much alike.
When one encounters adversity throughout their lifetime, they often fold under the pressure and lose their will to achieve their goals. For a few, adversity just drives them to show others what they are truly capable of achieving, and so it is with Dionte Holloway.
For all the hardships faced by Dionte Holloway as an athlete, he continues to persevere through all sorts of trials and tribulations. In addition, after everything he went through with the different colleges he attended, Dionte managed to obtain a degree, and that is something that will never be able to be taken away from him. It’s also something that many never achieve in their lifetime, much less after experience the types of setbacks that he has experienced.
On March 8, 2012, Dionte will undergo a major trial. He will showcase his skills to the NFL on Pro Day for a bid to join the best of the best. The Heat Magazine caught up with Dionte so we could learn more about this extraordinary bid for a comeback to the world of athletics, by a man who is on an obvious quest for greatness. Here’s our conversation:
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Tell us a little about yourself.
DIONTE HOLLOWAY: I’m from L.A., Carson to be exact. I grew up with my mom and my brother most of my life, until my mom got remarried when I was 10. My grandparents were a major factor in my life as a little kid. I spent a lot of time with them which is why I think I’m a young guy with an old soul. I had a rough childhood. I got in trouble a lot – fights, class clown – you name it, I did it, but I was always scared of my mom at the end of the day. She didn’t play! I never knew I was hurting her more than anything because she worked so hard to provide for me and my brother. She struggled a lot for us and I felt that I needed to change that one day. With no father to guide me, I learned a great deal of things on my own or from the streets but with the gangs running crazy in L.A., I turned to sports as my outlet because I was so competitive. I grew up playing basketball and running track. My mom would not allow my brother or me to play Pee Wee football because she was scared, so I didn’t play organized football until my sophomore year of high school. Once I got into the swing of the game, the rest is history.
Make sure to check out Parts 2 & 3 of The Heat’s exclusive with Dionte Holloway. He has a lot more to say and you’ll definitely want to be on the lookout for this young man.
https://theheatmag.com/heat-exclusive-dionte-holloway-the-living-definition-of-resilience-part-1/
https://theheatmag.com/heat-exclusive-dionte-holloway-the-living-definition-of-resilience-part-2/
https://theheatmag.com/heat-exclusive-dionte-holloway-the-living-definition-of-resilience-part-3/
