[1][2] Volmar was born in Miami, Florida on March 5, 1977, while his mother Yolette was visiting that city from her home in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti.
[1] In 1990, after losing a fight at school, Volmar began taking self-defense lessons at the Union Judo Club in Cap-Haïtien under the tutelage of Leandre Innocent.
His military service offered an excuse to ask the Haitian sport authorities for release, freeing him to compete for the United States.
Volmar was trained as a combat medic and taught classes in self-defense at Naval Station Newport in Rhode Island.
After work, he would drive ninety-eight miles to train at a judo club run by Jimmy Pedro in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
He finished seventh at the January 2003 Jigoro Kano Cup in Japan and was hoping to qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics, until tearing two ligaments in his right knee at a training camp in Poland.
By January 2008, he was a member of the United States national judo team and was preparing for the 2008 Summer Olympic trials under coach German Velazco.
[1] He competed in the Beijing games in the 100 kg (220 pound) weight class, but was knocked out in the first round after a loss to Amel Mekić of Bosnia and Herzegovina.