Chair Volleyball Teams Battle For The Gold

By BOBBIE GREEN

The Progress

The community room at the Mesquite Senior Center was alive with excitement and laughter on Wednesday morning, June 22 as two senior “chair volleyball” teams battled for trophies, medallions and bragging rights.

The Purple Grizzlies team, led by instructor Jo Anne Smith, and the Pink Butterflies, led by instructor Sue Loe, displayed their one-plus year of experience playing chair volleyball by keeping the ball in play for long periods of volley, much to the surprise and delight of the spectators.

The teams consist mostly of ladies, but there is one male on each team right now. Anyone can join at the senior center to play chair volleyball.

Sue Loe instructor for balance and fall prevention classes at the center, explained how the chair volleyball classes got started. Loe was visiting relatives in the Florida Villages. She was invited to attend a chair volleyball game. After seeing the fun and popularity of the games, she did her research on the game. Loe then introduced it to the Mesquite Senior Center where it has become a very popular program. Soon, Smith’s Chair Class wanted to get in on the fun, too. So a healthy contest began.

“Sitting Volleyball” was introduced to the Olympics in the Netherlands in 1956, according to Loe. It was also in the 1976 Paralympics. In 2009, Sitting Volleyball was in the California Senior Games.

Loe is hoping to expand the competition to teams from St George and in a few more years maybe even Mesquite Senior Games will become interested in it.
“We have three or four people in their nineties that play volleyball with us regularly,” Smith said. “We have six person teams and rotate in and out so everyone that wants to play gets a chance.”

Pat Hartley, a Pink Butterfly team member, said that she has blood cancer and sees a cancer specialist in St George. Hartley, 85 told her doctor about the chair volleyball and how much fun it is.

“Dr Gilbert said the chair volleyball is the very best exercise I could be doing,” Hartley said. “It helps your mind stay alert, it helps hand-eye coordination, your core gets exercise, arms, hands and feet. Plus, it is healthy socializing and best of all is the fun and laughter.”

Seventy-eight-year-old Tim Chatlin, who play on the Purple Grizzlies team, said, “We are ready for the Senior Games.”

Bessie Roberts, 95, has been playing since the program’s inception in Mesquite “I don’t like to miss a game,” Roberts said. “It is so much fun.”

The staff at the Mesquite Senior Center went out of their way to make everything as nice as possible, setting up the net and banners and balloons for each team. There were even fresh-baked cookies for half time. Olympic style medals and small trophies were awarded for the winners.
As it turned out each team member took a medal and a trophy.

The Senior Center is located at 102 W. Old Mill Road in Mesquite. For more information about this and other programs call 702-346-5290