[ccfic caption-text format="plaintext"]
By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Volleyball isn’t just for summer beach bums. In fact, there are a dozen seniors who skip the bathing suits and sand to play regularly at Walpole’s Council on Aging.
However, it isn’t a traditional volleyball match. Instead, the seniors have modified the game to accommodate the abilities of each player by playing in chairs with a beach ball and a low net.
“They laugh until they cry playing chair volleyball,” said Walpole’s Council on Aging director Kerri McManama. “They’re playing with a beach ball, and no one can get injured. The only rule is that you cannot stand, so you’ve got to keep your seat in the seat, and it keeps everyone safe. They’re playing in armed chairs, so there’s no reason for anybody to fall in any way.”
With six seniors playing on each side, they hit the beach ball over the net, cheering and hooting when they got a good volley going. Although they don’t usually keep score, the seniors strategize by ensuring each section of the “court” is covered, so that the opposing side cannot score.
Even with their game plan, the ball inevitability fell to the floor, sometimes just an centimeters out of one player’s reach, but the seniors simply picked it up, served it from their seat, and continued the match.
It’s been a beloved program at the Council on Aging for the past year that it has been offered, with a core group returning each week to play. One of the seniors even confessed to Kerri that she has dreams about playing chair volleyball.
It is a program that has made its way to other senior centers, too. While some towns have organized teams and play in tournaments, for now, Walpole’s chair volleyball group purely plays for fun.
“They’re stretching. They’re breathing better,” said Kerri, watching the seniors toss giant beach ball over the net. “They laugh a lot, and it’s really recreational.”
