Delaware Senior Olympics volleyball program looking for new players

With pickleball on the rise, the Delaware Senior Olympics volleyball program is looking to add more players to its varying age groups to promote healthier living. 

Delaware Senior Olympics volleyball coordinator Willa Jones noticed the steep rise in pickleball popularity has led to decreased participation in volleyball. 

DSO President Paul Gatti said participation in the volleyball program isn’t the only challenge the organization faces today. 

“We have trouble getting people to know we even exist,” Gatti said.

It’s word of mouth, television interviews and periodic features in Vital Magazine that help raise awareness about the worth of Delaware Senior Olympics, he said.

The volleyball program offers age groups 50 and over with increments of five years between squads and holds several tournaments throughout the year.

The program hosted out-of-state teams at Cape Henlopen High School in mid-July for the chance to qualify for the National Senior Olympics Tournament in Albuquerque, N.M., to be held next June. Jones’ team in the 65-69 age group, called Volli Hi, took gold, while the DE Quick Chicks also won their Delaware division to secure their tickets as the only in-state teams to go to nationals. 

Every other year serves as a qualifying tournament for the senior national games held in different locations. 

Based in Dover, the Senior Olympics program offers almost every sport imaginable. There are more than 29 different competitive sports and more than 50 events held in Delaware throughout the year. 

From shuffleboard to archery to recreational walking, every senior has a chance to live a healthier lifestyle while making friends in the process. 

“We promote sports, staying in shape and camaraderie,” Jones said. “That’s what mostly DSO is all about.” 

Exemplified by their motto: “For Fitness, Fellowship and Fun,” DSO prides itself on not only competing at high levels but making sure to have a great time doing it. 

With more than 20 years of experience to her name, Jones fondly remembers going to the Huntsman World Senior Games in St. George, Utah. Jones and her teammates were able to meet players from all over the world and make friends with players on the East Coast who still keep in touch today. 

Jones often invites them to the volleyball tournaments she puts together locally in Lewes, as well as attending the tournaments they host all along the coast. 

The players are also able to treat the trip as a vacation of sorts, visiting surrounding national parks and sites when they aren’t on the court competing – Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon are some of the best sights. 

“The benefit is staying active,” Jones said. “But it’s also the camaraderie and friendships you develop. That’s what I love about it.”

Gatti explained that when he joined the Senior Olympics in 1998, it helped him find a whole new group of friends. 

“As you get older, the likelihood rises that less-than-ideal things will happen to you and your family and friends,” he said. “I play on the Delaware gold softball team, and we have lost a number of wives and husbands, but as people have gone through that, everyone is there to help ... it’s like having another family.”

DSO also offers cost-free programs called the Senior Group Challenge and Walk Delaware for people who aren’t as competitive, but still want to get active and involved. 

Jones is also an active pickleball player and played both softball and basketball during her younger years. As the volleyball director, Jones explained that Delaware has one of the most active Senior Olympics organizations in the region.

“Some teams who come to our state to qualify don’t even have a Senior Olympics organization,” Jones said. “So, we’re lucky to have that.”

The volleyball program currently practices on Wednesday evenings at Epworth Church. Interested players can contact Jones at willajo71@gmail.com or 610-742-0161.