Adult sports not an oxymoron

Usually I focus on youth sports, while adult sports float under the radar.

After all, adults know the sports seasons and the deadlines, they know what they want to do, and more importantly, they know what they don’t want to do.

It is easy to just go to work day after day, to get wrapped up in your kids’ activities while neglecting what you like to do.

For many, playing sports ended when high school ended.

But participating in a sport as an adult is a great way to be involved and to be active.

At the YMCA, we try to balance the activities available for youth and adults.

It will never be perfect, but there are plenty of opportunities out there to try.

For example, adult 6-on-6 volleyball is just wrapping up with the season-ending tournaments beginning next week for both the coed and women’s leagues.

When I moved to McCook...a long, long time ago now...coed volleyball was one of the first activities I joined in town.

At that time, there were multiple divisions in both leagues, ranging from those who were very competitive to those who were were playing in jeans.

Not that playing in jeans in bad; it just limits your mobility a bit but does allow you to get to transition from one activity to the next quicker.

Through adult volleyball, I got to know people outside of my husband.

It got me involved in an activity I had played before moving to McCook.

It helped me learn what was available in the community.

Today, there is just one division in each league for a variety of reasons.

People are busier than ever as they shuttle kids from one activity to the next.

There are endless options of activities to do.

And one theory many people don’t consider: the old people (yes, that’s me) don’t want to get spiked in the face by a volleyball traveling 134 mph hit by some youngster.

On the opposite end, those competitive people don’t usually want to play against the old fogies either, as we cower everytime they spike the ball.

So if enough people put together a team to form multiple divisions, then the teams could be more equally divided between those who actually warm up on the court before their match and those who consider the jog down the stairs to the YMCA gym their warm-up.

Just like youth sports, as one season comes to an end for adults, another one starts - two in fact.

Adult 4-on-4 volleyball begins in mid-April. Yes, volleyball is just ending and just beginning, but they are different.

You still have a net and a court, but there are different number of players, a different rotation, different rules.

It’s just a little bit different to keep it interesting.

Adult coed softball is also just around the corner.

Every year, my husband and I get asked to play by our friends.

Every year, I have to explain that the team would be better off with no one standing in the outfield rather than me taking up space.

Regardless, I encourage people to get a team together.

And it’s not just organized sports which is available for adults to get involved and to be active.

At the Y, there are the fitness classes, the aquatic classes, and the “master” swimming class, which is just a nice way of saying “old.”

Consider joining a team this spring.

Consider taking a class. Consider doing a road race.

Consider something to keep you moving and to prove that sports aren’t just for the young, but rather for the young-at-heart.