Thursday, June 9, 2011
The game was tied 0-0. His team was unable to steal the lead, but for Paul Santos, it didn’t matter.
“It was one of those epic things where I just felt fantastic, I did my job,” he said. Paul Santos, a 2004 graduate, loves playing sports. As a kid, he played soccer, baseball, basketball and tennis. These days, he doesn’t let his age stop him from enjoying the sense of accomplishment and joy he gets from throwing or kicking a ball around. Through the city, the Kaw Valley Kickball League, and Bleeding Kansas Dodgeball, which he started in 2009, Santos is able to continue playing some of his favorite sports.
For Santos, the best part of playing these games is the social aspect.
“You meet people who work at bars, people who work at restaurants, scientists,” he said. “You meet so many people you never would have otherwise met.”
The parks department of the city organizes leagues in basketball, dodgeball, kickball, softball and volleyball throughout the year. Volleyball is the most popular sport, with 150 teams during the spring and 195 during the summer and is offered co-ed or women only.
Bob Stanclift, the adult sport supervisor says that after a nationwide ten-year decline in participation, the past two or three years there has been a resurgence. He says he is seeing more and more college students on the field. Bleeding Kansas is following the same pattern.
“Playing sports has helped people get active who didn’t think they have certain skill sets,” Stanclift said. “It’s more of a social thing than a physical thing for most people. Usually players spend more time tailgating than actually playing or practicing.”
Most of the games aren’t too physically demanding, and anyone can join, despite skill level. Some teams are more competitive than others so anyone can find a level they are comfortable with.
“It’s very rewarding to be involved with people who are there on their own time and enjoy it,” Stanclift said. “It’s healthy for people to be out and social.”
Return to the playground
We're not in a recession. We're at recess.
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