One of my favorite pastimes and the way I #playdetroit is volleyball.

I have met some of the most interesting people through the volleyball leagues here in Detroit and my favorite part about them is their passion for life, living every moment to the max.

One of my friends described Detroit as a “Volleyball Town” – and he was kind of right.  Everyone in these leagues knows each other and not just superficially. They KNOW each other and have formed a community.

When I was still in college at Oakland University my sister had just moved into her home in Midtown and joined a sand volleyball league – I thought she was crazy. One day she asked me to come sub for her team and honestly I was pretty reluctant. I was thinking, “where in the world in Detroit, MI is there a sand volleyball court? How does this work?”

I walked into Z’s Villa to see people from all different backgrounds and careers who only met each other because of the league, sitting around tables, eating, drinking and laughing all while two teams were competing on the volleyball court.

One game was all it took, I was hooked.  I haven’t missed a summer sand league at Z’s Villa, then joined the winter league at the Boll Family YMCA downtown and even play in the two-week tournaments at Beacon Park throughout the winter (which is extra convenient since I work at DTE Energy).

Whenever people ask me about the leagues I play in, I always encourage people to put a team together and join.  Not only is it a good way to stay active, but it is a great way to meet people living and doing awesome things in the city.