Swinomish elders serve up fun at chair volleyball tourney
Swinomish elders recently took their seats — not in the stands, but on the court — for a lively chair volleyball tournament hosted by the Pala Band of Mission Indians in southern California.
Chair volleyball is a fast-growing sport among senior and tribal communities across the Southwest. Players remain seated on a 15-by-22-foot court, using a single-colored beach ball to volley over a six-foot net. Each side gets up to five touches per play, and matches run to 15 points or a 10-minute time limit.
“It’s a really big thing in Arizona and California,” said Swinomish Elder Services Director Mandy Buck, who helped lead the trip. “They have tournaments down there all the time.”
Swinomish joins the movement
Relatively new to the sport, Swinomish elders began practicing twice weekly earlier this year. What started as a fun fitness activity quickly turned into a passion — and a community-building opportunity.
“It’s fun and has physical and mental health benefits,” Buck said. “After they started playing, you could see it was strengthening everybody’s core muscles.”
“It’s fun and has physical and mental health benefits.”
Mandy Buck
Swinomish first learned about chair volleyball when elder services staffer Tashina Villaluz learned that Lummi Nation had adopted the game from someone with ties to the Pala Reservation. The idea caught on quickly, leading to a local round-robin between Swinomish, Samish and Lummi. Swinomish later captured the “golden volleyball” by winning a home match with Lummi this summer.
Taking the show on the road
In October, the team took its enthusiasm south to compete Oct. 21–23 near San Diego — about 100 miles north of the U.S.–Mexico border. Swinomish fielded two squads so every player could get court time, focusing on experience and fun rather than wins.
“It was a great experience,” Buck said. “All the tribes were so nice to us. They knew we were just starting out and gave us a lot of pointers.”
The trip included more than matches: elders enjoyed dinners, dancing, sightseeing at Coronado Beach and Balboa Park, and even a local swap meet.
Community support and next steps
The teams fundraised for the journey, receiving backing from the Swinomish Senate and a major sponsorship from the Swinomish Casino & Lodge. Representing Swinomish were Donna Dan, Janet Wilbur, Julie Bobb, Nancy Wilbur, Jennie Nguyen, Trisha Wilbur, Colleen Williams, April James, Lona Wilbur, Dennis Dan, Brian Wilbur, William Davis, Vang Nguyen, Ian Kanair and Darryl Dan, supported by staff members Buck, Villaluz and Nicole Dan.
Now, Swinomish plans to bring the sport home by hosting a chair volleyball clinic for Northwest tribes — complete with lunch, a community dinner, and a dance party.
“Hopefully, we’ll keep getting support and be able to keep this thing going,” Buck said.
Bill Reynolds is a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News.
