Three times a week, the heat of competition boils up in the swimming pool at The Stayton at Museum Way, Fort Worth’s premier senior living community, where residents engage in friendly–and highly competitive–games of water volleyball.
“It’s not ‘do or die,’ but we do a lot of screaming at each other, and competition gets pretty good when the men play against the women,” said Madison Mauze, a regular player, along with wife Charlene. “You wouldn’t think we would get all worked up, but it’s pretty competitive. We have a good time. If each team wins a game, we’re all happy.”
What began as water exercise with swimmers batting a ball around quickly progressed into putting up a net and holding competitive volleyball games that often draw crowds of resident spectators. Each pool outing begins with about 45 minutes of exercises, after which teams are formed to play two 20-25 minute games.
“Competitive volleyball is a great activity within our exclusive Masterpiece Living® culture, which emphasizes successful aging with customized activities for our residents,” said Scott Polzin, executive director of The Stayton at Museum Way. “This activity not only addresses the physical, but also nourishes the mental and social needs of the residents.”
“I feel like I’m playing with a bunch of twelve-year-olds,” said Bobbie Dubbs, a water volleyball “regular” who has lived in Fort Worth for about 50 years, the last two years at The Stayton. “I think it’s mental more than physical. The competition is unbelievable–you want to win. We have fun.”
Mauze said that life-enriching activities are why he and his wife were among the first residents to move into The Stayton four years ago. “We’re both very active. The Stayton assured us that there would be plenty of physical and other activities here, and that helped sell us. We haven’t regretted a minute.”
The Masterpiece Living program, based upon findings from a 10-year study by the MacArthur Foundation, found that successful aging requires attention to four levels of wellness: spiritual, intellectual, social and physical. This wellness program sets measurable and personalized goals for each resident.
A review article on aging and exercise, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons in 2014, stated that exercise can help maintain physical fitness that may otherwise be lost over time. It also said that any regular, vigorous exercise may reduce the decline in aerobic capacity–the ability of the heart and lungs to deliver oxygen to muscles, a main component in overall age-related physical decline–by as much as 50 percent.
“The water volleyball program here has taken on a life of its own and created a lot of buzz in our community,” said Polzin. “When there’s a game on, you can hear them before you see them. It’s clear that they are young at heart and have competitive spirits.”