Serving Up a Game That’s Fit for All Ages

Every Friday night, two volleyball nets are hung across the gymnasium at Clark Community Center in La Crescenta and the faithful congregate for open-play volleyball.

“It’s been going on for nine, 10 years,” said Dana Spautz of the Glendale Parks, Recreation and Community Services Division. “It’s just a very popular sport right now.”

The games are open to anyone who wants to play and can get picked for a team. Selections are made on an informal, schoolyard basis. Spautz said the crowd these days is somewhat younger than in previous years.

“It varies from year to year,” she said. “The last two years it’s been high school and college kids.”

On the other hand, Ed Bradbury, 46, was there recently. He plays volleyball two to three times a week. Of the younger crowd, he said, “You need (to earn) a certain measure of (their) respect so they’ll play harder when you’re with them. That’s human nature.”

Mi-Ah Yun, 18, comes to the gym about every other Friday “because there’s not a lot of places where they have gyms and you can play.”

“It’s like a meeting place,” said Robert Young, 19. “Once a week you get to see everybody.”

While the competition is intense at times, Spautz said volleyball players are comparatively laid-back.

“They have a lot of respect for each other,” she said. On Saturdays, when the basketball players take up residence, “there are fights all the time. You can hear them yelling” in the gym.

The volleyball games go from 7 to 10 p.m. at the center, 4747 New York Ave. Admission is $1.