VOLO Volleyball on Carson Beach

So, what is VOLO? VOLO in South Boston is a chance for anyone to play in a variety of well-managed sports and athletic leagues, either here or nearby.

VOLO Sports first began back in 2010. Then, the VOLO Kids Foundation was founded in Baltimore, Maryland, nine years ago in 2015. The Foundation was created in response to legal issues and criminal offenses seriously affecting Baltimore’s young people. Its mission was to provide kids with increased opportunities to play sports and help them stay out of trouble. Actually, VOLO’s mission is two-fold: It sponsors adult sports programs and athletic leagues, and then uses the fees from these efforts to fund youth sports programs that are free – “We Play so Kids Play Free” and “Sports Make People Better” are VOLO’s two slogans.

Since its 2015 beginnings in Baltimore, the VOLO Kids Foundation has opened branches in New York, San Francisco, Denver, Miami, and San Diego. They acquired Social Boston Sports in 2017, and we’ll quote VOLO

Pickleball! Is It Everywhere?

The red-shirted VOLO Setter in Volleyball Position 1 gets set to return a high blue VOLO serve.

afterward that happened: “Our team had awesome volleyball experience at Carson Beach, which rivals any experience in Miami or San Diego with good vibes and fun times.” The Foundation’s original sport was bocce. They now sponsor leagues in kickball, flag football, volleyball (of course), and even sailing (in San Francisco) and skeeball (in New York). Locally, VOLO also offers volleyball at The Park in Assembly Row, Somerville. Note that the VOLO teams are almost all coeducational – both guys and gals are welcome to join up and play together. Look up VOLO Boston for local information about joining up; their fall programs are now enrolling teams. Think about playing volleyball on Carson Beach next summer. And keep in mind that the VOLO Kids Foundation supports thousands of kids in sports programs already, and has set themselves a goal to help 50,000 kids in the near future.

This photo shows a game of Pickleball being played at the Veterans Park’s basketball court on Devine Way in South Boston. The court was converted to Pickleball using sticky white tape and a portable, 34-inch Pickleball net. That really isn’t new news – the tennis court in Veteran’s Park had already been converted to Pickleball early in the spring, as have so many other playing courts since then. This just represents one more casualty as the epidemic of Pickleball seems to be infecting every paved or parqueted playing surface in the entire United States. And you thought COVID-19 was contagious! Pickleball was first invented over 50 years ago. At first, it was a kid’s game (you’ve probably guessed that already) and it began on the West Coast (you’ve probably guessed that, too). It took well over 40 years for Pickleball to arrive in the East, but it’s now the fastest growing sport everywhere America. And who knows when or where it’ll stop? Around here, you may soon see Pickleball being played during the winter on iced-over hockey rinks.