Net gains: Volleyball games offer more than just exercise

- By Susan Ipaktchian

Norbert von der Groeben description of photo

Mischa Verhovski, a senior software engineer at the Graduate School of Business, goes up for a block during one of the weekly volleyball games, which take place Wednesdays at noon and Thursdays at 12:30 p.m. behind the Medical School Office Building.

Although she wrapped up the last of her Stanford teaching and clinical duties at the end of July, Allison Akana still travels from her home in Half Moon Bay to the medical school campus one day a week to bump, set and smack a ball over a net.

Akana, who officially retired in 2007, plays in the weekly lunchtime volleyball games that she and a few colleagues at the Stanford Prevention Research Center first organized 12 years ago. The games, which are open to anyone of any age, are a free-flowing form of jungle ball. Competition takes a back seat to fun.

And for Akana and the other players, the games are more than just a chance to get a little afternoon exercise.

"It's an anchor for my week," said Akana, a physician assistant who served in a variety of clinical, research and teaching capacities at the School of Medicine for 38 years. She noted that when she was being treated for a medical problem in 2006, the volleyball game "was the highlight of my week, and I played until I was too weak and I could no longer drive to Stanford. My co-workers and teammates were so supportive and encouraging even though I certainly did not do my part as a player.

"It's been a very centering part of my life."

Norbert von der Groeben description of photo

Christopher Gardner sets up the volleyball net.

Talk to the players and it's clear that the camaraderie matters much more than the score.

The games take place on the lawn behind the Medical School Office Building and the modular buildings that face Welch Road. On Wednesdays at noon and Thursdays at 12:30 p.m., a small group of early-comers quickly transform the lawn into a volleyball court.

"Time it — we've got it down to 3 minutes," said Christopher Gardner, associate professor of medicine, on a recent Thursday as he unloaded the bag containing the net. Two people staked a premeasured yellow cord into the ground to form the court boundaries while Gardner and another player expertly put up the net.

Then Gardner fished the ball out of a soft, light-blue bag — where he also keeps extra tubes of sunscreen and spare sets of sunglasses for players who might have forgotten theirs — and the game was on.

The games often start as two-on-two, growing to as many as seven players per side as more arrive. Passersby are frequently asked to join in.

Norbert von der Groeben description of photo

Samar Fahmy, a biosciences diversity officer, bumps the ball, while Jackson Gardner, a student at UC-Davis (and son of Christopher Gardner), gets ready to help make the play.

"That's how they got me," said Samar Fahmy, a diversity and outreach officer for Stanford's biosciences program, whose office is in MSOB. "I was sitting at one of the tables outside eating lunch and they asked if I wanted to play."

Some play in their work clothes. Others arrive in shorts and T-shirts. Footwear is generally sneakers or sandals. Some go barefoot. "A few weeks ago I played in a skirt and heels because I was coming from a meeting," Fahmy said with a laugh. "Not the greatest move on my part."

The rules, which have been slightly customized, are simple: Each time a player rotates to the server position, he or she gets two tries (if needed) to get that first serve over the net. No one is fussy about going over the line on a serve or brushing up against the net. In the course of an hour, the teams can usually play three games. "It's competitive, but friendly," Gardner said.

Players congratulate one another on good shots, and there's a bit of gentle ribbing for the inevitable flubs and skids. "You don't necessarily get props for scoring points; you get props for setting up your teammates and being a good team member," Akana said.

The games got their start in 2001 when the prevention research center was located in offices at 730 Welch Road. Akana turned to Gardner one day and asked if he thought volleyball might be a good way to get some exercise and do a bit of team building. "I hadn't played before, but I thought, 'How hard could it be?'" recalled Akana. "I found out that a lot of people did know how to play."

The game proved popular, so Gardner bought a slightly better net. When the center moved to Hoover Pavilion in 2004, so did the volleyball game. Gardner eventually convinced the center's business manager to invest some "staff morale" funds on an even better net. The game then relocated to MSOB when the center's staff moved there in 2010.

Gardner said the games usually take place every week, except during major holidays and the university's winter break. "We seem to have some kind of deal with the karma gods because it almost never rains on Wednesdays at noon," he said. "I've seen it rain during the morning, then break at noon and then start raining again when we're done."

Norbert von der Groeben description of photo

Ernesto Ceja, a home-environment adviser at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, goes all out with a smile.

The games are such a regular occurrence that Gardner said former students and staff members who are in town for a visit often drop by to play. "They know we'll be out here," he said. Last year, the group added the Thursday games to accommodate a few of the regular players who couldn't make it on Wednesdays.

Players span a range of skill levels and ages; some bring along their children or nieces and nephews, who get in on the action too. On a recent Wednesday, Gardner's 19-year-old son, Jackson, was home from UC-Davis and joined his dad's team. "He started playing with us when he was 7," Gardner said.

On that same day, the players included Ernesto Ceja, a home-environment adviser at the prevention research center, who had never played volleyball until he joined the weekly game two years ago. "I'm a soccer player," said Ceja, who at one point hit the volleyball over the net with his head. "I'm learning a lot from these guys."

One of Ceja's teammates was Mischa Verhovski, a senior software engineer at the Graduate School of Business. He found out about the game four years ago from a colleague who works at the prevention research center and makes the trip across campus to play. "They're very nice people to play with, and there aren't many other places to play during the week," said Verhovski, who also plays volleyball on the weekends in the Oval.

Norbert von der Groeben description of photo

Gardner sets the ball as research assistant Kenny Leung (left) and Ceja play defense.

While playing volleyball fits squarely with the mission of the center, whose researchers investigate ways to promote health and prevent disease, it's the social aspects of the weekly gatherings that regular participants talk about the most. Gardner said it led to a collaboration between two players from different departments after they realized that one of them had the right kind of equipment for studying the other's lab samples.

"I've even had some of my undergraduate students come over and play," Gardner said. "I think it makes me a little more accessible to the students, and it's nice to see them outside of the class environment."

His fondest hope is that, as word spreads about the weekly volleyball gatherings, they'll have enough players for two simultaneous games. "The lawn will hold two nets," he said. "We're ready to expand."

About Stanford Medicine

Stanford Medicine is an integrated academic health system comprising the Stanford School of Medicine and adult and pediatric health care delivery systems. Together, they harness the full potential of biomedicine through collaborative research, education and clinical care for patients. For more information, please visit med.stanford.edu.

2023 ISSUE 3

Exploring ways AI is applied to health care