A Week's Worth of Places to Play Volleyball in the Portland, Oregon, Area

Most people in the Portland area are amazed to hear about the large volleyball community that exists in the area, because for the most part, it can be a little tough to discover. There are various websites that do their best to list the open gym play and leagues that operate in the area, but typically they have a hard time maintaining accurate or complete information. So for the most part, information about leagues, tournaments, and drop-in play is spread through word of mouth or email. To try to shorten the process of finding places to play competitively in Portland and Vancouver, I will take you through a week of volleyball options in the area. Most of these gyms or leagues are designated as "power volleyball," or play that requires you to have a certain level of volleyball "IQ" and fundamentals. Having the skills and knowledge to play within an offense running a 5-1 or 6-2 is a basic pre-requisite. Showing up at these venues and playing backyard, picnic-style volleyball in some cases will merit the operators politely telling you your skills are not quite up to par, or in most cases just earn you the stink-eye from other players. Most volleyball players are fully in support of others learning to play the sport, it should just be acknowledged that if you are in the strictly-for-fun or just-learning phase, this is not the week of volleyball for you.

Monday offers a couple decent open gym opportunities in Portland. Two Portland Park's and Recreation facilities host drop in play. The Eastside Community Center offers strong competition, but is one gym that usually has mostly men playing. There are technically two courts available to play on, although one court is usually designated recreational play, and the other for power. Mount Scott Community Center has two courts of power level play, and is generally a pretty even mix of men and women. It can offer very solid co-ed play. Both gyms run from 7:30-9:30, and can fill up fast, so show up on time.

Tuesday usually means driving to Vancouver for the best bet, which is Marshall Community Center on the west side of Vancouver. At times, Marshall has offered some of the most competitive play in the Portland/Vancouver area. Recently, the quality level has fallen off some, but it still offers to courts of competitive, coed play. As the competition intensifies, Marshall is one facility where you can expect to be politely asked not to return if your level of play is not actually "power."

Wednesdays have less to offer. 24-Hour Fitness has open gyms at their Clackamas and Tech Center (Vancouver) locations, but without a membership, playing there can cost you $15. Plus, most high-level players will argue that someone would probably have to pay them $15 before they would go sit and wait to play subpar volleyball on one court. Wednesdays would be a good day to check out the new White Sands Beach facility in Hilsboro, which offers heated indoor beach volleyball.

Thursday is another day that has seen a decline in good play opportunities. Southwest Community Center in Portland has at times offered good play on two very nice courts. However, the level there has dropped off considerably. Hillside Community Center, located up the hill from the Northwest 23^rd area is perhaps the most unique gym in the Portland area, and probably worth a visit. Often you can find some savvy veterans of the volleyball community battling out on the two courts there.

Friday is the unquestioned day of The Courts. The Courts in Beaverton has six courts, and has drop in play from 7-10. The level of play is very high, and having five courts that work up to the winner's courts helps the cream rise to the top.

Saturdays and Sundays are really tournament days. It is difficult to find leagues or open gyms that run on the weekends, but over the course of the season, there are typically many tournaments available to participate in. Visit the Columbia Empire Volleyball Association's (the area's USAV affiliate) website at www.columbiaempirevolleyball.com or www.thecourtsinbeaverton.com for more information about tournaments.

Visit the Portland Parks and Recreation website at http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/?c=35300 for more information about the open gyms listed on Monday and Thursday.

Visit www.npbva.com to get on the email list and receive more information about White Sands Beach leagues, tournaments, and drop-in play.

Finally, http://www.cityofvancouver.us/parks-recreation/centers/marshall/index.asp gives you information about current open gym times at the Marshall Community Center, as well as cost to play and facility closures.