By Mike Driehorst / For The Monroe News
Forest View Lanes’ 13 sand volleyball courts reopened June 14 with league play and will start a second round of league play later this month and run through mid September.
Spurred by lifting of stay-at-home orders, volleyballers from across Monroe County and over the line in Northwest Ohio flocked to the sandy courts of Forest View Lanes to get some exercise and have fun while being safe.
“We’ve had a good overall response. About the same as last year,” said Forest View Lanes owner, Rich Kenney. “There’s a lot of interest to play.
“These are athletes. They’re playing a sport, competing and want to be outdoors.”
Forest View Lanes’ 13 sand volleyball courts reopened June 14 with league play and will start a second round of league play later this month and run through mid September. Currently, there are 25 to 70 teams on a given night, Sunday through Thursday, with play running 6 to 10 p.m.
Forest View’s corn hole games also are open.
“We draw everywhere from Monroe to Toledo, Sylvania, Bedford and a little bit of everywhere,” Kenny said.
Koryn King of Temperance and a 2018 graduate of Bedford High School plays two nights a week. King has been playing sand volleyball at Forest View for about five years.
“I play just to have fun and do something outside to stay active,” she said.
Her fiancé, Trent Schankin of Petersburg, and a 2017 graduate of Summerfield High School, also plays twice a week.
“I just try to keep my athleticism, or what I have left of it,” he said.
At Summerfield, Schankin says he was “pretty athletic, but when you get out of high school, there’s not a lot of sports to play. That’s how I got into volleyball. My sister played volleyball and my mom coached volleyball, so the sport has been in my family.”
Toledoan Jennifer Champanian is in her third season playing sand volleyball at Forest View.
“Everyone’s a good sportsman. I haven’t had any issues like that,” she said. “It’s a nice place to play and have good, clean fun.”
With the world still under the coronavirus pandemic, Kenny said he is taking precautions and following safety protocols. With four to six players on a team and each court being 1,000 square feet plus the perimeter, he said there’s enough space for social distancing.
Plus, each court has two volleyballs and a bucket of sanitizer for the balls.
“The players seem comfortable and happy, and just want to play volleyball,” Kenny said.
Schankin echoed Kenny’s comments.
“Rich does a really good job, especially now with the coronavirus. Everyone feels safe and out there, having a good time,” he said.
While the bowling operations of Forest View are closed, the restaurant is open for indoor and outdoor seating, with chair- and table-side service.
Kenny said he appreciates the community’s support.
“From the Bedford community, the Monroe community and Toledo, all of our customers have been really supportive of the business and all the businesses around here,” he said.
“We’re just looking for people to come out and have some fun, enjoy life but be safe.”