My girlfriend and I are planning on moving in together late December/early January. Money will be tight, and both of us know we will have to make some sacrifices.
But all work and no play makes for a dull existence. So she suggested that rather than hoarding our pocket change to go see a movie/go out to eat once a month, we invest it in playing some intramural sports. I thought this was an excellent idea- it kills 2 birds with one stone; we have a way of staying in shape and have something fun both of us can enjoy together. It would be a little bit more interesting than just simply going to a gym and working out together.
Any suggestions for joining intramural sports? I remember when I was a student at San Jose State they would have advertisements in the PE building for intramural sports, but I don’t know if you have to be a student to participate. The thought of being on a team in a league made up of out-of-shape twentysomethings actually sounds like a lot of fun, what with a somewhat level playing field. And even if we play in a sport and get our asses kicked, it gives us something to strive for.
Incubus, you sound like a person after my own heart.
I think participating in intramural sports is one of the best relationship-builders/maintainers a couple can take part in.
My suggestion (and I’m VERY partisan in this) is tennis. There are MANY positives to tennis, which I’ll take a stab at listing below:
[ul]
[li]Fitness. You’re very active when you’re playing.[/li][li]Levels There are many, many levels of tennis, all fun. There are also very high levels to strive for, and you’ll always have competition.[/li][li]Room to grow. If you’d like, you can take lessons, participate in tourneys, even join clubs.[/li][li]Social. Playing doubles has given my wife and I a nice circle of friends.[/li][li]Age limits. People play a good game at age 80. I’ve seen them.[/li][li]Vacations. You can take vacations that offer tennis lessons or drills. Good excuse to bug out to the Carribean[/li][/ul]
You can find leagues in any urban area, and tennis courts are usually free! Well, not IN the uran area, but there are freebies within an easy drive, I guarantee it.
My suggestion would be ultimate. There is surely a league somewhere in your area that you can join (especially seeing as you are in California). The ultimate scene tends to be a very welcoming one for people who have never played and the social side is usually pretty good seeing as the game is all about good spirit. Also, it will definately help get you in shape - if you have never played, you will quickly find that it is much more than just throwing a frisbee around. Also, ultimate is a sport where you will find yourself getting noticably better very quickly which is always a good motivating factor.
(I can’t say that many people take vacations to Caribbean for the sake of ultimate though - you got me there CS)
Check your local parks. If you have a university/college nearby, even better, since the parks might have more options.
I’ve played slow pitch softball (my park has both spring/summer and fall leagues) for six years now (2 at current park), and I know they also have flag football. It would not surprise me to hear about basketball, soccer, or other sports. Bowling leagues are also fun, but maybe a bit more expensive.
Slo-pitch softball is a terrific co-ed experience. There’s slo-pitch leagues everywhere, and they’re generally very serious about being co-ed; ASA rules require you play as many woman as men, you can’t put all the girls at the bottom of the batting order, etc.
It’s a casual, fun sport that offers leagues and tournaments at every skill level from “total novice” to “freakin’ amazing.” It’s fun to learn, too; I’ve seen people who never played ball before improve, often dramatically, in a single season.
Check into indoor soccer arenas around your area. Most of the ones in my area run multiple leagues and usually the bottom league is co-ed and purely recreational fun. Some good things about this ae:
it’s cheap - playing fees usually aren’t too expensice and it only requires a pair of shoes (though playing in the nude is not recommended most places, so you’ll probably want to get some shorts, too )
it’s great exercise because it’s alot of running
some of the rec leagues I’ve played in really require no previous experience
and usually at the arenas there are always some teams looking for some extra players, so you can meet new people, too.
The other thing I could recommend is check out some local sports bars. I remember when we were living in Chicago a couple of years back there were bigger sports bars that fielded all types of rec teams (soccer, softball, flag football, etc). The whole thing was that there was some “pressure” for you to go back to the bar after the big-game and have a few beers, which was their purpose for doing it, but they did a good job of organizing the whole thing and it wasn’t too expensive when I played on one of those teams.
Is there a good way to get started in softball as an adult, especially if you don’t know anybody who plays? Community colleges don’t seem to offer it as a PE course (at least around here), and the local park district leagues don’t make much effort to segregate by skill level. How can you learn to play as a beginner without making a fool of yourself?
also, call where your particular sport might be played for information. For example, if you decide you want to play hockey, call all the local ice arenas and ask about leagues.
Disc golf can be fun. Frequently there are mini tournaments held once or twice a week. In Albuquerque it was on Weds evening and cost $5 to play each week. The group was very open to new people and its fun!
My fiancee and I play volleyball with several people from work. Ask around your workplace, there may be some teams formed and looking for a few people.
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