Community Sports: Giving Adults a Chance to Stay in the Game

Many Albany residents will say the last time they played kickball was in elementary school. Others step up to the plate Thursday nights at Ocean View Park.

Kickball is one of three sports offered by the Recreation & Community Service Department. Men's softball, co-ed softball and co-ed five-a-side soccer are also available. But those who want to participate will have to mark their calendars for later in the year, as registration is closed for the current season.

Heather Robinson, adult sports coordinator for the department, said kickball has a special appeal.

"What's cool about kickball is that everyone can play," Robinson said. "Softball can be scary with a little hard ball coming at you. With kickball, women are on a more level playing field with the men. It's not quite as serious as other sports. People are out there having a good time." 

Robinson admits the game can be comic at times. She said the ball will bounce off people, or people will try to kick the ball and miss it.

"Funny stuff will happen, that's what makes it fun," she said.

Team names highlight the humor: Good n' Fruity, the Blue Balls, the Hotsy Totsy Unicorns, the Underdawgs, Balls en Fuego, the Grass Kickers and Swift Kick will duke it out this season.

The summer league has seven teams, up from four last season. They play Thursdays at Ocean View with games starting at 7:15, 8:25 and 9:40 p.m.

"Often people are walking their dog, going through the parks," Robinson said.  "Some of them are surprised to see adults playing kickball. People stop and hang out for awhile."

Each team has a lineup of 10 or 11 players and a roster of about 15 to 18 people who usually range from their 20s to their 40s. The league uses American Softball Association umpires and has rules very similar to softball.

Jessica Maria's team, the first-year Hotsy Totsy Unicorns, have already played two games. Having lost both, Maria said it will take time to learn a sport team members haven't practiced since the school black top.

"It's a hard pill to swallow, being so terrible at something you remember being great at, in my case, 27 years ago," said Maria, who is also the team captain. "It's really quite competitive. The other teams have been playing a lot longer and assure us that there is a long learning curve, so we/I am cracking this season up as we practice with embarrassing results."

There are usually two to three seasons each year for kickball. The current season ends in September, with teams usually playing eight games plus the playoffs.

For the most part, five-a-side soccer is played with common soccer rules. Teams play two 30-minute halves, but are only allowed up to three men on the field at a time. There are no goalkeepers and the goal is only three feet high by four feet wide.

The soccer league started in mid-July and runs through September. Games are played at Ocean View on Wednesday nights starting at 7:30 p.m. 

The men's softball teams hit the diamonds each Monday, and the co-ed teams on Friday, at Ocean View. Games start at 7:15, 8:20, and 9:25 p.m., and usually last 60 minutes. Rules are the same for both men and co-ed games, other than a few exceptions. Most notably, an 11-inch ball is pitched to women, and lineups must alternate between men and women when possible.

For more information on these sports, visit the website. Heather Robinson can be reached by phone at 510-559-7216, or by e-mail at hrobinson@albanyca.org.