It was a trifecta weekend of fundraising, game playing and partying for the City of Brotherly Love Softball League.
CBLSL held its first “Night at the Races” fundraiser on April 28 at the William Way LGBT Community Center. About 50 people showed up to play games of chance and raise money for tournament and field costs and other league expenses.
CBLSL opening day was postponed until April 29 thanks to some April showers the previous Sunday that dampened the spirits and the fields. Not only are the April 20 games moved to the rain date in the schedule, but continued field maintenance means a lot of game time and location shuffling in the coming weeks. Check out the updated schedule every week at www.cblsl.org.
The organization finished the weekend with its annual opening block party on Camac Street with raffle drawings, drinking and dancing, with a number of people wandering around the corner to check out ICandy’s new Baja Tiki deck. If anyone doubted the passion of sports enthusiasts in Philadelphia, you wouldn’t if you’d heard the loud cheer erupting from Tavern on Camac during the block party, when the Flyers beat the Devils 4-3 in overtime in the opening best-of-seven semifinals.
On the run
Those Frontrunners are a busy bunch. Over a dozen members ran in the 31st annual 5K Run for Clean Air and Earth Day Celebration April 21 on Martin Luther King Drive. Two groups showed their speed and took second and fourth place out of the 11 competing teams.
At press time, about a half-dozen Frontrunners are signed up for the sold-out Broad Street Run on May 6. The 10-mile race starts 8:30 a.m. at the Central High School athletic field at Broad Street and Somerville Avenue and concludes at the end of Broad inside the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Line up anywhere along Broad Street to witness this amazing mass of people — 32,500 — running to support the American Cancer Society.
Team Philadelphia is coordinating runners (and outfits) for probably the most unusual race in the area — the ODDyssey Half Marathon. How odd is this race? It includes a costume contest, bands along the route, optional obstacles and a beer garden that opens at 8 a.m. It may be the only race that has a medal with a built-in bottle opener. The race is on May 26 and begins and ends at Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park.
For more information and to register, go to www.oddysseyhalfmarathon.com. To be part of Team Philadelphia’s group, contact Bob Szwajkos at [email protected]. Calling all sports couples
Did you and your partner meet on the field, the court, the mat or in the pool? Here is a great opportunity to tell the rest of the country about you and your mate and even give props to your league and the great sports organizations we have in Philadelphia.
Justin Ocean at Out magazine wants to speak with couples who met in gay sports leagues. Share your info at [email protected] with “Gay Sports” in the subject line. We know you’re out there! Standings
GPFFL finishes spring season regular play on May 5. Battling it out for the playoff top-seed position are Blue Diamond Phillips (9-1) and Aquamarines (8-2). Quarterfinals are May 12 at Columbus Playground, 12th and Wharton streets, and the spring season championships are May 19. For game times and other information, go to phillyflagfootball.com.
The Philadelphia Gryphons RFC (3-3) beat PCOM last week 37-0. They play their final spring season game against South Jersey at 1 p.m. May 5 at George Pepper Middle School, 2901 S. 84th St. Cheer them on to a winning season!
Short stops • Philadelphia Firebirds will host the Connecticut Wreckers for their second home game, 6 p.m. May 5 at Bensalem High School, 4319 Hulmeville Road, Bensalem. • Liberty City Tennis Association starts play May 5 from 2-6 p.m. in FDR Park. Memberships are available at the park for $35. Tennis players, this is the group to join for regular weekend games without the hassle of finding an open court. • The PGN Bulletin Board lists sports and recreation organizations and how to contact them. The information can be found online under the community tab at epgn.com.
All of these organizations welcome visitors, fans and cheerleaders. Get out of the house, out of your routine and go to a game. Better yet, get out and play!
To submit information for Get Out and Play, email [email protected].