We’ve barely crawled out from under another six-month winter followed by a colder-than-usual spring and here it is Memorial Day Weekend already. That means it’s full throttle for the sports train in Philadelphia, with enough tournaments to keep us busy almost every weekend. One of the best things about most tournaments is you don’t have to be prepared in advance to play and, in some cases, you don’t even need to be a current member of the hosting organization.
The Philadelphia Falcons Soccer Club’s eighth-annual Liberty Bell Classic Friendly Tournament is moving to a much closer venue this year. They are playing in Hawthorne Park at 11th and Catharine streets. Haven’t played in a while or at all? Fine by them, because this one’s all about just having fun!
Register starting at 7 p.m. May 22 at Boxers for play all day followed by dinner at Fado. The gig ends with a barbeque Sunday at Hawthorne Park. Don’t play but like soccer? Go watch! They’re all exhibitionists of a sort.
Teams regularly attend from Washington, D.C., and New Jersey and this year the San Francisco Spikes are coming in to show their moves. There’s plenty of time to meet some great new people on and off the field. More information is on the Facebook page: VIII Liberty Bell Classic.
Also over Memorial Day Weekend is the City of Brotherly Love Softball League’s Liberty Bell Classic. This year, the games are being played in Fairmount Park and Pennypack Park in Northeast Philadelphia. Opening party is 6-9 p.m. Friday at iCandy and games are played 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Add in a block party and a closing party to round things out. More info at libertybellclassic.org.
If you’re the running kind, you’ve probably already signed up for one or more of this year’s mud run, color run, fun run, hallucinogenic run or whatever else they’ve come up with out there, but in the meantime, the Philadelphia Frontrunners meet around 9:30 a.m. every Saturday by Lloyd Hall at the base of Boathouse Row. More info is at philadelphiafrontrunners.org.
July brings the annual July 4 Liberty Belle Invitational bowling tournament, a staple in LGBT sports for more than 25 years! Co-existing this year with the 50th anniversary of the Annual Reminder Day at Independence Hall and the National Constitution Center, this tournament requires you to have an established IGBO average and handicap. But that doesn’t mean you can’t stalk those hunky bowlers while they’re in town for all the festivities! Libertybelle.org/ will handle all your questions.
Just two short weeks after that are the national kickball and dodgeball tournaments in Washington, D.C. Several local teams are being assembled for each of these and we’re hoping they bring back some trophies!
Stonewall Sports is growing at an exponential rate after being here less than a year, and it’s no surprise why. This bunch knows how to play hard both on and off the field and has raised more than $33,000 for local organizations in just over one year. The weekend immediately following the D.C. tournament is the Stonewall Philadelphia kickball tournament. All of the Sunday games and the tournament are played at Marconi Plaza in South Philly, just off the Oregon Avenue Broad Street Line stop. Grab your cooler of fruit, salads and Kool-Aid (yeah, right) and head down to cheer on some of the best-looking guys and gals you’ll ever see in shorts and sleeveless shirts. Get all the diamond dirt at facebook.com/stonewallphilly.
The same weekend, the tennis players net their third Philadelphia Open, scheduled for July 24-26 at Legacy Youth Tennis and Education Center, 4842 Ridge Ave. This event has attendees from across the country plus several other countries. Singles and doubles play are part of three days of competition, with the tournament banquet on that Saturday night. Check out all of the information at philadelphialibertytennis.org.
Take me out!
It’s lucky 13 for the annual Gay Community Night at Citizens Bank Park! This year the Phillies will be tackling (or is that football?) the Colorado Rockies. This is one of the best cross-sports get-togethers that happens every summer and, win or lose (they usually lose on our night), it’s always a lot of fun and carrying on.
The big night this year is July 30 and game time is 7:05 p.m. You can get your tickets through phillygaydays.com and more information on Facebook at Gay Community Night. This is a fundraiser event for the Sean Halpin Memorial Fund, which goes towards scholarships for LGBTQ law students.
Short stops
• Lez Run, led by and for lesbian runners, is open to all levels. Meet at 6:15 p.m. Wednesdays at 2300 Market St. to run, and on Sundays plan to run the Wissahickon trails, with meetup and starting time TBD. Rain or shine, within reason. More info is at meetup.com/Lez-Run-Philadelphia/.
• Thinking about playing basketball? Me neither. But for those who might, check out phillybasketball.leagueapps.com/ for information on pick-up game locations on Saturdays. All levels are invited to participate.
• May 30 is the next roller-derby match-up at 3130 Walnut St. Check out the battle between Block Party and Garden State Rollergirls. See Phillyrollerderby.com for the details.
Let everyone know when you’re playing, what you’re playing and what team you play for: Email [email protected].