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By: MATT HENNIE
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CATCH A FEW INNINGS OF SOFTBALL. Or watch some David Beckham wannabes strut their stuff.
If you aren’t heading to the beach for Memorial Day Weekend along with the flocks of other gay Atlantans, you might notice that the city turns into a bit of a gay, sports crazy town over the holiday. Several events will draws hundreds of gay and lesbian athletes from around the country for tournaments in softball and soccer.
“The turnout is looking to be fantastic,” Hotlanta Soccer President Bobby Flournoy said about the group’s Hotlanta Soccer Classic, which is returning after a three-year hiatus.
“After the Gay Games last August, we had such a huge response from people wanting to come back to Atlanta and play, so we wanted the tradition again of having the tournament,” he added.
Teams from Atlanta, Florida, San Diego, San Francisco and New York will compete in the two-day tournament, which moved to the recently refurbished athletic fields at Piedmont Park. Hotlanta Soccer hopes to raise about $5,000 to support their trip to the International Gay & Lesbian Football Association World Championships in Buenos Aries in late September.
Volunteers — and even a few players to fill out rosters — are still needed, he added. And besides the round robin competition, there’s plenty of fun, too, including a penalty kick contest, team dinner and awards ceremony that are open to the public.
“We hope everyone in the community will come out to the park and watch some soccer and support the local teams,” Flournoy said.
UP TO 30 TEAMS FROM around the U.S. are expected for the Hotlanta Softball Challenge, the annual tournament hosted by the Hotlanta Softball League at the Metro Atlanta Softball Complex in southwest Fulton County. In addition to six local teams, the double-elimination event is also drawing participants from California, Texas, New York, Florida and Alabama.
The HSL tournament, rebranded as the Hotlanta Softball Challenge four years ago, has been around nearly as long as the 26-year-old gay softball league. Competition opens on Saturday morning with teams playing two games each for ranking, then moves into double-elimination play in the afternoon. Championship games take place on Sunday.
“[The tournament’s] been around so long, it’s just something people know that they can get away for Memorial Day and come to Atlanta and enjoy softball and the sights,” said Rick McCracken, HSL’s open commissioner and the tournament director.
The event provides a break in HSL’s spring season and offers a sneak preview of possible competitors for Atlanta teams during the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA) World Series in October.
THE FIFTH ANNUAL ACTION cycling 200 takes place May 19-20 to raise funds for the Emory Vaccine Center in its quest to find a vaccine for HIV. Since 2003, the cycling event has raised $240,000 for the center’s vaccine research as well as filling gaps in federal funding.
Also, the Atlanta Team Tennis Association’s block party is slated for May 19, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Glenlake Tennis Center in Decatur as part of its celebration of “Tennis Month.” This is a first-of-its-kind event to give everyone from newbies to active players a chance to take part in challenge matches as well as get tips from skilled players and teaching pros.
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