Gay atlanta’s vibrant sports scene doesn’t slow down for fall. Just ask some of the estimated 150 people who attended a recruitment party last Sunday for the Atlanta Gay Sports Alliance (AGSA), a collection of eight gay and lesbian sports groups.
Or take a look at the calendar. A dozen teams from three sports will compete in national — or in one case, international — championships in the coming weeks. The Atlanta Bucks Rugby Football Club just opened its eight-game fall season, while the Hotlanta Softball League starts its Fall Ball on Sept. 23. The Decatur Women’s Softball league launched its fall season Sept. 7.
So it’s easy to see why the gay sports leagues are looking for fresh meat. Prospective new recruits packed the second floor of No Mas! Cantina in Castleberry Hill on Sept. 9 to hear pitches and learn more about gay teams that swim, run, scrum, swat tennis balls and softballs, kick and throw a pigskin.
“Most people that are going to come out and want to play need an event like this to motivate them,” said Scott Howard, a board member of the Hotlanta Soccer Association, which picked up a few new members during the two-hour AGSA event.
Some 15 to 20 new players signed up for the Hotlanta Softball League. The brief co-ed season mixes about 100 players of all skills across six teams, with games continuing on Oct. 14, Oct. 28 and Nov. 4 at the Piedmont Park athletic fields.
“We had a significant turnout for softball from new players and some returning for Fall Ball,” said Art Davenport, HSL’s secretary. “It was better than anticipated, knowing it was a Sunday afternoon.”
Also last weekend, the nearly 70-member Bucks club opened its eight-game fall season with a 19-19 tie against the Valdosta Cannibals. Additional homes games include Chattanooga RFC (Sept. 22), N.C. Kodiaks (Oct. 6), Charlotte Royals (Oct. 27) and Phoenix Storm (Nov. 10). The Bucks, which staged their first tournament during Atlanta Pride in June, are considering a one-day event to close their season in November.
The club has it eyes on competing in the Bingham Cup, the championships of the International Gay Rugby Association & Board. Held every two years, the event heads to Dublin, Ireland in June 2008.
But the bucks aren’t the only local team with trophies in their cross hairs. Next week, Hotlanta Soccer sends a team to the International Gay & Lesbian Football Association World Championship in Buenos Aries. The tournament, which runs Sept. 23-29, draws hundreds of gay and lesbian players from teams stretching across the globe.
Hotlanta Soccer, which has expanded to three teams, is also taking part in the Atlanta Silverbacks Park League this fall.
Next month, 10 teams from the Hotlanta Softball League head to Phoenix for the Gay Softball World Series hosted by the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance. Teams from three-dozen cities compete over five days to bring home a championship, a feat an Atlanta team hasn’t achieved since 2004.
In the Open Division, which is comprised mostly of men, seven teams will represent Atlanta — Venom, A’s, Sluggers, Packers, Eagles, Big Tease and Wet Demons. Three other local teams will battle it out in the Women’s Division — Riptide, Gamma and Gamma Light.
Also in October, the National Flag Football League of Atlanta will send the Storm to compete in Gay Super Bowl 7 in New York City. The tournament, with competition running Oct. 5-7, is the largest yet, with 20 teams from 18 cities across the U.S.
