Decatur Group Sports
Decatur Metro | July 23, 2009 | 2:00 pmBryan writes in…
Where do folks in Decatur go for group sports? Suppose I were new to town and wanted to play basketball or softball or ultimate frisbee or tag football or tennis or racketball or something along those lines. I am going on 47 years old, not interested in pretending to be an athlete or imagining myself to be 18, but enjoy playing sports with others. Are there good pick-up games to be had anywhere? Clubs or gyms only? I want to stay as close to Decatur as possible.
I’ll point out the obvious, the Rec, and leave the rest open to discussion.
As for tennis, head down to Glenlake Tennis Center. Coach Jabari holds adult drills every Friday night and Sunday morning. You can also inquire about joining a USTA or ALTA team that plays out of Glenlake.
In addition to the City’s great tennis program run out of the Glenlake Tennis Center, check with Dan Magee or Greg White over at the Decatur Active Living program 404-377-0494. There are open gym hours at the Decatur Recreation Center for pick up basketball games, a new table tennis program, and adult softball leagues organized by the Active Living staff. We’re always open to knew ideas and programs so give them a call.
For a brief moment a few months back I thought about badminton, until I walked by the Rec one evening and saw all the 20-somethings with their own, customized rackets.
DM, you should come and play on Wednesdays! They have folks of all levels, and it’s a great workout. People normally don’t think of badminton as an intense sport, but that little birdie can fly up to 200mph (really! Well, those Olympic-level players).
Hey Bryan,
For the past two years I’ve been having a blast with a group of fun people from Decatur over at Agnes Scott’s athletic field and run around the whole city with different activities. We play work-out versions of baseball, football, soccer, and other routines as part of Kick-in-the-Fit. I’m 40 and feel like a kid again.
We actually formed a softball team to play in the Decatur league (you are welcome to join us) and also have informal gatherings doing runs in the community or event forming our own scavenger hunts. It is a great group of people- all professions and age levels.
Anyone is welcome to check it out on Wednesday July 29th. Meet in the Tennis Court parking lot on S. McDonough St. at 5:45 am. We start at 6 and you are done by 7 AM. Incredibly early but also incredibly fun!
Bryan,
There is a pickup street hockey game on Sundays in Kirkwood. Most everyone is 30-50 and we aren’t particularly good, its very casual. Its on foot, no roller blades. Its open to anyone and obviously some guys are better than others but we make the teams fair and no one gets a hard time for being bad. (and there are a lot of bad players). OK, well maybe a little trash talking but its all in good fun. No one who plays has deluded themselves into thinking they should be in the NHL. My email is Steve[at]apsbilling.net for anyone interested in playing.
Not that it’s a big issue on this subject, but that’s another Steve, who I have not previously see posting on this blog.
Some things for you to explore –
Dekalb Tennis Center:
http://dekalbtenniscenter.com/
Parks are everywhere – you can often find pick-up soccer and ultimate (especially at Piedmont Park)
Emory University & Agnes Scott College – Emory offers a community membership for Swim/Tennis. This can be a great way to join in community activities and the cost is really reasonable. Agnes Scott has affiliated programs like Dekalb Acquatics.
http://www.emory.edu/HOUSING/CLAIRMONT/saac_memb.html
Jogging – head to the Big Peach Running Company and inquire about group runs
Also, check out the Lullwater Park on Emory Campus – great place to jog or just relax and picnic
Far from a plug, as I’ve not used this site, but you might want to try http://atlanta.sportsvite.com/ . I’ve friends in other cities who’ve used it and had generally good experiences.
There’s hoops at Oakhurst park on Sunday mornings
for the old folks and evenings for those who are more
adventurous.
Thanks to everyone for the great ideas. I look forward to seeing you out there. More comments are welcome.
There’s a standing ultimate (frisbee) game at Coan Rec Center in Kirkwood. This is the game that was long-held at Seminary Field, and Winnona Park before that. We get a pretty good turnout of older players, but also some younger ones, especially if it’s between league seasons. More info at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sundayulti.
leave off the trailing “.” http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sundayulti
For Decatur Active Living, we have added Table Tennis Tuesdays and Badminton Wednesdays. These are for adults of all ages and all skills levels. We are always adding more programming, and are extremely receptive to new program ideas. Check out out at: http://decaturactiveliving.blogspot.com/. Look for more new programs to be announced this fall.
For Cycling activities:
Tuesday: Meltons App & Taps Ride; leaves parking lot at 6:30pm, casual ride through Decatur, Avondale Estates, Oakhurst and returns to lot around 7:45pm; Dinner at MA&T follows.
Thursday: CVS Ride; leaves parking lot at 6:30pm, casual/medium fast ride through Decatur, Candler Park, Druid Hills and returns to lot around 7:45pm; Dinner at Mellow Mushroom follows
The Decatur YMCA is a great place for pick up basketball and co-ed Volleyball.
anyone for an evening pick-up game of soccer? I used to play in an indoor (half field) league in NJ a few times a week before we moved to Decatur. Is there any women’s leagues in town? The only one I’ve found plays in the ‘burbs on Sunday mornings — not a great fit for a working mother of a toddler who doesn’t want to miss that much family time. I’d love to find a game (for us out-of-shape types who don’t fancy ourselves to be Becks) here in Decatur or at least in-town!