Toronto’s Alternative Sports

You blink as you step out into the sun. After a winter of hibernation, the outside world is a strange and alluring place. A lithe figure draws your gaze, bouncing down the street with a buoyant energy. Is there anywhere else you can catch a glimpse of such wonderful specimens? Yes, sir, there is. It’s called the adult recreational sports league: Where the love of the outdoors, physical activity and, er, “physical activity” come together for a few brief but glorious months.

Kickball
It’s just like the recesses of childhoods past, if those recesses came stocked with a full bar. Yes, drinking is a large part of what makes 19+ kickball such an enjoyable recreational pursuit, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a demanding endeavour. Your punting skills will be put to the test, along with your ability to run the bases after several mid-Sunday brews.

Ball Hockey
Just because it’s so hot you’ve forgotten what ice looks like, there’s no reason to abandon the most Canadian of sports. Simply transpose hockey from the rink to the road and voilà – ball  hockey. If you’re serious, the Toronto Ball Hockey League’s 5th season kicks off at the Etobicoke Olympium Sunday June 3rd. Cost per team is $1,300 but comes with so many ammenties and professional-type services, if it were any more real, you’d probably have a concussion by now.

Bike Polo
If you’re looking for a more rarified pursuit that combined the whimsical irony of kickball with the earnest commitment to pretending like you’re living in the 19th century, perhaps bike polo is for you. Yes, every Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, people gather at the Dufferin Grove Park hockey rink to play polo… on bikes. BYO… bike.

Beach Volleyball
While we can’t promise you that your beach volleyball experience will be anything like this, Ashbridges Bay Beach Volleyball promises recreational volleyball on the best beach in Toronto. Vaguely misleading stories for your co-workers about your beach volleyball experiences remains your prerogative.

Dodgeball
If you find yourself waking up in the mornings with an insatiable urge to hurl rubber coated foam balls at the nearest human, boy, is there a sport for you. By the looks of their website, the Toronto Dodgeball Association is among the most competitive leagues based on an activity typically reserved for schoolchildren.

LARP
For some people, sport is about the exhilaration of pushing your body to its limit, or the thrill of competition. For others, it’s 85-page PDF rulebooks complete with full skill lists and your very own character sheet. We’re not here to judge.

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Image courtesy of Stein Magne

Comments

1 thought on “Toronto’s Alternative Sports”

  1. I’d have to go with ultimate being an “alternate” sport as well! It’s decently competitive, and you’ll get some crazy cardio out of it, but the entire sport is based on sportsmanship! What more could you ask for?!

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