Clean, old-fashioned co-ed fun

It might be hard to tell from recent posts, but Brooklyn is not mostly water. In fact, many sports in Brooklyn don’t need:

• boats
• flippers
• oxygen tanks
• surfboards

ZogSports is a leading Brooklyn/Manhattan-based organizer of co-ed sports around the city. ZogSports is also charity-oriented, donating a portion of their proceeds (around $350,000 over five years) to charities designated by their members. It’s important for some people to feel that they can save dolphins or fund afterschool programs just by playing kickball.

Anyway, the organizers at ZogSports match athletes of all levels with leagues that fit their skill and competitiveness.  Current offerings include touch football, dodgeball, volleyball, basketball, soccer, and, yes, kickball. They also handle the business of booking fields and courts. All you have to do is show up with your ZogSports t-shirt, play hard (or not) and go for beer afterwards.

To get in, though, you’ll have to register.  Summertime registration opens up on April 21 for teams and individuals.  Even if you’re the only person you know who likes dodgeball (unlikely), you can still play.

Almost summertime = Beaches almost open

The “almost” in the headline is subjective. Though the weather is improving, beaches don’t open until Memorial Day, almost a month and a half away. In the meantime, surfers have already begun to eagerly ply the waves. Regular surf news is available from Surf New York, and regular conditions reports from Duke’s Stormcast; today, surfers can look forward to:

Waves: 2-3 | 2-3
Wind: SW 5-10 | SW 5-10
Conditons: Fairly clean

Which means…well, who knows, exactly?

Surf2live does, for one, and they’re eager to share their knowledge with you. The Long Island surf school began providing lessons on April 7 from their Long Beach location. Would-be or would-be better surfers can hone their skills starting at $100 / hour.

Cheaper: watching surfing. The New York Surf Film Festival is accepting submissions now for their late September screenings.

Bus + bike = hip-hop

We don’t have these front-of-bus bike racks in Brooklyn, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy a public service video put to music. Bikecommuters found it first.