Fall Ball continues in Piedmont

The Wall Street financial crisis be damned.

The Hotlanta Softball League provided a distraction on Sunday from the weakening economy and the gas shortage gripping metro Atlanta by filling two fields in Piedmont Park with sweaty and dusty softball players. It was week two of the league's Fall Ball season, which runs on Sundays until Oct. 26.

Want to watch? Games begin at 9 a.m. With the weather cooling, the Sunday morning games provide a great excuse for a stroll through the city's crown jewel of its park system.

View the Project Q Gallery photo album from Fall Ball week two. View photos from Fall Ball Opening Day here.

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Hotlanta team in middle of Series spat

Controversy lingers weeks after the Gay Softball World Series crowned its champions, with an Atlanta team in the middle of the thicket.

The Georgia Mudcats placed second in the Open Division A, the most competitive, after filing a protest that led to the disqualification of D2 over allegations that their roster included too many straight players. The North American Gay Amateur Athletic Association, which sanctions the tournament, says only two non-gay players are allowed per team in the World Series.

There's more after the jump.    READ MORE »

Bucks open fall rugby season

The Atlanta Bucks Rugby Football Club is off and running with their fall season.

The club, still smiling from their performance last June in the Bingham Cup, opened their eight-game schedule on the road in Chattanooga on Sept. 13 with a 74-7 loss followed by a 43-27 win on Sept. 20 in Charlotte. Their first home match is Oct. 4.

There's more, including a video clip, after the jump.    READ MORE »

Hotlanta Softball returns to Piedmont

The Hotlanta Softball League opened its Fall Ball season on Sunday.

Fall Ball returned to the athletic fields of Piedmont Park for its five-week season, which runs until Oct. 26. Games begin at 9 a.m.

“Our Fall Ball is nowhere near as large as the regular season,” Art Davenport, HSL’s Open Division secretary, said before the season opened. “Fall Ball is there for us to have fun and it is more social than our regular season because we interact more.”

View the Project Q Atlanta photo album from Opening Day.    READ MORE »

Gay sports on the small screen

The boys at Outports.com have added a video blog to their wide assortment of offerings on the gay sports site. The vlog is in partnership with AfterElton.com.

The first episode runs a little more than six minutes and includes Cyd Zeigler, an Outsports co-founder, and his take on being gay at an NFL game, Chris Cooley and Logo's new show "Shirts & Skins."

Watch the video after the jump.    READ MORE »

Gay rodeo says no to Conyers for ‘09

The Georgia Gay Rodeo Association has said "thanks, but no thanks" to the Conyers facility that has hosted its successful Souther Spurs Rodeo in the past.

Brad Bruner (photo), the group's president, made the announcement in an email to supporters today, citing higher costs and additional requirements since the group last hosted the rodeo at the Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers in 2005. He stressed that the group is still interested in hosting a gay rodeo in metro Atlanta next year, a high-profile event that would cap a resurgence by the organization.

Read excerpts of the announcement after the jump.    READ MORE »

Sports to do this weekend

Ok, couch potatoes. You've got plenty to keep you active in the coming days, whether you want to actually play or just ogle the eye candy.

FLAG FOOTBALL: The National Flag Football League of Atlanta continues its fall season with action tonight beginning at 6 p.m. Games take place at the Piedmont Park athletic fields. Speaking of eye candy, there's a photo album from Week 1 action.

SOFTBALL, TAKE ONE: The Decatur Women's Sports League continues its fall season on Friday. Week 3 begins at 6 p.m. on two fields at Kelly C. Cofer Park in Tucker.

GOLF: The Women's Outdoor Network hosts its First Annual Best Ball Tournament. The event, a fundraiser for WON, Pets Are Loving Support and the Feminist Women's Health Center, starts early on Saturday at Brown's Mill Golf Course. Registration at 7:30 a.m. and shotgun start at 9 a.m.

RUGBY: The Atlanta Bucks Rugby Football Club continues its fall season on Saturday with a road trip to Charlotte. The club opened the season Sept. 13 with a match in Chattanooga.

SOFTBALL, TAKE TWO: The Hotlanta Softball League kicks off its Fall Ball on Sunday at 9 a.m. Games take place at the Piedmont Park athletic fields.

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Volleyball looking to fill fall rosters

There's still time to register for the Hotlanta Volleyball Association's fall league.

For the group's Friday night recreational league, registration closes Sept. 19 (that's tomorrow). League games begin Sept. 26 at Agnes Scott College in Decatur. Games continue on Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24 and Nov. 7. The fall tournament is scheduled for Nov. 14 and Nov. 21. Cost for the league is $32, plus $15 for an annual HVA membership.

Registration for HVA's intermediate and advanced leagues, which both play on Tuesdays at Agnes Scott, was extended to Sept. 23.

For a taste of what it's all about, view the Project Q Atlanta photo album from HVA's Hotlanta Classic VXII.    READ MORE »

Flag football opens fall season

The National Flag Football League of Atlanta returned to the field -- and Piedmont Park -- for its fall season on Sept. 11.

Games continue on Thursdays at 6 p.m. into November. The league, pushed from Piedmont Park during its spring season earlier this year, returned to the park's athletic fields for its fall season. The park provides a boost in visibility for the league.

The league's travel team is also practicing in preparation of Gay Bowl VIII, set for mid October in Salt Lake City. Last year, the Atlanta Storm placed ninth in the 16-team tournament.

View the Project Q Atlanta photo album from the fall season opener.    READ MORE »

Is too much straight a bad thing?

The simmering controversy left over from the recent Gay Softball World Series--and one that benefitted a team from the Hotlanta Softball League--continues to spur debate over the event's limit on the number of heterosexual players allowed on team rosters.

Cyd Zeigler, a co-founder of Outsports, weighed in with his take:

Sports is still a relatively homophobic place. I was watching a high school football practice earlier this week and heard the coach and players taunting one another with "girl" and "sissy." This was in Manhattan. Sports is not a friendly place for gay people, for the most part.

As long as the sports world continues to cast a homophobic shadow over our culture, I personally have no problem with people trying to keep playing sports for gay tournaments as open to gay people as possible.

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Women’s group readies golf tourney

The Women's Outdoor Group is putting the final touches on its First Annual Best Ball Tournament, set for Sept. 20

The event benefits WON, Pets Are Loving Support and the Feminist Women’s Health Center. The cost is $75 per person or $300 for a team of four and participants can register online.

There's more after the jump.    READ MORE »

Flag football opens fall season

Football is back, baby. Flag football, that is.

The National Flag Football League of Atlanta launches its Fall League on Thursday, meaning about eight to 10 weeks of games. Best of all, the league returns to Piedmont Park, which booted sports groups from its athletic fields earlier this year. Games begin at 6 p.m.

The league's travel team will also be making preparations for Gay Bowl VIII, set for mid October in Salt Lake City. Last year, the Atlanta Storm placed ninth in the 16-team tournament. In 2005, the NFFLA team made a run at the title, losing in the final game.

The league ended its spring season in late June with the Broncos taking the championship.

For a look at what you might be competing against, check out the Project Q Atlanta photo galleries from last season.

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Drama finds Gay Softball World Series

A limit on the number of heterosexual players allowed on teams taking part in the Gay Softball World Series is kicking up a storm of protest.

The tournament, which unfolded in Seattle late last month, involved 10 teams from the Hotlanta Softball League, five of which placed in the top three in their divisions. One of those teams, the Atlanta Mudcats, is in the middle of a simmering dispute.    READ MORE »

Anne Barr named ‘inspiring woman’

It's not every time you get to rub elbows with the head of the WNBA and the president of the Atlanta City Council. Or get paraded across center court before a sold out crowd at Philips Arena.

But that's where Anne Barr found herself last Friday, among 20 women from across metro Atlanta named "Women of Inspiration" by the Atlanta Dream. Barr, the founder of the Decatur Women's Sports League, was honored for her work in creating the league and its donations to the Atlanta Lesbian Health Initiative.

There's more, including a photo gallery, after the jump.    READ MORE »

Peach tennis takes center court

The Peach International Tennis Championships unfolded over the weekend at two facilities in metro Atlanta. The event brought more than 200 gay and lesbian tennis players for four days of competition that culminated Monday with a round of championship matches.

On Monday, three sets of Atlantans took their second consecutive titles: Jeff Mitchell and Jerry Schadel in Men's B 40+ Doubles champions, Krista Clarke and Geoff Hall in Mixed Open Doubles and Krista Herron and Kazu Aiba in Mixed A Doubles.

To view a Project Q Atlanta gallery of photos from the Peach, go here. A list of winners appears after the jump.    READ MORE »

Gay Softball World Series wrap up

Five of the 10 teams from the Hotlanta Softball League participating placed in the top three of their divisions during the Gay Softball World Series last weekend in Seattle. We already knew that.

But what we didn't know was this: the champs in the Women's Division. That's finally been released and you can see the list after the jump.

A few other notes from Series 2008: The Atlanta Riptide took the Spirit Award for the Women's A Division. For a gallery of photos, there's one from Melissa Polly Photography (password ASANA) and another from Outsports.

And while the teams were in Seattle, HSL's Open Division Secretary, Art Davenport, bogged for us. Read his previous posts here, here, here, here, here, here and here.    READ MORE »

Hotlanta goes to Seattle: Day 5

Ten teams from the Hotlanta Softball League competed in the Gay Softball World Series, which wrapped up Saturday on Day 5 in Seattle. Art Davenport, HSL’s Open Division secretary, has been blogging here throughout the Series.

More news from Seattle after the jump.    READ MORE »

Tennis tourney aces its way through Labor Day

More than 200 gay and lesbian tennis jocks are in Atlanta this weekend, sweating their way through the Peach International Tennis Championships.

Action is unfolding over two facilities in DeKalb and Fulton counties as the brackets get pared down for the finals on Monday. Those matches begin at 9 a.m. at the DeKalb Tennis Center near the intersection of Clairmont and North Druid Hills roads.

"Atlanta is such a tennis town that we can't help but have a good turnout and have a good tournament," says Adam Helewski, the event's director.
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Gay Softball World Series in photos

The Gay Softball World Series closed on Saturday, with five of the 10 teams from Atlanta placing in the top three in their divisions. Outsports was at the championships in Seattle, snapping photos along the way.

Check out the Outsports photo gallery from the series here.    READ MORE »

Atlanta teams place in World Series

Five of the 10 Hotlanta Softball League teams competing this week in the Gay Softball World Series placed in the top three in their divisions.

But the league didn't match the overwhelming success it enjoyed last year when three of its teams won national titles at the Series.

The full results are after the jump.
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