Saturday LES Kickballers got a special treat this month when Cinco De Mayo landed on their mid-season games, and one Team definitely came prepared:

Sore muscles are natural for the average active New Yorker. But, when your Kickball Team needs you, despite aching muscles, you step up to the plate (literally) like this lady of Saturday's Jiminy Kickit (kelly):

Take a moment and smile at the ball (make it your friend)...

If you don't know that Kickball Season has started here at New York City Social Sports Club, then you must just be coming out from under your rock...

Thursday Kickballers over on Courts A & B pulled some great plays on opening night. Just like riding a bike, kickball comes right back to ya after a long break...

Intramural Team Donka Doo Balls (kelly) goes for (and gets) that 2-1 double play against Hot Balls Pt Deux (tn orange):

Another Intramural Team, Menace 2 Sobriety (charcoal), was already rounding first base when Ed's Bar & Grill (forrest) attempts to catch that pop-up kick in the outfield...

...and gets it!

Over on Court A, Varsity Team Real World Astoria (military) scoops up Mrs Albee Kicks Balls (daisy)'s grounder and hurls it over to First Base:

Does it look like they get the OUT? (I will tell you, THEY DO! great play...)

Joey, from Varsity Team POKO (irish), stops on a dime on 3rd Base keeping those toes in "safe" territory:

How did the other base plays go that evening? Let's take a look at the Gallery of Base Plays featuring Intramural Teams Debit Kicks Credit Balls (lime), and Ball & Order Champion Intent (red), as well as Varsity Teams Real Wold Astoria (military), Mrs Albee Kicks Balls (daisy), POKO (kelly) and Pitch, Please! (forrest)... Some plays you can clearly see were successful while others were quite close to call (but not for our Refs!)...

The last captured great play of the evening was seen at home base when a 9th Grader (red) had the game ball hot on her heels, and Crazy Chickens (royal) were about to get her out, but she made it just in time:

Meanwhile, through out the entire evening, great catches were made in the outfield. Let's take a look at some by Hot Balls Pt Deux (tn orange), Real World Astoria (military), and 9th Graders (red) shall we...?

All of these plays deserve a High-Five! YEAH!

Did I mention the start of Thursday Kickball started on National High Five Day? ...Because it did... and it was awesome.

It is springtime in the city, and while we have our outdoor sports returning to the fields & courts from East to West (side), fun time in the pool remains as great as ever with our Inner Tube Waterpolo league. All of our favorite ITWP moves return...

Paddling into the middle to be the first team to possess the ball, just like Dara Croft Pool Raisers (blue), Froot Loops (light blue), Fallopian Tube Socks (orange), and Frothy Balls (green):

And once you have the ball, protect it for dear life like the members of Frothy Balls and Trolling The Deep (both green),

Passing to your teammates, or trying to (as demonstrated by Flip You (red), Root Beer Float (yellow), Flipadelphia (pink) and Sharktopus) as your opponent tried to block (Sharktopus (pink), Trolling The Deep (green), Rubber Duckies (yellow), and Flip You in these cases):

But Dara Croft & Pool Raiders (blue) shows us how it's done against Froot Loops (light blue):

Oh, and the flipping... Can't forget the fun flipping! Show us Fallopian Tube Socks (orange), Flip you (red), Root Beer Float (yellow), Sharktopus (pink), Flipadelphia (pink) and Rubber Duckies (yellow)

And then there is the attempt (by Frothy Balls (green), Flip you (red), Root Beer Float (yellow), Flipadelphia (pink), and Sharktopus) and/or blocking of making a goal (like these goalies for Fallopian Tube Socks (orange), Sharktopus (pink), Trolling The Deep (green), Rubber Duckies (yellow), Flipadelphia, and Flip You):

Last Season's Inner Tube Waterpolo Spirit Champs came to the start of the Spring Season prepared to get another crown...

Sharktopus Vs. DinoCroc Vs. Frankenfish Vs. MegaPiranha Vs. MegaShark Vs. MechaGodzilla (pink) had their mascots in tow. Here we see (in blow up form) a Sharktopus ready to battle a DinoCroc:

And don't let Crazy Captain Danny scare you. He is just like his salsa-loving shark shirt... Fun, silly, ferocious and salsa-loving! A good representation of his team, I think! (I've seen them at the bar - they do love their salsa... and guacamole, but that's another story...)

They brought the Power of the Puss to this season's opening game not just by entertaining us with their mascots, but they brought it in the pool, too! Having tied the game, they were ecstatic to not start the season off with a loss! That's the Spirit!! Literally...

They may have an intimidating name, but if you see a Sharktopus...

...Say hi. They are friendly Champs, after all...!

As you can see by this photo...

The Spring Season for Early Dodgeball is in full bloom (look at al of the pretty colors)!

This season's kick-off games were filled with so much positive energy (as they always are)..

Players were excited to re-connect with old friends and/or meet new people:

The thrill of rushing into the center for action:

The anticipation of surveying your opponent... Where shall I throw?

Getting to strategize with your Teammate:

...And then there is the most exciting of them all - the all important throw to make others dodge...

...And of course the exhilarating DODGE...!!

And last but not least, the happiness that overcomes you that makes you high-five and cheer on your Team & Teammates:

This is going to be a great Early Dodgeball Season! Go Get' 'Em Bad Assets (daisy), Bid Over (sapphire), Dodge Bulls (kelly), Gym Class Evils (red), Midnight Sausage Bandits (old school), So You Wanna Hit This (black), Sorry We're Not Sorry (royal), Tri-Dougals (orange) and Mighty Ducks (navy).

Why is this group of people so ecstatic?

BECAUSE IT IS THE START OF KICKBALL SEASON!!!!!!!

Our massive Kickball Kickoff party happened last week as we gathered players from all nights to kick off the start of our Crazy Kickball Season!

Old friends reunited, new friends were made, teams picked up where they left off at the flip cup tables... Good times all around!

Get Ready... Because Kickball starts in T-minus 5...4...3...2...

Some may say "Sports" is the key word in NYC Social Sports Club. However, "Social" is quite important to us as well! Tuesday Night Bowlers Fabulous Flying Bowling Team (forrest), Repent For Your Pins (maroon), I Can't Believe It's Not Gutter (stone blue), Spare Me Your Bowling Pun (lime), Girls With Balls (purple), Savvy Strikers (blue dusk), Angelina Bowlie (kelly), and Gutterly Ridiculous (chocolate) showed how "Social" they can be during their recent Playoffs:

... And then there are the Socializers of the Season, Bar Champs BYOB bring-your-own-balls (red):

What do Gold Medalists and Silver Medalists do when they win their Tuesday Winter Bowling League?

Congratulate each other, and celebrate the night away, of course!

Congrats, Gold Medalists Repent For Your Pins (Maroon), and their Silver Medal cohorts I Can't Believe It's Not Gutter (stone blue) on a season well played!

When a Bowling team with the name I Can't Believe It's Not Gutter (stone blue) makes it into the Playoffs round, they must have been in disbelief almost every Tuesday night this season! You simply can't make it to the playoffs throwing mainly gutter balls! During playoffs, I noticed one of the ladies from this team was about to attempt one of the hardest spares... the split!! It wasn't the toughest of them all, a 7-10 split, but a split all the same is pretty difficult.

Here she is eyeing up the split down the lane:

She glides the ball down the lane, and does the all important anticipation watch: "Will it...? Is it...? Could it be...?"

YES! Success!

(Sorry I wasn't able to capture the excited look on her face upon impact. What could I do when her teammate showed her mutual excitment at that exact moment?)

Double high fives all around!

With Bowling like that, it's no wonder they got 2nd place! Here's the magnificent splitter receiving her medal: