GET IN THE GAME WHY NOT TRY YOUR OWN HAND AT SPRING AND SUMMER SPORTS? Elaine Richardson Spring pushes us into primetime for spectator sports, but it’s also the ideal time to get off the couch and try your hand at everything from basketball to volleyball to basketball. Two local organizations — the Chicago Sport…

Private sports club returns to public parks Re-formation draws familiar criticism from watchdog groups Liam Ford, Tribune staff reporter May 24, 2001 Left for dead a few months ago, the for-profit Chicago Sport and Social Club, one of the largest users of Chicago parks, opened its summer volleyball season this week. Park advocates and officials…

GET READY TO PLAY Jimmy Greenfield,Redeye Edited by Cara DiPasquale and Kris Karnopp April 1, 2003 GETOUT For the last 12 years, Eric Davalos has played recreational football, softball, volleyball and, for a lark, even tried his hand at floor hockey.  The sports change with the season but, for the most part, his teammates have…

ROLL OVER, SUNBATHERS THERE ARE TOO MANY OTHER WAYS–WITH OR WITHOUT A CROWBAR–TO HAVE FUN OUTDOORS Go for maximum lake effect Amy Koch May 25, 2003 The ice floes have melted, the parks have bloomed and the bevy of lakeside activities beckons. From nature-steeped canoe trips to Crunch Beachfront Gym’s Sensual Moves class, the array…

CHILD’S PLAY, ADULT SPIN If kickball’s hot now, what’s next? Dodgeball? Wendy Navratil Jun 8, 2003 If the ball in one corner of Brands Park calls to mind the movie “Bend It Like Beckham,” the ball in the opposing corner recalls another British export, TV’s “Teletubbies.” As bouncy and banana-yellow as the Tubbie named Laa-Laa,…

MENTAL HEALTH: THINK IT OUT 6 PROVEN WAYS TO USE YOUR MIND TO HEAL YOUR BODY By Brian Reid Posted Date: July 11, 2003 Stories of patients using meditation and positive energy to will themselves to health have been floating around since the days of leeches and bloodletting. For the most part, physicians have treated the…

PLAYBALL ADULTS GET A KICK OUT OF KIDS’ GAMES Chris McNamara for RedEye April 7, 2004 GET OUT A handful of spectators had gathered along the fence surrounding Chase Park, 4701 N. Ashland Ave., on Saturday. They watched two teams square off in a kickball match on the dusty softball diamond.  There was giggling between…

BACK TO THE BEACH Ariel Alexovich, RedEye May 7, 2004 Who needs Maui and Miami when Chicagoans have all they need for a scorchin’ summer in their own back yard? The Chicago Park District boasts 29 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, all covered in a sea of beach towels and umbrellas. You don’t even have…

16-INCH SUPERHEROES Weekend warriors come out in force to play Chicago’s unique softball game Ariel Alexovich, Redeye Jun 25, 2004 It’s 12:30 on a Sunday afternoon, and members of the 16-inch softball team Ishtar on Beta are trickling onto the outskirts of a diamond at Grant Park.  “Who’s number -3?” shouts one teammate as she…