Welcome back to Playing the Field. We hope you are enjoying the cooler weather of fall and football season finally being back. Here are some thing you might have missed this past month and what to look forward to in October (when you are not watching the Panthers!).
Softball
The Gay Softball World Series took place in Dallas in September, marking the 37th anniversary of one of the world’s largest annual LGBT sporting events. The tournament brings together 167 teams in five different divisions of play from all over the United States and Canada. This year’s tournament also coincided with Dallas Pride, so the city was buzzing all week long.
In case you missed any of the action, here is how the Series shook out:
A DIVISION (8 teams)
Champions: Palm Springs Rounders 2.0
2nd Place: San Francisco Steel
3rd Place: Atlanta Elite
B DIVISION (31 teams)
Champions: Atlanta Show Stoppers
2nd Place: Twin Cities Frostbite
3rd Place: Dallas X-Plosion
4th Place: San Francisco Fury
C DIVISION (55 teams)
Champions: Las Vegas Grease Monkeys
2nd Place: Tampa Hammerheads
3rd Place: Boston X-Factors
4th Place: Dallas Wreckin’ Crew
D DIVISION (63 teams)
Champions: Los Angeles Swingers
2nd Place: Austin Pride
3rd Place: Atlanta Reign
4th Place: Houston Divers
MASTERS DIVISION (10 teams)
Champions: New York Cranky Yankees
2nd Place: LA Gang Grey
3rd Place: Seattle Rainiers
4th Place: Tampa Half-Century Sluggers
Be sure to catch next year’s World Series when Columbus, OH takes on the hosting duties between Aug. 14-22 .
info:Â gaysoftballworldseries.com
Photo Credit: Deanna Merrel
Rugby
The Charlotte Royals started their fall season in September with 2 games, one at the Charleston Blockade and one at home versus the Table Rock Rugby Club. Starting four new players on the field, the Royals needed to mesh early against these two formidable teams.
Against Charleston, Charlotte looked quicker and more aggressive early on, resulting in a 20 point lead at half. But the humid temperatures took their toll and a little bit of complacency set in during the last 20 minutes of the second half and Charleston was able to put a few scores on the board late. Finally, the defense hunkered down and ended up winning 33-15.
Photo Credit: Alex Aguilar
Table Rock then visited the Queen City for a showdown. Both teams were undefeated and looking to stay that way. The contest was tight early, with Table Rock leading 5-0 with five minutes to go in the first half. They were able to tack on another try right before intermission. But, in the second half, Charlotte seemed to wear down again and after a couple of injuries, Table Rock started scoring at will. The final score was 40-0.
The Royals next get a rematch with the Charleston Blockade on their home turf on Oct. 11. Head out to Tuskaseegee Park and cheer them on!
info: charlotteroyals.org
Photo Credit: Frayed Edge Concepts
Roller Derby
It has been an exciting September for the ladies on the Charlotte Roller Girls All-Stars and B-Dazzlers roller derby teams. They opened in September with a tight 30-point win against Atlanta Apocalypstix for the All-Stars, but with also a drubbing for the B-Dazzlers against the Greenville Derby Dames in almost a 200-point route. Later in the month, the All-Stars took on the Greensboro All-Stars in another closely contested bout. This time they ended up on the losing end of a 30-point deficit. The B-Dazzlers needed to rebound quick to end the season on a high note and they did just that. They pulled out a five-point win versus the Greensboro Counterstrike. The All-Stars finished the season 8-4, while the B-Dazzlers finished 2-6. Congratulations to both teams for a successful season. Check out their website for details on their upcoming season and practice scrimmage schedules. : :
info: charlotterollergirls.com