I just played kickball for the first time since 5th grade! And no, I didn't crash a Sunday school…read morepick-up game, I participated in a organized league comprised of cool, active, and for the most part normal adults. Recess Time organizes dodgeball and bowling leagues in addition to kickball, and eventually there will be ping-pong. They make all the schedules, setup the fields, and coordinate the volunteer officials. All you have to do is bring your "A" game. The best part is they've acquired beer and wine permits for the parks! And in case you're wondering, wine and kickball are a fine pairing (I asked my boy Trav @ Garrison's). The second-best part is that even if your friends are too lazy, or uncoordinated, or don't exist, you can still be part of a team through "free agency." So if you're looking for a way to meet people and/or an excuse to get off the couch, definitely check out Recess Time. BTW, my team, Kick & Scream, kicked some butt today. Undefeated...1-0 baby!!!

Been playing dodgeball, kickball, and occasionally bowling with this league for years now. I've…read moremet tons of new friends, had plenty of awesome experiences, and overall had a good time. While the learning curve is somewhat alleviated by divisions and multiple nights, expect to take some lumps your first season (or two). The league is constantly growing and most issues are resolved quickly. The forum is helpful for questions, recruiting, along with general time killing and smack talk (though it does get slow at times). Overall, this is one of the best leagues out there!

This park is awesome. Amazing views, sweet little hike at the top of the hill, and the longest…read moreslide in Oregon.

This park is really hard to find- I only found it on the Chehalem Park & Recreation's website,…read morethough it does have a Google Maps location. Even on Alltrails, the trail does not show up on GIS- so I don't know if the trail is fairly new, or if this park is just super obscure. Anyway, it was a pleasant surprise since I was looking for a relatively short hike with some elevation gain. I recorded about 130 feet of gain in under a mile- not a ton, but a minor workout and a potential good spot to go back up and down for training. There is a playground, basketball court and the aforementioned trail. What I will say is that the views from the top of the hill are amazing- the trail is really well maintained and you can see out onto the valley for miles. Unfortunately, there aren't any facilities such as restrooms, but there is a nice water fountain. If you live in the area, this is a good place to take kids to play on the playground or shoot some hoops. The trail is fine too, though I likely won't come back for it since it's short and not terribly impressive.

Female power! How awesome to watch these ladies show how fierce they can be. I was on the edge of…read moremy seat as a spectator.

Woah. The first…read morederby bout I saw down in Medford was pretty tame to the one I saw last Saturday. The Boneyard Brawlers vs. Sis-Q Rollers was one hell of a bout. Looked pretty painful. I liked the way this venue was set up: with stadium seating I don't have to worry about not being able to see, or others not being able to see over me and my also 6 foot friend. Go! See the derby!

Nice place for a softball tournament...fields are dusty. There is alot of parking but get there…read moreearly if there are alot of teams.

Fuhgetabout the gym... Rock the boat, baby!…read more Most Portlanders, if they know anything about dragon boats, know the big Portland/Kaohsiung Rose Festival races, with the opulent, dragon-headed boats, the flag catching and the sprawling, boisterous crowds. But all that happens between April and June. And then *poof* it's all over and the heavy Taiwanese boats are stashed away beneath the Hi-Hat Restaurant for another year. The real juice of Portland's dragon boating milieu -- where teams train year-round and often go to national and world championships -- is the paddler-run DragonSports USA. A single dragon boat club has maybe 25 or 30 members and can't afford to buy, moor or maintain the 12-meter craft. So DragonSports USA was formed to provide all of Portland with access to sleek Hong Kong-stye dragon boats for recreational and team uses. And since 1997 they've been right downtown at Riverplace, where everybody can get to them. What really makes DragonSports rock is the level of volunteer commitment. With 8 boats and 2 races each year to run, an undertaking like this could cost a bundle. But when it's time to move a boat or organize a competition, it's all hands on deck. Because there isn't a big staff to support (just the ever-heroic Ayla) a lifetime membership in DragonSports costs $40 and then a team rental for a 22 -person boat is $22 per hour. Individuals can paddle at open practices for -- get this -- $25 per quarter. Yes, $40 up front and $100 per year. Take that to your gym and see if they'll match the price. And even if they do, when did you ever see people leaving spin class with the kind of goofy grins you find on those soggy people trodding up the boat ramp at Riverplace?

From the owner: DragonSports USA is a non-profit dragon boat paddling club located in Portland, Oregon.read more

The challenger to Pac West is portlandfootball.com (or PF.com)…read more This is more like College Football as you must recruit your own team, unless you join the free agent team. The recruiting part is hard, but the rest is smooth sailing. The games are fun, usually about an hour in length. The competitors are cool, as you'll get along with most of them during the season. Sportsmanship is in full effect. But my favorite part is, given our massive rainfall and constant cold, all games are played on turf, some at night with the lights turned on. It's like playing on NBC Sunday nights for goodness sakes!