Sports for Irvine's grown-up kids

2013-03-02 19:51:53


It's easy to feel like a kid again when kicking a big red ball as far as one possibly can and running the bases.

When: 7:30-10 p.m. Mondays or Wednesdays, depending on the league

Where: Harvard Athletic Park at 14701 Harvard Ave. in Irvine

How much: $75

How many games: 10-12 a season

When does the season start? The spring league starts taking sign-ups at the end of March.

What are the rules? Similar to softball in the sense that there's a pitcher, a kicker at home plate and the goal is to reach home to score – but with some variations. Replace the softball with a big bouncy, often red, ball and give the kicker a max of four foul balls and three strikes. Think you don't need that many foul balls or strikes? Think again. The pitcher can pitch the ball any which way, but it has to bounce at least twice before hitting the plate. It can even be rolled like a bowling ball. And like dodgeball, if you're a kicker and you're hit with the ball while running to first, second, third or home – you're out.

Information: or Sa Dao, the World Adult Kickball Association's South-ern California director, at


For a sport usually reserved for sitcom flashbacks to junior high torture, dodgeball is as social as social sports get. And for the first time, the sport is being offered in Irvine.

When: 7 and 8 p.m. Sundays for eight weeks

Where: Primal Training Center at 16872 Hale Ave. in Irvine

How much: $70 in Irvine, $67 for all other O.C. leagues. The extra $3 is because the Irvine matches are played at an indoor facility.

How many games? 64 games a season (each lasts five minutes max), nine games a night

When does the season start? Sunday

What are the rules? It's your standard schoolyard dodgeball with a little twist: If the bouncy ball hits you, bounces off you and is caught by you or a teammate in mid-air, you get a second chance to stay in the game. Also, the teams can't be stacked with one gender only. There must be a minimum of three women or three men on each team.



More than a decade ago, a small group of Irvine residents formed the Irvine Cricket Club, and since, the sport's popularity has grown into an entire Orange County league.

When: Saturdays and Sundays

Where: Usually Centennial Regional Park in Santa Ana, at 3000 W. Edinger Ave., but that can change

How much: $40 to join the Irvine Cricket Club. To join the Orange County league, it costs $1,300 to $1,500 per team (20 player limit, with 11 playing at a time during the game). The team's captain, Attaullah Seikh, says new players can get a feel for the club before officially joining. Only those 18 and older are eligible.

How many games: In the league, eight to 10

When does the season start? Sign-ups start in March, with games starting in April.

What are the rules? It's not the easiest for the uniniti-ated, but the gist involves two stumps and two batters (at each stump) hitting a ball with a flat cricket bat (a wicket) who run from one end to the other – two bases, if you will – of a long rectangular pitch after one has hit the ball. If it's caught mid-air by a member of the opposite team, the batter is out. If it's not, the batters run to score points. And if a batter hits a stump with a ball, he or she is out. Each game consists of two innings of 90 minutes.



There isn't a competitive team based in Irvine, but if you're looking to play a pickup game, the 15-year-old RocketSauce group is your source. They welcome all Frisbee skill levels.

When: Around 2 p.m. Sundays and Mondays and about 6:30 p.m. Thursdays

Where: The park location changes depending on which one is available, but often the group plays in Canyon Park in Irvine. Once on the email list, players are notified where the next gathering is.

How much: Free, otherwise $1 or $2 to cover the cost of keeping the lights on at the park.

How many games: No official amount, just however long people want to play

When does the season start? There is no season. The RocketSauce group plays just for fun, and has been doing so for 15 years.

What are the rules? Think flag football but without the flags and the football, and you can't run with the ball – or in this case, the disc. Players on the offense aim to throw the Frisbee to a team member in the end zone to score. The other team can block and intercept and do anything else short of fouling other players in order to keep the team from scoring.

Information: or Calvin Chan, the group's organizer at


Among the sports that have long vied for a place in the Olympics, squash is a fast-paced indoor court game that pits two players against one another. Peter Gerra oversees the squash program and 200 players at Equinox Sports Club in Irvine. While playing there requires a monthly membership to the club, Gerra said he offers a complimentary session to anyone interested in getting a feel for the sport.

When: There is no organized league play; just find a fellow Equinox member and book some court time. Weekday mornings and afternoons – before and after work – are when the courts are busiest.

Where: Equinox Sports Club in Irvine, 1980 Main St.

How much: Playing squash on Equinox's courts requires a club membership, specifically a "racquet" or "executive" membership. The racquet membership costs $175 a month ($175 initiation, usually) and the executive membership costs $289 a month ($500 initiation, usually).

How many games: As many as you can play. Bear in mind, there are about 200 Equinox members who play squash and only four courts.

What are the rules? Imag-ine racquetball but with a less bouncy ball and a specific window where that ball can land, mak-ing it a more strategic game and less about hitting the ball with a violent thwack so as to send the ball on a trajectory that can't be returned. Two players with rackets, playing on an indoor court, take turns hitting the ball against the walls (below a designated top line and above a bottom line). Whoever earns 11 points first wins. If there's a 10-10 tie, then the victor has to win by two more points. Players prefer long rallies.

Information: Gerra, the head squash professional at Equi-nox, or

– Kimberly Pierceall, Orange County Register

Contact the writer: 949-864-6371 or

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