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LGBT Kickball League Promises Sports, Booze and Fun for Fall

By Erica Demarest | August 14, 2014 7:04am
 Stonewall Kickball runs Sundays in Lakeview this fall. Registration is open until Aug. 22 and costs $40.
Stonewall Kickball
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LAKEVIEW — With teams like "Balls R Us" and "Pitches, Please," Stonewall Kickball isn't exactly your grade-school league.

The popular LGBT sports league — which launched in Washington D.C. four years ago — is making its Chicago debut this fall with six starter teams in Lakeview.

"It's much more about community than anything else," co-founder Patrick Crosson said. "It's about finding a group of friends, having fun and doing something good for the community while you're at it."

Sign-ups begin this week, and the league kicks off Sept. 14 at Waveland Park Softball Fields.

Crosson, 25, said he's wanted to create an LGBT kickball league since he moved to Chicago two years ago. The event planner was part of the original D.C. league and was sad to lose such a big part of his social life when he switched cities.

He and Chicago co-founders James Greenwell, Judson Wood and Brian Redar have been working since March to make Stonewall Kickball-Chicago a reality.

They've partnered with Fred Says, a local nonprofit that helps HIV-positive teens. Dr. Rob Garofalo of the Lurie Children's Hospital created the group and uses his own Yorkshire Terrier, Fred, as a mascot.

Stonewall Kickball players will organizer fundraisers and events throughout the season to raise money for Fred Says.

"That age group is really important to provide support to," Crosson said. Fred Says is "all about trying to get [the teens] to have a healthy lifestyle. Playing sports and being active is a really good way to promote that."

The initial Stonewall Kickball season will be capped at 120 players across six teams. Crosson said anyone can join — regardless of gender, sexual orientation or athletic ability.

Organizers ask that players be at least 21 because they're working to create Lakeview bar partnerships. The goal is to have players meet up at the same bars before and after each game.

"It helps keep everyone together, and keep the fun and socializing going," Crosson said. "It's really just a full Sunday of having fun around a social activity."

So does two bar stops mean drunken kickball?

"Obviously because we're in a Chicago park, we won't bring alcohol there. But there may be some drinking beforehand," Crosson said with a laugh. "It just makes it that much more interesting and entertaining."

It costs $40 to join the Stonewall Kickball league. Registration is open online until Aug. 22. The league plays 1-5 p.m. on Sundays, rain or shine, from Sept. 14 to Oct. 26.

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