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Organization
designed to ratchet up rec sports
By Pat Rooney, Special to
the News
August 25, 2005
In many softball leagues, kegs often outnumber
the bases. Then there is recreational basketball,
in which the skill levels of the participants
could vary from intense former college players
to lackadaisical weekend warriors looking
to lose a few pounds.
For athletes tired of these obstacles typical
in recreational leagues, "Keep Playing
Sports" hopes to provide a fast-paced
alternative.
Started earlier this year by two former San
Diego State University athletes tired of the
weak competition and organization they encountered
in their rec leagues, Keep Playing Sports
will begin offering basketball leagues in
the fall in eight cities, including Denver.
Organizers plan to add more sports next
fall and, in the future, add leagues in
more cities.
Keep Playing Sports is aimed at athletes
who want to retain their competitive edge.
The league will play in quality gyms and
feature certified referees and official
statisticians whose numbers will be listed
on the organization's national Web site.
Winners from each region - the league also
will play in Seattle, San Jose, Calif.,
San Diego, Sacramento, Calif., Dallas, Atlanta
and Des Moines, Iowa - will be flown to
Las Vegas to participate in a national tournament
in which more than $30,000 in prizes will
be awarded.
Sean Kattner, who was on the practice squad
of the basketball team at San Diego State,
and fellow San Diego State alumna Tammy
Adams, a former volleyball player, began
Keep Playing Sports at the beginning of
the year.
"We wanted something more for ourselves,"
said Kattner, who lives in Iowa. "In
Iowa, I couldn't really find anything that
was worth it. Everything seemed so poorly
organized. So I thought 'What if I start
my own league?' "
In Denver, the men's basketball league
will play at the Colorado Athletic Club
in Aurora. Organizers are planning to field
eight teams but have only about half that
goal filled. Softball, women's basketball
and football are among the sports the organization
are hoping to add next year.
"Dallas has probably been the slowest
and Denver is probably in the middle of
the road," as far as responses, Kattner
said. "It is looking good that we will
fill it up completely in the next couple
of weeks."
For more information, go to
http://www.keepplayingsports.com
or call 1-877-PLAY-KPS (752-9577).
"We started working with facilities
at the beginning of this year," Kattner
said. "We really believe it is something
that will take off."
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