Come out to play

Photograph: Cinzia Reale-Castello

While playing a sport does help you keep stress and weight under control, there’s more to being a member than working out. Team dinners, parties and group outings are always on the agenda, and it’s common for members to become friends, roommates, even lovers. Most teams participate in charitable fund-raising as well, leveraging their numbers to do good for local AIDS groups and other charities.

Front Runners New York
Named for the classic gay romance novel The Front Runner, this team—part of the New York Road Runners club—was founded in 1979 and currently has more than 500 members (the group has since expanded to include cycling and multisport activities). Front Runners maintains a charitable foundation that partners with many organizations, most recently New York’s AIDS Service Center. “The best part of being on the team is the sense of camaraderie, community and family that is present,” says president Robert Lennon. “People in Front Runners cheer each other on to reach their athletic goals. Many people find their soul mates, life partners and best friends through the club.”

The season: Year-round
Where: Much of the training takes place in Central Park, but the club uses other locales in Manhattan and other boroughs, too.
Cost: $30 per year, which includes access to all training events (running, cycling and multisport)
Who can join? You’re in! The team accepts everyone—regardless of experience, speed or skill, gender, orientation—at any time.
More info: frny.org

Team New York Aquatics
TNYA started in 1990 in preparation for Gay Games III, in Vancouver, and now has more than 250 members. “Few sports are better at conditioning the body from head to toe than swimming,” says social co-czar David Lucas. If that alone isn’t enough, there are recreational and competitive tracks, open-water competitions and water-polo teams.

The season: Year-round, with a shorter, open-water swim season in summer
Where: Various Manhattan and Brooklyn locations
Cost: $30 a year, plus $10–$15 per swimming session
Who can join? Open to all orientations and genders (19 and over), the team accepts new members throughout the year. You must be a member of U.S. Master’s Swimming ($38) to join.
More info: tnya.org

Gotham Volleyball
Founded in 1984 and boasting 650 members, Gotham was once voted one of the cruisiest leagues in the city by a local magazine. Obsessive types beware: According to team commissioner Seth Eichenholtz, “It’s so addictive that you wind up watching or playing all the time.”

The season: There are three: Fall runs from September through January; spring, from late January through May; and summer is for beginner-level members who played in the spring, offering open play for more advanced members as well.
Where: Bayard Rustin High School, at Eighth Avenue and 18th Street
Cost: Dues are $135 per season.
Who can join? You must be 18 or over; all genders and orientations are welcome. New members join at the start of each season. The beginner level is open to anyone. Other divisions have a tryout process, and captains draft various teams.
More info: gothamvolleyball.org

Gotham Knights Rugby Football Club
“Fast and rough, rugby is a physically demanding sport,” says John Vernon, president of Gotham Knights. “Everybody should try it, but it’s not for everyone.” The club was founded in 2001 by Scott Glaessgen in honor of his friend (and the club’s intended cofounder) Mark Bingham—credited as one of the onboard heroes that thwarted the hijackers of United Flight 93—with the aim of increasing diversity within the sport and encouraging newcomers. There are currently 60 active ruggers on the team, plus active alumni. The team competes locally in the tristate area, as well as with affiliated national and international teams.

The season: Gotham operates year-round, with two key seasons in the spring and fall. In the summer and winter “off-seasons,” the club participates in rugby tournaments and holds touch rugby sessions, open to anyone who wants to join in.
Where: Brand-new pitch facilities on Randall’s Island
Cost: Full membership is $450 a year (uniform included). Payment plans can be arranged.
Who can join? All athletic backgrounds and levels are welcome (18 and over). Gotham holds rugby boot camps in the spring and fall, which are recommended for those wishing to join but not required. The club has both recreational (“social”) and competitive teams; an invite is required to play in the latter. As the Rugby Football Union does not allow coed teams, women can play in the club but not compete in Union matches. The Knights require that you have health insurance—you have been warned.
More info: gothamrfc.org

New York City Gay Basketball League
Since it was formed in 2006, NYCGBL has grown to 18 teams with more than 180 players, broken into competitive, recreational and women’s divisions. “It is great to watch people improve over a season,” observes Michael Kokell, vice commissioner of the organization’s B League. “It’s exciting when a player who truly did not think they could play sticks with it and learns from their teammates.”

The season: There are two: a spring season running from March through June, and a fall season from September through December.
Where: All games are held at the Field House at Chelsea Piers.
Cost: Fees start at $125 per season. The league offers a financial assistance program.
Who can join? After an interview, you’ll be asked to play in an assessment game, after which captains choose teams through a draft system.
More info: nycgaybasketball.org

Go teams!

Photograph: Ben Strothmann

Out of Bounds NYC (oobnyc.org) can answer questions and hook you up with the city’s gay sports teams. Also, check out Outsports.com.

• New York Gay Football nygayfootball.org
• NYC Gay Hockey Association nycgayhockey.org
• Big Apple Softball League bigapplesoftball.com
• Metro Gay Wrestling Alliance metrowrestling.org
• Cheer New York cheerny.org
• Metropolitan Tennis Group metrotennisgroup.com
• New York Ramblers Soccer newyorkramblers.org
• Ski Bums ski-bums.org
• Fast & Fabulous Cycling Club fastnfab.org
• CRUX - LGBT Rock Climbing Club lgbtclimbing.com
• Sundance Outdoor Adventure Society sundanceoutdoor.org