Let the games continue
The Olympics are winding down, but that doesn't mean you have to stop enjoying its more unique sports
Every two years, thanks to the Olympics, we get a glimpse of low-profile sports (can you say curling?) that are usually trumped by the biggies, especially here in Sox-Celtics-Patriots nation. Just as we come to understand and maybe even appreciate the athletic events, though, the Olympics conclude - and we move on.
It doesn't have to be that way. Yes, the Olympics end on Sunday, but if you've developed an interest in a summer sport and want to keep watching (or try playing), you don't need to go far.
Foiled again
Think fencing is only for the Summer Games and Renaissance festivals? To that we say, "En garde!" Fencing happens to be big in New England. In fact, Brandeis graduate Tim Morehouse is on the men's saber Olympic team this year. If you want to be like Morehouse, there are plenty of ways to fence and be fenced around town. The Boston Fencing Club in Waltham welcomes participants and spectators alike. Syd Fadner, who coaches fencing at Boston College and runs the Boston club, welcomes experienced fencers as well as newcomers. Even if watching the sport during the Olympics didn't appeal to you, you may enjoy fencing more as a participant, she says. "It can be difficult if you've never seen it before to follow the action because it's so very, very fast," she says. The club has an open house Sept. 5 at 7:30 p.m.
Boston Fencing Club, 110 Clematis Ave. #2, Waltham. 781-891-0119. www.bostonfencingclub.org
Target practice
Archery USA in Dedham prides itself on the fact that there are only two dead animals mounted on its walls. That's because this archery store and training center is more fixated on Olympic skills than hunting. Like the Boston Fencing Club, Archery USA lets you watch or play. On Thursday nights from 7 to 9, you can check out an open target practice for teams. Classes are ongoing throughout the year but they get busy next month when school starts. Anthony Bellettini, who runs the place and trains a Junior Olympic Archery Development team, knows how powerful his sport can be: "You can dodge a ball," he quips, "but you can't dodge an arrow." So true.
Archery USA, 606 Providence Highway, Dedham. 781-320-3626. www.archeryusa.com
Paddle whack
OK, so if you've been watching the Summer Games, you may know that table tennis isn't one of the United States' best sports - China usually wins most of the medals. Still, we love our ping-pong, and at the Boston Table Tennis Center in Medford, members play hard - including former over-60 world champion Albert Lau, who often practices at the club. Alex Landsman, a co-vice president, says you can drop in, play casually, or try a match with a skilled pro. It's $8 a night, and yes, there are spectators (significant others of players, table tennis groupies, etc.). "They often cheer, especially at Table 1," he said. "Table 1 often has the highest level of players."
Boston Table Tennis Center, 407R Mystic Ave., Medford. 617-953-0707. www.bostonttc.com
Lend a hand
There's only one club team in New England that plays the sport that's a little bit soccer and a little bit basketball. That team - the New England Freeze - has a men's and women's division and competes against other handball teams across the country during the fall and winter. Until September, when the Freeze begins practicing at the Harvard University's Kennedy School on Wednesday nights, you can see them (and join them) at Revere Beach on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (their goals are in front of the five large gray condo buildings) and on the Cambridge side of the Charles River on Tuesday nights from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Newcomers often join in on the beach handball fun. Coach and player Dirk Hentschel says that if you've ever played basketball, handball is easy to pick up. "The rules are very easy and it's a fast game," he said. "Nobody's excluded."
www.nefreeze.com
Mirror images
The Selkies, one of several youth synchronized swimming teams in the area, perform to popular songs that blare through the pool's underwater speakers. If you want to check out their routines, you can avoid the poolside humidity by watching through a big glass window from the lobby. "You don't even have to get sweaty," says John Ogden, director of competitive aquatics. When the team, which competes regionally and nationally, starts up again next month (you can find a schedule online), you can spectate for free, or you can join in - even if you're a grown-up. For the first time this year, the North Shore YMCA is starting up an adult division of the Selkies. "They work very hard," Ogden says of the team. "In terms of the skills, they're extraordinary."
Beverly Sterling YMCA, 254 Essex St., Beverly. 978-927-6855. www.northshoreymca.org
Bye-bye, birdie
Neil Davies of Somerville (who is originally from England), says that in the United States, people play the game of badminton, but in other parts of the world, people play the sport of badminton. That means foreign players take their birdies seriously. At the Waltham Badminton Club, many of the Bay State-area players come from other countries. Mariam Trubitsyn, originally from Russia, is one of the many international regulars who say the club helps fill the American badminton void. Most club members are intermediate to advanced, although there are always a few newbies who attend. The drop-in fee for Saturday afternoon practice (2 to 5 p.m.) is $8. Spectators are welcome.
Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall School, 785 Beaver St., Waltham. www.wolfberg.net/badminton/waltham 