AltWeeklies Wire
With One Trademark, Ryan Rittenhouse Unleashed a Battle Royalenew

What began as a simple plan to protect the Santa Cruz Surfing Club name from opportunistic outsiders has erupted into a war of words between three generations of Santa Cruz surfers.
Good Times Santa Cruz |
Jessica Lussenhop |
02-23-2009 |
Recreation
Extreme Kayakers Take on 'Machiavellian' Legislationnew

Mikkel St. Jean-Duncan and his friends in the Endangered Creeks Expedition have challenged developers' definition of "navigable waters" with their own, rather liberal, interpretation in a new self-titled documentary.
Fast Forward Weekly |
Rita Cant |
02-19-2009 |
Recreation
The Return of the Mardi Gras Baby Dollsnew
Separated by a generation -- and 2,000 miles -- friends Antoinette K-Doe and Miriam Batiste Reed have joined teamed up to bring the Baby Doll tradition back to New Orleans Mardi Gras.
Gambit |
Noah Bonaparte Pais |
02-17-2009 |
Recreation
Hog Huntin' in Florida's Evergladesnew

As the state moves closer to closing a $1.3 billion deal to buy 181,000 acres of private land — mostly hog habitat — the ancient art -- or horrible slaughter, depending on how you see it -- seems poised to disappear.
Miami New Times |
Natalie O'Neill |
12-29-2008 |
Recreation
Take Romance for a Hike: Love and Looking Good on the Trailnew

Here in the Pacific Northwest you're just as likely to have a guy or gal ask you out for a walk in the woods as you are to get asked for a dinner and a drink. With a little forethought, you can combine an outdoor adventure with a little romance and look good while you do it.
Eugene Weekly |
Camilla Mortensen |
12-18-2008 |
Recreation
The Bingo Bonanzanew
Charitable bingo is supposed to be a way for nonprofit groups to raise money. So why is all the big money being made by profit-oriented entrepreneurs?
East Bay Express |
Anna McCarthy |
10-22-2008 |
Recreation
Bowfishers Take Aim at Asian Carpnew

Bowfishing, an unusual and aggressive form of angling, has become popular with archers from across rural Missouri. For the most part, the sportsmen's primary target is Asian carp, an invasive, plankton-feeding fish that has exploded in population over the past decade and become the scourge of Midwestern rivers.
Riverfront Times |
Keegan Hamilton |
09-19-2008 |
Recreation
Toy Soldiers Play War Games with Almost-Real Assault Weaponsnew

Airsoft aficionados realize that key aspects that attract them to the sport -- weapons that look, feel, and even shoot like genuine combat arms and military role-play that peaceniks might say glorifies violence -- frighten a big segment of the general population.
New Times Broward-Palm Beach |
Amy Guthrie |
09-16-2008 |
Recreation
Pro Poker Hurts: It's Not All Glitz and Glory at the Tablenew
Harold Persaud is one of dozens of men -- and a few women -- who go to the legal poker rooms across South Florida every day, hoping to grind out the money to pay the bills. They go to places such as Pompano Park, Mardi Gras, and Miccosukee Resort & Gaming, to card rooms full of businessmen who cut out of the office early, young men wearing hooded sweatshirts and listening to iPods, foul-smelling degenerate addicts, and more retirees than a Sunday buffet.
Miami New Times |
Michael J. Mooney |
08-11-2008 |
Recreation
Geocachers Take the Treasure Hunt into the 21st Centurynew

Right under our collective noses, geocachers are placing small caches in ingenious places, uploading the GPS coordinates onto the official geocaching website and competing with each other to be the first to find these hidden treasures. The sport of geocaching has over 3,300 official participants in Quebec, and caches in every corner of Montreal.
Montreal Mirror |
Erik Leijon |
08-05-2008 |
Recreation
Arborists from Around the World Gather for the International Tree Climbing Championshipsnew

The tree-climbing championships are hosted and organized by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), a nonprofit advocacy group based in Champaign, Illinois. The competition has existed since 1976, but it has never received the kind of attention lavished upon similar outdoor events such as rock climbing and lumberjack sports.
Riverfront Times |
Keegan Hamilton |
08-01-2008 |
Recreation
Screw 'Vacation,' Nirvana's in Your Own Backyardnew

Thankfully, Colorado is still stocked with ample open space, much of it within just an hour's drive. So when thinking about things to do this summer that won't cost you a ton of travel money, we had to put some hiking/biking/camping-type activities on the list.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Staff |
07-01-2008 |
Recreation
Riverside's Castle Park: Southern California's Minigolf Meccanew

Sure, this bastard love child of real golf and Chutes and Ladders is what Satan would make Tiger Woods play if he wound up in Hell. And yeah, it's just about the tackiest sport ever invented. But minigolf is also supremely relaxing.
L.A. Weekly |
Gendy Alimurung |
05-27-2008 |
Recreation
One Teen's Rubik's Cube Fascination Grows into 'Speed-Solving' Competitionnew

In the age of the PS3 and Wii, it might seem a bit unusual for teens to gravitate toward a toy nearly twice as old as they are. But young "speedcubers" are out there, and many will compete in the upcoming Utah Cubing Open.
Salt Lake City Weekly |
Scott Renshaw |
05-16-2008 |
Recreation
Chess Masters at UT-Brownsvillenew
An open-admissions university has become a national powerhouse in the collegiate game.
Houston Press |
Chris Vogel |
04-15-2008 |
Recreation