Come Out and Play, The Perfect Summer Day
By: Sarah Myer

As children, many of us spent summer days racing, running, swinging and kicking—and not just around the house with contentious siblings—but in parks with friends and neighbors. Whether competitively or just for fun, even as a fan, summer coincided with sports. It gave us the opportunity to relax, bond and, at times, feel the exhilaration of victory. As adults, most of us don’t get summer vacation, so making time for play can be difficult, to say the least. What’s more, the need to relax, bond, and even win is still just as strong, if not stronger, for those of us putting in a 40-hour (or more) workweek. But, if would-be athletes and sports fans know where to go, recreating that perfect, playful day can be as easy as striking out New York Yankee Jason Giambi. Chicago has continually evolved into an epicenter for many professional and league-oriented sports. There are so many sports to choose from during the summer, that it’s hard not to be active at some level—even if you’re just cheering in the stands.

For the Super Fans
America’s favorite pastime, baseball, is the epitome of summertime in this city, and part of the perfect summer day. For a Chicago Cubs fan nothing can compare to the electric atmosphere in Wrigleyville on game day, especially if they happen to be playing the rival White Sox. Of course, baseball isn’t the only professional spectator sport to catch in the city. The Chicago Fire represents the Windy City in Major League Soccer, and although they may not bring in the enormous crowds a baseball game at Comiskey Park—sorry, U.S. Cellular Field would, the franchise has proven soccer’s staying power in the U.S. and the recognition of U.S. soccer teams worldwide. Don’t forget, both the Men’s and the Women’s World Cups made stops at Soldier Field in the 1990s.

If soccer’s not your thing or you can’t make it to the city, the ’burbs offer other athletic alternatives. Minor league baseball teams, the Kane County Cougars, the Schaumburg Flyers and the Windy City Thunderbolts, can offer just as much excitement—and far less hassle. On Saturday nights the Kane County Cougars have a fireworks display that could hold its own against the displays on the South Side. Plus, tickets are cheaper and the crowds are more family friendly.

Baseball’s cousin cricket can often be seen at James Park in Evanston (the hometown of the Midwest Cricket Conference). In addition to locals, these matches usually draw a large crowd of fans living here from overseas, particularly those from the British Commonwealth. The season starts in June and usually wraps up by mid-September. For a more all-American sport the Chicagoland Speedway in suburban Joliet is the ticket for those infected by the NASCAR bug. Big weekends during the summer are July 8-10 and September 10-11, with a track pack ticket deal on prices for both weekends ranging from $195-260 per person.

To see real horsepower, however, head to other racetracks. Thoroughbred racing can be seen at Arlington Park and Hawthorne Race Course. Harness racing happens at Maywood Park and Hawthorne Race Course. Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha, Wis., (about 90 minutes north of Chicago)—even if it doesn’t have horsepower—has excellent greyhound racing. Although most of these events are spread out around Chicagoland, there’s always the opportunity to make the trip “worth your while,” particularly for the betting man.

Get Up and Go
This is not a city known only for spectator sports, getting involved is easy. Chicago’s landscape alone makes it conducive to a number of sporting events, particularly for running, cycling and sailing. For both runners and cyclists, Chicago’s smooth topography is ideal, and given the amount of running and cycling events the city hosts, it shows. Throughout the summer hundreds of running and walking events are coordinated by a wide variety of groups, charities and clubs, such as Chicago Area Runners Association (CARA) and Fleet Feet Sports Chicago. Bike Chicago also takes full advantage of Chicago’s layout, holding more than 150 biking events during the summer and early fall to promote the health, economic and environmental benefits of bicycling.

Running Path Map: (click for larger view)

And of course, being a city on one of the Great Lakes affords us a number of aquatic activities, but only if one has both the stomach and cash to do so. The Lincoln Park Boat Club offers kayaking, sculling (one oar in each hand) and rowing (one oar in both hands) for a variety of skill levels. Sail Chicago offers sailing lessons, rentals and a chance to test out those skills, (for the more avid sailor), with choice of both Rhodes and Shields racing. Chicago Sailing is another great organization that also offers sailboat rentals and instruction. On Tuesday nights they offer social sails, where you can head out onto the waters of Lake Michigan with a group of up to eight and come back to a barbecue prepared by the house chefs. Availability depends on skill level as untrained sailors will need the help of one of Chicago Sailing’s captains.

Back on dry land, golf courses are harder to come by as very few of them are actually found in or near the city itself. They are in great abundance throughout the suburbs, however, ranging from public courses like Cantigny in Wheaton to Cog Hill in Lemont, which hosts the Western Open annually from June 27 to July 3. Although it can be difficult to get a chance to play the famed Cog Hill, tickets to the Open are much easier to come by with daily prices starting at $37 a person booked ahead of time.

For the thriftier Chicagoan, the Chicago Park District offers many less-expensive choices for those who want to get active. For example, the city’s tennis courts cost from $24 per hour down to free. The courts closer to downtown tend to cost more, but as one heads further north prices become much more agreeable. Many city parks also offer various other public courts, fields, pools and sports programs at reasonable prices.

What to Play?
With this wealth of activity going on during the summer months, how does one decide what to try? That is where organizations like Chicago Sport and Social, Sports Monster and the Chicago Park District come into play. Over the past twenty years these organizations have orchestrated sport leagues ranging in a variety of activities. Whether you are an avid soccer fan and player or a novice volleyball player, these organizations have a team for you.

Some of the more prevalent leagues during the summer are soccer, volleyball and softball, although sports like outdoor basketball are gaining in popularity. Outdoor soccer leagues are organized with both co-ed and same sex teams. Depending on your skill level you can choose (or be recruited) to play in a wide range of leagues based mainly on age, sex and/or experience. Beach volleyball also is exceptionally popular during the summer and has been made even more so with stops by the pro-circuit every couple of years. The prime locations of most of the courts, right along the lake and close to the running paths, also make the sport popular with sun-lovers. Many players prefer North Avenue Beach due to its large area allocated to the volleyball courts and its spectacular backdrops of downtown on one side and the blue waters of Lake Michigan on the other. Teams are organized in a similar way to that of soccer teams, sex, age, etc. Softball teams also attract hundreds of players every summer with sponsorship coming from various bars, restaurants and/or companies. Playing fields can be found all over the city, west of River North, near the beach at North Avenue and up north at Irving Park and California to name a few.

Making the Most Of the Day
So with all of the athletic activities the city has to offer, how do the athletically inclined spend the perfect summer day? That depends on the type of league one prefers to be involved in.

For the Co-eds: Soon-to-be-wed couple Robert Wucher and Tia Olson of Ravenswood Manor describe the best way to get active in the city as a day of biking. “I say if you need to get from Point A to Point B, you might as well make it fun,” says Olson about her love of biking. One does not have to be a member of Bike Chicago to enjoy the city’s ample amounts of bike friendly paths and streets. These two spend quality time peddling along the path near Lakeshore Drive and have even ventured all the way to Evanston on occasion. The long, lakeside ride gives them the opportunity to discover a new eatery or shop along the way.

Of course, should they choose to venture toward the loop, they would find Mayor Daley, also an avid cyclist, has made both Lincoln Park and Millenium Park very accessible to cyclists. Chicago’s newest attraction, Millennium Park, now boasts a lock-up facility and showers, enabling cyclists to explore the shops, museums and attractions downtown, while their bikes remain secure at the park.

For the Men: Brian Zdenek, a resident of River North, embodies the part-time athlete, taking full advantage of league sports offered by Chicago Sport and Social Club, Sport Monster and the like. He plays softball as well as flag-football, which begins during the dog days of August. But beach volleyball is his sport of choice, as he competes in a co-ed 4 vs. 4 league and a men’s 4 vs. 4 league. A true athlete, Zdenek also zealously roots for his favorite teams, so nothing would make up a perfect summer day for him better than a morning of beach volleyball followed by a White Sox double header…and a few cold beers, of course.

For the Women: Wrigleyville local Desiree Koh prefers the Cubs to that other team. And although the Cubbies are by far her favorite sports team to watch in the summer, she also finds time to play in a few league sports herself. A lifelong athlete, she plays both co-ed soccer and co-ed softball throughout the week. Not one to shy away from trying new things, she also loves pick-up games of beach volleyball and tennis on one of the many courts along the lakefront. But volleyball and tennis aside, Koh says, “Some of my perfect Sundays have been spent all day playing softball and basking in the sun with my team.”

Bringing Back Summer Vacation—Almost
In order to truly enjoy summer, Chicagoans should take full advantage of the wonderful resources available to them. With professional teams in every major league sport, and many other minor league teams, spectator sports are plentiful for the super fan. And for those who are more inclined to get in the game, finding and joining a team or league in Chicago is as easy as getting on the Internet or making a phone call. Rekindling memories of summers past with a pick-up game of basketball, a Cubs game at Wrigley Field or simply cycling the Chicago streets, each of us has a unique way of spending a perfect summer day and reminiscing about days gone by. Although we may not get those summer vacations anymore, we still can make summers just as fun as they used to be. And this city makes it easy to do. So, whether we’re bleacher bums or we play to win, sports always can go hand in hand with a perfect summer day.