Rugby, Hockey Come to the Parks and Parking Lots of Crystal City

by ARLnow.com — April 26, 2011 at 1:56 pm 3,507 12 Comments

Crystal City may not seem like an obvious venue for team sports, but don’t tell that to the growing number of players who compete in sports leagues in and around the neighborhood.

Starting this year, a few new sports will start to be played in the shadows of the office towers and high-rise hotels that line Jefferson Davis Highway. Among them: street hockey, rugby and outdoor volleyball.

An “old school” street hockey league is currently accepting new player and team registrations. The co-ed league will play on Thursday nights from May through July at a surface parking lot near the corner of 20th Street and S. Bell Street. The league’s start date — May 5 — is set to coincide with the Crystal City’s Fit Week.

A co-ed touch rugby league will play its first game Saturday afternoon, at a park on Eads Street near Ft. Scott Drive. The leagues is still in open registration for individual players.

Registration for an outdoor volleyball league at Virginia Highlands Park (1600 S. Hayes Street) started last week. The 6v6 league will supplement an indoor volleyball league that is played at Sport & Health Club Crystal Gateway (1235 S. Clark Street).

All the leagues are run by the Arlington Athletic and Social League. AASL is also running an indoor dodgeball and a women’s 3 on 3 basketball league in Crystal City this spring. Both sports are in open registration for individuals.

Photo courtesy DC Social Sports

CW

Touch rugby?
- OX4
  
  I was thinking the same thing. Isn’t that like touch wrestling?
  - Arrrrrlington
    
    My college and high school rugby teams played that all the time. It builds ball handling and running skills a lot better than a full contact scrimmage. 15 minutes of touch rugby will also drain you far more than 15 minutes of soccer.
    
    It’s not like touch wrestling….ever hear of “touch football”?
    - OX4
      
      I bet it builds ball handling.
Courthouse_yinzer

Love the website!

However, I just wanted to clarify that the photo is not from DC social sports. That is a photo from the DC street hockey “city of origins” tournament. I played on team Pittsburgh, which beat team philly in that game!

For more info on leagues run by DC Street Hockey, check out http://www.dcstreethockey.com
- Arrrrrlington
  
  Yeah, they are playing at the rink of Seminary Rd. What the photo also doesn’t show is the giant freakin’ cracks in the surface.
  
  Bill, shut it down and resurface the rink for cryin’ out loud!
  - Rick
    
    you should try wearing skates in the east goal crease. How I haven’t broken an ankle is beyond me
Southeast Ben

I work in Crystal City and know several people that are looking to do something during the workday in the area. Anyone know of any athletic events or sports that take place during the work day?
- CrystalMikey
  
  The BID has somethings going on in May:
  
  http://www.crystalcity.org/active
  
  Also, it’s at the end of the day, but the last of the 5K Fridays is this Friday.
Resident

This sucks. I live at 220 and don’t want to hear a bunch of shouting and such when I get home. I don’t want people loitering and screaming right outside my apartment. This is going to get really tiresome.
- jar
  
  you are getting really tiresome
- Rebecca
  
  just turn up your television a bit louder and eat more chips. It will drown the sounds right out.

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