By Nicole Barrios
Kyle residents can enjoy summer fun while getting some exercise in the Kyle Adult Kickball League hosted by the Parks and Recreation Department.
The league plays in the winter, spring and summer seasons with women’s and co-ed leagues. The teams play at the Gregg-Clarke Park Sports Complex Fields.
Sarah Watson, City of Kyle recreation program director, said this summer there are five women’s teams and 11 co-ed teams, with a maximum of 16 players on each team.
“I think it’s an awesome opportunity for adults to do something,” Watson said. “They’re running around all week long with their kids and they have jobs, so it’s fun to provide something at the end of the week for them to do.”
This summer, the women’s and co-ed leagues play on Thursday and Friday evenings respectively, according to the Kyle Adult Kickball website.
There are a few differences between the women’s league and the co-ed league, Watson said. The women’s league plays with a smaller sized kickball than the co-ed league, for example. In the co-ed league there are different variations because the women and men players have to alternate positions, she said.
There is a $400 registration fee for each kickball team. Watson said the money collected from the fee goes “fully to the league” to cover expenses for umpires, team trophies and t-shirts for first and second place winners at the end of the season.
At the end of the season, all teams receive a team trophy and the first and second place winners get t-shirts, Watson said.
Players bring their barbecue pits to socialize between games and “just hang out,” Watson said.
“It’s a pretty cool community,” Watson said.
Emma Kinder said she began playing kickball with HEB, where she works, some years ago when they began a league to encourage physical fitness.
“I really liked kickball when I was little,” Kinder said. “I was a tomboy when I was a kid and half the time I was trying to prove myself to the boys trying to kick far, and I was able to kick as well or better as some of the boys out there.”
After the HEB league ended, Kinder said she joined the Kyle Adult Kickball league to continue playing.
Kinder said playing kickball is a stress reliever as well as a social activity that allows her to meet new people. She said it is a good time to be with other moms and women to socialize and be there for one another.
Kinder has been playing with the Kyle league for five years, she said. She used to play with both the women’s and co-ed league, but now only plays on the women’s league with the “Texas Honeys.”
Kinder said one of her fellow kickball players recently lost her daughter and the kickball community rallied around her to support her in that difficult time.
“We go out there and play, and we don’t realize that we’re actually making relationships with, you know, different people and it’s pretty much a kickball family,” Kinder said.
Leticia Peralta, adult kickball player, has been playing in Kyle for four years with the women’s and co-ed leagues. Peralta said she plays on the women’s team “Another Round” and the co-ed team “Bam.”
Peralta said it is fun to try to “keep up with the youngsters” on the different teams. Players’ ages range from mid-20s to mid-50s, she said.
Peralta said there are many things she loves about kickball.
“Meeting new people, and just meeting the people in your community that’s out there, playing the same sport and loving it,” Peralta said. “It’s kind of addicting. You meet other people that love it just as much as you do and that’s a lot of fun.”
