Sports in Small Spaces

See this worn patch of grass in front of this apartment building?

It’s worn because the dudes who live there use it for sport.

The building is on the busy corner of Forest and Strawberry Hill, and the patch of grass is on Forest.

Once, I passed by and two of them had out a football. I wanted to take a photo but my husband for some reason wouldn’t let me.
He said that one time, he passed by and they were playing beer pong.
Beer pong, I can see, but I was curious what type of football they were going to be able to do in such a small area.

In any case, I think it’s great they are making the most of their outdoor space.
Be sure to be on the lookout for these guys, and let me know what sport you see them try next!
Bowling maybe? Bocce?

Infiltrating the Greenwich Croquet Club

I stumbled upon the most amazing thing yesterday: REAL CROQUET.


We were leaving Bruce Park Playground in Greenwich, and rather than hop directly on the highway to go back to Stamford, I drove through Bruce Park to show it to my visiting sister and parents. Once we spotted the fancy green lawn and people in fancy white clothes playing what looked to be a very serious match, I pulled over to investigate.

“Is this a croquet league?” I asked a lady sitting off to the side.

I ended up doing an impromptu interview with the woman, Donna Dixon, who, in addition to being one of the top women croquet players in the US (she’s from Houston), was a great source of info.

She told me that some of the players were from California and Canada, and that the croquet match was run by the Greenwich Croquet Club. There are other tournaments in Locust Valley NY, Palm Beach FL, and California, but the Greenwich Invitational is known as being on of the best, both player-wise and for the social aspect.

“Where’s the wine?” I asked. Donna looked at me bemusedly, and I realized I was insulting her sport. “Oh- I guess you wouldn’t drink during a match, but I expected to see people sipping white wine at something like this.”

“Well, some of the younger players were drinking beer in the afternoon while they were playing yesterday, but we save that for later!”

Thank you Donna, for being so willing to talk to me!

You can see more of my photos after the jump. Or, click here to see last year's Greenwich Invitational photos for some good closeups of what the wickets look like.

You can also read this article about the tournament from the Greenwich Time (or it newstimes? I can't keep track of who owns what paper), or see the Greenwich Time's short blog entry about it. There's also a United States Croquet Association website.

Free Beach Yoga Saturday at 11!

One of my tweeps (Twitter friends) is teaching yoga at different outdoor locations throughout the spring and summer. This week is at West Beach and it's free. In the future, she'll accept donations. Check her out on Twitter at CortiCoop.

Wear your sunscreen, people, especially if you have fair skin like me. Oh, and if you get basal or squamous cell carcinoma, like I did a few years ago, Dr. Lefelle at Yale is a good surgeon if you want to do Moh's surgery for removal. But you know, it's better just to wear your sunscreen so you don't have to go have Dr. Lefelle feel your lymph nodes.

Biggest Loser Season Starts Tonight!

I realize this is not exactly Stamford-related, but this is the main focus of my life this week besides cleaning my house and trying to keep my life together. I'm hoping to get back into the Stamford groove soon, but if you saw the condition of my house, you'd tell me to get off the computer and start cleaning/organizing/jettisoning crap right away.
Tonight at 8pm on NBC is your chance to start watching the Biggest Loser's biggest contestants ever. And don't forget, Innovate Fitness in Stamford has their very own Biggest Loser contest, and one Stamford Talk reader did it and highly recommends it. Getting a comment from a reader/contestant is not QUITE as good as having a Biggest Loser: Stamford Edition, but I'll take it! Ooh actually I just went to the IF website, and they DO have a little video of the contestants!

If I wanted to lose weight, had $1200 bucks available, and wanted a social atmosphere to keep me motivated, I'd totally do the IF program. I'm impressed with anyone who commits to fitness, because it's certainly hard to do that and keep up with a busy life. I don't have kids or a long commute, and it's a struggle for me to keep up with gym and healthy eating. I'm lucky I learned decent habits from living with a personal trainer for 2 years, then a nutritionist for the next 2. I secretly want to be a nutritionist and personal trainer, but I'm certainly not about to go back to school for it, nor do I want to give up Velveeta Shells and Cheese... nor do I really like vigorous weight workouts, because I always end up hurting a knee or shoulder (or, currently, my elbow now clicks and I can't do chest presses or tricep extensions). Yeah, forget that career change.

One caveat about the TV show tonight: TiVo or DVR the show; do not watch it in real time, because they stretch it for two hours. You need to fast forward through the commercials, and maybe sometimes the nutritional tips if you are trying to maximize your time. I'm having at least one friend over tonight- I'm lobbying two more co-workers/friends- and I'll probably force my husband to watch it too.

My husband just informed me we're out of dog food. Yeah, we're falling apart over here.

Curses Upon Youth Ice Hockey

Oh, the woes of suburbia. I tried to go to my NYSC at Twin Rinks yesterday, and the parking lot was completely full of minivans, SUVs, and family sedans. After a mom almost sideswiped me in her minivan, I decided the parking trauma was not worth it. I was getting hungry, so I didn't think the workout would be that great anyway.

Every time I go to the Twin Rinks NYSC on Hope St., I say a little prayer that none of my future offspring will play ice hockey. I especially said that prayer when I went to the gym at 8am one weekend... and there were parents and kids leaving a hockey game that had already finished. What time could that game have started? SIX THIRTY ON A SUNDAY?!?

I hope my child wants to ride horses. I know that can get expensive, but I like horses a lot, and there are probably less matches I have to show my face at. 'Cause youth sports look really stressful, and God forbid they're good enough to be on a travel team. Then your weekends are shot.
Hmmm... although, riding horses can be dangerous. Maybe some casual rec league basketball. My 5 year old nephew was awfully cute in his rec league debut last month, and basketball does not appear to be year round like soccer.
Or, maybe the kid will be really into spelling, and we can just sit at home and quiz each other. That sounds nice. And the competitions are much less frequent, so we'll have time to relax on the weekends and not be driving all over the tri-state area for matches.

Stamford Football And My Anti-Rudeness Paintball Gun Plan

Before I was struck down by a cold Saturday, I attended a Stamford High football game. Let me get my disillusioned whining out of the way: Stamford High football is nothing like the West Texas football on the TV show Friday Night Lights. There was not a huge crowd, or, at least, the crowd wasn't tightly packed because the stadium is pretty big. That's nice for personal space, but it makes it harder to get swept up in pure football madness. Reality: It was a good game. I was impressed with the QB, who threw several touchdown passes in the first half. Stamford ended up winning 38-27.

The only bad part about the game, besides the coach not being actor Kyle Chandler, was the high school kids. They were OK until halftime, when the opposing team went right through the middle of the bleachers to their locker rooms. The kids lined the bleacher railing by the locker room entry, screamed horrible things, and spit at the other team (photo below). It was a pretty nasty display. It made me worry about the pent-up aggression of Stamford teens.

I'm pretty sure we never did that when I was in high school, but then again, we were in a chill, kinda rural Virginia county. In the FC, as you know, people are aggressive, stressed out, and angry. You don't have to drive around long enough to see people get ugly. I was surprised to see that at a football game though. Kids were shoving past me to go scream in the faces of the other team. I'm fine with a little "You suck!" but spitting is disgusting, and I really don't appreciate big high school boys bumping into me. I don't mean like, they brushed my shoulder. I mean like, I got kneed in the back by some kid who was in a huge hurry to go shout at other teenage boys.

I'm sick of Stamford people pushing me around. I might have to start fighting people. No, I wouldn't do that. I will, though, think about asking the Stamford police for a special dispensation to carry and fire a paintball gun in public. Did I ever blog about that? I got that great idea in August. I'll blog more about it later, but it involves me being a trusted public servant who gets to shoot a paint gun at say, cars who are rude to pedestrians, or people who kick my seat on purpose at the movie theatre. That way, I get the pleasure of physically assaulting people without actually hurting them, and mean people get the message: "That was mean. I saw you. I don't like you. This is your punishment. Don't do it again. Be nicer."

It might seem like I have a little pent-up aggression of my own. But that paintball gun would solve it, and perhaps help bring about a more civil Stamford. Note: I'd make sure that the gun did not look like a real gun. It would look like a happy gun.

Biggest Loser Letdown: Stamford Edition

I got excited at this headline in the Stamford Times: "Residents square off in local 'Biggest Loser' competition." I love the show Biggest Loser, where contestants compete to see who can lose weight the fastest. Watching other people work out is much easier than doing it myself, and it makes me want to exercise more, too.

I thought the Times headline meant that people from Stamford would be competing in this season's Biggest Loser, but it turns out that a local gym (actually, a "personal training facility") is running a competition for its members. Ho hum. Unless they are filming it and putting in on local cable access, the news about that gym's competition is useless to me. Yeah, I know that's bitchy to say, but don't throw around the words "Biggest Loser" unless I can live vicariously through it while sitting on my couch.

I suppose someone who wants to lose weight, and has 1200 bucks to spend on a 3 month program, would find the article quite useful. The program consists of 3-4 weekly workouts, nutrition discussions, weekly weigh-ins, and other activities, so the money might be worth it if you've got it.

This season's real, voyeuristic Biggest Loser starts Sept 16 at 8pm, and this time it's families competing against other families. The drama is intense, man. I feel euphoric thinking about how much I'm going to enjoy watching this season. I am always so proud of how well the people do. Last season was the show's first female winner, Ali, in the photo above.

Oh, and look how handsome Roger ended up after he lost 164 pounds. I'm telling you, the show is amazing. It's better than Gossip Girl.

Cricket Report: St. John's vs. Bridgeport

I had fun at the cricket match. Just like last time, a nice cricket player came over to ask if I knew the game, then patiently explained the happenings on the field and answered all of my dumb questions, both cricket and non-cricket related.

I got lots of new info, such as the fact that St. John's of Stamford is the newest team in the Southern CT Cricket Association (SCCA)- 4 years. I found out that a guy on the Bridgeport team plays for the US National team, and that the Greenwich does have a team, but they play in the NY. I saw the wickets get knocked down for the first time- what a ruckus! I also took some passable photos. Click on the two photos in this post to enlarge them, or see all 14 at my flickr site.

I really want St. John's to get more fans. I was disappointed there wasn't a big crowd today; I know, I set my hopes high, but I want to cheer my city in a sport. What other teams do we have that play inter-city matches? And I do not mean high school sports. Nothing would be creepier than an adult who has no association with Stamford Public Schools watching teens play sports. Yuck. I want to cheer for adult males, thanks.

My newest idea, besides cricket needing to be an Olympic sport, is to get a cricket club at Stamford or Westhill High. A high school-aged player at the match told me that would never happen because too few kids would be interested, but if it's like, a once a week, hour and half game, I bet you could round up a good co-ed team. That club team could provide a pool of players so St. John's could start to dominate. Right now, they are not one of the stronger teams in the league, and I think one reason is that they need more younger players. The UBS team, also based in Stamford, probably has a plethora of fresh knees every year; they tend to do pretty well, I hear.

Next Sunday (Labor Day Weekend), UBS plays Bridgport in Stamford, and St. John's plays at New Milford. The SCCA tourney starts Sept 13- see website for schedule under "fixtures"- and the final is Sept. 21 in West Haven. Ideally, St. John's or UBS will advance in the semifinals and get to play at home before the 21st. I'll be happy to have another excuse to sit outside on a nice day, observe fellow Stamfordians, and pretend that I understand the nuances of cricket.

Cricket, Anyone?

Note: match is Sunday, tomorrow! I just looked at the Brigeport Cricket Club's website, and their game against St. John's of Stamford is at 12:30 at Lione Park on Stillwater. Wear sunscreen and bring a chair. This is going to be serious cricket with fancy uniforms and hard core players. I predict a big crowd, and I'm not joking.

Click here to read my previous post about this upcoming match and Stamford cricket in general.

Any Questions About Cricket in Stamford?

Because I totally got the scoop. As of yesterday, I know how the game is scored, and I know how to find info on matches in Fairfield County. I have achieved my dream of getting into the Stamford cricket scene. Next Sunday, Aug 24, there’s going to be a big match in Stamford. It sounds like a great party, and I’m going to be there.

Yesterday's match is a tournament organized annually by Asha to raise money for schools in India. It's the match I was unable to find online last year, which whipped me into a frenzy and caused me to start Stamford Talk. The tourney wraps up today in Lione Park on Stillwater. The Advocate has an article about it, but I'll provide much juicier info, because I, a blogger and columnist, am allowed to speculate, embellish, and opine.

Yesterday's cricket experience started off with intrigue. When I walked up to the match, here is what I saw: Indian people gathered under one tree, quietly watching cricket, and African-Americans under another tree, laughing, eating, drinking, and talking. Oh my god, how awkward! I thought. The cricket match is competing against a family BBQ for shade. I had a feeling this could really add drama to my blog post. I opened my lawn chair, sat between the two groups, watched cricket and spectators, and snapped some photos.

Over the next 20 minutes, while trying not to stare, I began to notice that more than one person in the group to my left were wearing baseball caps that said "Barbados." Then I noticed that a few from the group were watching the cricket match rather avidly. After more casual spying, I noticed one man wearing a very nice shirt that said "Cricket USA" and windbreaker pants that said "Cambridge Athletic Club" or something like that. Ohhhhh, I thought to myself. Maybe some of these guys are going to play in the tourney, and these are all their fans and family!

However, only a couple guys looked dressed for the possibility of cricket, and most people were socializing and not paying a lick of attention to the match being played on the field. It was a real Stamford Talk mystery.

Then, a couple of men came over to the Indian group. I, of course, strenuously eavesdropped. "I play for St. John's here in Stamford," one of them said. "St. John's" I scribbled in my notebook. I was lying low, feeling a little shy, not wanting to approach anyone yet. I knew I’d figure out the mystery eventually, and I was enjoying observing. Sometimes I get tired of hearing my own voice, and I just want to be quiet.

Finally, someone from the cricket match came over and asked if I was enjoying the cricket. I proceeded to talk his ear off/interview him and got the scoop on all the local cricket teams and leagues and generally how things work.

Turns out the group from Barbados thought they were supposed to practice at the Lione cricket pitch, but City of Stamford had promised it to the ASHA tourney. I guess they stuck around to watch. Some of the guys were from St. John’s, which is one of Stamford’s teams in the Southern Connecticut Cricket Association (SCCA). That league has 11 teams, including teams from Bridgeport, New Haven, and New Milford. The other team from Stamford is a UBS team. (See match schedules under “fixtures” button at SCCA's website.)

Next Sunday, Aug 24, St. John’s plays Bridgeport at Lione Park in Stamford. I hear that the match attracts an enthusiastic crowd of revelers. The players will be wearing all that crazy equipment you see in photos. This is going to be serious cricket, people. (The Asha tourney was more casual, with shortened matches, a softer ball, and hence no pads.) Don’t let it scare you that Lione is located across from Vidal Court, the housing project often named in articles about crime. I love sports, and I love people watching. I think it’s going to rock.

Cricket is totally easy to understand, by the way. It has a couple more variables than baseball, but it’s the same basic idea.

Related Stamford Talk posts:
--December 20, 2007-- Guns: Busy on Stamford's West Side (post about a spate of shootings on or near Stillwater Ave. last fall)
--July 29, 2008-- Meet the Catalyst for Stamford Talk!

Past Stamford Talk mysteries:
--February 11, 2008-- Stamford's Very Own Authentic Voodoo Doll (I absolutely am not kidding about that.)
--February 26, 2008-- Stamford's Napa and Co: Information Blackout?!?

Boom, Kapow, Fireworks: Cricket!!!

Not real fireworks- they were in my head when I just confirmed the time and location of the cricket tourney this weekend! An anonymous reader kindly posted the flier in comments, but here's the essential info: Lione Park on Stillwater Ave, 8am-5pm, this Sat-Sun Aug 16-17.

Now I can finally live out my dream of lounging in the grass watching cricket and maybe picnicking if there's some shade. The weather looks great- 80 and sunny on Sat., and 84 and mostly sunny on Sunday. I'm going to have to read up on cricket because I have no idea what the sport is about. I know the ball gets hit with a paddle.

Meet the Catalyst for Stamford Talk!

Something pretty spectacular happened in the Stamford Talk household last night: the person responsible for my starting this blog came over. It might not sound like a big deal to you, but I've only seen the guy- we'll call him N- one other time, and that was last August at happy hour with my husband and his co-workers. N mentioned he was playing in a cricket tournament in Stamford that weekend. I enthusiastically promised to go and daydreamed about it all week. I was so excited to see a new sport in person and get the scoop on an unknown scene in the city.

When the day of the match came, I learned that my husband had not found out the location or time. I frantically googled "Stamford CT cricket" and found nothing, leading me to say, "In a city of 120,000 people, there is a cricket tournament and no info online. That's pathetic. I am starting a website about Stamford so I can find the cool stuff and share it with other people." I've blogged almost every day since then. You can go back and read my August 2007 entries to see what this blog was like a year ago, or read my original post about the cricket debacle.

Yesterday afternoon my husband called to say his co-workers were coming over to play poker. This was just after I posted on Twitter "letting house get really messy before I clean it." I rushed home and had some fun with my Dyson vacuum. A few poker guys arrived, and one of them mentioned that N was coming. I perked up: super-cool N, the catalyst for my blog, was coming to my house? N is the original, and probably only, Stamford Talk celeb. He's got a great accent, an incredible new car, and dresses well. You know Carlos from Desperate Housewives? N looks like an Indian version of him. To me, N is the most glamorous person in Stamford. And, he's smart, fun and laughs a lot. (Sorry ladies, he's taken.)

N walked in.
"Hi N!" I beamed from the couch.
"You remember me!"
"Remember you? I talk about you all the time! You're the reason I started my website about Stamford."

It was a beautiful reunion. So, the guys are playing at Scalzi today- I am SO gonna stop by after work! They are also having a tournament soon that N says will be more fun to watch. I got his email, so I am now totally hooked into the Stamford cricket scene! Yes!

Speaking of Stamford Talk celebrities, tomorrow, I'll tell you about the Shi'a LeBouef look-alike I saw at the train station.

Rrrrr Stamford Talk Angry at Advocate Editorial

There is a ridiculous editorial in the Advocate today. It's so pointless that I'm surprised it ran. The title was "School closings require good reason” and, after a paragraph of jibberish about how superintendents make a lot of money, it made the point that kids should not have been sent home in the 97 degree heat on Monday and Tuesday.

Well, what a koinkydink, I'm a teacher in a room with no AC, so I whipped out a response. Here it is below. I posted it as a comment on Topix and sent another version (without the Stamford Talk "DUH") to the editor. I hope it gets published.

Dear editor:

You SHOULD have visited the schools before you wrote this.

I teach in one of the un-ACd schools and it was by far the worst in my ten years of teaching. The heat and humidity were nauseating to all of us. You didn't do much research if you only heard a "few reports."

I don't understand your nasty attitude about kids needing to toughen up. If you were in the schools, you would know how nice most kids are and how hard they work. The kids tried to tough it out, but all we could do was sit and look at each other listlessly, and then when it was time to change classes, wade through slick, humid halls with 700 middle schoolers. School is for learning, not for toughening up, and no learning could go on in humid, hot, 100 degree rooms.

It's laughable that you say the "creative" teachers moved to the ACd spaces. I'm going to give you a big Stamford Talk DUH on that. That's what we all did, but there was not enough space for the hundreds of kids who were in the un-ACd rooms. That's why kids were sent home. It was the right decision.

You seem to want kids to suffer. If it makes you feel better, don't worry, it's "uncomfortable" all of June and August. Please, feel free to pick a 95 degree day to come visit and sit in my room for an hour at 2pm. Actually, I'll sit; you can stand and teach.

I think it is so odd that whoever wrote the piece was not even IN a school building on those hot days! It seemed like someone just felt like complaining about schools... maybe that person should toughen up!

Do You Know the Adult Male Sk8boarder?

Specifically, the one who brazenly swerved into our lane on Bedford St. tonight? I know he's not the same adult male sk8boarder who I accidentally featured on the blog in August. This man had reddish hair and was wearing no helmet. He was skateboarding head on into speeding traffic, so I assume I'm not the only one who has ever noticed this man. Maybe I'll run into him at the Stamford Skate Park.

As the weather is getting nice, you must head down to the Stamford Skate Park at Scalzi Park. It's on Bridge Street, just across from the Ridgeway shopping center, aka, parking lot hell. Buy your Party City/Stop and Shop/Old Navy, then go watch the sk8ers do their fancy leaps and spins. There are lots of teenage boys, but a few adult skaters and many younger skaters who either watch or try their own little moves. I loved it when there was a 7-year-old waiting beside the big boys for his turn on the little bowl. The Stamford Skate Park has a nice website with videos and pics. There are also awesome photos of the park being built. My favorites are of guys (not teenage boys) skating on the unfinished bowls in the midst of construction. The city has diagrams like the one above.

I am proud to be in a city that spends cash on something very cool, and something that young men can do that does not involve alcohol or spending money or video games. I know that makes taxpayers mad, but people have to have fun in life. If you spend a few extra bucks for some kids to have wholesome fun, well, it pays off when they aren't all up in your beeswax at the mall.

--You can read my personal narrative about visiting the Skate Park in Sept in "Sk8 Park Report."
--You can check out actual Youtube footage of the Skate Park in an Aug 31 post, "Stamford Skate Park Looks Cool." That's where you can meet another adult male skateboarder who I think is probably a more responsible skater than the redhead.

Back to the red-headed adult sk8boarder: we also saw him an hour earlier on the way to dinner. That was on Summer St., and we were going slowly, and that's when I was close enough to see his reddish-brown hair. This man wants to be seen. Nothing wrong with that, but like, stay out of my lane when I'm driving straight at you at 50 mph.

Join a Gym, or Stamford Will Make You Fat

This post is in honor of my other favorite show, Biggest Loser: Couples Edition. I once read in Shape magazine that Stamford was one of the healthiest areas in the country. One reason was our high number of gyms. I’m not sure if that makes us healthy, but I know why we work out so much.

It’s hard to find things to do on weeknights in Stamford. The only regular events are trivia, open mics and karaoke. Sometimes you don’t want to go to a bar, so it’s easy to fall back on eating out. With Capriccio’s lemon cake, gigantic portions at Kit’s Thai Kitchen, and Dairy Queen right on the main road, it is near impossible to keep slim.

To that end, I have finally joined Planet Fitness.

Husband: What??? Don’t you already belong to a gym???
Me: Yes, but I have a fabulous rate on it. I’m never quitting NYSC- that gym is the reason we will never move from this area. I joined you up, and I’m going to go as your free guest.
Husband: What? Noooooo!
Me: It’s too late. I already signed you up online.

With the $19.99 membership, you get free guests, so Planet Fitness, here we come. You also get free tanning, but don’t use that. It’s the reason skin cancer in young women is rapidly increasing. If you need a good dermatologist, email me.

Important info for singles: I eavesdropped on someone at my NYSC and she said that Yama Yoga on West Main has more men in their classes. My take: those men are clearly trying to meet women, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Related posts:

--Mystery, Power: Stamford and the Island of Lost- March '08

--I'm Going to Planet Fitness- Jan '08

--My NYSC: Through Good Times and in Bad- Nov. '07

Coporate Volleyball: Room for All of Us

I have finally- finally!- lied and cheated my way into a corporate volleyball league. I can’t reveal what league or what city my team is in, but if you know the name of this blog, you know where I try to spend most of my time.

Corporate people tend to be pretty efficient, so if your workplace has a team, you should join. You’ll be in and out in an hour, hour and a half max. You’ll leave feeling as if you exercised (you didn’t) and that you’re athletic (you’re not, at least not anymore).

Volleyball will provide you with drama as you sort of spike the ball, or just dink it over the head of some fool who’s trying to block your sort-of-spike.

I’ve never had the deltoid strength to spike, but I can dig like a champ. This week I bravely put myself in the path of the strongest spikes we’ve seen this season. One of my digs impressed my teammates with a sharp smack of ball on forearm heard by the entire gym. That hurt, but the attention I got was so worth it.

Since you can't wear jewelry when you play, everyone appears single. You married people will be treated differently than you're used to. It feels weird, but weird is fun. So, married and single alike, remove all your jewelry for safety's sake. Your corporate volleyball league is the place to be.

Do not forward this post to the captain of your volleyball team. I am sort of legal, although I cannot reveal why.

My NYSC Latin Dancing Nemesis?

Could the dance instructor named in this Advocate article be the same one who made me cry? .........

I google-imaged his name and found nothing, but I'm certainly not going to pay good money to attend that event and find out. If you do, please email me or comment here with a description of what this dancer looks like. My NYSC torturer was 30-ish and did not look obviously Latino. He had short hair.

The words "cult following" in the article may explain why I couldn't do any of the moves. If this all sounds silly to you, I dare you to go try his class at NYSC. You can probably get a free week-membership or day pass. Really, go. One reader commented that she had the same experience as me, but I want more of you to experience the shock of finding yourself in the midst of a chorus line of skilled dancers... when all you wanted was to have a little fun burning off some holiday pounds!

NYSC Latin Groove: Dance Disaster

If you are thinking about taking the Latin Groove class at NYSC, good luck. You’ll need to take a couple of months of dance lessons before you try it. The class sounded like so much fun, but I ran out in tears.
Usually classes at a gym allow you to adjust the level of difficulty. You can kick a little lower in kickboxing, lift lighter weights in total-body conditioning, modify your warrior pose in yoga, use a smaller step in step class, put the bike on an easier level in spinning class. When you’re new to a class, you stand in the back where no one notices you.

Well, in Latin Groove, AKA Advanced Latin Dance Class, you can’t hide in the back, because when the class turns around in a sequence of complicated spins, they’re all facing you. There is no back. You can’t modify a complicated salsa sequence: step, turn, step back, turn, feet together, turn, big step, back to basic step, repeat all that right in a row. You also can’t really shimmy across the floor in a modified way. I tried grape-vining it, but I’m tall. When all those petite people turned around to shimmy my way, I could see in the mirror how ridiculous I looked.

I almost made it through class. I don’t mind looking a little silly, and I understand the concept of a learning curve. However, on the last song, I totally lost it. Not only was it a new sequence, it was a sequence every other person knew. It was basically like a chorus line. Every single person was doing the same choreography, and I stood there like a tall deer in headlights as 20 people did fancy footwork that repeatedly required them to turn, face me, and shimmy around.
I tried to fake it or modify it, but it was just pathetic. I paused, hung my head, grabbed my water bottle and towel, and ran out. I sniffled past the Nautilus and out to my car, thinking to myself in great sadness and disappointment, I never knew salsa dancing could make you cry.

I think the only thing that would have helped is if the teacher, a cute guy with an accent who was clearly a pro dance teacher, had said, "Don't worry, I can teach you some of the moves at the end of class, or come a little early next time," or, "Come stand here on the side while you're learning." A tiny woman who clearly had salsad since she was 8 tried to help me. "You're trying too hard. Here, like this- no- just- don't think about." It was hopeless.

To make it even worse, I don’t think I can ever try the class again, because all of those women saw me run off in a huff. I might be able to do it if Shape magazine hired me to write an article about it.

Fitness Does Matter, So Fix Your Sign!

I'm not making fun of Fitness Matters, and in fact, I am probably giving the business some nice free advertising. I saw these two signs when I went to Mackenzie's Bar and Grill a few weeks ago, so they may have fixed their sign by now- I hope. These two signs side by side, couldn't be much funnier.
Fitness Matters is right underneath Mackenzie's, which always looks busy, so they won't remain "Stamford's Best Hidden Secret" for much longer!










Don't click to read more. I apologize. My idiot Blogger template won't let me choose which posts to put that "Read More" on.

I'm Going to Planet Fitness

Planet Fitness is an awesome gym, but DON'T JOIN IT, because I want to join it, and I don’t want the rest of you taking up the elliptical machines. I visited the gym with a friend last month (Stamford Talk research) and was impressed.

I love my NYSC, but after they renovated and put in squash courts and a pool… well, the gym lost its tough-guy edge. Now, it looks like the tough guys are at Planet Fitness. I’m OK with that, because I like to feel tough when I go to the gym.

Good things about Planet Fitness:
It offers tons of cardio machines and a relaxed atmosphere. There are rows of cardio machines- 4 or so rows of 15 machines, all in a block, facing the same direction. At first it looked awkward, but once I got on the elliptical, surrounded by all those people running and stepping like crazy, I didn't think twice about breaking a sweat. I was part of a TEAM.

And the 10 $ a month price tag? Unbeatable! If you get the black card for 20 $, you get unlimited guests (and, oddly, tanning). I'm going to keep my NYSC membership; I've been going there for 8 years and got grandfathered in at a good price during the renovation. To me, though, PF is worth the additional 20 bucks so I can work out with my 3 friends who belong, AND make my husband go as my guest.

Bad things about PF:
I wish there were more free weights. At 5 pm, it was pretty busy. However, it’s cool to have to work in with people. You have to actually talk to them and say, "Hey, can I work in?" rather than going to the THIRD lat pull so you can avoid talking to anyone (that's what I do at my NYSC). Anyway, the point of PF is to offer basic stuff so the price can stay low. There are no classes and no towel service, but the locker room is pretty nice, and that’s important.

If you want to pay 80 bucks a month and get yoga and Boot Camp and Latin Groove classes and beautiful new machines, go to NYSC. If you are less high-maintenance and just want straightforward weights and cardio, PF could be the perfect gym for you. No, the perfect gym for me. You stay away.