Kicking for Greatness

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The roar of the crowd. The taste of slightly warm beer in a solo cup. The “doink” of the ball. Nothing beats a ridiculous game of kickball on a beautiful spring day. Here in Rhode Island, two leagues embrace the immortal struggle for gym class supremacy: the Providence Kickball League (PKL) and RI Kickball (RIK) in Newport. As it was in grade school, so it is in adult life – when it comes to kickball, anyone can be a champion.

In Providence, PKL meets every Saturday afternoon at Dexter Field in the city’s West End. With the beautiful, historic Cranston Street Armory behind it, the self-described “greatest show on dirt” runs from May through September. Meanwhile, RIK meets on Monday nights through May at Newport’s Morton Park.

For every crushing kick and SportsCenter worthy double play, there’s a wacky costume or a team name like the Ball Busters, the Meat Sweats or McBallface. Basically it’s a place for grown ups to forget about their mortgages and deadlines, and for a few sweet hours a week feel like kids again. That, and they make more “balls” double entendres than kids at a middle school bus stop.

So what makes kickball endure? Probably the silliness of it. “The league is something that embraces counter-culture and ridiculous behavior at the same time as good sportsmanship,” says PKL commissioner Sean Larkin. “We have a good healthy balance of shenanigans alongside athleticism.”

kickball, Providence Kickball League, RI Kickball league, Newport, Sean Larkin, Hey Rhody, Spring Guide, Tony Pacitti

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