Staff File Photo by Tim Barber
Casey Buchanan, Ben Worsham, Miles Ledford and Olivia Banner paddle on the Tennessee River near the Delta Queen riverboat. Canoe and kayak rentals are available from Outdoor Chattanooga.Auto racing
Chattanooga Region Sports Car Club of America (www.crscca.com) offers racing, including teen driving schools. One-third-mile oval dirt tracks: Brainerd Optimist Drag Strip, 706-891-6803; Cleveland Speedway (including race-driving instruction) 479-8574; North Georgia Speedway at Chatsworth, 706-695-3313.
Badminton
Seniors play regularly on Wednesday mornings (10 a.m.-noon) and sometimes on Saturdays at the Brainerd Recreation Center. Call Gene Blaes at 624-0501.
Baseball
Many community associations are available for youth play. Also, the Tri-State Baseball League (president Nicholas Schild, tsbl09.comcast.net, or Chase Kelley, chase.tsbl@gmail.com) and the Chattanooga NABA League (president Jeff Santaite, chattanooganaba@charter.net) for adults.
Basketball
Community youth leagues, including through Chattanooga Parks and Recreation Department centers and Upward programs in some churches, host play, plus adult leagues are available through some recreation centers and area YMCAs (downtown 266-3766, North River 877-3517, Hamilton 899-1721, Henry 266-4844, North Georgia 706-858-0590). AAU/YBOA programs for girls and boys throughout the area, including the Chattanooga Basketball Foundation (boys and girls ages 5-10, Book McCray at 227-7206) and TN Xtreme girls (Juan Hansford, 635-0999, or www.tnxtreme.com).
Bicycling
Information for all types of area cycling, including races and recreational rides, is available at www.bikechattanooga.org. There also are the Chattanooga Bicycle Club (www.chattbike.com), which coordinates the annual 3 State 3 Mountain Challenge; the competition-oriented Scenic City Velo Club (www.sceniccityvelo.com); and the local affiliate of the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (www.sorbachattanooga.org). Trail locations include Booker T. Washington State Park, Raccoon Mountain and the Tennessee Riverwalk.
Billiards/darts
Chattanooga Billiard Club East (499-3883) has a youth league in addition to 8-ball and 9-ball leagues for adults. Many other food and drink establishments offer billiards and darts competition.
Bocce
The ancient Italian cousin to lawn bowling can be played at Heritage Park in East Brainerd, at the Marina Pointe apartment complex (for members of the Chattanooga Bocce Club, www.chatta.bocce.org) and at some club members' homes. A four-court indoor club on Dodds Avenue is in the works. Call Frank Knight (886-4179) for information.
Bowling
There are leagues for every level from novice to elite and from children to seniors, as well as nonleague bowling. Chattanooga-area centers: Holiday Bowl Brainerd (899-2695), Holiday Bowl Hixson (843-2695), AMF Tri State Lanes in East Ridge (867-2281) and Valley Entertainment Center in Dunlap (949-4089), which also offers roller skating. There are two Galaxy centers in Cleveland: 472-4254 and 472-1732.
Boxing
Amateur youth clubs include Red Bank Boxing (Skipper Fairbanks, 877-4113) and the Westside Knockouts based on Central Avenue (Andy Smith, 847-7682). Joe Smith (400-8472) has been a USA Boxing regional representative and national vice president and was team manager for the 2008 U.S. Olympic boxers.
Canoeing/kayaking
See www.tvccpaddler.com for information about the Tennessee Valley Canoe Club. The Outdoor Chattanooga number is 643-6888. Canoe rentals are available at Greenway Farm in Hixson (842-6629) and Canoe the Sequatchie in Dunlap (949-4400).
Disc sports
The Chattanooga Ultimate League has coed team play for ages 15-older at Camp Jordan Park. See www.nakedpretzel.com for details. An increasing number of disc golf courses in the area include The Sinks off Access Road in Hixson, Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, the Jack Mattox complex in Catoosa County and Cloudland Canyon State Park near Trenton, Ga. See www.chattanoogadiscgolf.com for some event information and message exchanges.
Football
There are community youth leagues throughout the area. Women's tackle football is played by the Chattanooga Locomotion (www.gochattanoogalocomotion.com) and minor league men's teams including the Chattanooga Steam (www.steamfootball.com), and Tennessee Crush (tennesseecrush.com/football). There are adult flag leagues through some area YMCAs and the Chattanooga Parks and Recreation Department (643-6055).
Gymnastics
Children and youth programs are available at Tennessee Academy of Gymnastics in Chattanooga (894-3910), Gymnastics Center of Chattanooga in Ooltewah (238-5258), American Elite Gymnastics in Catoosa County (706-861-4500) and Garner's Gymnastics in Hixson (842-5407).
Hang gliding
Tandem flights and full-scale instruction are available at Lookout Mountain Flight Park (706-398-3541 or 800-688-5637).
Inline hockey/skateboarding
Chattown Skatepark (757-2076) next to Finley Stadium is a Chattanooga Parks facility offering roller hockey and bicycle motocross. See www.bikechattanooga.org for information on Choo Choo Rollers group skates.
Lacrosse
Increasing opportunities in the area include Signal Mountain and Middle Valley (www.mvya.org) youth club organizations. For U.S. Lacrosse information locally, call David Dickert at 315-2941.
Racquetball/handball
Play and competition is available through area YMCAs and Sports Barns (downtown 266-1125, Lee Highway 855-0091, Hamill Road 870-2582).
Rock climbing
Some of the best climbing places east of the Rockies are near Chattanooga, including Sunset Rock, the Tennessee Wall, Rock Town and Buzzard Point. Instruction and practice offered by The Adventure Guild (266-5709), and by the Tennessee Bouldering Authority (822-6800) and Urban Rocks Gym (475-6578).
Rowing
Instruction and competition are available through Lookout Rowing Club and Chattanooga Junior Rowing at the Chattanooga Rowing Center (622-6846).
Rugby
The Chattanooga Rugby Club welcomes men, women and youth participants. See www.chattanoogarugby.com for specific contacts and event information.
Running
The Chattanooga Track Club (www.chattanoogatrackclub.org) sponsors and helps with a variety of road and trail races from 5-kilometer to ultra-marathon distance, plus triathlons. Annual highlights include the Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon in July and the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon in early November in the nation's oldest military park. The downtown Sports Barn (266-1125) provides triathlon training, and Rock/Creek Outfitters (www.rockcreek.com) sponsors a series of trail races. The Chattanooga Jets are a successful youth track and field club.
Scuba diving
Choo Choo Diving & Aquatic Center (899-1008) or Leisure Time Dive & Ski Center (622-1335) offer instruction. The latter also offers snow ski instruction and equipment.
Shooting sports
Benton Sporting Clays in Polk County (423-338-6034) offers opportunities for shooting enthusiasts.
Soccer
Area YMCAs and community associations are available for youth and some adult play, including Redoubt (899-4180), Camp Jordan Arena (490-0078), Chattanooga Sports Complex (indoor leagues, 843-9511), Premier Soccer Academy (847-6565); Hispanic League, Sergio Ramos (362-0148). The Chattanooga Football Club (chattanoogafc.com) offers high-level men's play in the National Premier Soccer League.
Softball
Community associations are available for girls' coach-pitch and fastpitch play, plus organizations throughout the area are available for adult slowpitch leagues. Included are leagues at Chattanooga's new Summit of Softball (Richard West, 643-6055 or 595-4540), Camp Jordan Park (Pete Gates, 706-935-5100) and the Hixson Kiwanis League (Bill Gotschall, 875-3092).
Swimming
Lessons are available from the Chattanooga Parks and Recreation Department, YMCA, McCallie School and others. Chattanooga Parks outdoor pools at Warner Park (697-1330) and Carver Recreation Center (622-7665); indoor pools at Brainerd (425-3600) and South Chattanooga (425-3550) centers. Chattanooga Area Swim League summer competition is held in communities from Cleveland, Tenn., to Calhoun, Ga., and a separate "fun league." Year-round youth training is available through the Baylor Swim Club (267-8506, ext. 267), the Scenic City Aquatic Club (John Woods, 634-7606) and the city of Chattanooga (Peggy Grall, 697-1385). River Rats masters competition is available for adults (Stan Corcoran, 493-5536). For the Baylor Diving Cub, which has a competitive springboard team for youth and adults, call John Bonds at 267-8506, ext. 654.
Tennis
Instruction and competition is available through the Chattanooga Tennis Association (843-2456), Champions Club (870-3112), Manker Patten Tennis Club (266-6767), Racquet Club in Hixson (842-9622) and Fairyland Club on Lookout Mountain (706-820-0766). Play is available on parks department courts, including Warner Park as the home for the Chattanooga Racqueteers adult competition team.
Therapeutic recreation
Opportunities include wheelchair basketball, power soccer, CHIPS golf, wheelchair tennis, adaptive cycling, rowing and water ski opportunities. Call Elaine Adams with the Chattanooga Parks and Recreation Department at 697-1345.
Volleyball
Adult leagues, including coed, are available through Chattanooga recreation centers and some area YMCAs. Junior Olympic girls' programs are available throughout the area, most notably the huge Choo Choo City Volleyball Club organization (e-mail Paul Brock at superp@bellsouth.net) for multiple age groups. Call Warren Barger (875-9635) about seniors play.
Water skiing
Lake Chickamauga and other area waterways provide plenty of opportunities for recreational skiers, and No Wave Wake in Fort Oglethorpe is a proven practice venue for national and international standouts in the sport.
Weightlifting
Beyond a variety of area fitness options that include weights and weight machines, Steve Fauer with Tennessee Speed & Strength (870-4060) works with teens for competition, and Ed Stec of Flintstone Fitness Center (706-820-2681) holds bench-press competitions for men, women and teens.
Yachting
Privateer Yacht Club, established on Lake Chickamauga in 1940, sponsors local, regional and national levels of competition and conducts instructional camps for youth. Call 877-9411.
