It's competitive at JCC

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque hosts an array of sport leagues in their facilities

Courtesy of the JCC web site

The JCC has a wide variety of facilities used for competitive sport leagues.

Pat Brace, a local contractor in New Mexico, takes time every Thursday night to drive up to the Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque and play in a recreational basketball league when he wants to exercise and play competitively.

Throughout the week, the JCC hosts recreational sport leagues that offer members and nonmembers a chance to exercise and play competitive sports at a convenient hour.

“It’s a great way to get exercise,” Brace said. “A couple friends and I got a basketball team together this year, and it’s fun. I have a blast playing”

Basketball is always popular

Although the JCC offers recreational sport leagues for indoor soccer, volleyball, kickball, flag football, and even dodgeball, Tom Gallagher, director of sports at the JCC, said basketball is the most popular.

“On Mondays we have a four-on-four league, on Tuesday and Wednesday nights there is a 28-team Sandia Laboratory league, Thursdays I have a five-on-five competitive league, and on Sundays we have a co-ed four-on-four league,” Gallagher said.” I’ve been here for eight years, and I have a long waiting list of people who want to play.”

Gallagher said the JCC hosts many leagues for different levels of skill.

“Some people come out and are very competitive, and that’s one of the divisions we have,” he said. “Then another league we will have people who haven’t played in years and want to get back into it. We have different levels of competitiveness.”

Best talent

Competitive to say the least. In one league, former New Mexico Lobo Daniel Faris plays on a team with a couple of his friends. Gallagher said many ex-college and professional players have competed at the JCC.

“In my competitive men’s open league we have Thunderbirds playing with us, former Lobos, players who used to play overseas professionally that come back and play in the summer time,” he said. “I think we get the best talent in New Mexico.”

Other recreational leagues

Besides basketball, Matt Westerlund, assistant director of sports, said the JCC also has two volleyball leagues running, andin the summer, he said kickball and flag football will start up. He said they also run dodgeball tournaments that usually get a good turnout.

Arthur Kostanian, a student at UNM, said that when he played in the dodgeball league at the JCC a couple years ago, he used to get a good workout.

“You definitely get a workout from running around, throwing and dodging balls all the time," he said. "I think the dodgeball leagues are organized and run well. They have referees and I like the balls they use."

Convenient hours

Westerlund said a main reason why the recreational sport leagues have been so successful for the JCC is because the games start at a convenient hour.

“The beautiful thing about our leagues is that they start at 6 p.m., so it gives the people who get off work at 5 or 5:30 time to get over here and play,” said Westerlund.

Brace said he loves having games in the evening because he has time after work to go home and relax before his game.

Great prices

Gallagher said all of the leagues usually run from $250 to $375 depending on the sport. He said the JCC offers the best prices for organized sports in town.

He said other recreational leagues around the city make players pay $60 a person what league or sport it is. He said the JCC only makes you pay a team fee, so you can get as many players on a team at a convenient price.

Written April 23, 2009

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