In popular imagination — or at least in ads trying to exploit people’s imagination — hot air ballooning usually happens above the dramatic landscape of the American southwest or romantic vineyards, never over more prosaic locations like Kalamazoo, Michigan or Indianola, Iowa. But Kalamazoo hosted the first National Hot Air Balloon Championship 60 years ago, […]
Rec’d 2023
Posted inCentral Iowa
A twist on the typical tennis format helps some Iowa players ratchet up the intensity, or join in for the first time
Anne Pham bounces a tennis ball on the ground. The score in her singles set is 0-2. She looks across the court at her captain, Michael Boyer. “Hey, I’m ready to come out whenever,” she declares. “No, you gotta stay in,” Boyer says. Pham had already played several sets of singles over the previous two […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa City fencing coach Judy O’Donnell invites all ages to poke fun
Iowa City Fencing Center founder, director and head coach Judy O’Donnell moved to Iowa in 2000, when her husband took a job at the University of Iowa. Ten years later, after advising for the university’s club fencers and taking on more private students than she had room for, O’Donnell opened the Fencing Center. “You can […]
Posted inCommunity/News
This 14-year-old archer from Waverly is hitting the mark in an elite, precision sport
Three years ago, if you asked Hunter Telleen’s loved ones which sport he’d excel at in high school, archery would likely never have crossed their minds. They’d probably have guessed cross-country or track, pointing to the records Hunter set running meets as a 7th grader at Waverly-Shell Rock Middle School. Buck hunting, a hobby the […]
Posted inRecreation
Live, laugh, LARP: Iowans wield foam weapons and forge fellowships through Belegarth
In a sunny clearing at Vander Veer Botanical Park, two sides draw their foam weapons and charge. This is Belegarth, a medieval-themed combat game. “Exercise is boring,” said Mazog, a Belegarth player of over 20 years. “Fighting is not boring.” Belegarth falls under the umbrella of Live Action Role Playing (LARPing). There are other types […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Table tennis takes minutes to learn and a lifetime to master, according to Des Moines’ highest-ranking player
Every week, the Four Mile Community Center echoes with the sound of hollow plastic balls smacking against wood, signaling match time for the Des Moines Table Tennis Club. For over three decades, the club has introduced new players to the game, building a community around rubber-coated paddles. The Des Moines Table Tennis Club was formed […]
Posted inCommunity/News
In need of some emotional healing? Join the herd, recommends this Iowa City therapist
Since 2006, fresh off earning her degree, Natalie Benway-Correll has worked as a LISW (licensed independent social worker) in Iowa City. But a couple of years ago, her experiences as a therapist during the COVID-19 pandemic led to a search for something more. “During the pandemic, I was seeing — based on all the conversations […]
Posted inRecreation
Six places for beginner riders to giddy up in Iowa
Blue Meadows Farm in Mitchellville has lessons for riders of any skill level, ages 4 and up. “I am so excited to keep growing the lesson program and help young riders develop and recognize their talents and love for the Saddlebred and Hackney breeds,” said co-owner Lauren Brannon in an interview with The Saddle Horse […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘Pickleball meets you where you are’: Iowans of all stripes are picking up the paddle, launching leagues
No matter the question, the answer is always pickleball. “Pickleball meets you where you are,” said Emma Clark, a career coach at Cornell College. Clark grew up playing racquetball in Illinois, but the sport isn’t as popular today, so she searched for a racquetball-adjacent activity instead. When the Smithfield Tennis and Pickleball Center in Cedar […]
Posted inRecreation
From sled hockey to RAGBRAI, Adaptive Sports Iowa wants to give all athletes a team
Wheelchair tennis is kind of like traditional tennis, but with wheelchairs. That sounds obvious, but the two sports are remarkably similar. The only adaptation is wheelchair players get two bounces instead of one. “Maneuvering your chair around and taking the figure eights and stuff on the court is really what I’ve learned, how to hit […]
Posted inRecreation
Fossil Gorge, uncovered 30 years ago, preserves a 375 million-year-old ocean floor in eastern Iowa
Sixty-five million years? Please. You want to see something old, head to the Coralville Dam. It’s not the dam that’s old, though it has survived almost seven decades and two near-apocalyptic floods. In fact, it was the first of these floods in 1993 that breached the 712-foot spillway and inundated the campground below, washing away […]
Posted inRecreation
Next stop for Sioux City powerlifter Mitchell Betsworth: the 2023 Berlin Games
When the 2023 Special Olympics World Games begin in Berlin on June 17, there will just be one Iowan on Team USA, Mitchell Betsworth. The 27-year-old powerlifter from Sioux City isn’t worried about the competition in Germany. He already knows what it’s like to compete at the highest levels, and he has the medals to […]
