If you thought last month’s World Series was the last time you’d have the chance to see a pitching mound anytime soon, you would definitely be wrong. If you like to support our community and also like to watch sports, the 19th Annual Hurricane Showdown, hosted by the South Florida Amateur Athletic Association (SFAAA), is for you. Add “softball” to your list under “turkey” and “shopping” for Thanksgiving weekend, as dozens of gay softball teams across four national divisions will compete to see who is the best of the best.
At press time, over five dozen teams have registered across all of the divisions. There are many teams representing Fort Lauderdale, Tampa and Orlando, but there are also teams coming from as far away as Houston, Chicago, Madison, New York City, Providence, Boston and even Toronto. The Sunshine State is well-represented: in the B-Division alone, six of the eight teams come from Florida.
A pre-event registration party will occur on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, November 28) at the Village Pub (2283 Wilton Dr.). Don’t worry, the party starts in the evening so everyone local can spend time with family. Friday, November 29 is the start of the round robin tournaments in all four divisions at various parks throughout south Florida. You can view the various games at Mills Pond Park (2201 NW 9th Ave., Fort Lauderdale), Tradewinds Park (3600 W. Sample Rd., Coconut Creek), and Brian Piccolo Park (9501 Sheridan St., Cooper City). There will be three round robin tournaments, starting at 1 p.m. on Friday and continuing all day Saturday. Then on Sunday, the final day of the Hurricane Showdown, a double elimination tournament will commence at 8 a.m. and will last the morning and most of the afternoon. At the end of the afternoon, the winners in each division will be known.
On Friday night, after the first day of round robin play, there will be an after party at Sidelines Sports and Video Bar (2031 Wilton Dr.). After all of the preliminary rounds are over on Saturday night, there will be a “Showdown Party” sponsored by the owners of Alibi (2266 Wilton Dr.) and Bill’s Filling Station (2209 Wilton Dr.). Finally, on Sunday afternoon, awards will be announced and then the participants and spectators will retreat to a surprise venue for a special closing party.
Main bar/club sponsors of this event include Alibi, Bill’s Filling Station, Sidelines Sports and Video Bar, Village Pub, and Swinging Richards (1350 SW 2nd St., Pompano Beach). The host hotel is the Marriott Courtyard Fort Lauderdale Beach (440 Seabreeze Blvd.).
