Telling an Oklahoman about sports is like explaining water to a fish. It just isn’t necessary.

However, I am a rare exception. Aside from two Oklahoma RedHawks baseball games (during which I was primarily interested in the hotdogs and post-game fireworks), I have not attended any Oklahoma sporting events. But I’m not proud of my athletic apathy, so I added this oversight to my list of travel resolutions for the year.

My original goal was to attend a major college football game or perhaps catch the Blazers for a taste of hockey, but ice rinks and shoulder pads don’t espouse spring. Since baseball is one sport I have already checked off my list, I decided to look further afield and find some athletic endeavors with which I was less familiar.

Softball 

Oklahoma City is a major hub for baseball’s sister sport, softball. The National Softball Hall of Fame and Museum has been located here since 1973. Visitors to the museum see displays about the organization’s honorees plus softball artifacts like past Olympic uniforms. The Amateur Softball Association offices are also located here.

You probably won’t get your sports fix from looking at memorabilia, and that’s perfect because two of the biggest events in softball will take place this month at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium. The Big Twelve Softball Championships will run May 9–11 and the NCAA Women’s College World Series will be held May 29-June 4.
Over 60,000 people from all over the country and abroad will attend the World Series, the larger of the two events. As an added draw, vendors set up outside the stadium offering kids balloon animals, carnival-like attractions, and softball-related booths like a machine that measures your pitching speed.

For both tournaments, all-session tickets ($40-$100 per person) may be purchased in advance; single game tickets ($10-$13) are available at the gate on game days, either immediately before the game or for future games.

Sooner State Games
After the softball dust has cleared, the world will turn its attention to Beijing for the Olympics. But Oklahomans can start the party early with the Sooner State Games, held May 17-August 10.

The games are held twice a year—in the summer and in the winter to accommodate a full range of sports, just like the real Olympics. But unlike the international competition, these games are open to people of all ages (the oldest track competitor is 86) and all skill levels. In fact of the 5,000–plus athletes, roughly 70% of them are youths. Besides the predictable sports, like track and field and gymnastics, there are also divisions for horseshoes, bowling, and ultimate Frisbee.

Kelli Guerra, who lives in Tonkawa with her husband and their four children, coached her daughter Logan’s sixth and seventh grade basketball team to a silver medal at the games in February. She says the tournament was a good experience for the girls, who enjoyed the tough competition and the vacation.

“We got to get away and spent the whole weekend in Oklahoma City, staying in a hotel and swimming,” Guerra said. “And the tournament was very well organized—I  have been to many that were not.”

The team’s second place finish won them a spot at both the regional and national competitions, which Guerra hopes they will be able to attend.

The games don’t usually draw large crowds, but spectators are always welcome, and kids will probably find the sports more appealing after watching months of pre-Olympics hype on television. But don’t just watch the games—compete! Registration for the events is open now and will stay open most of the summer at SoonerStateGames.org.

Rodeo

When it comes to summer sports, let’s not forget a little tradition known as rodeo. Most small towns in Oklahoma have rodeos, but one of the most kid-friendly events is the 101 Wild West Rodeo in Ponca City, which will run August 7-9.

Every year the Ponca City Library hosts a children’s rodeo which immediately follows a parade down Grand Avenue. Virtually everything is free—activities include stick-horse races, a bean bag toss, pony rides, trick roping lessons, and a kid-friendly mechanical bull.

The event also offers live music and pow-wow queens from the area who greet children and sign autographs. Prizes are given away, including free children’s admission tickets to the “real” rodeo that night, although kids 6 and under are already free. This year’s parade and children’s rodeo will take place August 9 from 10am-noon. Inside the library, enjoy a children’s book sale featuring Western-themed reads as well as a display on the history of the famous 101 Ranch.

While I might feel like a fish out of water when it comes to sports, these are events that even I might truly enjoy, especially with a couple of kids in tow.

• National Softball Hall of Fame and Museum
2801 NE 50th St, Oklahoma City
405-424-5266
Hours: Monday-Friday: 8:30am-4:30pm;
Saturday: 10am-4pm; Sunday: 1-4pm;
closed on weekends, October-April
• Big Twelve Softball Championships
May 9-11
2008 NCAA Women’s College World Series
May 28-June 4
Don Porter ASA Hall of Fame Stadium
405-236-5000; OKCAllSports.org

• Sooner State Games
Various dates
May 17-August 10
Various locations around the state
405-236-5000
OKCAllSports.org
 
• 101 Wild West Rodeo
August 7-9, with a parade and children’s rodeo to be held August 9 from 10am-noon at the corner of 5th St and Grand in Ponca City
101RanchRodeo.com
 

Chelsey Simpson is an editor who lives in Edmond with her husband and her miniature schnauzer, Ellie.