Small decline, but adult sports going strong in Petaluma

Petaluma Parks and Recreation Department provides a chance for adults to keep swinging bats and shooting basketballs.|

Almost unnoticed in Petaluma’s enthusiasm for youth and high school sports is a thriving competition among young and not-so-youg adults.

Any evening from May through mid-August adults anxious to stay active and perhaps recapture a moment of past glory can be found at Prince Park and the softball diamond at Casa Grande High School playing slow-pitch softball. In the winter, many of these same adults continue their competition in basketball in the Casa Grande High School gym.

The Petaluma Parks and Recreation Department offers a multitude of classes from painting to kayaking for adults in addition to special programs and events designed especially for seniors.

But the parks and rec department also organizes and administers two active sports programs for adults wishing to continue to participate in active team sports.

The softball program is just wrapping up its summer program with tournaments for its co-ed, men’s and over 40’s programs. The Petaluma tournaments are unique in that they are full double-elimination tourneys. Most recreation softball tournaments are single-elimination.

“We wanted to make our tournaments special, more of a family event.” said Petaluma Parks and Recreation Director Drew Halter.

Halter noted that participation in team sports in Petaluma, as in all communities, is declining as adults find themselves with a multitude of recreation options.

Numbers are down in both the softball and basketball programs and there weren’t enough interested teams to continue the volleyball program, although adults continue to play on an informal basis in pick-up games at the Cavanaugh Center.

Jeremy Parker, who directs the adult sports programs for the Parks and Rec Department said Petaluma hasn’t experienced the sharp decline that many other communities have seen.

“We haven’t been hit as hard as some other places,” he said. “We are down a couple of teams, but our softball teams have stayed pretty consistent over the last few years.”

Halter remains committed to the adult programs and is optimistic about the future.

“They (adult team sports) are like a business, they go in cycles,” he said. “I think we are going to see it coming back. I see so many people enjoying them.”

Parker summed it up, “People are going to keep playing because it”s fun.”

Halter said his department is looking at ways to increase participation.

“We are exploring trying other sports. We’ll offer some different programs and see what sticks,” he said.

Facilities, while better than other communities, remain a concern.

The new Community Sports Fields on East Washington Street have relieved some of the facilities pressure, but there is still a squeeze.

The busiest Petaluma facility is Lucchesi Park that is booked from 4 to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday by local youth teams playing soccer and lacrosse. In the summer, even fall ball baseball teams use its all weather surface for everything but hitting.

Other teams from Sonoma County, including some adult soccer teams are allowed to use the field on Friday, and there are always games of some sort, often tournaments, on Saturday and Sunday.

Despite the heavy usage, the Lucchesi Field is still playable, but it is in its eighth year with the current turf, while the normal life of the surface like the one on the Petaluma field is around 10 years.

The Washington Street park with its has three synthetic turfed soccer/lacrosse lighted fields has been a huge help, according to Halter. A full-sized baseball diamond is planned in phase two to be followed in phase three by a youth-sized baseball diamond and a softball diamond.

The softball diamond is especially needed. Currently, the adults have only two lighted fields - one at Prince Park and the other at Casa Grande High School, where the game is played on the school’s junior varsity diamond.

Gym space is always tight with the adults having to vie for playing time with school and youth teams. The parks and rec department rents the Casa Grande High School gym for games on Sunday afternoon.

With programs for everyone from young children to mature seniors, the Petaluma Parks and Recreation Department has something for all ages, and active adult sports team competition is an integral part of what it offers to the community.

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