Getting in the game

Rolando Munar in action at a recent CARA bowling event. (Photo courtesy CARA)

Several of the Washington-based LGBT sports clubs come to life in the spring season.  There are a multitude of opportunities to become involved in this growing community.

The Capital Area Rainbowlers Association (CARA) has several bowling leagues in bloom and is looking for bowlers of all skill levels.

Ten Pin Pride is Mondays at 8 p.m. at AMF Annandale Lanes with four-person teams.

Smack is Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. at AMF Alexandria Lanes with two-person teams.

Rainbowl League is Tuesdays at 7 p.m. at AMF College Park Lanes with one-person teams.

We Are Everywhere is Thursdays at 7:45 p.m. at AMF Annandale Lanes with three-person teams.

More information on CARA is at carabowling.org.

The District of Columbia Aquatics Club (DCAC) is in training for the International Gay & Lesbian Aquatic championships, which will be held in Reykjavic, Iceland beginning on May 30. The swimmers will be gunning to defend their world title in the large team category.

The swimmers also look to host their annual open water event Swim for Life on July 14. More information on the DCAC is at swimdcac.org.

Spring practices have begun for the Washington Renegades Rugby Football Club which competes in the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union. Match play for the team begins March 10 and the group can be found practicing at Cardozo High School. More information on the ruggers is at dcrugby.com.

The D.C. Sentinels basketball team is heading to Chicago for the Coady Roundball Classic which begins April 10 to defend the title they won last year. The Roundballers are also hosting happy hours at Mova and have also begun hosting D.C. Invasion events on straight bars. More information on the Sentinels is atteamdcbasketball.org.

The Stonewall Kickball league recently maxed out on their league cap of 480 players for the spring league. You can catch them playing every Sunday at Stead Field from 2 to 6 p.m. beginning March 25. More information on kickball is atstonewallsports.org/kickball.

The D.C. Gay Flag Football League has also maxed out on its spring league but prospective members can get on a waiting list. You can see them in action on Sundays from 9:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Carter Barron fields. This season also touts four evenings of Friday Night Lights to be contested at Randall Field.

The group recently sent two teams to the Florida Sunshine Cup in Fort Lauderdale. One of the teams, led by quarterback Brandon Waggoner, made it to the championship game before falling to the eventual winners. More information on the League is at dcgffl.org.

Registration is now open for the Learn to Row program offered by the D.C. Strokes Rowing Club. The first session begins April 28 and the Strokes are based at the Anacostia Community Boathouse.

Former Strokes rower and Learn to Row alumni Jason Beagle gave up his job in D.C. last fall and moved to Oklahoma City to train for an opportunity to join the United States Paralympics team. You can read about his incredible journey thus far atdcstrokes.org.

The Federal Triangles Soccer Club is hosting the third annual Women’s Winter Wrap-Up Indoor Cup on March 18 at the Rockville Sportsplex. Upcoming league information for the Triangles is at federaltriangles.org.

The winter leagues for the Capital Tennis Association are still in full swing through April. Registration for the summer league will open soon and the season runs from May to September. More information is at capital-tennis.org.

Sailing season will begin soon and there will be many opportunities to join theRainbow Spinnakers Sailing Club for a sail on the bay. You can either ride along as a passenger or train to be a skipper. More information on the RSSC is atrainbowspinnakers.org.

Golf season for the Lambda Links Golf Club begins April 1 and runs through October 28^. For information on tee off dates and tournaments, go to lambdalinks.org.

The Adventuring outdoors group continues its weekly hiking trips with the Bull Run Mountain Hike on March 4. Look for their recreational biking series to begin in the next few months. For more information, go to adventuring.org.

The Rainbow Climbing League of D.C. has expanded its rock climbing offerings through the spring season. Members are at Sportrock in Alexandria on Tuesdays, Sportrock in Sterling on Wednesdays and Earth Treks in Rockville on Mondays. They can occasionally be found climbing at Earth Treks in Columbia. Check out their Facebook page at Rainbow Climbing D.C.

Lambda DanceSPORT D.C. continues its lessons in ballroom, Latin, swing and assorted other dance styles every Wednesday and Sunday at the Church of the Pilgrims in Dupont Circle. For more events, go to lambdadancesportdc.org.

Washington sports clearinghouse, Team D.C. will be hosting its annual Team D.C. Fashion Show and Model Search to support its student/athlete college scholarship fund. This year’s event will held at Town on March 10 and will feature fashions by Thomas Christopher Apparel, Fireboy Underwear, The Leather Rack and Universal Gear. You can vote on the models in advance at teamdc.org.

Team D.C. will also be hosting another SportsFest on April 12. This is your opportunity to walk the gauntlet of the LGBT sports clubs in D.C. as they line up to recruit new athletes.

Didn’t see your sport of choice on the list today? Check out all the rest of the sports clubs at teamdc.org.