Lebodome: Shuffleboard and Happy Hour Make a Great Combo

From Scott Leibowitz. Find Scott on Twitter @Lebodome. Email him at scott[at]borderstan.com.

So I looked at my calendar and realized it was winter. Sure, there has been only one quarter-day of snow worth mentioning, but technically we should be wearing hats and scarves while shunning the outside.  The reason I know it’s winter is the fact all that fun/goofy D.C. sports leagues have moved indoors (yes, kickball is not that hardcore, sadly).

Two years ago some friends and I played indoor Bocce at the now defunct TomTom in Adams Morgan (thank heaven this dump closed). For $10 Blue Moon pitchers during league play and a relaxed environment, this was pretty fun. Sadly though the league was full of adult ringers who dominated the Yuppie drunk crowd in the playoffs, thus ensuring it was only a one season experience. However, recently, thanks to my girlfriend’s team having a breakup/open-spot, I am enjoying a new sport: shuffleboard.

For those of you who thought immediately of your grandparent’s retirement home shuffleboard with long sticks and mahjong in the background, think again. This shuffleboard is indoors, on a sand-dusted, long wooden table that requires soft touch and Curling-like strategy (…a Canadian on your team could go a long way).  If you are unsure if this is right for you, here is why I think ANYONE can and should play.

No Skills Required. None. Zero. A monkey could play this game. The hardest part of this game is drinking while shuffling and I think that most of y’all out there are great multitaskers.  You learn the rules quickly and anyone can score big on any throw.

It’s A Social Event. There are a lot of teams and only so many tables, so there are some down times between matches that are perfect for socializing and meeting new people. The atmosphere is very relaxed and people tend to be pretty friendly. Also, Buffalo Billiards is, as I’ve mentioned in this space before, a great place for game viewing as it has over 40 HD-TV’s.

Think Happy Hour With Games. Sadly, too few HH’s I attend have billiards, darts, ski-ball and large edition Jenga available to you while drinking. This shuffleboard league includes all of that because of the great venue – so even when you aren’t competing, you can play something else.

This is by far the most stress-free league I have played in during all of my time as a D.C. resident. If you have a small group of friends looking to have some extra fun on Thursdays, this is perfect. If you need a bit more, I saw that kickball sign ups have already started… damn straight I am kicking again this Spring.

What’s Been Grinding My Gears

I am DONE liking Chris Brown. He had his 2^nd chance – and acted like an ass.

Links! Links! Ice Cold Links!

• Cool fashion items + local DJ’s = Pop-Up Shop on U Street this Friday night.
• Major League Baseball is dusting off the cobwebs.
• The Madness of March is soon.

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