Desert blooms with recreation opportunities

For newcomers it might seem a bit incongruous that Arizona, which generally conjures desert images, is becoming a haven for water sports.

While the East Valley remains a popular venue for the types of recreation you might normally associate with the desert — hiking, cycling, golf, etc. — the presence of Tempe Town Lake has spawned a burst of popularity for urban recreational activities such as rowing, sailing and triathlons.

The East Valley’s mild winter climate, in combination with its abundance of public lands, makes it more expedient to list the types of recreational opportunities not available in the area than to provide the litany of things that are available.

The list: Snow skiing, surfing.

For anything else under the sun, it’s simply a matter of plugging in.

A good place to start is your city’s parks and recreation department. Another good resource is available online at Get Set AZ| which provides calendar listings for a wide variety of events open to the public throughout the state.

The Tribune’s recreation page, published in the sports section each Wednesday, also provides information on how to get involved in your favorite recreational sport.

RECREATION OPTIONS ACROSS THE EAST VALLEY

Here are some of the organizations that cater to recreational sports interests:

BASEBALL

• Baseball Arizona or (480) 425-7275.

BASKETBALL

• Advantage Basketball camp

DART

• AZDarts

• Scottsdale Darts Association

CYCLING

• Pinnacle Peak Pedalers, (480) 204-1419

• Phoenix Hash House Harriers

• East Valley Runners

• Honeywell Cycling

• Strada Racing Club, info@domenicscycling.com

• ProCon Cycling

• White Mountain Road Club

• Bicycle Ranch

• Pinnacle Peak Racing

• Team RPM

• Greater Arizona Bicycling Association

FOOTBALL

• Scottsdale Pop Warner

• Mesa Eastern Pop Warner or (480) 844-6111

• Pop Warner Superstition Football Association

• Arizona Football League

PARKS AND RECREATION

• Scottsdale Recreational Leagues

• Chandler Parks and Recreation, (480) 782-2715 or (480) 782-2735

• Tempe Parks and Recreation or call (480) 350-5200

• Gilbert Parks and Recreation

• Mesa Parks and Recreation or call (480) 644-2352 (West District) or (480) 644-5300 (East District)

RUGBY

• Scottsdale Blue Rugby Club

• Cave Creek Critters Rugby

RUNNING

• Arizona Road Racers or (602) 954-8341

SOCCER

• The Mesa Soccer Club or (480) 858-5890

• Scottsdale United Amateur Soccer League

• Gilbert Soccer Club

• Arcadia Scottsdale United Soccer Club or (602) 241-6771

SWIMMING

• Scottsdale Aquatic Club

RECREATION OPTIONS ACROSS THE EAST VALLEY TENNIS

• Red Mountain Hockey Club

• Arizona Tennis Association

• Local Volleyball Leagues

• Scottsdale Volleyball Leagues

• Coyotes Curling Club

• Mesa Desert Diving, mesadivers1@juno.com

• YMCA Valley of the Sun YMCA

• Dobson Area Soccer League or (480) 585-7684

OTHER

• Kick Kids soccer

• Scottsdale Cricket Club

• World Adult Kickball Association, Arizona Fire, Division