About this Event
Sappho’s Day in the Park
Team games, Pickleball, Lawn games, and a barbecue!.
Pack a blanket and come play! This Women's Week, we're hosting two Field Days, Sunday, October 11 and Friday, October 16, at Motta Field, the beautiful new park in the middle of Provincetown. It's a full day of team games of adaptive softball, kickball, and dodgeball; bocce, shuffleboard, lawn bowling, and cornhole all day long. Pickleballers are on the park's courts; and a barbecue from 1pm to 3 pm will keep us going.. We’ll have music and maybe even spontaneous dancing.
And yes, softball is back! For so many of us, softball sn't just a sport. It was where we found each other. It was lesbian culture. This year we're bringing it back for the bodies we have now, not the ones we had at 30.
Here's how the day unfolds
At noon we take the field for adaptive softball. No running, a soft ball, light bats, and rules built so bad hips, knees, and shoulders can still play. (Adaptive rules are below.)
From noon on, bocce, shuffleboard, lawn bowling, cornhole, and more fun all day, so there's always something to jump into. The pickleballers will be dinking away on the courts and joining us between games.
12:00 Softball (adaptive)
1:00 to 3:00 Enjoy the barbecue… Come hungry! RSVP Pre- pay so we don’t run out!
2:00, Kickball.
3:00 We’ll finish with dodgeball, played with soft balls, so nobody goes home with a welt.
Not a player? Bring a blanket and cheer from the sidelines. There's room to fly a kite or set up a romantic picnic away from the action. Come for one day or both, bring your friends, or make new ones on your team.
This is brand new, and we're playing it by ear. All times are subject to change. If more women want to play, we may run two games at once.
Adaptive softball rules
Bad hips, knees, or shoulders? Can't take a softball to the face anymore? This game is for you.
• Walk, don't run.
• A much softer ball, so getting hit won't hurt, and a choice of lighter bats.
• A standard field, with the pitcher's mound moved closer if needed.
• Five innings, three strikes, four balls.
• Normal positions, plus a left-center and right-center fielder.
• There is no running for the batters and base runners. Everyone has to walk. Speedwalking is fine, but it has to be a walk. Fielding the ball: In order to keep the game competitive and fair for the fielders and batters, we are introducing the 5-Mississippi rule: The ball is fielded normally, and then thrown to the appropriate base. Once the basewoman gets the ball in her glove, she counts to five Mississippi out loud. (Count as fast as you like, as long as every word is clear.) The count’s function is to even out the extra time it will take for walkers to reach base. If the batter reaches the base before the count is done, she's safe!
• Overthrows are live. If the ball gets away, keep walking.
• Pinch walkers and pinch hitters on hand.
We’re going to be flexible. If some of these adaptive rules aren’t working, we may change them. For instance, five Mississippi may change to three Mississippi or seven Mississippi, etc. The point is to create a super fun softball game In which we can all participate.
Event venue & nearby stays
Motta Field, 25 Winslow Street, Provincetown, United States
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