The Olympic Games, for a brief spell, shine a spotlight on sports that we normally neither care about nor want to participate in ourselves.
Still, while you're kicking back on the couch enjoying NBC's 3,600 hours of coverage of this five-ring circus, you could suddenly feel strangely compelled to give badminton or skeet shooting a whirl. Hey, it could happen.
So, where in the Sacramento region can you satiate this urge?
We've got answers. Check out our tip-laden list of 10 out-of-the-mainstream Olympic sports – dressage, platform diving, table tennis, open-water swimming, archery, skeet shooting, badminton, BMX racing, beach (in our case, grass) volleyball and field hockey.
Cue the bombastic music and let your personal Games begin ...
Diving
Availability: Capital Divers (916-992-1455) in Rio Linda and Dos Rios Divers (916-300-3211) in Folsom.
Cost: Averages $50 a month for beginners, more than $100 a month for competitive divers.
Skills needed: Flexibility; coordination, concentration, no fear of heights.
Tips for novices: "We start you off right away with jumps – forward, backward, fall in and then finally dive," says Dede Crayne, coach of the Capital Divers since 1997. "We've had people start competing after just six or seven lessons. We get all ages. I had a middle-aged woman just the other day start diving. She said she hadn't done it since 1983 but wanted to start again."
Freakout factor: Springboard divers take off from both one- and three-meter boards. Despite the fact that the nearest tower for platform diving is at Stanford University, local divers – those apparently unafraid of heights – also compete in that event.
Table tennis
Availability: Howe Park Table Tennis Club (Tuesdays, Thursdays, 6:30- 9 p.m. at the community center, 2201 Cottage Way, Sacramento); Sac-Rec Table Tennis Club (Mondays, Wednesdays, 6-8:30 p.m., Rosemont High School, 9594 Kiefer Blvd.,Sacramento; and Fridays, 7-9 p.m., Didion School, 6490 Harmon Drive, Sacramento).
Cost: Drop-in play, $5 a night. (Some experienced players offer private lessons.)
Equipment: Paddle, balls, sneakers, water (for hydration)
Age range: All ages
Skills needed: This isn't your leisurely ping-pong game in a garage. Competition can get heated, so you need a certain level of aerobic conditioning and, of course, forearm strength. "It's a good total-body exercise," says Roy Imai, who runs the Howe Park table tennis nights. "Some people stand close and play defensive. Then there are people like me who hop around, jump and slam."
Tips for novices: Be patient, says James Therriault, who heads Sac-Rec's program.
"Even if you've only played in your backyard, we'll get you in a group to match your skill level. It takes time to get proficient."
Freakout factor: "At the higher levels, you'll see forehand topspins coming at you at 90 miles per hour," Therriault says. "That's intense."
BMX racing
Availability: There are two big tracks in the area: Oak Creek BMX (648 Riverside Ave., Roseville, (530-755-0435) and Elkhorn BMX (848 Elkhorn Blvd., Rio Linda, 916-991-2931).
Cost: $10 to $25.
Equipment: Single-speed bike, helmet, long-sleeve shirt, long pants.
Skills needed: Strong legs for sprints, aerobic capacity for endurance, upper body strength to handle the turns and jumps.
Tips for novices: "Most kids start on whatever single-speed bike they've got in the garage. If you get into it, then you can shop for your first BMX dedicated bike," says Keith CoBen, manager of the Elk Grove BMX team. "You can buy a real nice bike for $300."
Freakout factor: "The course they're using in Beijing is radically more hard than what you're going to find at Roseville or Rio Linda," CoBen says. "They're much tamer tracks. Don't let the scariness of the Olympics keep you from giving BMX a shot."
Dressage
Availability: Numerous training centers. Check out the Sacramento Valley chapter of the California Dressage Society (www.svccds.org).
