Kalamazoo Sports and Recreation

Opportunities for leisure time and physical activities abound, offering the best of both spectator and participatory sports and recreation. Whether you are a high school athlete, Saturday afternoon golfer, or a let's-watch-football kind of person, the Greater Kalamazoo area has it all.

Where else can you drive a few minutes and tee off for a round of golf without waiting? And on great courses too! Where else can you watch nationally-ranked tennis players go for deuce? All of the greats have played in Kalamazoo. Not to mention two Big-Ten Conference teams and Notre Dame within a two-hour drive. One hour further and you have two cities with NBA, NHL, NFL and major league baseball teams.

Collegiate Sports

Collegiate sports are also big in the life of area residents and include Western Michigan University's football, basketball, baseball, soccer, hockey, and men's and women's volleyball teams. The Kalamazoo College and Kalamazoo Valley Community College basketball teams round out the college sporting scene.

Championship Events

U.S. Tennis Association Boys 18 to 16 Tennis Championships, Stowe Stadium, Kalamazoo College. Every August

Now in its 69th year in Kalamazoo, this is the premier junior tennis tournament in America. Some of the more famous to have played here include Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, Rod Laver, Pete Sampras, and Michael Chang.

Visit the website United States Tennis Association for details.

Other Spectator Events

Other spectator events include drag racing at the US 131 MOTOR SPORTS PARK, less than an hour north, and stock car racing at the Kalamazoo Speedway in Kalamazoo.

How About These Sports

Not too many counties can boast of having such spectacular sporting events all within reach. But opportunities for individuals are also prevalent-- tennis, swimming, racquetball, squash, bowling, horse-back riding (including a hunt club), bicycling, sailboat cruising and racing, windsurfing, skydiving, downhill and cross-country skiing, hiking or ice boating. The abundance of lakes (249) and streams in the area also make fishing and pleasure boating major attractions. No matter what your interest, Kalamazoo and Calhoun Counties have it all. So, let the games begin.

Winter sports enthusiasts can find two downhill ski runs nearby and many cross-country trails. Battle Creek has several winter sports programs. Binder Winter Park is used by downhill and cross-country skiers alike. They also have tubing, sledding and outdoor ice-skating. Then there's The Rink, in downtown Battle Creek, and Lawson Ice Arena on WMU' s campus in Kalamazoo. Two nearby ski resorts offer downhill runs-- Timber Ridge Ski Area in Gobles, and Bittersweet Ski Resort in Otsego. Echo Valley Winter Sports Park, near Kalamazoo, offers tobogganing, tubing, and ice-skating from December through March.

Floor hockey -- similar to ice hockey -- originated in Battle Creek in 1962, and with many leagues in the city is ideal for young boys and girls.

The Kal-Haven Trail, from Kalamazoo to South Haven, is a former railroad track bed and now a biking-hiking-snowmobile trail running 38 miles. The trail is officially known as the Kal-Haven Sesquicentennial State Park. Battle Creek's Linear Park is a model for inner-city recreation, winding for 27 miles along the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers and through several parks, while offering a nice surface for joggers, walkers, cyclists, even roller bladers and skate-boarders.

The Kalamazoo River Valley Trail is the newest Kalamazoo County Park! The trail is free to use and has a paved-asphalt surface that is 12-feet wide. It's a multi-purpose trail for non-motorized transportation and recreation.

How about table tennis? Join up with the Kalamazoo Table Tennis Club at the Kalamazoo Adult Ed Building, 714 S Westnedge, in the upstairs gym on Friday nights, from 7 'til 10.

The area is a sports Mecca for almost any activity. The facilities are great, and the choices are many. When it comes to sports and recreation, the area has just about everything!

Ever tried Curling? Take a visit to the Kalamazoo Curling Club web site and see what this imported sport from Scotland has got for you. This is a rare sports that has teams with men and women of all ages.

Sites submitted for inclusion on this site must be organizations or businesses located in Kalamazoo County or provide significant benefit to the community as a whole. Site selection and all final decisions are at our discretion.

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This site created and hosted by Keith Knapp in Kalamazoo, MI.