After he became a father three years ago, Tom Wolf decided it was time to put away the makeup he wore as a bull-fighting rodeo clown. Now an accountant, he's found a safer way to play outdoors at the Hall of Fame 10s Rugby Tournament and Ruggerfest. "It looked like a lot of fun," Wolf says. "I have been learning as I go."
Because the tournament pits 10-player squads against each other, it's faster-paced than typical matches with 15-man lineups. Afterward, everybody winds down at Ruggerfest, a party complete with DJs, bands, and a wet T-shirt contest -- a huge hit for the guys last year. "There was some nudity," Wolf admits. "Girls were making out. The whole nine yards." The free game starts at 10 a.m. at Weiss Park at 25th Street and Market Avenue in Canton; the party starts at 5 p.m. at Buffalo Wild Wings, 4440 Belden Village Street in Canton (admission is $3). Visit www.cantonrugby.com for details. -- Cris Glaser
Rally Girl
Driver revs up for Derby.
SAT 7/31
Brooke Martin will be, like, the coolest girl at Saturday's All-American Soap Box Derby. The 5-foot-1, 112-pound eighth-grader drives, like, this awesome car that's aerodynamically rad as it barrels down the derby's 989-foot hill. "It's, like, if you have Rollerblades, and, like, you're gliding down the hill, and the wind passes your face, and you just, like, feel it," says the 13-year-old. "That's, like, my favorite part." As it is for more than 450 racers from the U.S. and Europe competing for the $5,000 prize in three divisions: stock, super-stock, and masters. Martin's in the elite masters' field, which requires each racer to build a 130-pound "sit-down" car. It's a couple of steps up from the eighth-place finish in her first stock-car derby appearance in 2001. "It's all about the aerodynamics and everything." Racing starts at, like, 9 a.m. at Derby Downs, 789 Derby Downs Drive in Akron. Admission is $5; call 330-733-8723. -- Cris Glaser
May the Force Be With Them
THU 7/29
The ladies who'll high-kick their way through halftime at the Cleveland Force soccer games next season will be chosen at Thursday's Dance Team Finals. "Philadelphia has done a calendar [of its dance squad], and that's brought a lot of success for them," says spokesman Jeff Miller. "It's just having more visual at the games." Eight judges will whittle down the field of 30 candidates to approximately 15 dancers, who'll wear the blue-and-gold team colors at all home games this season (which starts in October). They'll be scored in nine categories, including appearance and showmanship. "They love to dance," says Miller. "That's how most of them get their start." Check it out 5 to 7 p.m. at Shooters, 1148 Main Avenue. Admission is free; call 216-861-6900. -- Cris Glaser