There was news yesterday about fees for recreational sports venues to be hiked by the City of Toronto. The 2008 budget calls for an average 21.5% increase in the hourly rental fees for ice rinks, pools and sport fields. The National Post reports that, ‘the cost of renting private ice time at an indoor rink during prime time would rise to $325.23 from $242.89.’ The hike appears to have caught many councillors by surprise and some are vowing to have the price increases reversed. If the increased fees do go ahead Toronto recreational sports players can expect bare the brunt of the increases as sports leagues will likely pass along the fee hike to its players. Can’t afford the fees? The alternative, for some sports, is to get a group of players together to play at one of the many parks or school yards in the city for a game of pick up ball hockey, basketball, volleyball or baseball (to name a few). First step in organizing all of this is to put the word out for players and/or contact those who are looking to play. Playing sports in Toronto doesn’t have to be an expensive thing. The City of Toronto provides many parks that can be used free of charge. Yes, it may be harder to get a group of people together but that’s what sportaholik.com is for! (by the way, it works)

About a month ago I had half my soccer team fall apart - players moving out of town, busy with work or just couldn’t stomach our horrible losing record anymore. Whatever the case was we needed to rebuild our soccer team. This is the exact scenario that helped lead to the creation of sportaholik.com. So, I ventured into the sportaholik.com Toronto player database and contacted some of the soccer players listed. Between that and a game posting, within a few days I had filled the holes in our squad (4 players to be exact) and the rest is history. Oh, and our team, the Wooden Spoons, have been making a comeback in the standings ever since! There you have it: at least one proven success story for sportaholik.com. So, when you need a player or two (or four!?) for your Toronto team, whether for one night or a season, try sportaholik.com. Like what we’re doing? Why not tell a friend or join us on Facebook!

New this week, sportaholik.com has started adding posts from elsewhere on the Web. So not only will you get games that are posted on sportaholik.com, you’ll also get a list of postings from other sites as well.  Consider sportaholik.com your ‘one-stop-shopping’ for finding other Toronto recreational sports players. Enjoy!

Gyms tend to have a bad reputation when it comes to dealing with their customers. We’ve all heard the horror stories about trying to cancel a gym membership or discovering hidden fees. Did you know there is a 10 day cooling off period after you sign up for a gym membership? Yes, you have 10 days to change your mind and walk away from the contract. Also, Toronto gyms must provide the option of renewing your membership monthly (i.e. no long term contracts required). For more tips on your rights at Toronto gyms check out Jee-Yun Lee’s report for CityNews. Better yet, play a sport instead!

Further to the Brandon’s earlier post of online resources to help you get and stay fit, lifehacker has a few more listed, including making your resolutions specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. Find specifics on SMART goal setting, and more online resources to help you stick with it, at lifehacker. Happy 2008 Toronto!

Here we are just about to welcome in the new year and we can all start to think about our New Year’s resolution. Contrary to popular belief, I actually heard that #1 New Year’s resolution is not to get into shape (or lose weight) but to get into financial shape. I think that goes without saying but personally as far as sports is concerned I hope to workout more consistently, play more squash and golf, and maybe even give snowboarding another shot.

Well here’s some pretty cool websites that will help you meet the #2 New Years resolution to shed a few pounds, brought to you by TechCrunch: Christmas Recover Web 2.0 Style

Today sportaholik.com added the ability to be notified by email when new games are posted for a particular sport. Once players create a player profile they can select which sports they want to be notified about. Then, whenever someone posts a new Toronto game on sportaholik.com, players will be sent an email letting them know. Same thing for when a posting is made about a Toronto team that needs players. With a player profile you will be the first to know! Notification of new games via RSS is still available. Look for the RSS icon on each game page. Enjoy!

If you are like me, you have problems with staying motivated and sticking to your workouts. Could be anything from stress, too busy or just plain laziness. Sitting on the couch and watching football or hockey sounds like a great idea to me!

I found this on the Men’s Health website which I go to frequently to get tips and new workout plans. A few that I rely on:

3. Track the benefits.
Keep a job-performance journal on the days you exercise and the days you don’t. You’ll find that you do more on the days you exercise, despite taking time out for your workout. Just make sure you compare days that are similar in workload.

10. Join a gym that’s close to home.
“The gym has to be within 10 minutes of your house or your office, or on a straight line between the two points,” says Craig Ballantyne, C.S.C.S, Men’s Health fitness advisor. “Otherwise you won’t use it as much as you need to or want to.”

and one more from me:

11. Get a workout partner
Nothing beats having someone to workout with to help with motivation, spotting and confidence at the gym. Not only that, if you are competitive, it helps you push yourself especially if you are similar fitness shape or he/she is a little better.

Check out the rest of them here: 10 Ways to Stick to your Workout

Enjoy your workouts and stay active!

The other day was fantastic weather here in Toronto so I took the opportunity to take a jog along a route that I have enjoy. If you live around Yonge and Bloor in downtown Toronto, this may be for you. It provides a good mix of everything: Jog through forests, under viaducts, up an down stairs, through parks, over highways, and along city streets.

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I start off at Bloor and Jarvis and head down to Rosedale Valley Road via a set of stairs on the north-west(ish) corner of Bloor Street East and Mount Pleasant Road. At the bottom of those steps (Rosedale Valley Road) there is a nice wide paved path that is separate from the road. Head east along Rosedale Valley Road under the bridges for Mount Pleasant, Sherbourne and Bloor until you almost reach Rosedale Valley Road and the Bayview extension. From there head up a set of steps into Wellesley Park (on your right side). Follow the path in Wellesley Park until you meet up with Amelia Street. Where that meets Sumach Street head south towards Riverdale Park West (enter at the corner of Sumach and Winchester) and run through the park (you’ll no doubt be weaving in and out of families with kids). At the end of that path head down the set of stairs and continue following the paved path, then going across the bridge that spans Bayview and the DVP. Descending from the bridge follow the path up to Broadview Avenue and take a break on a park bench - watching the streetcars go by. After your break, head back the way you came, over the bridge, up the stairs, through the park, until you reach Winchester street again (Winchester and Sumach). Head West on Winchester, across Parliament and around the loop (Winchester becomes Ontario Street) until you reach Carlton Street. Jog west again, along Carlton, until you hit Jarvis. At Jarvis head north (the sidewalk is relatively wide in some places) until you reach Bloor. This Toronto jogging route takes approximately 1 hour complete (that includes a short rest up at Broadview). Enjoy!

It’s here! sportaholik.com is now live for those who play sports in Toronto. Many Toronto sports players are looking for others to fill out their team rosters or to get enough people together to play a game. Maybe you’re looking for a squash or running partner. sportaholik.com facilitates bringing people together who want to stay active and meet new people.

Have a team that needs more players? Maybe there’s a game going on this weekend that could use a few more to make a real game of it? Post a game letting Toronto know that you are looking for players. It even works if you just need a sub for this weeks game!

Want to take a more proactive approach to finding players? Search the sportaholik.com database of players. Each player profile indicates the games they play and the skill level they play at.

Looking to join a game or a team? Find a game going on in Toronto. Likewise, create a player profile so others can find you. You can indicate the sports you play and the skill level you are at, plus any other comments you wish to make. You have full control over how people contact you. An online form keeps your email address confidential and you can also input your IM usernames so people can contact you that way if you wish.

Give it a whirl and let us know what you think. Is there something you would like to see as part of sportaholik.com? Let us know!

Enjoy! Fred, Brandon, and Mystery Server Guy - Your sportaholik.com Team.