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Sport Like virtually all Canadian cities, Calgary is an ice hockey town. The Calgary Flames (tel: (403) 777 4646; website: www.calgaryflames.com), an NHL hockey team, were one of the dominant teams of the 1980s and 90s, and the city hopes to relive that glory with each passing winter. The Flames play at the Saddledome (website: www.pengrowthsaddledome.com). In the summer months, the Calgary Stampeders (tel: (403) 289 0258; website: www.stampeders.com), who won their fifth Grey Cup championship in 2001, draw crowds to McMahon Stadium (website: www.mcmahonstadium.com), where they play other teams in the Canadian Football League. Tickets are available from the teams’ box offices or from Ticketmaster Canada (tel: (403) 777 0000; website: www.ticketmaster.ca). Calgarians are not merely spectators when it comes to sports, however. In the winter, locals either take to the mountains to go skiing or snowboarding, or they stay closer to home and go cross-country skiing or play ice hockey. In summer months, it is not uncommon to see people playing road hockey or jogging, cycling or rollerblading along the miles of riverside pathways in the city. On weekends, vast numbers head for the mountains to go hiking, camping, mountain biking or rock climbing. A variety of companies offer backcountry tours and horseriding expeditions – Tourism Calgary can provide further information. There are plenty of sporting-goods shops in the city but visitors can also take advantage of the University of Calgary’s Outdoor Program Centre (tel: (403) 220 5038; website: www.ucalgary.ca/opc), which rents a wide variety of outdoor equipment from camp stoves to snowboards. They also run courses and trips for all manner of outdoor activities and have a climbing wall on site. Fitness/leisure centres: The Eau Claire YMCA (tel: (403) 269 6701; website: www.ymcacalgary.org), in the heart of the city centre at 101 Third Street SW, offers a swimming pool, gym, running track and squash and handball courts. There is another YMCA to the northwest, at 8100 John Laurie Boulevard NW (tel: (403) 547 6576). Both charge C$9 for a day pass and require ID. The Family Leisure Centre, 11150 Bonaventure Drive SE (tel: (403) 278 7542), has a wave pool and water slide in addition to gym and squash facilities. A day pass costs C$7.50. Golf: Although golf cannot be played during the winter months, due to snow, it is nevertheless an immensely popular sport in Calgary during the summer. Visitors can find a 27-hole course at the semi-private Heritage Pointe Golf and Country Club, 1 Heritage Pointe Drive, RR1, DeWinton (tel: (403) 256 9192; website: www.heritagepointe.com), costing C$110 per 18 holes. The McKenzie Meadows Golf Club, 17215 McKenzie Meadows Drive SE, off Highway 22 (tel: (403) 257 2255; website: www.mckenziemeadows.com), is a public course, which costs from C$44 per 18 holes. Skiing and wintersports: With the Rockies on Calgary’s doorstep, there is no shortage of downhill and cross-country skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing and other wintersports options. See Excursions for information on the Banff and Lake Louise area or visit the websites for the major ski areas (www.skilouise.com and www.skibanfflakelouise.com), as well as the popular Sunshine Village resort (website: www.skibanff.com). Tennis: The City of Calgary recreation department (tel: (403) 268 3888) runs 160 outdoor tennis courts scattered over 50 sites, including Haultain, 13th Avenue and Second Street SW, Inglewood, Ninth Avenue and 20th Street SE, and Renfrew, 814 13th Avenue NE. Play is free of charge and a half-hour limit is enforced during peak playing times. Nets are down from 31 October. Tennis lessons on all the City of Calgary courts are run by Tennis Associates (tel: (403) 202 4798; website: www.calgarytennis.com). The new public Calgary Indoor Tennis Centre, 315 90th Avenue SE, is set to open in late summer 2002. Information on tennis in the province is available from Tennis Alberta (tel: (780) 415 1661; website: www.tennisalberta.com). |
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