It's not unusual for people to hesitate when asked about sports in northern New England.
After all, college athletics aside, there are no teams from any major sport in the entire states of New Hampshire and Vermont.
But a closer examination of the sports and recreation scene in the twin states reveals a rich variety of teams and venues that can be just as enjoyable as a major league baseball game or an NFL football contest, if people are willing to explore them with an open mind.
Anyone with a car and some free time can easily experience many of the hidden sports treasures in New Hampshire and Vermont -- including a minor league baseball team with a diehard following, one of America's premier thoroughbred racetracks and one of the top 75 public golf courses in the United States.
Quechee polo club
About 30 seconds into last Saturday's match between the polo clubs of Quechee, Vt. and Ithaca, N.Y., it dawned on me just how dangerous the sport of polo actually is.
One of the players on the Quechee club lost his mount, fell from his horse, and landed on his leg before literally being stomped on by his own horse.
During the delay, Bob Tuttle, the announcer for the matches at the Quechee Polo Flub, offered, "Sometimes these things happen."
Luckily, the player was unharmed, but the experience was a jarring one. Since then, I have concluded the following: in terms of the amount of danger involved and skill necessary to play, polo may be the best sport you've never heard of.
Consider that the players must keep control of and guide their mounts using just one hand, all the while trying to advance the ball using a hardwood "mallet," or stick, that they hold in the other hand, and you will begin to see the extreme talent the sport requires.
Polo is not the most widely known or closely followed game, but it is definitely one of the most interesting.
Each team has four players, who, riding atop horses, try to use their wooden mallets to push a 4.5-ounce plastic white ball between two goal posts standing eight yards apart. The ball can roll along the ground or fly through the air, as long as it crosses the vertical plane of the goal line.
There are six "chukkers," or periods, in a game, each lasting seven minutes. If the score is tied at the end of regulation, a sudden-death seventh chukker is played.
The Quechee club has four home games remaining on the year -- Aug. 10, Aug. 17, Aug. 31 and Sept. 7. The games begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoons. Admission is $3 and an official program can be purchased for $1.
Country Club of New Hampshire
The Country Club of New Hampshire has a restaurant and a small hotel, but what really makes this North Sutton venue popular is its beautiful golf course, ranked among the top public courses in the United States.
In fact, both Golf Week and Golf Digest magazines included the Country Club of New Hampshire golf course in its list of top 75 public courses in the nation.
Last weekend I paid a visit to the course, and was treated to a driving tour by Corey Mansfield, the club's first assistant golf professional.
As we drove across the fairways in a golf cart, Mansfield explained that the course is so highly respected because of its good condition, impressive layout and beautiful mountain scenery surrounding the area.
The par-72 course is in excellent shape, which is surprising given the large amount of wear and tear it must take. According to Mansfield, over 30,000 rounds of golf are played at the Country Club of New Hampshire course each year -- and that's just during the months of April through November, when the course is open.
During the year, the course is host to a few tournaments, with the most major one being the New England PGA Senior Open.
Golf lovers can play 18 holes for $25 during the week or for $32 on weekends. Carts can be rented every day for $11 per person.
After 3 p.m., the Country Club of New Hampshire offers special rates -- $15 during the week or $18 on the weekend for all the golf you can play.
You can reserve a tee time at the course up to seven days in advance. Call either Mansfield or head golf professional Kevin Gibson at 927-4246 for more information.
Vermont Expos baseball
The major league baseball teams closest to the College play in Boston or Montreal, but for pure fans of the game, the best baseball available around here may very well be played by a bunch of no-names in a little stadium just outside of Burlington, Vt.
The Vermont Expos, a minor league affiliate of the Montreal Expos, play in the New York-Penn League, an alliance of 14 Class "A" teams.
This is the lowest rung on the ladder of organized professional baseball that there is -- it could be literally years before any of these guys play in the major leagues, if they get there at all.
The Vermont Expos play at Centennial Field, a quaint little baseball stadium in Winooski, Vt. that looks like something out of "Field of Dreams."
Last week, I drove out to Centennial Field and took in a game between the Expos and the Lowell Spinners, an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. The experience was enjoyable, and surprisingly inexpensive.
You can park for free and tickets are just $5 for reserved seats (located primarily behind home plate). and $3 for general admission (down the first and third base lines).
In addition, concessions are very reasonably priced -- you can choose from pizza, hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, ice cream and a variety of beverages, and only have to fork over about $2 per item.
None of the Vermont Expos are likely to end up in the big leagues -- not for a few years, anyway -- but that doesn't mean the baseball they play at Centennial Field isn't entertaining.
And by going to Winooski, fans of the game can get a big slice of the baseball experience at just a fraction of what it would cost to see the big boys play. If the recent game I attended is any indication, the official team program may very well be accurate in its claim that the Vermont Expos offer "baseball the way it should be."
Call (802) 655-4200 for information on the team's schedule. Home games start at 7:05 p.m. from Monday through Saturday and 2:05 p.m. on Sunday afternoons.
Astro Bowl
If all of the above places are too far away or offer sports that are too unfamiliar to you, then you can always fall back on good-old-fashioned bowling. And the place to go for that is Astro Bowl -- located very close to the College, in White River Junction, Vt.
The alley is undergoing some summer construction to a few lanes, but don't let that dissuade you from enjoying a few games of ten pin or candlepin bowling.
Traditional ten pin seems to be the game of choice for most of Astro Bowl's patrons -- such as the gentleman in lane 19 the other night who bowled three straight games of 250 or above.
Some of the younger kids prefer the candlepin, with its smaller ball that's much easier to throw than those heavy ten pin bowling balls.
Bowlers can pay $2.90 per person per game for up to five bowlers in one lane, or $12.50 per hour per lane for up to five people per lane.
Astro Bowl is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays. Call (802) 296-2442 for more information.
New Hampshire International Speedway
Cities like Daytona Beach and Indianapolis are staples of the race car driving circuit, but one of the best-kept secrets in all of auto racing could be the New Hampshire International Speedway, located on Route 106 in Loudon.
Throughout the course of the year, the speedway hosts a wide range of races -- from small-time "club" races to a huge NASCAR Winston Cup race.
Depending on the size and scope of the race, the New Hampshire speedway can attract anywhere from a few hundred spectators to several thousand, according to Betty French, assistant to the vice president of operations.
For example, the Winston Cup race, which features some of the best racecar drivers in the world, brings more than 100,000 loyal racing fans to the speedway, and packs the speedway's stands to capacity.
Mostly, though, the speedway hosts small club races, where the stands are mostly empty and the spectators sit in bleachers right on top of the racetrack.
I attended one of these races last weekend, when the Sportscar Club of America held its regional competition.
For just $20, (a fairly reasonable price, considering racing lasts all day), one can purchase an "infield pass," which grants access to virtually the entire track.
People can wander around the paddock area and watch the pit crews tinker with the cars.
Or, spectators can stand outside one of the open garages and observe the mechanics as they make major repairs on the vehicles.
And, of course, racing fans can also stand virtually on top of the racetrack, with nothing but a chain link fence between them and the cars speeding around the track.
It is highly recommended spectators find a spot close to the track and concentrate on watching the automobiles go whizzing by.
Watching on television does not even begin to give you an idea of how fast the cars are going -- stand on top of the track and you will really appreciate how fast 175 miles per hour is.
At such high speeds, accidents are always a possibility. I almost witnessed one during a qualifying race when I was at the speedway. A car came around a turn and skidded badly, almost crashing into the wall. Fortunately, the driver was able to recover in time to avoid disaster.
Another interesting aspect of the small club races is the wide variety of cars that they bring to the track.
At the Sportscar Club regionals, I saw everything from classic Formula One cars to so-called "stage cars," which looked like big pine boxes.
The New Hampshire International Speedway holds races almost every weekend. Call 783-4931 for ticket information.
Rockingham Park
Rockingham Park, which I visited on Monday afternoon, is not only the oldest track for thoroughbred horse racing in New England -- it is also widely considered to be one of the finest racetracks in the country.
Located in Salem, about an hour and 45 minutes from the College, the racetrack nicknamed "The Rock" hosts 10 live races every day of the week except Tuesday and Thursday, and also "simulcasts" races from other locations on more than 100 big-screen televisions.
Dartmouth students should be informed that the legal gambling age in New Hampshire is 18 -- so if staking a few bucks on one of the live or simulcasted races floats your boat, you can do so (and the owners of The Rock would probably encourage you to).
If you do decide to wager, with any luck, you'll have more success than I did during my trip to Rockingham. I lost a total of $10 -- $5 each on two consecutive races -- before I called it quits.
I did not consider flushing my money down the drain to be a big deal, since I was hardly expecting to win, but others around me took the races a bit more seriously.
People yelled and screamed during every race, exhorting their horse or horses to run just a little bit faster. One gentleman sitting a few rows behind me took the whole thing very seriously, pleading out loud to the horse he had apparently wagered on, "Come on! You can't do this to me!"
The park hosts races beginning at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and at 7:00 p.m. on Friday nights. The racetrack also simulcasts races from more than a dozen locations nationwide while the live racing is going on at Rockingham. Call 898-2311 for more information.
Lakes Region Greyhound Park
If watching horses run around an oval track does not suit you, there is an alternative, more unusual form of racing that is also available in New Hampshire -- dog racing.
There are several greyhound racing venues in the twin states, but I would recommend Lakes Region Greyhound Park in Belmont.
A typical dog track is not as large, elaborate or well-maintained as the average thoroughbred racetrack, but experiencing an evening of greyhound racing is interesting nonetheless.
While the Unlike horse racing, the dogs run freely -- their motivation is trying to catch an electronically-controlled rabbit that darts around the track's inner railing.
As is the case with horse racing, most people that visit the greyhound track likely wish to wager -- and not just watch the races.
And, just like at Rockingham Park, there are simulcasts of races from dozens of other locations offered at Lakes Region Greyhound Park.
I visited the dog track last Monday night, and, of course, could not resist the temptation to place just one more $5 wager. Predictably, though, I lost.
You can try your own hand at picking the winners at Lakes Region Greyhound Park by attending live races at the track beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights. The track also has simulcasts every day of the week. Call 267-7778 for more information.
