Recess for Adults

Miss recess?

Miss the days of no jobs, Saturday morning cartoons and irresponsibility?

We had kickball. We seldom got hit in the head with a dodgeball. We were shirts versus green-mesh-jersey, grabbing flags on the school field.

The days of getting picked last are over. 

Line up.

Siblings Taren Mordas, 24, and Brandon Mordas, 25, have started a co-ed adult sports recess league called LineUp 31 Sports Club.

The North Penn graduates — the "31" in LineUp 31 metaphors Exit 31 on 476 — run their business out of the Harleysville area. It's been about a year in the making.

At ages 13 and 15, Taren and Brandon started their own landscaping company to help pay for college. Today, it is run by their younger sister.

"We wanted to specifically give young adults something to do other than going to bars midweek," said Taren Mordas. "Little kids have the sports leagues and the organized teams; it's a lot easier to find them something to do. I myself played soccer age five and on up. We were very active in school teams and extracurriculars. Now, as adults, we consider ourselves second."

Taren, like many of her friends, went away to school. In her case, it was Ohio State. She eventually moved back home — but it wasn't the same. She realized many other friends shared the same sentiment.

"Everyone my age vanished," she said. "Why not give people that move to this area a fun, easy way to meet people, and break up the work week?"

For $40 a season, you can play kickball, dodgeball or flag football.

Every Wednesday night, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., the Mordases transform York Avenue Elementary School's gymnasium into a venue where you can dodge, duck, dip, dive ... and dodge.

"People come to the site and sign up to create a team, join a team or join as an individual," said Taren Mordas. "We provide the dodgeballs, referees and space. We really don't need an office."

York Avenue's gym is unused on Wednesday evenings, so it offers a space for a little fun.

"We are hoping to expand," she said. "We'd love to add Ultimate Frisbee for a winter sport. But, once we get big, we'd take suggestions and maybe add them in."

Kickball, dodgeball and flag football will run for two 10-week seasons. Games are played every hour, on the hour.

Dodgeball runs now through December, and then again from January to March.

Kickball and flag football will run for two seasons: April to June, and mid-June to August.

Registration for dodgeball remains open. Sign up at this link.

On Wednesday, the Mordases launched LineUp 31 with the first dodgeball game, along with 10 other players.

"It's a great start and we hope to get more every week," Taren said.

The Mordases promoted LineUp 31 at the recent First Friday in Lansdale.

"Response is very high," Taren said. "The little kids were interested as well. We had a 15-year-old who wanted to play, but we told him in a couple of years he can play. The parents are more interested."

Marketing is the key, she said.

"We have a good network of people. Social media is helping a lot as well," she said.

Ages taking part range from 21 to 50.

"They come to us and say 'I want to get in better shape.' Sometimes their friends bring them in. There's no body type or 'jock' athlete here," she said. "We are looking for people that want to have fun on a weeknight."

Along the way, she said, they get better health and relieve stress.

"It's about half and half men and women," she said. "Women tend to stay the longest." 

She said there's been "not one single complaint that $40 per person is too much."

When everyone pays individually (and this would benefit someone starting a team), no one is stuck paying the cost for someone else.

"We think the price is a very decent value," Taren said. "We looked at other leagues, like at the YMCA. Our goal was to keep it inexpensive. We give people the T-shirts, sports and interaction. We help pay for it, too with equipment, the website, insurance and permits."

Taren definitely thinks LineUp 31 will take off. She is excited for others to be excited about it — and that energy will soon spread to make it thrive.

"We had a gentleman tell us he would go into the city to play kickball in the spring," she said. "The desire is out there. We need to reach the right people." 

Recess for adults — a way to be a kid again.

"And that's a lot of fun," she said. "TV will tell you America is getting heavier by the day. I hate to say that's true. Any way to help the communty and have a blast while doing it — I'll do it, hands down."