Recreation and Fitness
By David Medaris

Madison’s enthusiasm for engaging in the sporting life runs right alongside its enthusiasm for watching other people engage in the sporting life. From niblickheads teeing off down area fairways to cyclists cranking off for rides along our fabled network of bike trails, when it comes to the sporting life, there is one default setting for our active city’s residents and it is this: Just press PLAY.

Indoor spectator sport

1. Badger Men’s Hockey
2. Mad Rollin’ Dolls Roller Derby
3. Badger Men’s Basketball

Skaters rule this year, with the Badger men’s hockey team outpolling roller derby’s Mad Rollin’ Dolls by a margin about the width of a well-sharpened skate blade — suggesting that the gate for a Badgers vs. Dolls street-hockey face-off might be huge.

Outdoor spectator sport

1. Madison Mallards
2. Badger Football
3. Madison Gay Softball (SSBL Softball)

The Madison Mallards hit one over the wall here this year. Badger football was next. Madison Gay Softball was well back in third, but still: pigskin sandwich!

Place to bike

1. Capital City Trail
2. Lake Monona Loop
3. UW Arboretum

Helluva ride here, with the Capital City Trail rolling out ahead of the Lake Monona Loop, to which the CCT links. Such is the dominance of these two routes that they may still be at the top after rising gas prices render all streets and highways bike paths.

Place to ski

1. Tyrol Basin
2. Cascade Mountain
3. Devil’s Head

Alpine skiers’ preferred downhill destination is Tyrol Basin, with Cascade Mountain copping the silver. (The UW-Madison Arboretum, where the slopes aren’t as steep and deep, is the favorite among Nordic skiers.)

Bowling

1. Ten Pin Alley
2. Badger Bowl
3. Bowl-a-vard and Village Lanes

Wanna go knock over some pins? Keglers’ choice this year is Ten Pin Alley, just off Verona Road. But the vote totals tallied by second-place Badger Bowl — and by Bowl-a-Vard and Village Lanes — bore a stronger resemblance to strikes and spares than to gutter balls.

Outdoor spot to get lost

1. UW Arboretum
2. Devil’s Lake State Park
3. Cherokee Marsh

Get lost in the Arboretum?! You’re supposed to stay on the trails, people! The Arb is foremost a research and teaching preserve. If you go off-piste and trample some poor doctoral candidate’s thesis project on your way to getting lost, don’t wait for us to call search and rescue. For shame!

Golf course

1. Odana Hills
2. University Ridge
3. Glenway

Odana Hills sinks a long shot off the fairway for an eagle, while University Ridge taps in for a birdie.

Place to picnic

1. Picnic Point
2. Capitol Square
3. Henry Vilas Park Zoo

Picnic Point’s substantial win here borders on the tautological. If state lawmakers changed the name of the Capitol to Picnic, maybe the second-place Capitol Square would challenge for the title. On the other hand, the irony of the Vilas Park Zoo’s close third-place showing is delicious — on so many levels.

Place to get in shape

1. Princeton Club
2. Madison’s bike paths
3. YMCA

The Princeton Club jingle advertising that "we’re committed to you" must be reciprocal, because your commitment to the Princeton Club pumped it up into first.