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We are midway through the summer and things are starting to pick up in the sports arena.

Area youth baseball and softball leagues have wrapped up their regular seasons and are in the midst of tournament competition with their all-star teams. But that is not the only action in our area this weekend.

Yes, Greater Niles Little League/Thomas Stadium is hosting the Senior Little League State Tournament, which began Thursday morning and runs through Saturday at Thomas Memorial Stadium.

If baseball is not what you are looking for this weekend, perhaps you could take in the Diamond Lake Triathlon in Cassopolis, which returns to Diamond Lake Marina after a year’s absence due to COVID-19. Anyone interested in competing can go to diamondlaketri.com for more information.

If you would like to see what a triathlon is all about, the first wave of swimmers will hit the water at 8 a.m. for a 500-yard swim. That will be followed up by a 12-mile bike ride. The triathlon concludes with a 3.3-mile run. Diamond Lake Marina is located on Shore Acres Road in Cassopolis.

Still not your cup of tea?

Perhaps you would like to watch the opening weekend of the Niles City Golf Tournament at Plym Park. There is still time to sign up for the tournament, although you will have to pay a small late fee at this point to enter.

If you only want to watch local golfers compete for the Women’s and Senior Flight Championships and cheer on your favorite player, come out to Plym Park Saturday morning and check it out. The tournament runs through Sunday afternoon.

If you thought that was all that was going on this weekend, well you would be wrong.

There is also the USA Powerlifting Midwest Performance Championship at Midwest Performance Center on Terminal Road in Niles Saturday. Lifting will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 3:30 p.m. The awards ceremony will begin at 4 p.m.

This is the first sanction powerlifting event in Niles in nearly 20 years. If you get a chance, get out and support the Midwest Performance Center team, which has lifters from around the area competing Saturday.

Summer will be over before you know it. In fact, as of Monday, there are only four weeks left until the beginning of the fall sports season. High school teams will be gathering to begin fall practices, with games scheduled to start just a week later.

Before we get back to high school sports, get out and take in a few of the other activities that are available in southwest Michigan during the summer months. I think you will enjoy them.

 

Scott Novak is sports editor for Leader Publications. He can be reached at scott.novak@leaderpub.com.