SAT 11/5
Pound puppies can compete on equal footing with their purebred cousins at the Skyhoundz Hyperflite Canine Disc Championships on Saturday, November 5, at Encanto Park, 15th Avenue and Encanto Boulevard. Though the Phoenix event is a stand-alone meet from which winners don't advance, "we average around 500 spectators," says park recreation coordinator Rachel Brannan. Categories include distance and freestyle. The latter is scored on "Presentation," "Athleticism," "Wow! Factor," and "Success." (You'd think there'd be a "Bow! Factor," as well, but this way, the system spells "PAWS," and that rocks.) First-, second-, and third-place finishers receive cool doggy stuff. All pets who are watching must keep their humans on leashes, and if you're in heat, Fifi, please stay home. Free registration starts at 9:30 a.m. near the softball field, and is limited to the first 20 entrants. The discs start flying at 10 a.m. Call 602-261-8991 or visit www.skyhoundz.com for all the poop. -- Julie Peterson
Fists of Fury
Jump on the hand wagon
SAT 11/5
Arm wrestling may not be an Olympics-worthy sport -- then again, if curling can get in, who knows? -- but the competitors take their art just as seriously. The tough-guy contest moves from barroom brawls and into mainstream spectator sports with the U.S. Arm Wrestling Championships, beginning at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, November 5, at the Arizona State Fair, 1826 West McDowell. The "Super Bowl of Arm Wrestling" features champions from a 30-city tour of arm-wrestling events, including a team of Camp Pendleton jarheads ready for a little hand-to-hand combat. Winners in seven divisions take home trophies -- and bragging rights. Viewing is free with regular fair admission ($5 to $10). Call 602-268-3247. -- Wynter Holden
Pedal Pushers
Bike tour not for sissies
Teams like the "Phi Drinka Lotta Society" represent the spirited camaraderie that makes pedaling your sore ass halfway across Arizona such a pleasure. The event is the annual MS150 Best Dam Bike Tour, which departs at 5:30 a.m. Saturday, November 5, from Lake Pleasant Park, 41835 North Castle Hot Springs Road, and finishes at Parker Dam on Sunday afternoon. Registration is $75, along with a minimum of $250 in pledges. Call 480-966-4049 or visit www.nationalmssociety.org/aza. -- Douglas Towne
T'ai Chic
De-stress call
SUN 11/6
Your knowledge of China might not extend beyond Chinese checkers, but that shouldn't stop you from investigating a discipline that relieves stress, improves flexibility, and can even be used in self-defense. T'ai chi accomplishes all this with no yucky side effects, except perhaps what you might inadvertently step in while practicing at your local park. An excellent introduction to the discipline is the Chi Festival of Internal Martial Arts, which features demonstrations of t'ai chi in its various forms, a Chinese banquet, and dancing to the sounds of Uvon and the Blues Nights. Apparently, the music has no intrinsic relationship to the event except, as coordinator Ariel says, "The founder of our t'ai chi group, a Chinese American named Marshall Ho'o, loved this form of music." Events get under way at 4 p.m. Sunday, November 6, at Great Wall Cuisine, 5057 North 35th Avenue. Tickets are $44. Call 602-973-8693 or visit www.2fishswim.com. -- Douglas Towne
