Cable Guys

SAT 7/9

In cable wakeboarding, riders strap their feet onto a board, grab ahold of handles attached to cables that crisscross above them, and get yanked across the surface of a lake, shifting themselves onto ramps that jut out of the water and executing tricks such as the 911, the hootchie glide or the krypt. At 10 a.m. Saturday, the Fifth Annual U.S. Cable Wakeboard National Championships come to KC Watersports (25825 Edgemore Road in Hillsdale, 913-783-4300), a cable lake that's one of only four such facilities in the country. Some of the top riders from across the country get to make two passes before judges, who will score them on execution, intensity and composition. Riders who pull big air and crazy-ass stunts take home gold medals. Admission is free. -- Christopher Sebela

Hoop Streets
They got game -- downtown, no less.

7/9-7/10

The NBA's "I love this game" campaign never worked for us. The Knicks and Pistons we like, but our heart really belongs to college B-ball. Alas, it is summer, so we must content ourselves with watching future stars (age 8 and older), has-beens (over 30) and shorties (adult players 6 feet and shorter) hit the court at the Hoop It Up 3 on 3 Tournament. Local players compete for a chance to play in the world championships this fall. Games are all downtown and outside this weekend, around the intersections of Ninth, Tenth, Wyandotte, Baltimore and Main streets. See www.hoopitup.com. -- Rebecca Braverman

Naked Truth
Take sunscreen to this 5K.

SUN 7/10

We once participated in the Bay Area's famous Bay to Breakers 10K race, wherein seemingly sane people traverse the course while towing minikegs of beer, throwing tortillas at spectators, wearing costumes -- or wearing nothing at all. The latter sometimes caused quite a stir, even in San Francisco; not all joggers looked kindly on the bouncing, jiggling, smiling nudists. At the Web site of Kansas City's own Heartland Naturists, organizer Doug Wyatt laments the plight of the naked athlete: "Running, by definition, transports us over a greater area. This unfortunately always increases our chance of crossing the path of someone with a poor concept of nude recreation." For this reason, runners won't know the location of Heartland's fifth annual 5K Sun Run (shoes required, clothing optional) unless they e-mail nudeinkcmo@yahoo.com to register. The race starts at 10 a.m. Sunday. -- Sarah Smarsh