Donkeys, Elephants To Battle in Central Park

Most partisan disputes are fought in courtrooms, in legislative chambers, and on the steps of City Hall. This weekend, young Manhattan Democrats and Republicans are choosing a new venue at which to settle an old score: a grassy field in Central Park, where they'll face off over a game of kickball.

The highly anticipated match, scheduled for Saturday, isn't expected to yield any legislative breakthroughs, but will likely lead to some grass-stained shorts, sweaty brows, and hearty sideline debates.

The New York Young Republican Club, which proposed the idea of playing kickball with the Manhattan Young Democrats, isn't taking the game lightly. It held a practice Thursday night to prepare for what could be a tough battle on the field.

"It'll be a lot of fun. Who doesn't love a good fight?" the president of the Republican club, Lynn Krogh, said. "I just hope they don't come out with knee pads and cleats."

The game will be run by a neutral referee and, according to previously agreed upon rules, the president of the defeated political club will be required to don a T-shirt from the victorious one. All the players are making a donation to join the game.

Proceeds raised by the Democratic club will go to the Council on the Environment of New York City, a privately funded nonprofit in Mayor Bloomberg's office. Funds raised by the Republicans will go to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which gives money to families of military personnel killed in service and to severely wounded troops.

The president of the Manhattan Young Democrats, Kristina Hoke, said there's new interest among her members in reaching across the aisle, so to speak, to meet Republicans.

"I think it was sort of a curiosity. Just the curiosity to meet some Republicans," she said. "We were very curious about people like us who are on a different side of the political spectrum."

The game is the first joint event the clubs have held since 2004, when, during the Republican National Convention, young Democrats and Republicans drank together at a party called "Sleeping with the Enemy."

Republicans drank from red cups and Democrats from blue ones.