Time to dust off your mitts, bats, and keg taps for the 54th Annual World Championship Over the Line Tournament on Fiesta Island in Mission Bay. This public slosh-ball marathon is one of the most highly anticipated San Diego summer events (second to Comic-Con, of course). Extending over two weekends (July 14--15 and July 21--22), 1,200 three-person teams vie in several different divisions to be crowned kings, or queens, of the ultimate "see ball, hit ball" sport.
Nearly 2,400 matches in all are played by teams bearing such colorful, and just slightly obscene, names as Slippery When Wet, Stud Mummies, Kiss My Flash, and 3 Squaws From the Bang a Ho Tribe (a sampling from last year's winners). And just so everyone's conscience is clear, the venerable tournament serves as the primary fundraising source for the Old Mission Beach Athletic Club's year-round charitable programs. But more than that, OTL is "one of the last pure Southern California traditions left untouched by commercialism," as proclaimed by the organizer's website.
Play begins at 7:30 a.m. each morning of the tournament, so if you plan to beat the crush of over 50,000 fellow attendees, it's best to get an unconscionably early start. Fortunately, the organizers are providing a number of shuttles, including one to the Linda Vista Trolley Station at Napa St.
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