Over-The-Line Tournament Champions Crowned

The annual Over The Line Tournament Sunday crowned champions in the midst of the San Diego heatwave. The event began with nearly 1,200 teams competing in ten different age divisions.

For those not familiar with the sport, Over-The-Line began 57 years ago as a fundraiser for the non-profit Old Mission Beach Athletic Club. The game is a modified form of beach baseball/softball played with three players over four innings with no base running. The whole goal is to hit the ball “over the line.” The Old Mission Bay Athletic Club describes OTL as “more than ‘beer, babes and bats on the beach’…It has become a worldwide competition played by men and women into their 80’s.”

After two weekends of competition, the winners have been determined. In the men’s divisions, All Hours Bail Bonds, Open Bar, Sanjo, Retro Sports, Take It To The Limit, and Ancient Mariners won. For the women, Got Sand and Juice + Naturally Good took the campionship titles.

Of course the top seeded teams take the game very seriously, but for many casual players and spectators, the game is characterized by more drunken debauchery than athletic competition. In that spirit, many flooded the beached of Fiesta Island to party and take in the atmosphere. This year the OMBAC (Old Mission Beach Athletic Club) worked with the city of San Diego to obtain permits which would allow them to have alcohol on the beach, despite the infamous beach booze ban. Thousands took advantage of the lax drinking rules, enjoying the fun and sun locals have come to expect from the OTL tourney. The OMBAC’s only rules were to to obey the five “B” rules: No Bottles, babies, bowser’s (dogs), birds, or Boa’s (constrictors).

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Even though the party can get roudy, the tournament is much more than just a weekend playing on the beach. The OMBAC does a lot for the San Diego community and the event serves as the primary fundraising source for the club’s charitable programs. In addition to the game play, spectators and players can enjoy music, drinking, socializing, and much more. The majority of the tournament proceeds contribute to local charities like The Ronald McDonald House, breast cancer research, and wheelchair sports programs.

Now that the weekend tournament is over, locals will be waiting patiently for next year’s fun to begin. To all the players that competed, congratulations. To all the spectators, we hope you had a fun (and safe) experience. And to OMBAC, thank you for continuing this truely San Diego tradition and maintaining a strong connection to the community.