The Old Mission Beach Athletic Club is calling all players, beach-goers, and sports enthusiasts to the biggest summer event in San Diego. The 64th annual World Championship Over-the-Line (OTL) Tournament will take place on July 8-9 and July 15-16 at Fiesta Island on Mission Bay. More than 1,200 teams will hit the sand at sunrise on Saturday morning, July 8, with their bats, balls and most creative team names to kick off 64 years of San Diego tradition.
The first three game days will start each morning at 7:30 a.m. and continue until sunset, concluding on Sunday afternoon, July 16, with the Men’s Open Championship. Games will be three innings for the first weekend of the tournament and four innings during the second weekend. The tournament will follow a double-elimination format for all participating teams in all nine divisions.
This summertime staple draws teams from all over the world but Over-the-Line originated right here in San Diego. The sport has grown dramatically from a few friends playing ball in the sand to an annual two-weekend tournament that attracts thousands of players and spectators. Kelsey McGowan, 26, a San Diego native, was born and raised on OTL. She attended her first World Championship at just 3-weeks-old.
McGowan started her OTL career by playing in OMBAC’s Junior League and is now one of the top female players in the world. She and her teammates, Whitney Benjamin and Savannah Brown, place in the Top 8 every year at the World Championship so it’s no surprise they came in first place at OMBAC’s first-ever Craft Beer Festival and Mini-OTL Tournament in May.
“You don’t win crazy amounts of money, you just love the game and you love the competition,” said McGowan. “The OTL players in San Diego have a close-knit family dynamic. What’s better than being on the beach in San Diego while playing your favorite sport with great people?”
For the McGowans, OTL is a family affair. Kelsey’s father, Guy, has been a member of OMBAC for more than 30 years and her mother, Lisa, is a five-time OTL World Champion. McGowan grew up learning the game from her mother, who is an OTL Hall-of-Famer.
“There are still a ton of people in San Diego who don’t know about Over-the-Line or how to get involved,” said McGowan. “A number of smaller tournaments take place leading up to the World Championship in July and we are hoping to entice even more teams to participate. It is easy to get involved and anyone is welcome to play – we want to keep this sport alive for generations to come.”
Smaller OTL organizations within San Diego include San Diego Beach Softball Club, OTL-Group Overtheline, Crown-Point OTL, and Poindexter Otlpa DeBeer. Each organization puts on smaller-scale tournaments throughout the year, leading up to the World Championship in July. These groups are always looking for new and enthusiastic players to join the game and grow the sport.
For general inquiries, email [email protected] and for information on OMBAC charities, visit www.ombac.org/omcharities/.
OMBAC is a nonprofit organization that focuses on amateur sports, youth athletics, and local charities. OTL is the main fundraising event. Past recipients of OMBAC’s fundraising and donations included UCSD Cancer Research Jr. OTL Scholarships, Wounded Warrior Foundation, Huntington’s disease, Bikes for Kids, Jr. Lifeguard Foundation, Cancer Walk, Marine Family Christmas Fund, Alpha Project, Meals on Wheels, Hospice, Pacific Beach Youth Group, San Diego St. Patrick’s Day Parade, San Diego Blood Bank, OMBAC Rugby, OMBAC Lacrosse and OMBAC Water Polo. For more information, visit www.ombac.org.
