I never thought about the technique behind catching a big, pink softball zipping toward me under a blinding hot sun, but apparently one exists. The catches seemed easy enough for the hundreds of players competing in the 56th annual Over the Line Tournament that took place two weekends in mid-July. The perfect catch, however, takes a watchful eye, nimble feet and steady hands. So it’s a good thing an original Old Mission Beach Athletic Club (OMBAC) member, 75-year-old Fred Thompson, let me in on a little secret. “You have to go with the direction of the ball as it hits your hand,” he said. “Pull it in close to your body…or else it bounces out of your hands.” OMBAC started the now-famous Over The Line Tournament. I wish I had known before the tournament the secret to catching the ball, which didn’t escape the skilled hands of more experienced players who dived, volleyed and made amazing catches through the last day of the tournament. The tournament belonged to team players like Dylan Robles of Pacific Beach’s Open Bar at 4302 Mission Blvd. Open Bar took first place in the men’s open division. The Open Bar closed out the third inning against another San Diego team named for the Toledo Mudhens of minor league fame. A final score of 24-4 forced the Mudhens into second place. Flash Your Sanjo took first place in the women’s open division. The winning teams were some of the best-named and skilled vying for bragging rights and the coveted OTL championship ring. It was the competitive spirit, however, that flowed naturally from the 3-on-3 atmosphere, which bled over to inspire even the most pacifist of players, like myself, to give it their all on the Fiesta Island sand. Some, like 13-year OMBAC member Sonny Peterson, even played injured. Peterson fractured his hand while catching a ball during a game. The injury, however, didn’t stop him from continuing. “It’s one of the hazards of the game…all you can do is grit your teeth and keep going,” Peterson said. Playing through the beer-salved pain, along with creating off-color team names, is part of the OMBAC tradition making the tournament a widely popular event. San Diego granted OMBAC a special permit to allow alcohol consumption on the sand during the tournament. And with members like Peterson, Thompson and the volunteers who make the event possible, it’s easy for a butter-fingered newcomer to learn some of OMBAC’s history. OMBAC also names a “Miss Emerson” contest winner. Similar to a beauty contest, the winner serves as an official public figure for the group. The Miss Emerson title derives from an old, off-color knock-knock joke, Thompson said. Thompson himself is one of the 35 original members of the club that started about 56 years ago. At 19, he was the youngest member. He worked as a lifeguard in Mission Beach at the time and said he watched the guys “argue over the rules” before the game settled into its final form. Over the Line has also become somewhat of an economic driver for the region because it attracts thousands of players. They also come to play a game, Thompson said, that has its origins in Mission Beach. “It upsets me sometimes to hear [people] saying they invented the game,” he said. “They’re trying to take credit for something we started.” OMBAC has woven itself into an integral role within the community as a sports club that gives back. OMBAC holds an Over the Line tournament adapted for those with disabilities. Though Thompson could not reveal much about the group’s finances, he said the club gives back to the community through monetary donations, charities and volunteer work. While members and volunteers compose the core of the group, it’s OMBAC’s storied history and traditions, along with a few pints of beer, that charge the atmosphere of the game where you’re likely to see generations of families and friends returning year after year. I know at least one amateur player will return next year. But next time I hope to catch more than just pink softballs; I aim to catch that championship ring. There’s only one way to do that, according to Thompson: “You need to practice.”