It’s been 66 years since the Old Mission Beach Athletic Club first called beachgoers out to San Diego’s summer spectacular Over-the-Line Tournament, taking place this year on July 13-14 and July 20-21 at Fiesta Island on Mission Bay.
More than 1,000 teams will hit the sand at sunrise on Saturday morning, July 13, with their bats, balls and most creative team names to kick-off the annual signature summer tradition.
New this year is “Glow-TL,” a glow-in-the-dark event, which kicks-off the annual championship on Friday, July 12 from 7 to 9 p.m. The inaugural OTL Beerfest happens the following weekend on Saturday, July 20, and features everyone’s favorite local breweries and distilleries.
The first three game days will start at 7:30 a.m. and continue until sunset, concluding on Sunday afternoon, July 21, with the Men’s Open Championship. Games will be three innings only 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 OTL originated right here in San Diego. OTL dates back to 1954 on the sand of Mission Beach, where a group of beach volleyball players, awaiting an open court, grew antsy and began brainstorming ideas to pass the time. OTL was the result.
The bat-and-ball sport, trademarked by OMBAC, is a variation of softball that uses rope, a softball bat and a rubber ball. Three-person teams pitch, bat and field. The game is played on a sand court resembling a triangle attached to an open-ended rectangle.
OMBAC provides complimentary bus transport, as traditional parking fills the island early, usually closing it to traffic by 10 a.m. The “OmShuttle” goes to and from the island during the first three days of OTL. OmShuttle runs from Fiesta Island to the Sun Runner lot on Sea World Drive and from Fiesta Island to the Linda Vista trolley station.
All OTL participants are asked to observe the no B’s rule: “No bottles, bikes, babies or bowsers.”
OMBAC is a nonprofit organization that focuses on amateur sports, youth athletics, and local charities. OTL is the group’s main fundraising event. Past recipients of OMBAC’s fundraising and donations have included UC San Diego 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.
