The only event of the year Manhattan Beach Police Chief Rod Uyeda is scared of is the Six-Man Volleyball Tournament.
Drunk and boisterous crowds drawn to the event — which last year grew to a record 60,000 attendees in one Saturday — could easily overpower the roughly 40 officers that police it, Uyeda said. Not to mention the litter, bikes, urine and vomit left behind in their wake. If the same happens to you at home, school or work, you can get out of trouble using https://www.anpud.org/blog/best-synthetic-urine/.
“We simply don’t have the manpower if people incite a potential riot,” Uyeda said at a City Council meeting Tuesday. “And that’s my biggest fear since I’ve been in the city. My only fear has been Six-Man. My only real big concern.”
Expecting a larger crowd this year, the city considered ways to turn what has become one of the biggest annual parties in L.A. back into a volleyball tournament.
City Council members proposed to not allow alcohol containers — sealed or unsealed — or jello products into the event this year. MBPD has long turned a blind eye to drinking at the tournament, even though alcohol is not legal on the beach.
Tents will be most likely be limited to one per team.
While spectators make up the vast majority of the party-crowd, local teams will likely be hit on entrance fees that will increase from $600 to between $1,200 and $1,600 to cover the cost of enhanced enforcement, which will include the entire MBPD force, private security and possibly Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officers.
The council also directed staff to look into other alternatives, including moving the tournament to a different month to reduce crowds. Mayor Mitch Ward said in an interview that this year’s tournament — slated for July 31 — could be pushed back to the fall.
“It’s lost its focus on the volleyball tournament,” Councilmember Nick Tell said. “We can’t just accommodate 80,000 people because soon it will be 100,000 and we’ve got to figure out how to drop that number or ultimately this community will revolt and this will get cancelled, which will be a sad result.”
The first Six-Man was held in 1957 as a part of the International Surf Festival, according to Charles Saikley Jr., son of the late “Godfather of Beach Volleyball” Charles Saikley Sr., for whom the tournament was named in 2005 after he passed away. In 1965, Saikley Sr. took over the organization of the tournament. Roughly 30 teams and fewer than 1,000 people attended that year, said Saikley Jr., who has played in the tournament since he was 12 years old. Two police officers worked the event the first year, according to MBPD Captain Derrick Abell.
“My dad always said it’s a volleyball tournament first, not a party,” Saikley Jr. said in an interview. “It was meant to be a place locals could come to enjoy the beach atmosphere and beach life.”
Attendance jumped from 2,000 people in 1998, to 12,000 in 2002, to 20,000 in 2004. In 2003, players and spectators started wearing costumes.
“A volleyball competition had become a party,” Abell said.
Last summer 60,000 people lined the 40 courts on the south side of the pier.
“The capacity is 15,000 to 20,000 people comfortably,” Uyeda said. “30,000 is the saturation point and then the crowds start pushing out.”
The two-day weekend event has grown to accommodate 200 teams, 36 of which participate in the master’s tournament. The majority of matches take place on Saturday, the day that attracts enormous crowds made up of mostly spectators from LA and Orange counties. One resident said that her cousin flies in from North Carolina for the event every year.
Many of the tournament’s players agreed that ballooning crowds have turned the competition into something it was unintended to be. In recent years, attendees have been known to bury beer kegs in the sand the night before the event and set up makeshift bars on the beach.
Last year, the bike path and emergency exits were blocked as spectators packed in elbow to elbow. Authorities made between six and eight arrests and rescued two intoxicated people who, along with a large number of people, relieved themselves in the ocean.The overage of people spilled into the downtown area.
“I was appalled at the people not playing last year,” Saikley Jr. said. “The crowd was diving into people. I couldn’t get to my own tent or see my own court from the tent because there were so many people.”
“The fact that we’re trying to stop the alcohol from getting to the beach is a key, key piece of this puzzle,” said resident Denny Smith, who has helped run the event since the 1980s. “The more we can stop it from getting down here — which is in place this year and hasn’t been in place in the past — will really help the event.”
Uyeda said that a mob mentality could easily lead to a riot resulting in thousands of dollars in damages to the city.
Some players were worried, however, that raising fees will edge out local teams who can’t afford four figure fees as easily as teams backed by large corporate sponsors. Many also said that moving the tournament date to a different month, thereby disassociating it from the festival, would tear at the fabric of the time-honored tradition.
“It’s a summer time event,” said Brent Griebenow, who has helped run the tournament for the past seven years. “But we would take moving it to a different month over canceling it in a heartbeat.”
“The problem is how to contain it, if we can, and how to make our residents feel safe,” Mayor Pro Tem Montgomery said.
Saikley Jr. said that he would like to see the tournament return to its former local vibe, before corporate sponsors began using it for advertising purposes.
“It’s not about money,” he said. “It’s about having a good time on the beach and volleyball.”
Saikley Jr. recalled one of the most important instructions his father gave to him and his brother, Jay.
“Whatever you do, don’t put the tournament in jeopardy.” ER
Why not charge the spectators $5/each admission? That will cut out the casual partiers and generate the income the city needs to properly police the event.
Wondering out loud if the police are just plain greedy.
And also wondering out loud if the police dept should be audited for their accounting estimations.
If anyone is inflating figures…they need to be held accountable. We don’t need them padding their police expense accounts on the backs of residents.
“We simply don’t have the manpower if people incite a potential riot,”…I think I heard this same type of talk in our nation’s capital only the term was “Crisis”. The only riot that would take place is if they canceled the tournament.
over 60,000 spectators and only 8 arrests…okay so i don’t understand how this is a big deal!? people are here to have fun and enjoy volleyball, Get over it MB!
I’m a Phoenix native who started playing volleyball when I was 15. My high school coach would tell amazing stories about the “Manhattan Beach Six Man” every year. I’ve heard about this legendary tournament for years. I played in my first in 2008, and I honestly must say it is the greatest time I’ve ever had!! Manhattan Beach should be so lucky to be able to attract 60,000 plus in a single weekend. I think the city is looking at it from the wrong perspective. Why not embrace it, but evolve in the same ways that the tournament has evolved? I’m sure many city government’s would kill for a chance to attract that many people in one weekend to their city. I want to see the revenue hike 6man brings to the city of Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach for the weekend. It’s gotta be a pretty decent rise for that weekend. People from all over the country flock to MB for 6-man weekend. They should be proud that the tournament has turned into and EPIC nationwide attraction. Just embrace it, but adapt your plans to accommodate. You can’t tell me 60,000 people flocking to a city on one weekend doesn’t produce some positive revenue results. Why do you think cities bid for the Superbowl? Trust me, I’ve seen what both MB and HB look like the night of 6-man. Every bar and restaurant is jam packed with people, not to mention all the hotels are booked. That sounds like a successful weekend to me. The random drunken A-holes and retards doing stupid things are going to occur regardless. You can find that on any Saturday night. LONG LIVE 6MAN!!
Limiting the alcohol would likely limit the crowds significantly. Raising tournament fees is a very bad idea for volleyball in general. It will discourage the people we really want to attend – people like me. The likelihood of a riot is negligible. There are far too many level-headed volleyball athletes in the mix that would strongly support any needed police action; and veteran volleyball players tend to be self-policing; and have the respect and command of those watching, and junior players. If Saikley Jr. or anyone of the many veteran players at the tourney had an issue, 100 respecting players like me would be at their disposal – not to mention their 6’5″ teammates. Needless to say, the police have the same respect from the numerous people like me and veteran players. Limit the alcohol, embrace the high-level teams…
While this a Manhattan Beach event, raising the fees limits all regular players who simply can not afford the money. Even $600 is $100 per person plus costume and other costs. Some teams are forced to have 10 or 12 players just to limit the cost. Raising the fees will mean that only the richer teams can join in.
The problem with crowds and drinking gets worse in the early afternoon. If they could somehow limit access so no one can enter after 2:00PM a lot of the hooligans will be kept out.
Drinking is not a problem but drinking all day long and coming in the afternoon with sole intent of getting drunk is a problem. The drunks usually do not play and not affiliated with the sport.
I thought MB was a smart town. These are two pretty stupid decisions. Why not cut alcohol out of all the clubs at night? There might be a riot at one of those and there may not be the man power available. Oh no, one better, you can put a city cover charge on every bar in town so you can have enough police on duty at all times just in case the entire town decides to riot…
pathetic.
$10 spectator fee. $20 drinking wristband. Thins crowds and raises $1m on revenue. No brainer.
A riot did you say? When has there ever been a riot at 6-man? There hasn’t been and never will be. Really, reducing the number of attendees? Don’t the businesses in the area make millions off this weekend just FROM the crowd that attends, and in turn, the damn city makes a shit-ton of money in taxes from this crowd. Why don’t you use the damn extra tax monies generated from the crowd to pay for the extra police. Let’s see, your figures expect increases of 20,000 people (we assume at a relatively short period of time, which is NOT THE POINT), and those 20,000 spend money on food, ALCOHOL, and pointless crap at local stores. I’m sure the taxes alone on this weekend generate enough to pay for the added police, you greedy bastards.
What is this fee increase REALLY going to??? 200 teams at the former $600 = $120,000. A raise to $1,200 would put the added fees to $120,000. Off the aggregate taxes you are getting FROM the attendees, you can’t reallocate some of the tax dollars to the police, because we damn well know that you’re (the City) making a LOT more than $120,000 off the taxes on sales from the weekend alone.
Good point me. I give myself a pat on the back. Why don’t we just cut the event altogether and see how much the city cries from lack of funds. Better idea, why don’t we cut ALL events completely, because there’s a risk of riot, and see how quick the city goes bankrupt.
Its been a credit to the volleyball community that no riots etc have occurred. I beleive that since so many advertisers have come in that people-not associated with volleyball have come to associate with the party. David above is correct in saying volleyball athletes are self-policing. I missed the meeting due to volleyball travels but what about: Fencing off the beach all the way to the ocean. Charging a considerable amount for a ticket ($40 approx per person possibly as temporary tattoes). Since teams pay a several Hundred dollar registration fee, a large number of admission passes (100 approx). These “Players passes” should have the team’s name on them to hold people and teams liable. With passes the volleyball community can enjoy the tournament while spectators help pay for security and city profit… We al know that local business and the city and general does well financially by having the 6-man tournament.
Those above that suggest charging money to go onto a public beach better check the Local Coastal Plan and also with the Coastal Commission of the State of California. It’s a “no-brainer” that it’s a public resource down there, not to be commercialized for a big beach party. It’s a great time and a classic, but like the Dune, it’s gotten way out of hand and over publicized. The event is on it’s last legs …..
Has councilmember Nick Tell explained to anyone how he calculated that 80,000 people will be attending the event this year? A 25% jump in one year sure sounds like a pretty ambitious estimate in my opinion.
Let’s have him explain how he arrived at that number?
Amen to Scott Warren! I am a Phoenix resident soon to be an OC resident and I have been playing in this tournament since 2001. All I have to say is LONG LIVE 6MAN and 60,000 people plus is a lot of revenue in that city for just one weekend! There will always be drunken idiots anytime anywhere!!! Usually the drunken idiots are not the competitive volleyball players! The cops are just being greedy bastards and need to suck it up for one busy weekend and get over it!
So I can still bring weed right?
Move it to Hermosa, or Redondo, or El Segundo. Why should Manhattan businesses get all the revenue? Go somewhere you’re wanted… No fees, no fences, no unneeded security, NO MORE HIDDEN TAXES! Limit the alcohol, the problems are gone.
This is the police dept’s way of double dipping.
1) they get paid REGARDLESS if there is an event or not.
2) they should have the right to ask for more $$$$$$$ for doing their jobs.
The fees are insane. If they keep asking for money from events…why even bother to pay our taxes? Seriously…police dept you are losing your clout the next time you want your cushy benefits.
Fees are Extortion!
I agree with the above proposal, charge $10 entry fee and $20 drinking wristband, we travel to this event every year and it wouldn’t be the same if you changed it… the crowds can be a bit overbearing, I agree… and I’ve been to many more large events that are way worse than 6 man in terms of people drinking and being stupid…
Live on 6 man!
The city is not double dipping, they need to pay overtime to have all of the extra police on staff. As a life long local, tend to agree with scaling back the event, at least until it falls of the radar. Too many out of towners trashing the beach and not respecting the local community.
Control it, Fence it and Charge it for spectators and alcohol.
Donate 20% to charity.
I remember the Huntington Beach Surf riot of the ’80’s because of the bikini contest (100,000 people). They should have controled, fenced it & charged, but listened to sponsors instead that wanted a ‘larger crowd’ and did neither and hundreds of thousands in dollars in riot damage resulted. (No more bikini contest for Op Pro.)
Only 8 arrests means that there arn’t a bunch of lushes walking around being idiots. I think the biggest problem is the limited space and the poor mobility. I liked the comment above about embracing the tournament. From a numbers perspective it is the biggest day of the year for the sport of volleyball worldwide, something that I’m sure the city and the Saikley fam take tremendous pride in, and somthing that local businesses generate a lot of revenue from. I say go bigger. Open up the north side of the pier on Saturday, and bring in a lot more public restrooms. Let’s meet in the middle on an increase in entry fee.
Hey now.
8 arrests/60,000 people x 100% = 0.01333% arrest rate. Hardly verging on a riot. Probably have more arrests at a Dodger’s game.
There are more arrest in 1 Saint Patrick’s Day than 5 sixman events combined.-True Story… Lets Move Saint Patricks day to July then… I hope the city is not thinking of fabricating a riot to prove their point… please don’t pull a Bush… Oh Yeah… Theres no Money in this tourney… Its a Charity Event… Be Charitable… This Should be a Freebie from the PD’s…
The current fees ought to cover bringing in adequate security. Let’s not tamper too much with the best sporting event in the world:
http://jackanddave.multiply.com/journal/item/80/7th_Man_at_the_6-Man
I’ve been a resident of this city since 1993 I’ve been to the 6 man almost every year, It’s a key part of my upbringing. I would understand the extra police presence to deal with the ever growing numbers of this event. But come one MBPD you need to just look outside your small local department and just get some other agencies to help keep the few “8” arrests that you guys will make this year if that!. The tournament has become a local economy boomer for the amount of revenue it brings to our local businesses and the local residences need to realize that we’re not tarnishing a proud tradition yet making it possible for other people to enjoy the surf festival. I don’t see the doubling of entry fee’s when everyone is hurting in these times so if that’s your way of keeping it to few who can, then you’re the one’s tarnishing it.
Believe me I he police wanted to arrest people and be “the bad guys”. They could make 100’s of arrest. But they want everyone to have a good time. Just not getting out of control. Many people vomit and urinate on property owners homes, town streets and businesses. The stores in downtown mb might as well be closed that day b/c there is no parking, and people are in town just to go to the 6-man. I’ve been attending 6-man since 1978, and watched it grow. We love this event and don’t want to see it disappear.
Also, the city cannot charge $$ to attend the event.
They don’t Want the riots of Huntington beach on their hands.
We love 6-man….. But it’s getting out of hard to keep it from growing. Please be respectful of the town, ho
e owners and shops and businesses.
As someone who attends the 6-man tourney every year, it is very simple to see why the city is worried about this. The tournament has degraded from a wholesome exhibition of volleyball to a corporate-sponsored mess complete with excessive drinking and shameless jeering at players. I’m all for “talking shit” at the courts, but when you get thousands of drunk revelers screaming in the faces of athletes, something’s gotta give. Fights have broken out before and with only 50 officers covering the whole area, stopping fights before they reach massive, uncontrollable levels is next to impossible. The city does need crowd control: more officers and more space would allow for less elbow-to-elbow crowding and a greater ability of the officers to maintain control of the situation. I’m a college student, all for a good time, but the amount of ruckus that goes on at the 6-man could easily reach disastrous potential. Banning the booze on the beach isn’t necessary, but charge 5 bucks for an entrance wristband. Even if a bunch of people walk around the barriers or sneak in, you’ll still make thousands in revenues – enough to cover the added cost of an increased police force.
Santa Barbara county has the same problem with Halloween every year, it costs them approximately a million dollars to police the drunken crowd of partiers. Lets learn from this, and find easy ways to pay for and ensure the events safety.
In conclusion, I love the 6-man, but it needs some changes. Banning drinking on the beach will only incite binge drinking back at the houses/bars before people head down, so its not going to work. Expand the area of the tournament to spread out the crowd. Rope off the beach and charge 5 dollars for entrance. Bring in extra cops for crowd control. It’s not that hard. We can still make this work.
“I thought MB was a smart town. These are two pretty stupid decisions. Why not cut alcohol out of all the clubs at night? There might be a riot at one of those and there may not be the man power available. Oh no, one better, you can put a city cover charge on every bar in town so you can have enough police on duty at all times just in case the entire town decides to riot…”
How to you call MB a stupid town and then present 2 dumb ideas. You are stupid.
I’d hate to see the 6-Man go, but I agree that there needs be a way to ensure that the tourney remains respected, spectators can enjoy and those that are there to cause trouble get ejected. However, $5 cover won’t do much and will take away the essence of 6-Man….as will a big fat fence. And 8 arrests means 8 officers removed from the scene for a long time to process paperwork and make sure those arrested are processed accordingly. Reducing manpower reduces ability to respond if something major happens. Personally, I think they should have a big screen next to the score booth to show face shots of those getting taken to jail. Nothing like fear of public humiliation to keep people prone to acting stupid from acting stupid. Brand it as some Freedom of Information Act transparency….with the subtitle of “Innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.”