Two years ago, the Charlie Saikley 6-Man Volleyball Tournament drew an estimated 65,000 people to Manhattan Beach. Last week, at the second consecutive tournament held midweek instead of on a weekend, the once notoriously unruly crowd numbered just 2,000 to 3,000.
A drop in registration persisted this year as well, with 50 teams competing compared to last year’s 66 and 2011’s 92, said Mark Leyman, the city’s director of Parks and Recreation.
The two-day tournament, held Wednesday and Thursday at the south side of Manhattan Beach pier as part of the International Surf Festival, produced two arrests – a stark drop from 2011’s 39 and even last year’s four.
“It was much more manageable,” Manhattan Beach Police Department’s Sgt. Chris Vargas said. “Everybody seemed to be enjoying volleyball as intended.”
Officers arrested an adult for public intoxication and another for buying alcohol for a minor, Vargas said. Two minors were cited for possession of alcohol, and another two minors were cited for possession of tobacco, he said. At the 2011 tournament, 23 arrests were made for public intoxication and the remainder ranging from DUIs to thefts.
In 2010, following a boisterous turnout of 60,000 the previous year, the Manhattan Beach City Council outlawed alcohol containers at the event and nearly doubled team registration fees to compensate for security costs. Following the 2011 tournament, the City Council decided to move the event from the weekend to midweek in an effort to quell the boisterous party atmosphere.
