Cheer squads set tempo for $3 million Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk in Manhattan Beach
Cheer squads set tempo for Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk
by Ralph Doyle
The first Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk in 2009 drew 1,700 participants and raised an impressive $220,000. Sunday’s 14th Annual Skechers walk drew a crowd estimated at 19,000, and raised an estimated $3 million, Rabbi Yossi Mintz announced from the Manhattan pierhead stage at the start of the walk.
But despite having become what Manhattan Beach Mayor Steve Napolitano called “the greatest walk in the nation,” the walk retains its small town character.
High school bands and cheer squads set the tempo for walkers on almost every block of the 3.2 out-and-back course, between the Manhattan and Hermosa Beach piers. High schools represented included Mira Costa, Redondo, El Segundo West Torrance, North Torrance, Peninsula and Palos Verdes.
This year’s 14th annual walk will bring the funds raised to almost $20 million. Proceeds benefit The Friendship Foundation, local education foundations and the Skechers Foundation’s academic scholarships. The Friendship Foundation matches special needs students with their classmates for friendship. For more about the program visit FriendshipFoundation.com. For more about the walk visit SkechersFriendshipWalk.com. ER