Beach Cities Sports: Baseball, cycling, running, volleyball and more
Races for baseball and softball league championships begin Saturday when local Little Leagues hold their Opening Day ceremonies.
Baseball: Opening Days for local Little Leagues take place Saturday. Manhattan Beach Little League holds its annual parade beginning at 9 a.m. starting at Manhattan Beach Blvd. and Valley Drive, going west to Highland, north to 15th and east to American Martyrs School where a Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit and Run competition will be held from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m.
Hermosa Beach Little League hosts its Opening Day ceremonies at Clark Field beginning at 10 a.m.
Redondo Beach Little League celebrates the opening of its season with festivities and games at Dominguez Park (190th & Flagler) beginning at 8 a.m.
Torrance American Baseball (TABB) begins it festivities Saturday with an Opening Game at 9 a.m. Teams will be announced beginning at 11:30 a.m. South High’s Sarah Knox is scheduled to sing the National Anthem at 12:15 p.m. which will immediately be followed by the first of four low-altitude flyovers by four Tiger Squadron WWII fighters.
Running: The annual GI Joe Spring Pier-2-Pier Run/Walk will be held Saturday at 7 a.m. Runners compete in the sand from the Hermosa Beach Pier to the Manhattan Beach Pier and back. The top two male and female runners receive a dog tag and gift certificate toward new running shoes. T-shirts, goodie bags and raffle prices are included. Break the fastest male/female time and win $100. A Post Event Party will be held at Cantina Real with raffle prizes including a $500 Scholarship donation from Sports Authority. The run/walk benefits Helpline Youth Counseling, Inc., Grandparents As Parents and others. Cost is $35 per runner. Registration is available online through Thursday, Feb. 28 at mbbootcamp.com. Walk-in sign ups available at Village Runner stores: 1840 N. Sepulveda Blvd, Manhattan Beach and 1811 S. Catalina Ave., Redondo Beach. For more information, call 310-980-9339.
Registration is ongoing for the Hermosa Beach 5000 which will take place Saturday, April 20. Events begin at 7:30 a.m. with what Race Director Jeff Atkinson dubs the world’s only Skateboard 5K. Riders will receive skate T-shirts, commemorative bracelets and finisher’s medals. The Baby Jogger 5K ensues immediately followed by the Men’s 5K, the Women’s 5K, the City Walk and concluding with the Kid’s Races (ages 2-12). Entry fees are $35 for the 5K run/walk; $25 for the Skateboard 5K and Kid’s Races (add $5 after April 1). Unique awards will be given to the top five in all 50 age divisions. All participants receive the collector’s 7th edition T-shirt and bracelet. All kids receive participant medals. For more information or to register, visit HB5000.com.
Swimming: Registration is now open for the 2013 Dwight Crum Pier to Pier Swim. The swim will be held on Sunday, Aug. 4. Registration for the swim may be done on-line at surffestival.org or through the Active.com link. Additional race information is available on the website or by following on twitter @pier2pier_swim.
Cycling: The South Bay Wheelmen hosts a group ride on the first Saturday of every month. Cyclists meet in the parking lot of the Catalina Coffee Company at 126 N. Catalina Ave, Redondo Beach. The moderately-paced ride is 30-40 miles with some climbing and regroups at several points so no one gets left behind. The Wheelmen also hosts the Baxter Time Trial Series of bicycle races that began this week and will continue each Sunday through September 29 on a course in Carson. Men and women divisions compete in several age groups where racers are awarded points for placing and winners are announced at the end of the series. For more information, visit southbaywheelmen.org.
Fundraisers: Donations are being sought to help install a new turf field at Marine Ave. Park in Manhattan Beach. The soccer field is used heavily by AYSO Region 18 (Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach). The project is only $200,000 short of its $1 million goal. For more information, contact Johnnie C. Morgan, dcajohnnie@aol.com.
Volleyball: Registration is open for the United States Youth Volleyball League in Hermosa Beach. Open to boys and girls ages 7-15, the 8-week season runs from April to June at South Park in Hermosa Beach. For more information on registration and volunteer positions, visit USYVL.org or call 1-888-988-7985.
A Tuesday Co-ed Beach Volleyball League in Hermosa Beach is slated to begin March 19 on the north side of the Hermosa Beach Pier. Best 2-out-of-3 matches are played from 6-8 p.m. for six weeks followed by two weeks of playoffs. Registration must be made at the Community Center at 710 Pier Ave. in Hermosa Beach prior to league start date. Cost is $240 per team plus $5 for each non-Hermosa Beach resident. Online registration is available at HermosaBCH.Org Adult Leagues. For questions, contact Bill Sigler, bill@smacksportswear.com and/or Chris, cyj@prankmonkey.org.
Registration is open for the Torrance Youth Volleyball Program. A Youth Volleyball Clinic is open for kids in grades 2-4 and the Youth Volleyball League for grades 4-8 is tentatively scheduled to begin Saturday, April 6. Both programs are structured to teach basic fundamentals and rules of the game. Registration ends Friday, March 22. Applications and additional information are available online at torranceca.gov/Parks/9754.htm. For more information, call the Community Services Department at 310-618-2930.
Surfing: The South Bay Boardriders Club has announced the schedule for its 2012-13 South Bay Surf Series. Open to non-club members, contests are slated for Saturday at El Porto; Saturday, March 9 at 26th Street, Manhattan Beach; Saturday, April 13 at El Porto and Saturday, May 11 at the Manhattan Beach Pier. For more information, visit southbayboardriders.com.