2008 Over the Line

OMBAC's Over the Line Tournament kicked off for the 55th time this past weekend and for the 9th year in a row, my teammates and I entered the tournament. This year, just as last, we played in the Century Division which is for players 30 years or older and the combined age of all three must equal 100 years or older.

Before you go thinking this is the old man's division, there are three more divisions with higher age requirements: Canardly, Canever and Camummy. Those are where the truly old guys play.

Century still contains a number of very competitive and athletic teams, we just don't happen to be one of them. Sure, we put together some good games and consistently have a decent showing in the tournament, but we're in no jeopardy of winning the contest.

Our goal in past years' was to win enough games to make it to the second weekend of the tournament. Last year, we exceeded our previous goal and not only made it to the second weekend but won two more games to bring our record to 6 wins and 2 losses. In doing so, we made it to the "pre-application" threshold. A coveted accomplishment as it meant we didn't have to get up before dawn, head to Mission Beach and sit in front of the Pennant and Beach Comber on a gray May morning waiting in line for hours just to be herded thru the sign-up process. Instead, "as one of the better teams of the tournament" we were mailed an application for this year's tourney.

Given the success of last year, we have set the bar high for this tournament. We now are striving for "pre-app" again and are poised to accomplish it if we can keep our bats going strong and improve our defense a little. We ended day one of the tournament with a 4-1 record, if you include the bye game (we do).

Game 1 (11:00am): HACAAS 8, other team 3 - W
Game 2 (1:50pm): HACAAS 1, other team 3 - L
Game 3: Bye
Game 4 (4:30pm): HACAAS 14, other team 0 - W (1 inning only)
Game 5 (6:30pm): HACAAS 13, other team 3 - W

So back at it next weekend at 7:30am to continue on our crusade.

Summertime

Where did the time go? When you were a kid, didn’t the 4th of July holiday seem like the middle of summer? Now, in this sped up world of high technology, professional life and child rearing, the holiday comes much too quickly. Sadly, at our house we’re already planning for Labor Day because it’s just around the corner.

Back to our youth: as a kid summertime meant swimming in our backyard pool (including swimming lessons my mom made me take), heading to the beach for the afternoon or just running around the cul de sac in the evening playing hide and seek. We’d stay out until well after dark playing with the neighborhood kids until we got called in from the front doors of our homes. The parents never went outside to get us, they just yelled from the comfort of their living rooms and we complied, most of the time. Life was simple then.

We would occasionally be spooked by the few bats darting in and out from under the street lamp as they consumed their weight in insects. The girls worried the bats would fly into them or even suck their blood. Or better yet, the rare summertime evening storm that would illuminate our cul de sac with lighting and rumble the neighborhood with booming thunder. One such storm still evokes laughter from my family when we reminisce.

By the time the 4th of July rolled around, it was time for the big blow out party of the summer. The annual cul de sac block party! As the only house on the street with a built-in pool, our family unofficially played “host” for the event. That is not to say we did it all, quite to the contrary. Every family had a role and put their all into it to ensure another successful party.

The street was informally closed down (I don’t recall ever getting a permit from the County) and a volleyball court went up thanks to our handy neighbor who made sure the posts were welded and the concrete filled tires could support the net and the players that always crashed into them. Everyone contributed their favorite summertime dishes and drinks, including the Scribner’s popular ‘Secret Sauce’ which, without fail, had all the adults loose, limber and in good spirits.

Little did our parents realize that us kids knew and enjoyed the effects of ‘Secret Sauce’ as well. It wasn’t that we want to drink it, but rather we liked it because it helped encourage them loosen the sober rules and allow more dangerous fun to be had by all willing to take the risk. Usually by 4pm jumping off our roof into the pool commenced.

The first jump of the year was always the scariest. Would I jump out far enough to miss the edge of the pool under the roofline? Would I jump too far and hit the loveseat under the water on the far side? Would I lose my footing and fall crashing down to the walkway below? Fortunately, it always worked out perfectly. Cannonball after cannonball was jumped from a height of about ten feet. Those ten feet might as well have been thirty! At the age of eight, those the brief moments of weightlessness felt like an eternity...and the 4th of July seemed like the middle of summer.

Live to Surf

Three little words uttered by my daughter last Saturday will make me smile the rest of my life. Of course there are a number of phrases she says that make me smile, including a very popular three word phrase such as "I love you". While that will always make me melt, the new phrase she said was music to my ears and warms my heart nearly as much - "I surf daddy!"

That's right. My 26 month old surfs! Ok, so it's not the traditional surfing that you may think of, but in her innocent little heart she surfed that day at the beach. Never mind that dad wasn't there to share the moment with her (he was actually surfing out in the lineup), but mom and grandma, both non-surfers, showed her ropes with mom taking the reigns and helping Grace hang ten (alright, so they were her fingers over the end of the boogie board).

It appears as though the countless number of hours watching such classic surf movies is paying off. We regularly watch great flicks like "Surf's Up", "Step Into Liquid", "Riding Giants" and then coincidentally, while we were getting ready to leave the house, we caught impressive surfing in "Blue Crush" where Grace was captivated by strong, talented women riding sizeable waves.

Last Saturday was the day I've been waiting for my entire married life (sorry wife) - the day my child realized the joy of hitting the waves. Granted, the waves she rode can barely be classified as waves, but we're going with it. We're not sure what caused her to grab that boogie board and head for the water all on her own. Did she see her cousins and their friends riding out in the water, or was she inspired by her dad grabbing his board and heading to the outside lineup? Or perhaps it's just in her genes. No matter what the reason, she decided to surf!

Now begins the lifelong pursuit of the perfect wave, the great ride and the marvel that is surfing. As I write this, I begin to question if this is the greatest day as a dad, or perhaps the saddest. For my little girl shall now go the rest of her life always searching for, but not necessarily obtaining, that perfect ride.

With the advantage of age, I know that the perfect ride is always one wave away. Sure, I've had my share of great rides and ridden on some fantastic waves, but I've yet to get that perfect ride. It's a quest not easily achieved, but a journey worth embarking upon. So yes, it still is a great day!