Beach Cities Sports: Basketball, roller derby, running, surfing, volleyball and more
Green will be the color of the day when more than 2,500 runners are expected to participate in the Village Runner St. Patrick’s Day 5K on Sunday, March 16. Photo
Paddleboarding: Registration is open for the Cold Hands Paddle, the first in series of Ocean of Hope races considered the start of the paddling season that will take place Sunday. The race is held on a 4-mile course off Cabrillo Beach and is open to paddleboards and SUPs; dory boats, surf skis, kayaks, and OC1s. Awards given to winners in Men’s, Women’s and Juniors, Stock and Unlimited in Prone and SUP divisions. Registration is free and available at paddleguru.com. Pre-order t-shirts ($20, $25 on race day) and raffle tickets ($5 or 5 tickets for $20) online. All proceeds of the raffle benefit the Sarcoma Alliance and the fight against cancer.
Martial Arts: Quest Taekwondo in Redondo Beach continues to produce athletes for international competition as women’s welter weight Kamille Carbon, of Torrance, recently earned a spot on the U.S. National Taekwondo Team. Carbon joins Joshua Kosloski (men’s fly weight) on the 2014 Cadet National Team that will compete in Baku, Azerbaijan in July. Ken Jin (men’s feather weight) was named to the Junior National Team. Kosloski and Jin travel from Colorado and San Diego, respectively, to train at Quest with Master Dean Vargas. Quest’s Pauline Lopez, a gold medalist at last year’s Asian Games, was selected to compete for the Philippine team.
Running: Online registration is available for the Village Runner St. Patrick’s Day 5K Run and Little Leprechaun Dash for the Gold to be held Sunday, Mar. 16 in Redondo Beach. The run begins and finishes at Village Runner, 1811-A Catalina Ave. The 5K run starts at 8 a.m. followed by the Kids Dash at 9:30 a.m. Serving as Honorary Starter for the Little Leprechaun Dash will be Redondo’ Beach’s Maxwell Huckabee, a 5th grader at Alta Vista Elementary known to his fans as the young star of “Dexter” and his recurring role on “Mad Men.” Entry fees are $30 for the 5K, $25 for the Kids Dash (add $5 after Mar. 8) and includes t-shirt, computer timing, water stations and sponsor refreshments. Cash prizes awarded to the top three men’s and women’s finishers. For more information or to register, visit villagerunner.com
GI Joe presents the annual Spring Pier 2 Pier Run/Walk on Saturday, Mar. 8. The run/walk begins and finishes at the Hermosa Beach Pier and includes a t-shirts, goodie bags and raffle prizes. First and second place finishers receive Village Runner gift certificates. A 5K Kid’s Run/Walk will also be held. Cost is $35 per person for each race. Team discounts are available. Beat the male/female record holder’s time and win $100. Proceeds benefit Grandparents as Parents. For more information and to register, visit mbbootcamp.com.
Basketball: Girls ages 8-14 can learn the fundamentals of basketball while improving their skill level at the ProSkills Basketball Clinic held every Sunday from 3-4:30 p.m. at the Spectrum Athletic Club, 2250 Park Place in El Segundo. The head coach is former Mira Costa and UC Fullerton standout Megan Richardson who led the Mustangs to CIF and State finals and was a four-time All-Big West player and the third highest scorer in UC Fullerton history. Clinics will be used as tryouts for Proskills travel teams. Cost is $25 per session ($80 for four sessions). To register, visit proskillshoops.com. For questions, contact director Justin McCurdy, proskillsbasketball@gmail.com.
Roller Derby: Comprised of three home teams and two traveling all-star teams, Beach Cities Roller Derby begins its home schedule Saturday, April 12 when the Redondo Riots take on the Hermosa Hitgirls. Home games are played at Wilson Park Rink, 2400 Jefferson St. in Torrance. Joining Redondo and Hermosa as a home team is the Long Beach Banshees. All three teams primarily play intra-league games. On a larger, regional level, the Riptide Rollers compete against All-Star teams from other leagues. The Sea Vixens is a junior varsity team where up-and-coming skaters gain experience and sharpen their skills. Presale tickets are available online for $10 (plus $1.34 service fee) at brownpapertickets.com. Tickets at the door are $12. For more information including the season schedule, visit beachcitiesrollerderby.com. For questions, email beachcitiesrollerderby@gmail.com.
Surfing: The South Bay Boardriders is holding its South Bay Surf Series on one Saturday each month. The series features all age groups, including the Micro Grom Division for under-9 year-olds. Participants receive t-shirts and other goodies and finalists from each division win prize packages. Surf Series ratings winner receive prizes such as free trips, surfboards, wetsuits and more. Scheduled contest dates are: Mar. 8 – Surf Concepts at El Porto; April 5 – Spyder at Manhattan Beach Pier. The championships will be held in May. For more information, visit southbayboardriders.com.
Volleyball: The Co-ed Volleyball on the Beach Leagues kicks off its season on Tuesday nights in Hermosa Beach starting March 11. Games will be north of the Hermosa Beach pier and played from 6-8 p.m. Registration must be made at the Community Center at 710 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach prior to league start date. Early registration is recommended with a cap of 44 teams. Six weeks of regular season is followed by two weeks of playoffs. Cost is $240 per team plus $5 per non-Hermosa Beach resident. For more information or individuals wishing to be placed on a team, call 310-318-0280. For questions, contact Bill Sigler, bill@smacksportswear.com or Chris, cyj@prankmonkey.org.