OTL Brings Back ‘The Good Ol' Days'

"A part of OMBAC is the old men behaving as children," organizers say

The annual Over-The-Line Tournament, sponsored by the Old Mission Beach Athletic Club, will be celebrating 60 years of politically incorrect team names and raunchy play this year on Fiesta Island.

A bat-and-ball game that started because three guys couldn’t snag a volleyball court, OTL has grown exponentially from its start in the 1950s.

OTL is planning special presentations from volunteers in honor of the group’s 60th birthday, but OMBAC Vice President John Tefft isn’t giving away many details.

“Every venue of guys has their own little skit,” John Tefft said. “We are all keeping it from each other.”

The tournament is expecting around 1,300 teams, each squad name more taboo than the last.

“Not everything has to be G-rated in society,” Tefft said. He explained that the tournament has become a cross between a sporting event and Mardi Gras, attracting visitors from across the nation to this beach side party.

“We want to bring back the fun stuff that we used to do. A part of OMBAC is the old men behaving as children,” Tefft said.

Competitors and spectators alike can enjoy OMBAC-themed food like OM-dogs and sand-dogs, as well as a college throwback, “jungle juice” in which bartenders throw in, as Tefft describes it, “whatever they have.”

Besides the free admission both weekends, the event is unique from others in San Diego. Despite what may have been up in the air last month, guests can still bring their own booze, just as long as it is not stored in a bottle or glass container.

OTL play starts each day at 7:30 a.m. and runs two weekends, July 13-14 and 20-21. Organizers suggest attendees leave the kids at home.

Free buses will again be running from South Mission Beach and Linda Vista Trolley Station to Fiesta Island beginning at 7 a.m., with the last bus leaving at 3 p.m.

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