It will be toes in the sand and brews in the hand for the 62nd Annual World Championship Over-The-Line (OTL) Tournament sponsored by the Old Mission Beach Athletic Club (OMBAC) on back-to-back weekends July 11-12 and 18-19 at Fiesta Island.
The beach fest is open both weekends from 7:30 a.m. to dusk offering food, fun, sun, sports, entertainment and more.
The show will go on this year without last year’s drama, wherein the city did an about-face in rescinding its previously announced policy of excluding under-21 visitors and participants to the signature Mission Beach summertime competitive beach event.
The OTL tournament almost didn’t happen when the nonprofit group FreePB.org filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging it was denied a special-event permit for a 14-hour “Leisure Olympics” at Crown Point Shores. FreePB.org alleged the city was showing favoritism by issuing a permit for OTL when FreePB.org’s was denied.
OMBAC spokesman Sonny Petersen said a big turnout is expected again for 2015’s OTL Tourney.
“Last year we had just over 1,200 teams and right now we’re at just more than 1,100 teams, hoping to eventually get between 1,200 and 1,300 teams,”
Petersen said noting the tourney is OMBAC’s “largest fundraiser and supports all of the organization’s charitable giving.”
Last year, OMBAC’s fundraising and donations included UCSD Cancer Research, Jr. OTL college Scholarships, Wounded Warrior Foundation, Huntington’s disease, Bikes for Kids, Jr. Lifeguard Foundation, Cancer Walk, Marine Family Christmas Fund, Alpha Project, Meals on Wheels, Hospice, Pacific Beach Youth Group, San Diego St. Patrick’s Day Parade, San Diego Blood Bank, Hanohano youth paddle club, OMBAC Rugby, OMBAC Lacrosse and OMBAC Water Polo.
OTL is a modified form of beach baseball/softball.  Games last three innings. There is no base-running and the primary objective is to hit the ball “over the line” about 55 feet in front of the batter.  
This year’s double-elimination tournament features three-person teams competing for trophies awarded in 10 divisions (men and woman, by age).
Participant teams have come from as far away as Germany, Japan and Iceland to compete in the one-of-a-kind event.  
OTL team names are traditionally creative and good-natured, but can sometimes be quite colorful (frequently off-color), while often pertaining to current events. Players consist of men and woman with ages ranging from 18 to 80.
Petersen talked about OTL’s origin.
“The way it got started was, way back when, some of the boys were waiting for a volleyball court,” Petersen said. “There were like six of them, not enough to field a regular baseball game, so they made up these (OTL) rules and played, and it caught on and they’ve played ever since.”
Reserved parking is still available for both weekends of OTL although supply is limited in the “OMLot,” located a short walking distance from the playing courts. OMBAC also provides complimentary bus transportation (dubbed the “OmShuttle”) to and from the island during the first three days of OTL. They will run from Fiesta Island to the Sun Runner lot on Sea World Drive and from Fiesta Island to the Linda Vista trolley station.  
Traditional parking fills the island quite early and is usually closed to traffic by 10 a.m.  For more info about reserved parking and bus transportation, go to http://www.ombac.org/over-the-line or email us at otl@ombac.org
OMBAC is a 501(c) 4 non-profit organization that focuses on amateur sports, youth athletics and local charities.   OTL Info
Games start at 7:30 a.m. on Fiesta Island and continue until dark on both weekends of OTL.
First weekend games (July 11-12) are three innings only. Second weekend (July 18-19) games are four innings. Men’s Open final Sunday will have a time limit imposed.
Double-elimination for all teams in all 10 divisions
Over The Line is a public event and requires no ticket or entrance fee to watch the games and enjoy the tournament.
The “No Bs” are: no bottles, no bicycles, no bowzers (dogs), no babies, no boas, no bad attitudes, no battles (fighting).
Bikes are not permitted within the dunes. A bike valet will be provided on the north side of the island for $3 for the day.