Fame came anyway.

Najjar and her brother Sean were students together at Monte Vista High School in Spring Valley. Sean was on the wrestling team before eventually moving into mixed martial arts. “He was like, ‘Come to the fighting gym with me,’” Najjar recalls. She wasn’t very active at the time but was curious about the sport. “I went to my first boxing class and I fell in love.”

Soon, she began helping her brother sell tickets to his fights and promoting his merch while learning to coach. As she improved her skills, she quickly became one of the most sought-after boxing trainers in the area. While Sean now occasionally competes in jiu-jitsu tournaments, Najjar found a space in the boxing world that few women occupy: mitt holding. Ever seen a fighter in training, jabbing at a strike pad while the person clutching the pads deftly matches their strikes and absorbs the impact? Najjar is that person.

Her talents garnered her the nickname “Mitt Queen” amongst her male counterparts in the gym. Now 36, the Carmel Mountain resident counts pro fighters, high-profile athletes, and celebrities among her trainees.

“She made herself into her own. She carried the torch,” says Berlin Kerney, a boxing coach at Bomber Squad Academy in El Cajon. He has known Najjar since she was 18. “I feel like she helped [women] think it’s possible to achieve a level that wasn’t really seen before. There was no market, no spot for a female mitt holder. I see a lot of [women] now doing the same thing that she has done.”

But her rise took time. In 2020, when Covid was keeping us indoors, Najjar quit her job at Louis Vuitton (her other love is high fashion) to begin filming her workouts.

“I cleaned up my whole Instagram, got rid of everything, [and] said, ‘I’m going to stick to just mitt work and I’ll show a little bit of myself,’” Najjar says. “I posted my first video with [pro boxer] Jonny [Mansour], and it went viral.”

She began posting regularly, growing over months from hundreds of views per video to sometimes over a million. It’s easy to get lost in her clips. She’s quick, nimble, strong—often meeting the punches of men nearly twice her size.

As her account took off, she caught the attention of actor Michael B. Jordan, who direct messaged her, asking her to be in the latest installment of the Creed franchise, boxing movies set in the Rocky universe. “I didn’t know who he was,” Najjar says. She had to Google him before responding. “He was like, ‘You’ve never seen Creed? Black Panther?’ I was like, ‘No, I live and breathe fighting.’”

Next thing she knew, she was moving to Atlanta, Georgia for a year to work as a trainer for the cast and play herself, Ann “Mitt Queen” Najjar, in 2023’s Creed III. Pro boxers like Canelo Álvarez, José Benavidez Jr., Florian Munteanu, and Tony Bellew shared the big screen with her, acting as characters or as themselves.

“That’s the cool thing about the movie. All the fighters are real; all the refs are real. All the commentators are real,” Najjar says. “I worked with [pro boxer Terence Crawford] on the movie set. He went 28 rounds straight with me. No budging.”

But being a great mitt holder isn’t as simple as knowing how to catch a punch. One of the most important skills a coach can have, mitt holding requires balance, skill, and the ability to clearly communicate with your fighter as they move around—as well as hours of daily practice. Doing it well is a key step on the road to creating a world champ.

“When you’re the holder, you’re guiding,” Najjar says. She determines her trainees’ combinations—as she calls out movements, they follow her lead.

Bomber Squad Academy strength and conditioning coach Tez Avant says Najjar’s competitive nature is a huge part of what makes her so good at what she does. “If there’s an obstacle, she wants to beat it. No matter who’s there, she wants to try to beat them,” he says. “I think that’s the thing that will keep her thriving.”

Najjar trains four to six hours a day. When she’s not in the gym with clients, she’s running to improve her cardio and posting on social media, hoping to inspire more young women to become holders.

“I was Sean’s little sister, and now, my brother is the Mitt Queen’s brother,” Najjar says with a smirk. Sometimes, a bit of sibling rivalry is all you need to become great.

The post Inside the Ring with Ann “Mitt Queen” Najjar appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

For the first time in school history, the men’s basketball program is eligible for the NCAA Division I basketball tournament. Affectionately and better known as March Madness, it’s the single-elimination tournament for the national championship that pits powerful “blue bloods” like Kentucky and Duke against mid-major “Cinderellas” like San Diego State University and, now, UCSD. 

“I think everybody’s excited about the opportunity to play in the postseason and be in that win-or-go home environment,” Olen said before a recent practice session. “There’s really nothing else like it.” 

In 2020, the UCSD men’s basketball program transitioned from Division II to the Big West Conference in Division I, the highest level of collegiate sports. NCAA rules prohibited UCSD from postseason play during a four-year “reclassification period.” This didn’t stop the team from acting like a postseason team. 

January 22, 2024

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They went 21-12 last season, their best showing in Division I so far, and finished second in the Big West. Had they been eligible, UCSD would have needed to win just two games in the conference tournament to book their first-ever trip to the NCAA tournament. 

“I think our guys did a great job during the period where we didn’t have [postseason play],” said Olen, who became head coach in 2013 after serving as an assistant for nine years. “It was a little bit of that light at the end of the tunnel, that purpose at the end, like, ‘This is what we’re working towards, this is what we’re working for.’”

To build on that success, the team will need returning senior Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones to show why he was named to the Big West Preseason Coaches’ Team, though Tait-Jones brushed aside the significance of that recognition. “We’ve got a pretty new group of guys coming in, and it’s my last year, so I just want to be a leader out there,” the New Zealand native said. “A goal of ours is to win the league and go to March Madness this year and get out of the first round.” That won’t be easy, not with former Triton star Bryce Pope now at the University of Southern California as a graduate transfer, but the versatile Tait-Jones did rank among team leaders last year in points, rebounds, assists, and steals.

When asked if the campus is anticipating the upcoming season, which starts November 6 at SDSU, he beamed and seemed relieved to talk about his classmates rather than himself. “I just saw some students yesterday and they were super excited for the year and they were saying, ‘Oh, we’re going to make March Madness!’ I think there’s a real buzz around campus. I think everyone’s excited for the year and we’re all excited for it.”

This year’s homecoming being the first that revolves around the team’s home opener—the November 9 tilt against Pepperdine—indicates it’s a new era at the school, one that is known far more for its Nobel Prizes than for its championship trophies. (As if the nearby “Nobel Drive” left any doubt.)

The architect of the rise of sports at UCSD is athletics director Earl Edwards. On the job since 2000, Edwards has guided the school’s 23 sports programs from the depths of Division III, where no conference welcomed the school and few others wanted to play it. UCSD was too big, too resourceful, and its teams beat up on schools whose enrollments rarely eclipsed 2,000 students. 

“We had a lot of success [in Division III], but we wanted to be an extension of the university as a whole. Everything we do at UC San Diego is about the pursuit of excellence. So it became more of a discussion of, ‘Why don’t we have an athletic program that reflects that?’” Edwards said, though, like Tait-Jones, he invariably credited others. 

“The students were the ones that created the impetus for Division I because as they looked at UC San Diego, and they looked at other high-profile schools, athletics was the missing denominator. So then students came to us and said, ‘We’d like to move to Division I.’” 

Like a proud parent that refuses to play favorites, Edwards offered highlights beyond the men’s basketball team: The baseball team that won the Big West Conference championship. The women’s rowing team that took second in the Coastal Atlantic Association conference championships and whose coach, Colin Truex, won CAA’s Coach of the Year award. The fencing team that regularly sends athletes to the national championships. 

In all, 21 of the school’s 23 sports teams would have participated in postseason competition last year if not for the NCAA’s prohibitions. But Edwards seemed most proud of the “scholar-athletes,” as they’re called at UCSD, having a higher grade-point average than the school’s general student body. 

But if the poets and quants on campus are resentful of the ascendance of sports, then there’s little indication of it. In fact, UCSD Chancellor Pradeep Khosla was selected in March to serve a four-year term on the NCAA Division I Board of Directors to represent the Big West Conference. It’s one of the most influential governing bodies in American sports. Through Pradeep, UCSD is now a power broker in collegiate athletics. This institutional backing isn’t lost on Edwards. “Now that we’re Division I—looking at the branding, the messaging, the signage around campus—it’s definitely a D-I program in terms of the overall support and enthusiasm,” he said.

Merely getting to Division I was not the goal, though. Edwards wants the school to compete every year for the Big West’s Commissioner’s Cup, which is awarded annually to the university with the greatest success across all sports, and he wants the men’s basketball team playing in the NCAA tournament every year. “I expect that March Madness will be part of who we are,” he said.

It’s an ambitious, if not astonishing vision for a university long perceived as a sleep retreat for academics. Edwards even wants San Diego to one day replicate Philadelphia’s legendary “Big 5” of University of Pennsylvania, LaSalle, St. Joseph’s, Temple, and Villanova which compete every year for the best college basketball team in the city.

Along with SDSU and the University of San Diego, there are now three Division I programs within a trolley ride of each other, and the newcomer to the party is planting its flag. “The respect that we’re getting now at UC San Diego, they recognize that we’re forced to be reckoned with.”

The post The New Era of D1 Athletics for UCSD appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

San Diego Padres vs Los Angeles Dodgers NLDS Game 1

Saturday, October 5 | 5:38 p.m. | Dodger Stadium

Watch: FS1

The Friar Faithful’s prayers have been answered as the San Diego Padres surged past the Atlanta Braves in a decisive two-game Wild Card sweep. Chants of “Beat LA” reverberated through Petco Park on Tuesday night, with fans already gearing up for the next postseason showdown. The highly anticipated best-of-five series kicks off Saturday at Dodger Stadium, where Padres ace Dylan Cease is projected to face off against Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Riding the momentum of their dominant 43-19 finish to the regular season and jaw-dropping triple play that clinched their Wild Card spot against the Dodgers just weeks earlier, the Padres are ready for their biggest challenge yet. To topple the Dodgers, they’ll need to minimize the impact of Shohei Ohtani, who led the NL with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases, becoming the first-ever member of the illustrious “50/50 club“—a feat never before achieved in MLB history. All of San Diego will be rooting for the Friars, seeking a shot of redemption following their inspiring postseason run in 2022.

XTERRA Wetsuits Mission Bay Triathlon

Sunday, October 13 | 11:30 a.m. | Ventura Cove at Mission Bay

Did you know that San Diego is the “birthplace of the triathlon”? While the history of the sport dates back to the early 1900s, the first modern triathlon was staged in 1974 on Mission Bay’s Fiesta Island. To celebrate the 50th anniversary, Koz Events, a San Diego-based company that organizes endurance sports competitions, is hosting the Mission Bay Triathlon. The event offers races for athletes of all ages and all experience levels, and proceeds benefit the Life Sports Foundation, which is dedicated to increasing access to sports for youth, disadvantaged, and physically challenged athletes. Register by Saturday, October 12, to help kick off the next 50 years of triathlon history. 

San Diego Wave vs Club América Femenil

Wednesday, October 16 | 7:00 p.m. | Snapdragon Stadium

The top two teams in each group of the Concacaf W Champions Cup advance to the knockout round. With the Wave looking up at Group B leaders Club América Femenil, their matchup at Snapdragon Stadium could decide their fate in the annual competition among the top club teams spanning North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

What’s more, the Wave are in uncharted territory after the retirement of star forward Alex Morgan. Currently in 10th place in the NWSL standings, they are at risk of missing the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Their game against Club América Femenil, a strong side from Mexico City, gives them an opportunity to solidify their identity under interim coach Landon Donovan and build toward a late-season push for trophies.

USA Ultimate National Championships

October 24-27 | Surf Cup Sports Park, Del Mar

If ultimate frisbee is a minor sport, then its competitors aren’t aware of that. Their throwing, catching, and running after a plastic disc results in some of the most mesmerizing displays of athleticism, and this month the highest level of the sport is coming to the region when the USA Ultimate National Championships land at Del Mar. The Nationals, as it’s referred to, will crown champions in three divisions—men’s, mixed, and women’s—with 48 teams vying for the titles.

“We are excited to have Nationals back for the next three years after five successful years of the event at Surf Cup Sports Park,” Mark Neville, CEO of Sports San Diego, said in a statement. “We recognize the positive impact that events like Nationals can have on our local economy, tourism industry and community spirit.” 

SDSU Football vs. Washington State

Saturday, October 26 | 7:30 p.m. | Snapdragon Stadium

Watch: CBS Sports Network

As the San Diego State football team heads into October, head coach Sean Lewis is searching for answers with his team 1-3 in his first year at the helm. “We have to learn from these lessons.” Lewis said after a recent loss to Central Michigan University. “We have to learn to come together and make sure that this adversity galvanizes the guys in the locker room.” The Aztecs’ game against Washington State offers a welcome reprieve: it’s the culminating event of SDSU’s 2024 Homecoming Week. Revel with Aztecs past, present, and future as their team tries to get back on track against the Cougars.

The post 5 San Diego Sporting Events to Watch: Oct. 2024 appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

When her shoulders relaxed, she charged toward the penalty spot and swung her famous left foot through the ball. It seemed destined for the back of the net, an equalizer for the Wave and another of Morgan’s 200-plus goals for club and country. But then, like a beach volleyball player in full stretch, North Carolina Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy dove and threw out her right hand, deflecting the ball harmlessly over the crossbar. Three minutes later, Morgan was subbed off, her retirement starting on a hot September night at Snapdragon Stadium.

The soccer world focused on what had ended—a legendary playing career that inspired millions around the globe. But in the weeks since Morgan’s final game, one big question lingers for the Wave: What does the future hold for the team that she left?

The Wave signed Morgan, a two-time World Cup champion, ahead of the team’s inaugural 2022 season. Their first home game at Snapdragon Stadium attracted a sold-out crowd of 32,000, at the time an NWSL record. That excitement, and Morgan’s league-leading 15 goals, carried the Wave to the NWSL semifinals.

The Wave did one better the next season, winning the NWSL Shield, an award given to the best team during the regular season. Fans reciprocated, providing the Wave with the highest average attendance in the league. Morgan again ranked among the leaders in goals, assists, and total scoring attempts, and the team made the semifinals once more. 

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The Wave were like a newly licensed teenager test-driving a Porsche. Blowing by more established opponents, the club ignored its inexperience and relished the playing power at its disposal. The players felt that they belonged in their new league. “We deserve to be here. We earned the right to play here, but we deserve more,” star goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan roared to her teammates moments before last year’s NWSL semifinal against the OL Reign.

This season, Wave fans hoped the third time was the charm, the year the team put it all together to do something that no local team has done since 1963—win a major sports championship. At the Wave’s home opener in March 2024, the team broke the single-game attendance record they set in 2022.

But in many ways, Morgan’s final shot of her career is the perfect encapsulation of the Wave’s 2024 season so far. It was a shot that could have and should have gone in. In the past, it would have. This has been a season of change, not progress. 

In March, Ron Burkle, the Wave’s founding owner, sold the team to Los Angeles–based investors Lauren Lichtman and Arthur Levine. Over the summer, amid a seven-game winless streak, Wave president Jill Ellis fired head coach Casey Stoney. Then, the club was rocked by accusations of workplace misconduct by a former employee. (The Wave denied the allegations.) Four franchise stalwarts—forward Sofia Jakobssen; defenders Abby Dahlkemper and Sierra Enge; and, of course, Alex Morgan—left for various reasons.

On the pitch, the Wave’s performance suffered. With just four wins, they are out of a playoff spot by six points with six league games left to play. They’ve netted the third-fewest goals in the NWSL so far this year, with 17—just two more than Morgan scored by herself in 2022. According to The Athletic, the Wave ranked second-to-last in direct speed at the time of Stoney’s dismissal, despite ranking second in possession rate. In other words, their offense, once daring and opportunistic, had become a slog. 

But all is not lost, not this year and not in the future. 

Few club teams have as much high-end talent as the Wave. The versatile 19-year-old Jaedyn Shaw is poised to claim the mantle from Morgan and become a goal-scoring star for both the Wave and the US Women’s National Team. (Shaw was a reserve on the Olympic gold medal–winning squad this summer in Paris.) Fellow forward Maria Sanchez is finding her footing after being acquired from the Houston Dash in April. On Wednesday, Sanchez scored a hat trick in the Wave’s 3-2 win over the Portland Thorns in a Concacaf W Champions Cup game. 

And there is arguably no better defensive duo in the world than Sheridan, the starting keeper for the Canadian national team, and defender Naomi Girma. “She’s the best defender I’ve ever seen,” USWNT coach Emma Hayes said after the team’s victory over Germany in the Olympic semifinals. In one sequence against the Courage, in Morgan’s final game, Girma baited an attacking player into cutting in, then effortlessly plucked the ball, single-handedly ending the threat. 

That reliability in the back creates possibility up forward. The nucleus of the next great Wave team is there. It just needs the right structure and supporting pieces, especially in the midfield. Landon Donovan, the interim head coach and a soccer legend in his own right, is trying to bring that to fruition with a more pressing style of play.

A commitment to excellence starts at the top, though, and it appears the new owners understand that. “This investment aligns with our values and vision for supporting initiatives that empower women and foster opportunities for aspiring female athletes,” Lauren Leichtman said in a statement when the sale was announced. 

If Burkle’s Wave—Wave 1.0—were a startup fueled by successes that came fast and easy, then Wave 2.0 should see the club solidify its foundation and mature into a more sustainable operation. The Padres are an illustrative example. After the late Peter Seidler took control of the team in 2020, he made unprecedented investments in the roster and player development and empowered AJ Preller, the team’s general manager, to do what it takes to win. The Pads are now a perennial playoff contender and the hottest ticket in town.

Morgan’s departure is certainly the end of an era for the Wave, but she inspired a vision for soccer in San Diego that did not exist before her arrival. In that vision, the Wave collect trophies for fun, and the players raise those trophies in front of one of the most fervent fan bases in the sport. That hope, that possibility, isn’t going anywhere. 

The post What’s Next for the SD Wave Without Alex Morgan? appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Nestled in the Rancho Del Oro area, Fronwave boasts a seating capacity of 7,500 and features all the amenities expected of a brand-new, $85 million multi-purpose venue: 16 premium suites, three VIP viewing decks, and a lineup of food and beverage vendors being billed as “A Taste of North County.”

With no upper seating level and just 16 rows in each section, attendees will be close to the action—most of which will be sports. 

“The original goal was to build an arena for San Diego Sockers (the Major Arena Soccer League team), and that came together six or seven years ago,” said Elias, who shares ownership of Frontwave Arena with Sockers’ owner and coach Phil Salvagio and real estate developer Colton Sudberry.

The Sockers are one of the most successful professional soccer teams in the country, having won 16 league championships since 1982, but empty seats are common at Midway District’s cavernous, 16,000-seat Pechanga Arena, which the Sockers have called home since 2012. But minor league teams in major league venues is a problem throughout the industry. 

With Frontwave Arena, Elias and his partners want to turn that business model on its head. “We understand that we’re smaller, but we want to own that,” Elias said. “Typically, people want a big team to anchor an arena, but we are going to own this minor league size, as well as that middle size entertainment. That’s what makes us unique.” That approach is already paying dividends. 

The crowning achievement so far is landing the NBA G League’s San Diego Clippers, the minor league affiliate of the Los Angeles Clippers. “Getting the stamp of approval from the NBA is a huge feat,” Elias said. Fans at Frontwave Arena will get to see “truly the best players, guys who are hungry to compete and make it at the highest level.”

In fact, more than 50 percent of players on current NBA rosters have G League experience, according to the NBA. The G League plays a 50-game schedule, from November to February, with the San Diego Clippers scheduled for 24 home games this season. And Elias expects to announce soon another team relocating from Pechanga Arena to Frontwave Arena.

In the meantime, visitors to Frontwave will have plenty to eat. Cardiff’s Seaside Market is offering their famous “Cardiff Crack” tri-tip nachos, one of the most popular food items at Petco Park. Gelati & Picatti, which has locations in Encinitas, North Park, and inside Petco Park, is serving up Roman-style pizza by the slice and artisanal gelato. And rounding out the lineup are Tanner’s Prime Burgers, a collaboration between Michelin-starred chef Brandon Rogers and Brandt Beef’s Eric Brandt; and Baja Tacos, a new concept by Brandt that started as a pop-up at the Del Mar Racetrack in 2022. 

Frontwave Arena’s leadership recruited Scott Marshall, Liquid Sports group CEO and former chief hospitality officer at Petco Park, to bring these food options under one roof. “We are incredibly excited to […] introduce an absolute world-class culinary program,” Marshall said in a statement.

Kicking things off for Frontwave’s opening is the Gold Over America Tour, a two-night showcase (Sept. 16 and 17) featuring Simone Biles and other premier gymnastics talent. It’s an event worthy of a grand opening, considering Biles is now one of the greatest American athletes of all time after winning three gold medals at this summer’s Paris Olympics. On October 5, the veteran rock group Cake stages the inaugural concert co-produced by Belly Up Presents, the promotional arm of the legendary Solana Beach venue. 

Frontwave Arena’s event schedule is already packed, but there is even more programming planned for outside the venue. One of the arena’s unique features is the San Diego Zoo Safari Park Plaza, a hybrid, outdoor event space, planned to be utilized on both event and non-event days.

“What we’ve built is unique and special,” Elias said. “We took an inside-out approach, focusing on North County first, but we’re seeing a lot of interest from folks throughout the county. It’s exciting to see and the fact that it resonates speaks to us being local people building something for the community.”

Frontwave Arena Schedule of Events

• Sept. 16 & 17: “Gold Over America Tour” starring Simone Biles and America’s best gymnasts. Event starts at 7:30 p.m.
• Oct. 5: Cake – Frontwave Arena Grand Opening Concert. Event starts at 8 p.m.
• Oct. 8: Los Angeles Clippers vs. Brooklyn Nets preseason game. Event starts at 7 p.m. 
• Oct. 12: Rocktoberfest, with Seether, Giovannie & The Hired Guns, The Warning, and Tim Montana. Event starts at 7 p.m. 
• Oct. 19: Association of Volleyball Professionals. Event starts at 6 p.m. 
• Oct. 20: Association of Volleyball Professionals. Event starts at 1 p.m.
• Oct. 26: Monsters of Hip-Hop, featuring Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Too $hort, MC Magic and more. Event starts at 7:30 p.m. 
• Oct. 27: USA vs. Mexico International FANCLB Cup. Event starts at 6 p.m.
• Nov. 2: Freestyle Explosion, featuring Steve B, Lisa Lisa, Exposé, Shannon, Connie, Lime, Will to Power, Pretty Poison, and Nocera. Event starts at 7:30 pm.
• Dec. 7:  Country Christmas featuring Megan Moroney, Tucker Wetmore, Tyler Braden, and more. Event starts at 7 p.m.

The post What to Expect at the New $85M Frontwave Arena appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

September 7 | 7:30 p.m. | Snapdragon Stadium

Watch: CBS Sports Network

Since they were down 6-3 at halftime to Texas A&M-Commerce, a team in the lower Football Championship Subdivision, it would be understandable if the Aztecs felt discouraged during last weekend’s season opener. But first-year coach Sean Lewis rallied his team to a dominant second half and a comfortable 45-14 win. Star Marquez Cooper led the way with 223 rushing yards and two touchdowns. “My [offensive line] did amazing, especially in the second half,” the senior running back said after the game. “They showed perseverance and they didn’t doubt themselves because of the rough first half.” It will be more important for San Diego State to get off to a better start in its second game against Oregon State, a team that’s made three consecutive bowl games. It’s the Aztecs’ only home game in September, and it will indicate whether they themselves can be perennial bowl game contenders.

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club Closing Day

Sunday, September 8 | 11:30 a.m. | Del Mar Fairgrounds

For the rest of the country, Labor Day signals the end of summer. For San Diegans, it’s Closing Day at the Del Mar Racetrack. On Sunday, September 8, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club concludes its summer racing season with 11 scheduled races, with first post at 1:30 p.m. But there’s much more to do than simply watch horses thunder around one of the most beautiful tracks in the world. Early risers can get breakfast with complimentary coffee, and tickets are available for Taste of the Turf Club, where attendees can enjoy a three-course brunch and bottomless adult beverages. There will even be a Red Cross blood drive onsite.

Gold Over America Tour

September 16-17 | 7:30 p.m. | Frontwave Arena

Simone Biles. That’s all you need to know about the Gold Over America Tour stop at Oceanside’s brand new Frontwave Arena. The most decorated gymnast in history (and one of the greatest Olympians ever) brings her athleticism and choreography to San Diego County in something of a victory lap. Biles and the United States’ gymnastics delegation dominated at the 2024 Paris Olympics, winning 10 medals, three of them gold. Now, Biles and a team of world-class gymnasts are touring arenas around the country. “We’ve worked on this event for over a year. We thought, ‘Who do we want to open our venue with? Who do we want to be as a venue?’” says Frontwave Arena CEO Josh Elias. Response for the event was so enthusiastic that Elias’ team was able to add a second night on September 17. “What Simone Biles has accomplished this summer is tremendous,” he adds. It seems like no coincidence that the tour’s acronym, GOAT, also stands for the “greatest of all time.”

San Diego Padres vs. Chicago White Sox

Sunday, September 22 | 1:10 p.m. | Petco Park

Watch: Padres.TV

It’s fitting that the Padres’ final home game of the regular season is against the Chicago White Sox, the team that traded star pitcher Dylan Cease to San Diego. In June, Cease threw the franchise’s second no-hitter, and he’s been a consistent, steadying presence for a rotation that has lost Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish to injury for long stretches. The Padres enter the season’s final month on a 91-win pace thanks in large part to Cease’s 3.62 earned run average and his elite ability to keep runners off the bases. If Cease and the Pads maintain form, then postseason baseball is all but assured.

Average Joe Run

Sunday, September 29 | 8:00 a.m. | Crown Point Park

Running is hard. The Average Joe Run makes it easier. In fact, the organizers bill it as “The World’s Easiest 5K.” To prove the point, the top award goes to the middle finishers, the runners who are perfectly average. (Don’t worry, tryhards. The fastest finishers also get recognition.) There’s unlimited coffee and donuts available to participants, too. Other freebies include a race bib, t-shirt, medal, and certificate. With registration ranging from $28.50 to $38.50, it might be the best deal in town this month. The hard part is waking up for the early start time.

The post 5 San Diego Sports Events to Watch this Month: Sept. 2024 appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Painter. Disc golfer. Bee keeper. Cat owner. Mindfulness practitioner. Cease brought his whole self to San Diego when the Chicago White Sox traded him to the Padres in March. “Those are just things I like doing,” the 28-year-old said. “I have a really unique job and unique skill set, but I’m a human being first. I have the same human experiences as everyone.” 

Cease’s thoughtfulness is apparent when he talks about his art practice, which he started only a few years ago. He’s inspired by a desire to create and to escape consumerism, at least for a little while. “Art is personality and expression,” he said. Unlike baseball, “art is under all your control, and I can put a lot of personality on the canvas. The outcome at the end is very cool. It’s gratifying.”

Cease views pitching as more scientific and logical than art, but his personality peaks through on the field. His motion is methodical and intentional, as if he wants as much time as possible to study his prey and direct his attack. Upright and slow, his is a thinking-man’s windup. That is, until it’s time to release the ball. 

As he whips his 6’2” frame around, a violent force is created. It might be a fastball that explodes out of his hand, the ball doting a corner of the strike zone. Or it could be a slider that darts below the knees, leaving the batter questioning the laws of physics. His style doesn’t deceive hitters so much as it overwhelms them. It’s a repertoire that has carried a Padres rotation without co-aces Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish for long stretches and that carried Cease into the record books on July 25 at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. as only the second Padre to throw a no-hitter in team history (the first was Musgrove).

A 99 mile-per-hour fastball induced the final out of the eighth inning of his no-hitter. His first fastball of the game, almost two hours and a hundred pitches earlier, was “just” 97 miles per hour. The final three outs in the ninth came on Cease’s patented slider. Down and inside to a lefty: groundball. Down and away to a righty: groundball. Down and away to another lefty: fly out. He was dealing. He was, well, painting.

The demands of the baseball season limit his art to a couple pieces a year, but he’s generous with that output. He gifted his mom a recent painting for Mother’s Day. Another painting went to Padres teammate Michael King to support King’s charity work. It’s an ethos recognized by Dante Rowley, retail and visitor experience manager at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, who is working with Cease to highlight baseball caps that the museum and Padres designed together.

“We want to tell the story of, you don’t need to choose between getting into sports and getting into art. Cease has that duality and can be the bridge between the two worlds,” Rowley said. “He was kind of an unknown when the Padres traded for him, but I think a younger generation of ballplayers and artists in San Diego can look up to him and connect with him.”

And Cease’s interest in sports extends beyond baseball. “The pro disc golf season kicks off in Arizona, when baseball spring training is starting there,” said Paul McBeth, who Cease described as the ‘Tiger Woods of disc golf.’ “Dylan messaged me and we realized we have a lot of similar interests.”

Those interests developed into a friendship, which developed into a business. A Georgia native, Cease bought land outside of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and asked McBeth to design a world-class course, which they named Cactus Rock. The two then partnered on buying Gran Canyon Disc Golf Course, one of the premier courses in Florida.

“Dylan probably wants to land a big baseball contract just so he can develop more courses,” McBeth said with a laugh. “It’s not so much about the money, though. I think Dylan likes seeing his ideas come alive. He’s a different thinker than most. He would love to sit around and talk about World War II. He loves to learn and loves to hear people’s stories.”

Cease considers disc golf a lifelong pursuit, and about his art he said, “I don’t think I’ll ever stop painting. It will be cool to look back 10, 20, 30 years from now and see what I created. Art is similar to immortality. It’s a time capsule.” When asked if his no-hitter–just the second in team history–can be thought of in the same way, Cease acknowledged it could be, but he quickly added that the World Series is the ultimate goal and what really gets immortalized. 

Cease is a free agent after next season. Whether he spends two seasons or the rest of his career in San Diego is to be determined, but so far, so good. “The move here has been great. [The Padres] organization is fantastic,” he said. From road trips with the White Sox, he knew the weather here was perfect, but since becoming a Padre he has grown an appreciation for the “distinct” atmosphere at Petco Park and how passionate San Diegans are about their team.

Those San Diegans will certainly remember him forever if he helps bring home the Padres’ first championship. Cease may view himself a mere mortal, a human like any other, but connecting with people through more than baseball is the stuff of legends.

The post Painting at the Plate appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

In the City of San Diego alone, there are 159 courts, more than 140 of which are outfitted with lights for nighttime play. You can find an exhaustive list of courts that includes high schools, parks, and even backboards and practice walls in your neighborhood here. But we’ve rounded up premier places to play. Committing to a club membership is a big deal, but many of these courts are accessible to the public for the amenable price of free.

Tennis Courts in La Jolla and Del Mar

La Jolla Tennis Club

Nine courts in the heart of downtown La Jolla.

Address: 7632 Draper Ave.

Courts: Nine courts

Membership Price: between $95 and $205 depending on time of year for adult membership

Day Pass Price: $10 for non-member adult day pass

Other Amenities: Assorted lessons, clinics, and leagues

University City Racquet Club

These courts are located at the Standley Recreation Center.

Address: 3585 Governor Drive

Courts: Six courts, lighted in weekdays only

Membership Price: $325 annual adult membership; $100 junior membership

Day Pass Price: $10; $8 if playing with member

Other Amenities: Youth and adult classes available

Surf and Turf Recreation Center

Where the surf meets the serve.

Address: 15555 Jimmy Durante Blvd.

Courts: Eight courts, all lighted

Membership Price: $1,400 annual adult membership or $120 monthly; $950 annual junior membership or $80 monthly

Other Amenities: Lessons, camps, and “cardio tennis” workouts

Tennis Courts in Point Loma and Ocean Beach

Barnes Tennis Center

Adult programs are available but it’s mostly all about the kids at this wonderland of youth after-school tennis programs, teams and tournaments.

Address: 4490 W. Point Loma Blvd.

Courts: 25 hard courts, two clay courts, all lighted

Membership Price: $350 for adult membership

Day Pass Price: $8-15 per adult for a one hour court rental

Peninsula Tennis Club

A spacious complex featuring riverfront public courts.

Address: 2525 Bacon St.

Courts: 12 lighted courts

Membership Price: $185 annual adult membership

Day Pass Price: $10

Other Amenities: Lessons, clinics, and tournaments, weekly and monthly tennis get-togethers

Point Loma/Cabrillo Tennis Club

This club plays on four courts at Point Loma Community Park and two courts at Cabrillo Recreation Center.

Address: 1049 Catalina Blvd. and 3051 Canon St.

Courts: Six

Membership Price: $75 annual individual membership

Day Pass Price: $5

Volo Sports

Volo runs adult leagues for beginners as well as coed mixed doubles at various skill levels starting at all times of the year. Eight-week playing schedules include post-game happy hours at local establishments.

Address: Various Locations

Courts: Volo leagues play at Barnes Tennis Center and Peninsula Tennis Club

Membership Price: Prices vary from about $119 to $185, depending on league

Other Amenities: Make new friends, beat them at tennis

Tennis Courts in Pacific and Mission Beach

Pacific Beach Tennis Club

This 200-member club boasts various leagues and mixers near De Anza Cove.

Address: 2639 Grand Ave.

Courts: Eight courts

Membership Price: $295 annual membership; $34 monthly membership

Day Pass Price: $10; 18 and under are free

Other Amenities: Clubhouse, pro shop, and ball machine ($10 per hour)

Pacific Beach Recreation Center

A pair of lighted courts just waiting for a heated pick-up match.

Address: 1405 Diamond St.

Courts: Two lighted courts

Price: Free

Other Amenities: Youth and adult lessons available

San Diego Tennis and Racquet Club

This 10-acre facility also boasts a pool, racquetball, basketball, volleyball, and table tennis.

Address: 4848 Tecolote Rd.

Courts: 22; 16 are lighted

Price: Contact the club for details

Other Amenities: One stadium court, backboards, and pro shop. Lessons available through Angel Lopez Tennis Academy

Tennis Courts in Balboa Park

Morley Field / Balboa Tennis Club

The Morley Field courts, in volleying distance of the San Diego Zoo, are the site of many tennis tournaments throughout the year hosted by Balboa Tennis Club, which offers a full complement of lessons and leagues. Reservations can be made a week in advance.

Address: 2221 Morley Field Drive

Courts: 25 hard courts, all lit, some with bleachers

Membership Price: $450 yearly adult membership

Day Pass Price: $10 adult day pass

Other Amenities: One stadium court with 1,500 seats, and a clubhouse with lounge, and locker rooms. Membership lets you reserve courts a week in advance and grants access to clubhouse with locker rooms, showers, and the option to play on the club’s teame

Tennis Courts in Kearny Mesa and Lake Murray

San Diego Mesa College

The courts are open to the public when not in use for classes, practices, or matches. Check team schedules at Gosdmesa.com, keeping in mind that college team matches can take five hours.

Address: 7250 Mesa College Circle

Courts: Eight

Price: Free

Other Amenities: All the tennis, none of the student loans

Lake Murray Tennis Club

Ten courts in a sublime suburban setting.

Address: 7003 Murray Park Dr.

Courts: 10 courts

Membership Price: $335 adult memberships; $110 kids memberships

Day Pass Price: $10 day pass

Other Amenities: Clubhouse, pro lessons, leagues, tournaments, social gatherings

Tennis Courts in Coronado

Coronado Tennis Center

Tennis is a popular pastime on this island hamlet.

Address: 1501 Glorietta Blvd.

Courts: Eight courts, three are lighted

Day Pass Price: Reservations made five days or fewer before game day are $5 and $15, for residents and nonresidents respectively)

Other Amenities: Clubhouse equipped with a kitchen and free Wifi

Coronado Cays Park

This park is located adjacent to Silver Strand State Beach.

Address: 99 Grand Caribe Isle

Courts: Five courts, all lighted

Price: Free

Tennis Courts in Carmel Valley and Rancho Penasquitos

Carmel Valley Tennis

Located at the Carmel Valley Recreation Center.

Address: 3777 Townsgate Dr.

Courts: Four courts, all lighted

Membership Price: $50 annual adult memberships

Day Pass Price: $5 per person/per hour day rate for nonmembers

Other Amenities: Lessons, camps, and clinics with a heavy emphasis on juniors

Rancho Penasquitos Tennis Center

Get in line, Rafael Nadal! There’s currently an eight-10-month waiting list for memberships but the private nonprofit club generally keeps one court open for public nonmember use with a $5 day pass.

Address: 12350 Black Mountain Road

Courts: 12 courts

Membership Price: $325 adult memberships; $550 family membership; $105 junior memberships

Day Pass Price: $5

Other Amenities: Senior discounts available

The post 17 of San Diego’s Best Tennis Courts and Clubs appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Friday, August 9 | 7:00 p.m. | Snapdragon Stadium

Since 2019, Leagues Cup has grown from a small tournament for eight American and Mexican soccer teams into a month-long, continent-spanning cup competition featuring all 47 teams in the MLS and Liga MX. And in what seems to be a regular occurrence these days, Snapdragon Stadium is the site of a premier international match.

Based in Mexico City, Club América is the New York Yankees of Mexican soccer. They’ve won the Mexican top flight more than any other team. They’ve won more international trophies than any other club in North America. They play in one of the biggest stadiums in the world. They’ve never been relegated. Their dominance is why they’re a favorite in this year’s Leagues Cup and why they’re the top seed with a bye to the knockout round. Club América is slated to play the second team out of the West 8 group, which as of this writing is Real Salt Lake, but regardless of the matchup San Diego is once again playing host to some of the best soccer in North America. 

San Diego FC Open Tryouts

August 7-8 | 8:00 a.m. | Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center

If there’s any indication of whether San Diegans are excited for San Diego FC, then it’s the response to its Right to Dream Academy open tryouts. “We had 1,000 spots filled in six hours,” said Joaquín Escoto, executive vice president of SDFC & Right to Dream Academy. “We were able to move locations and set up a second day for tryouts. Another 1,000 spots filled up in 12 hours.” A third tryout in Tijuana is also at capacity.

The Right to Dream Academy is what the club considers the foundation of the team. It’s “our differentiator. It’s our special sauce. It’s our identity,” SDFC CEO Tom Penn told San Diego Magazine in April. According to Escoto, players selected for the Academy from the open tryout will train locally throughout San Diego until June 2025, when the club’s state-of-the-art training facility under construction in El Cajon is expected to open. 

In August 2025, players will start living and going to school at the facility. Within three years, Escoto expects Academy players to begin making an impact at the professional level, whether that’s with San Diego FC or elsewhere around the world. And if SDFC has its way, those players will become household names. “Our goal is to recruit the best players, hire the best scouts, and build the best complex,” Escoto said.

San Diego Padres vs. New York Mets

Thursday, August 22 | 6:40 p.m. | Petco Park

Watch: Padres.TV

I hope to one day love something as much as AJ Preller loves the MLB trade deadline. After the Padres won seven games of their first nine after the All-Star Break, their prolific general manager shored up a pitching staff battered by injuries by trading for starter Martin Perez and relievers Tanner Scott, Bryan Hoeing, and Jason Adam. “To hit on a few areas of need with players we really liked, we’re excited,” Preller said at a press conference announcing the deals.

The acquisitions are arriving when they are needed most. In August, the Pads have four series against teams vying for a wild card spot they currently hold. No series may be bigger than their four-game set at Petco Park against the New York Mets, who own baseball’s best record since June 1 and are neck and neck with the Pads in the standings. The series’ opener on Thursday, August 22, is the game to get to since, win or lose, the first 40,000 fans receive a free Fernando Tatís Jr. City Connect Bucket Hat. 

Bike the Bay 

Sunday, August 25 | 7:00 a.m. | Coronado Bay Bridge

On Sunday, August 25, the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition is hosting its annual Bike the Bay event at which cyclists of all ages and skill levels can pedal over the bridge at their own pace. But unless you competed in the recent Tour de France, you should oil that chain, pump up the tires, and go for a spin before the event. The bridge’s 4.67 percent road grade is no joke, but you’ll be rewarded with the single-best best view of San Diego Bay and the city skyline. Typically, that view goes by all too quickly–except for this one day. 

SDSU Football vs. Texas A&M-Commerce

Saturday, August 31 | 5:00 p.m. | Snapdragon Stadium

At his press conference kicking off the 2024 season, the 38-year-old Sean Lewis seemed every bit the up-and-coming college football coach. Sporting a trimmed beard, a red SDSU polo, and an easy smile, he motored through questions with a relentlessness and positivity that only a former understudy of Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders could possess. If the Aztecs play as quickly as their new coach talks—Lewis fittingly calls his offense ‘AztecFAST’—then SDSU’s season opener against Texas A&M-Commerce is going to be a hot ticket.

But which quarterback has the keys to that offense, either redshirt sophomore AJ Duffy or freshman Danny O’Neil, is an open question that will have to be resolved on the practice field this month. “They haven’t played at our pace yet,” Lewis said about his quarterbacks. “You can watch as much film as you want, but you get better by doing.” 

As for his goals for the program this season and beyond, Lewis aimed high. “It comes down to owning the Old Oil Can,’’ he said, referring to the trophy claimed by the winner of the annual SDSU-Fresno State game. “Then win the Mountain West, and then get an opportunity to compete and win games in the College Football Playoff. Those are the goals year in and year out.” That ambitious path starts on August 31 at Snapdragon Stadium.

The post 5 San Diego Sports Events to Watch this Month: Aug. 2024 appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

When Bryce Wettstein rolls up on her skateboard—her golden locks tied in low pigtails and a pinwheel pen in her pocket—I’m immediately struck by the sheer amount of talent in one place. The 20-year-old Olympic skateboarder hugs Marshall, visibly excited and nervous to be talking with a him.

Nearby, Winyl Club is gearing up for its weekly DJ set, which draws hundreds of San Diegans to a wide expanse of grass overlooked by the park’s iconic tower. Dogs in birthday hats, overflowing picnic baskets, colorful blankets, and plenty of Solo cups checker the lawn. No one is paying attention to us—no one seems to know that the future of San Diego sports is only feet away.

Shaw, Marshall, and Wettstein are three of the city’s youngest talents already on their way to sealing their names in the history books. But today, they’re just young people, playing dress-up for a photo shoot in the center of a city that is helping shape their careers.

Jump to: Jaedyn Shaw (soccer) | Jake Marshall (surfing) | Bryce Wettstein (skateboarding)

Jaedyn Shaw, 19

U.S. Olympian & Wave FC Forward

A week earlier, I sat down with Jaedyn Shaw over a Zoom call. She was in Orlando for a National Women’s Soccer League game. If you’ve been paying attention at all lately, you’ve likely heard her name in the sports world—whether you’re a soccer fan or not. At the very least, you’ve seen her next to other top athletes—such as Wave captain Alex Morgan—on billboards, buses, and social media promos, repping Wave FC.

A forward, Shaw signed to the Wave in 2022 at just 17. She earned her first US Women’s National Team (USWNT) call-up at the age of 18, making her the second-youngest player to compete on the national team. (Though it wasn’t her first time wearing a US jersey abroad—she also played on the under-17, under-19, and under-20 national teams.)

But on that Zoom call, I didn’t see the seemingly unshakable confidence and sharp-beyond-her-years instincts that earned Shaw the distinction of becoming 2022’s US Soccer Young Female Player of the Year.

Instead, Shaw sat quietly in front of me in an oversized sweatshirt, battling a cold after coming off six days of travel, training, and a game, with more coming up. It’d be a lot for anyone, but watching her, I was reminded just how much work must go into being the next big thing at such a young age. The Del Mar resident carries the weight of a city’s hopes on her shoulders.

In 2023, the International Olympics Committee asked, “Can Jaedyn Shaw fill the void left by Megan Rapinoe in the USWNT?” At the time, Shaw was 18 to the retiring Rapinoe’s 38, but the term “prodigy” was already making the rounds in the football world.

During that same season, Shaw began to seal her name in history. At age 19, she became the first teenager to score 10 US national women’s league soccer goals and helped the Wave bring home its first-ever NWSL Shield, the annual award given to the team with the best regular-season record. She’s also the first Vietnamese-American to ever represent the USWNT, a banner that she doesn’t carry lightly.

“I am biracial, so making an impact on both communities through my sport is really cool,” she says. “I’ve gotten a lot of messages on social media [from the Asian community]. They’ve backed me. That’s another side of support that I have now.”

Two years into her contract with the Wave, Shaw shows no signs of slowing down. At time of print, she’s made 19 career goals and will don Team USA’s jersey at this year’s 2024 US Olympics in Paris.

Shaw’s achieved more career-defining moves in her two years of adulthood than some pro athletes do their whole lives. But the accomplishments have, in some ways, taken as much as they’ve given. Being born with exceptional talent is only half of what it takes to truly become great. The rest requires sacrifice.

“I didn’t go to high school,” Shaw says. “I didn’t go to college, and I grew up very independent and knowing that I don’t really have time to have friends. I knew that my journey was going to be different. Everything that I was doing was to get to the next level. And it cost me a lot.”

We pause as she finds the words to encapsulate what she’s given up to don the Wave’s number-11 jersey.

“There was a point where we moved into a one-bedroom apartment so that we could have extra [money] to fund all of my opportunities,” Shaw says. “We consolidated from a three-bedroom house to a one-bedroom apartment. Me and my brother shared a bed in the living room. My parents were in the room, and we had one bathroom for the four of us.”

But the tight quarters weren’t the only reason she’s so close with her family. “[My mom and I] were together all the time,” she says. “She would take me to all my trainings— whatever I needed, she was there with me. Both of [my parents] have sacrificed a lot for me.”

They had made a promise to themselves when they were younger, she tells me, to always support their children and be at as many practices, games, overnight trips, and international experiences as they could.

“Jaedyn has always had a spotlight on her. I think her mom, Anne, was instrumental here and was always the rock for her,” says Derek Missimo, who coached Shaw from age five to eight at Solar soccer club in Allen, Texas. “This is the crux of being great. You’ve got these expectations, and I think her mom balanced her. You got to eventually play for yourself. You can’t play for other people’s expectations.”

He calls Shaw a “pro’s pro,” noticing that even at a young age, she seemed to find her purpose and passion in the game. She was supportive and encouraging of her teammates, he remembers, but with an intensity that was more dialed in.

“She has integrity; she has high character. All the things she learned from the game of soccer and athletics have played well for her in the game of life,” Missimo says. “Soccer is what she does and what she does well, but it epitomizes everything about who she is.”

It was her time on FC Dallas’ youth team, though, that really began to shape her career and attract attention. Whispers of her talent began to circulate.

“She always put her own spin on everything. It was never like, ‘I’m going to copy someone. I’m going to do exactly what they do,’” says FC Dallas coach Matt Grubbs, who mentored Shaw from age 12 to 16. “That’s where I just think she’s such a unique player. And honestly, I think she’s one of the top five players in the world.”

When Shaw got the call that she’d be joining San Diego’s new women’s soccer team, she and her family had already begun the process of moving to Washington DC so that she could pursue an education. Within days, they packed up and made their way to the West Coast.

But things didn’t truly sink in, she says, until two-time World Cup-winner and gold-medal Olympian Alex Morgan said hello to her as a teammate.

“I was like, ‘What is this right now? I don’t understand what’s happening,’” Shaw says. “It was so crazy.”

But it didn’t take long for the now-record-breaking athlete to get comfortable in her new home. “Once I played at Snapdragon, it was a whole different thing,” Shaw says. “Snapdragon just felt like home.” Finally, the hours of training, missing out on proms, saving every penny to travel for games—all of it began to feel worth it.

“What San Diego has created for us as players—especially as pros playing at a brand-new stadium in this league that’s still growing—it’s such a cool opportunity for young players,” Shaw says. “Averaging 20,000 fans a game last year, that’s not normal. It’s just raising the bar. So it’s so cool being able to play.”

Back in San Diego today, as we snap photos of her on a sunny afternoon, Shaw is once again the athlete you see on your screens. Funny, personable, confident. Kicking around a soccer ball, she commands attention, draws people in.

For the 30,000 or so fans that sell out Snapdragon at Wave games—and, beyond them, a city of more than a million residents—Shaw could be a critical part of the antidote to the curse that’s kept SD sports from a championship for more than 60 years. Under such pressure, even older, wiser players might buckle. But Shaw, her gaze steady as she lobs a soccer ball at our camera, keeps her head high.

Jake Marshall, 25

WSL Pro Surfer

I meet Jake Marshall over the phone just as he’s waking up on the other side of the world. Though he’s currently down under for the Western Australia Margaret River Pro, his Southern California roots show through his slow, drawn-out words, punctuated with a hint of vocal fry. It’s Endless Summer on the other end of the receiver.

In 2021, at age 23, Marshall began his rookie season on the World Surf League Championship Tour, ranking 18th in 2022 and dropping down to 30th last year. But this year, Marshall is putting San Diego back on the map with his sixth-place ranking as he follows in the footsteps of locals like Rob Machado and Taylor Knox.

“When I was maybe 8, Kelly [Slater] signed my backpack at an event and I was like, ‘Oh my God, Kelly!’” Marshall says. “For that kind of stuff to have come full circle, and [for me to] get to compete with him, it’s been super special.”

Though he was born in Encinitas, Marshall and his family moved to Naples, Florida from 2004 to 2006. Traveling to Newport, Rhode Island in the summers, Marshall caught his first wave in the East Coast city at the age of 7. The next year, he placed second in the 14-and-under division in his first contest, an event hosted by Volcom.

In 2006, the family moved back to San Diego, and, while Marshall loved playing all sports, it was surfing that really stuck. His dad and two younger brothers joined him in the water daily.

“The four of us would head down to the beach super early and surf. [The boys would] go to school, and then, after school, I’d pick them up and we’d go back to the beach,” says his father John Marshall. “He was in kindergarten and first grade and going to school with his hair all wet and the teacher would be like, ‘What have you been doing? You’re surfing before school?’”

At 10, he secured a Hurley sponsorship. By 12, he’d already set his sights on going pro.

“Being in the ocean and reading [it] and dissecting the lineup and figuring out where waves come in—that was really natural for me,” Marshall says. “I had a good connection with lineups no matter where I was in the world.”

He began traveling internationally, switching to homeschool to accommodate his many trips. He’ll graduate from college next year in between global jaunts.

Like Shaw, Marshall had to trade quintessential teenage experiences for the trappings of a pro athlete’s life: long stints on the road, days between heats, sometimes-unglamorous destinations, and lots of alone time. But if he finds the lifestyle hard, he doesn’t show it.

“He has an amazing style. I think that’s why so many people like to watch him,” says his younger brother, Nick Marshall. “He’s so relaxed and everything he does looks so easy and effortless, so it’s really fun to watch.”

This year, the athlete has consistently placed in the top 10 in major events around the globe— especially impressive considering that the number of pro surfers globally hovers around 720,000. But he still radiates that notorious California chill.

“I definitely think, growing up in a place like Encinitas, it’s pretty easy to stay humble and kind of true to where you came from,” Marshall says. “All the older guys who I grew up surfing with at my home break, they always keep you in check and make sure to remind you to not get too full of yourself.”

By the time of print, if Marshall remains healthy, he’ll have competed in the SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro, Surf City El Salvador Pro, and VIVO Rio Pro. Next month, he’ll surf in the Corona Fiji Pro.

Will he keep up his winning streak? Who knows—but maybe it doesn’t matter. “Just being relaxed and accepting of whatever happens is the mental state that I’ve been trying to find this year,” he says.“I’ve really just been trying to have a lot of fun and not be too worried about the results that I’m getting.”

Bryce Wettstein, 20

U.S. Olympian & Pro Skateboarder

Bryce Wettstein’s phone goes straight to voicemail the first few times I call. It’s a Tuesday afternoon. I text her with no response.

“Hi Nicolle… are you on with Bryce right now?” reads a message on my phone. The texter doesn’t introduce themselves. I ask who I’m speaking with. “This is her mom,” comes the reply. “She is charging her phone.”

When Wettstein finally jumps on the line, she’s scattered, sitting in her car in the parking lot of a gym in North County. “I just got done skateboarding,” she says, in a kind of laissez-faire voice that suggests schedules have no business being in her calendar.

She speaks in a soft, whimsical, sing-songy way. It’s only been five minutes, and the 20-year-old has already given me a snapshot into her life as a young athlete.

Unburdened and carefree, she’s still very much learning how to navigate the world—her mom at her side ensuring she keeps her appointments. Watch Wettstein skate, though, and you see a fierce competitor able to hold her own among the top skateboarders in the world.

“[Her skating style is] really poetic,” says 34-year-old Amelia Brodka, an Olympian and pro skateboarder who has known the athlete since Wettstein was 7. “You can tell that she’s skating from the heart, you know? She’s doing these things that typically you’d associate with aggression, but it looks really effortless.”

At the age of 15, Wettstein was named to the first-ever USA Olympic Skateboarding team. In 2019 and 2022, she won the women’s park national championships. She finished sixth in the women’s park finals in the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics (the first time the sport was introduced into the Olympics), was a member of the 2023 USA Skateboarding team, and will make an appearance at this year’s Paris Olympics in July.

An amateur surfer, volleyball player, gymnast, singer, ukulele player, and future ballerina (she’s taking classes at her local YMCA), Wettstein is the picture of a true SoCal native. Like many kids from Encinitas, she was paddling out on a surfboard and clambering onto a skateboard at just 5 years old. By seven—the same year she secured her first sponsorship—she decided to focus on skating, allowing the water to become a place of respite instead. But the two remain interconnected for her.

“Skateboarding and surfing meet each other,” she says. “They still hold hands with each other.”

She speaks constantly in romantic phrases and vivid metaphors like this. The city, she says, reminds her of poetry. “I just know that if I didn’t live here, I’d feel like a different person— changed a little bit,” she adds. “And I think the most amazing part is [that you feel a sort of] otherworldliness in skateboarding already, but when you’re at a park in San Diego, you feel this warm kind of haze over you.”

Being with her, you sense the same warm haze.

Even the grueling grind of developing Olympic-level skills—practicing two to three hours a day on a ramp in her family’s backyard—sounds like a fun hobby through her rosy lens.

“I feel like sometimes I have this part of me that comes out and I feel competitive,” she says. “It’s almost like fire in the ocean. You only see it for a second.”

Ranked number nine in the world, the regular-footed skateboarder makes her success seem like an afterthought. She’d much rather talk about her music-writing and ukulele-playing. Or ask you what makes you happy in life.

“Getting to skate with her in a contest is really kind of nourishing,” Brodka says. “She kind of calms everybody down. You know, it doesn’t feel competitive.”

This is the beauty of Wettstein. There’s no ego here. No reminding you that you’re talking with an Olympian. She skates like a kid having fun doing the sport they love. Medals, titles, rankings—nothing seems to phase her, and maybe that’s the key to her accomplishments.

“Her skateboarding is something else. She’s weaving a web. She’s writing a poem,” Brodka continues. “And she’s the only skater that I’ve seen that skates that way.”

As we bid one another goodbye, Wettstein lets me know that, if the magazine would ever like a volunteer for our events, she’s happy to come help. “I’m a big fan,” she says.

The post The Young Locals Leading the Wave of Next-Gen Athletes appeared first on San Diego Magazine.