This year there was a lot for athletes to feel proud about. Santa Maria got one more way to get fit with the addition of The Pad climbing gym this summer. Veterans from various branches of the military banded together to play ball while youth rugby got a boost on the Central Coast with a visit from a UK rugby club. And Special Olympics athletes held their annual regional floor hockey competition in Santa Maria. Several athletes got some due recognition this year as well. Santa Maria’s own Ed Murray, inspiration for the film Caddyshack, was inducted into the Caddy Hall of Fame, while Karlos Balderas earned a place on the U.S. Olympic boxing team. It was a big year of wins for Central Coast athletes and sports fans alike.
Climbing
Santa Maria residents got one more way to get active with the addition of a San Luis Obispo-based gym. SLO-Op climbing gym, The Pad, opened in Santa Maria July 11 providing 10,000 square feet of space and 5,000 square feet of climbing wall, along with yoga and weightlifting. The Pad offers day and monthly memberships at its location, 2399 A St., in Santa Maria.
Golfing
Santa Maria resident Ed Murray, inspiration for the film Caddyshack’s main character, was inducted into the Caddy Hall of Fame in Lake Forest, Ill., along with his five other Murray brothers. The Murray brothers, Ed being the oldest, all caddied growing up and participated in the Sept. 16 induction ceremony together. A lifelong golfer, Murray received the Chick Evans Caddie Scholarship, earning full college tuition and housing at Northwestern University. Several years later the Murray family traveled to Florida to film Caddyshack, which was loosely based on their golf course experiences.
Special Olympics
The annual Special Olympics Southern California Regional Floor Hockey competition took place Saturday, Oct. 24, in the Santa Maria High School gymnasium. About 150 athletes from Santa Barbara, Northern Santa Barbara County, and San Luis Obispo County participated in the competition that is held once a year at either Santa Maria or Pioneer Valley high schools. The competition is one of several put on by Special Olympics Southern California providing athletes with varying disabilities opportunities to develop physical fitness and experience the emotional and intellectual experiences sports provide.
Boxing
Karlos Balderas earned a place on the U.S. Olympic boxing team. Balderas, 19, said that he orignally got into boxing when his uncle took him to the gym as a way to redirect his energy. “People always told me I was good and I can become something better in life,” he told the Sun. “I always thought maybe they were just saying that to make me feel better,” he said. Balderas will participate in the World Series of Boxing in early 2016 before moving on to the Olympic games.
Rugby
Rugby players from Durham University in the UK played an exhibition game in Santa Maria on June 10 against a team of all-stars pulled from the rugby clubs at UCSB and Cal Poly. The free event took place at Rotary Centennial Park. Youth teams like Santa Maria’s youth rugby organization, the Central Coast Sharks Youth Rugby Club, hoped the free event would promote rugby and raise awareness of the sport.
Softball
Local military veterans joined forces to play ball. The Band of Brothers teams, Honor and Courage, were formed this year to play intramural softball. They played their first game against each other on Sept. 18. The teams have attracted veterans of all ages and from all walks of life (and all branches of the military) with the youngest player being 18 years old and the oldest 72. The veterans say the team recaptures much of the camaraderie that was lost after leaving the service.
Contact the editor at scone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Dec 31, 2015 – Jan 7, 2016.