A Super Bowl weekend tradition in Santa Barbara was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 40th Polar Bear Beach Volleyball Tournament at the East Beach courts was scrubbed because of county and state health guidelines prohibiting youth and adult sports competitions.
“And a little common sense. We all need to be responsible here,” longtime tournament director Adam Phillips said.
The Polar Bear, or “Bear” as it’s more commonly referred to these days, has been held longer than the number of years Tom Brady has played in the NFL.
“The tournament was founded in 1981 by East Beach legends Steve ‘Lougher’ Lough and John ‘Fever’ Katnic. Nicknames are paramount when it comes to legendary status,” Phillips said.
Lough and Katnic started the tournament at Goleta Beach — when there was enough sandy beach to have volleyball courts there.
The competition format is a coed doubles draw, with the player levels ranging from novice to elite. One of the beauties of the tournament is that a novice can team up with a high-level player during pool play.
“The Santa Barbara Polar Bear Tournament is a well-known event throughout the national beach volleyball community,” Phillips said. “Players come from across the country to participate.”
In most years, the tournament has been blessed with sunny skies, mild temperatures and little wind.
If not for the pandemic, Saturday would have been an epic day to play.
“It doesn’t hurt that our Polar Bear is more often a Solar Bear,” Phillips quipped.
He said the tournament’s 40th anniversary will be celebrated next year.
“The planning committee has decided to wait unit 2022 for the biggest event, purse and party yet,” he said.
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.