Forty-eight young, local surfers between 9 and 17 hit the waves at Fletcher Cove early Aug. 23 for the inaugural Grom-o-Rama surf contest sponsored by the Solana Beach Lifeguard Association. Winners were announced that evening during the city’s fourth annual Beach Blanket Movie Night, during which families gathered for picnics, raffle prizes and a showing of the surf flick “Step into Liquid.”

The best bodysurfers in the world hit the waters off Oceanside to compete in the 32nd annual Bodysurfing Championship on Aug. 23 and Aug. 24.

Chances are if you’ve grown up in Southern California, you’ve tried your hand, or rather your foot, at soccer. While some of us owe our dribbling skills to leagues such as Lightning or Surf, others have opted for Rec. To up our game, summer soccer clinics are often attended. Coast to Coast, or C2C, soccer camps, however, are not bent on turning kiddies into Beckhams and Hamms over night. C2C wants to “let the kids play” and play they did Aug. 15 at Poinsettia Park.

Longboarders of all ages hit the waves of Oceanside to compete in four days of competition from Aug. 14 to Aug. 17. The Oceanside Longboard Club put on the event that drew 27 California longboard clubs, and close to 300 competitors, from Pacific Beach to Santa Cruz.

I first became aware of Jay Adams in the early ’70s through still photos published of him surfing and skateboarding. He excelled in both sports and was an innovator to the extent that surfers and skaters around the world cloned his style.

Dozens of lifeguards dove into the water Aug. 2 to save U.S. Marines, but not because any of them were in danger. It was the fourth annual Lifeguard Games sponsored by the American Red Cross, and members of the United States Marine Corps volunteered to act as drowning victims. The lifeguards participated in events such as submerged victim tow, shallow water back-boarding, two-man CPR, obstacle courses and inner tube races.

The summer is in full swing, but basketball will be taking center stage starting at 8 a.m. the weekend of Aug. 2 as the Encinitas Tide boy’s basketball team hosts its third annual “Tide Invitational” tournament. Premier teams from all over the Western Unites States will converge on Carlsbad High School’s gymnasium for the event.

There’s a new karate champ in town. Weighing in at just 62 pounds, 9-year-old Sierra Snedegar fought her way to a first-place finish in sparring in the 8 to 9 age group at the U.S. Karate Alliance world championships in New Orleans on July 13. She also placed second in katas, which are fighting forms.

In my 20s, I traveled to surf, hoping to discover perfect waves in distant regions of the world. The advent of the Internet changed all that for me, and I no longer seek the mystery of what can be found with a press of a button. Surf exploration has been replaced by surf vacations. Nothing wrong with that, really. I mean, who wouldn’t want 10 fabulous days and nights in Tava Rua? But the shine is off for me, and I have no desire to be subjected to a 24-hour flight, a six-hour boat trip, two camels and a donkey to stay on a boat and surf all day long, with a group consisting mostly of strangers.

About two years ago, I was on the beach, speaking with one of my favorite surfers, Andrew Logreco, about the repetition of surf contests and the idea for something new. Within minutes we came up with surf jousting, a primitive event where two surfers charge at each other with padded weapons and attempt to knock their opponent over. The last one standing moves on to the next round. After two years of trying to bring the idea to fruition, things finally came together this year at Switchfoot’s Bro-Am, mainly because of the efforts of the band’s drummer, Chad Butler, who built the lances and those amazingly colorful helmets. It would have been cool too, if only the surf wouldn’t have been so big, forcing Sir Justin Cote’s chinstrap into his neck after rolling an exceptionally big set. Cote’s mishap sent the other competitors into the soup for a less than spectacular spectacle. Next year it’s on, OK?