OTLPA Hall of Famer Inductee!

2009 Hall of Famer RON LaPOLICE

"Every OTLer will walk in his footsteps"

'Ron LaPolice might have had the most famous stride in San Diego. Take 20 Ron LaPolice steps one way and 22 Ron LaPolice steps another way, and you arrive at the heart of San Diego's beach culture. Ron LaPolice steps are the official measurement for an OTL court, suitable for San Diego's famous beach softball game.'

It was Ron "Fox" LaPolice's paces that marked off the distance of "the line" and its width back in the day when this sport was invented in 1953 at South Mission Beach. He's considered the "co-inventor" of the game.

They did not have rope-courts back then, so they had Ron step them off each time so they would be consistently the same size.

In addition to helping lay out the courts at the OMBAC tournaments each year, Fox boasted the longest continuous tenure of any OMBAC member to participate as a player in the tournament. His wife, Sandra, says that he played for 45 continuous years before a left knee replaement in the late 1990's ended his playing days.

He was a San Diego life guard, and a member of the Dilly Dallies; a group of comedic stunt divers who performed in water shows at The Plunge in Belmont Park. This must have been before Sea World hit town.

Fox had a quick wit and sharp mind and was a plethora of trivia knowledge...always keeping people entertained. He was an icon at the OMBAC World Championships. His OMBAC buddies loved him.

He passed away in 2007 at the age of 75, leaving behind many OMBAC pals that mourned and will forever miss his humor.

(excerpts from OMBAC 2007 program)

OMgiggle - What Fox does when Rudy OMbarks. (Page 22, in OMGlossary of 1997 OMprogram.)

Mr. Fix-it