Santa Cruz County Sports Digest

When and if California legalizes sports gambling, the policy should honor the laws established in partnership with tribes decades ago, says Assemblyman James Ramos.

The invention of the wetsuit in the 1950s allowed surfers to brave chilly water year-round, but it came with an environmental cost: the neoprene material takes decades to decompose.

The “pop, pop, pop” that’s become synonymous with Pickleball may soon be a racket of the past. That’s the goal promised by a new generation of equipment developed to lessen the overall acoustic burden of the sport.

University of California regents delayed a vote on limits to what faculty and others can post on university channels until March. Among those speaking out against the proposal is Christine Hong, a professor of critical race and ethnic studies at UC Santa Cruz.

Proposed California legislation that would ban tackle football for kids under 12 had gained momentum until Gov. Gavin Newsom made it clear he’d veto the bill.

The Assembly has until the end of January to decide the fate of the youth tackle football bill, which would prevent kids under 12 from playing the sport to protect them from brain trauma.

A recent investigation by Voice of San Diego revealed that nonprofits that provide staff at local stadiums could be raising money without doing charity work, while also paying labor below minimum wage and under the table. Now, multiple law enforcement agencies are investigating.

Three years after the NFL's Raiders abandoned Oakland for Las Vegas, MLB's Oakland A's announced they're moving there too. The owners of the teams unanimously approved the MLB team’s move.

The Santa Cruz Warriors will remain on Laurel Street for at least a few more years after the Santa Cruz City Council agreed to amend and extend the lease agreement with the G-League team.

The $700 million price tag sets a $7 billion mark that would make the Warriors one of the world’s most valuable sports teams.

Santa Cruz Skateboards is marking 50 years with skate sessions at three skateparks and a concert by Dinosaur Jr.

A 5-year-old sea otter born in captivity and released into the wild has been aggressively approaching surfers and wildlife authorities are looking to return the animal to captivity.

A proposal to set up degree completion funds for California student athletes has met with stiff opposition from universities and the NCAA. College athletes could earn a share of the revenue they generate under the bill — as much as $25,000 for each year that they played their sport. But the bill’s author has delayed it until 2024 after opponents charged the fund would draw money away from less lucrative sports like gymnastics and swimming.

Harry Mayo, one of the founders of the famed Santa Cruz Surfing Club in the 1930s, died Feb. 13 at Dominican Oaks.

The newly launched app by a Costa Mesa surf gym is designed around movements of being in the water.

Ten years after Hollywood gave us “Chasing Mavericks,” another Santa Cruz-based surf film is percolating. Anticipation is palpable.

Northern California’s Cyril Derreumaux has become the second person to solo kayak from the American coast to Hawaii.

Local resident Judi Oyama has qualified for the U.S. Skateboard Slalom team to compete at the World Skate Games in Argentina. Her event will be Oct. 27-30. Oyama hopes to raise the funds to attend via tax-deductible donations to La Costa Racing, a 501c nonprofit.

As technological progress has defined the modern surfboard-shaping experience, Ward Coffey’s business on the westside of Santa Cruz has managed to keep it old-school.

The Kaiser Permanente Arena hosted an event to show the community three different potential plans for use of the Warriors’ current site and other locations that a permanent arena could be built.

Only a dozen spots have been designated as World Surfing Reserves. As Santa Cruz celebrates the 10-year anniversary of joining the club, it has hired a top local surfer to help strengthen its role as the program’s flagship ecosystem.

Bytheal Ratliff, a mentor and coach at Shoreline Middle School, passed away at age 49. Now parents are raising money to install new floors and rename the gym in his memory.

Matthew Malone has been hired as the new basketball coach for UC Santa Cruz. The program has faltered in recent years and hopes for a fresh start with a coach that has a background of winning.

UC Santa Cruz’s Isabelle Conner became the school's first Olympian, competing on the gymnastics team at the Tokyo games. The team went on to dp better than it has in 40 years.

Sporting goods co-op REI is opening a new location in Live Oak with 51 employees. But some in town are skeptical about a new big-box store.

The Santa Cruz Warriors, named the NBA G League franchise of the year in 2020-21, will feature a new general manager, new coach, and Steph Curry bobble-heads this season.

Women on Waves returns to Capitola on Oct. 9, following last year’s virtual event. For 2021, the focus of WOW is “Sea Kindness,” and proceeds will benefit Groundswell, a nonprofit devoted to coastal restoration.

In the tiny burg of Pajaro, a team of workers and engineers is hand-building a new line of cross-country racing bicycles. The Exie is not the first of its kind, says sales manager Josh Tonnissen, but it’s the best among a field of worthy contenders.

The Central Coast YMCA is offering free membership for 12- to 18-year-olds who can show proof of vaccination. The offer runs through Oct. 31 at YMCA locations in Salinas, San Benito County and Watsonville.

Hundreds of bike enthusiasts will compete Sept. 25 in the first-ever Heart of Gold, a 55-mile gravel course race through the Gold Country aimed at raising awareness and funds for mental wellness programs for youth in Nevada County. The race, which begins in Nevada City, should draw as many as 400 racers from around the state.

There are many different ways to cope with the challenges COVID-19 brings. Trevor Allshouse decided to plunge himself into the ocean every day for a year. This month, the Aptos teen met that 365-day goal.

A quartet of players from the NBA G League affiliate in Santa Cruz—Selom Mawugbe, Eli Pemberton, Isaiah Brown and Ryan Taylor—are on the Golden State Warriors roster for the 2021 Summer League.