Sports
6,500 runners from across the country joined Oakland residents in participating in the inaugural Oakland Running Festival on March 28, which included the city’s first marathon in 25 years. In this video, participants share their stories about why they run and what it was like to take part in the day.
This weekend I did the East Bay Tweed Ride. I must admit, at first I was a little skeptical. There were a lot of people affecting English accents and saying things like, “Hello, dear sir!” and “Talk to your dashing neighbors.” But I got over it. Once a couple of my “dashing neighbors” pulled out a portable gin and tonic set, I knew it’d be fun. The outfits were hilarious and amazing — everything from big flowing skirts to tweed…
Come take a behind-the-scenes look at a high school basketball Home Game at Skyline High in Oakland, and meet the people who aren’t supposed to be noticed, and don’t receive much recognition for their work.
Wondering where the big hills are for the marathon course of the Oakland Running Festival? Want to see how the course is mapped out for Oakland’s first marathon in 25 years? Use the map to trace the marathon course from its start at Frank Ogawa Plaza, as it goes all around the city, and leads back to the finish at 14th and Broadway.
First it was chants of “O-T, O-T” that echoed throughout the Laney College gym Saturday. The happy players and coaches of Oakland Tech were celebrating their Oakland Athletic League girls basketball championship, a 72-42 win over Skyline High. A couple hours later, that scene was repeated. This time, it was chants of “Cas-tle, Cas-tle,” as the Castlemont High boys team celebrated its 67-65 win over Oakland High.
After an enlarged aortic root nearly kept him from his dream of playing NBA basketball, Warriors’ center Ronny Turiaf learned how dangerous heart problems could be. Now, in the wake of three recent cardiac emergencies on Bay Area high school basketball courts, Turiaf is donating defibrillators and CPR training to four local high schools.
The cold, gray skies and wind didn’t deter people from riding through Oakland’s Fruitvale district on Saturday to partake in the Tour de Taco.
After the earthquake, Haitian dancers Portsha Jefferson and Colette Eloi were hearing from loved ones in Haiti who needed help. So they came together with other artists in Oakland, California to perform at a benefit concert. The money they raised was sent directly to friends and family in Haiti, where it will be distributed in their communities. Kate McLean reports. Photos courtesy of Congo SQ West, Rita Daniels and Rara Tou Limen.
In Stanley Garcia’s experience, boxing breathed life, maturity, and hope into the lives of the East Oakland boys who frequented his boxing club. Garcia, founder of the East Oakland Boxing Association, died last Friday at the age of 69. At his recent memorial service at Lake Chalet on Lake Merritt, the tributes poured in.