Sports
Eight-foot tall kids wearing brightly colored costumes and wizard-style hats were the focus of everyone’s attention at Frank H. Ogawa plaza in downtown Oakland on Friday. This was not an elongated Harry Potter costume party, but a cadre of Prescott Circus Theatre stilt dancers showing off their stuff.
The Oakland Athletics season opening series is almost through and we’ve seen the good and the bad. (After suffering a 5-3 loss in the first game, and a 2-1 win Tuesday, the A’s broke the tie in the series with a 6-5 win last night.) OaklandNorth had an opportunity to speak to rookie pitcher Tyson Ross about the series, the look-ahead, and what it means to put on the A’s jersey.
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.