Attention all pool sharks — and the men and women who love them — the West Coast Challenge (WCC) is returning to San Diego on Friday, July 11. This marks the 47th edition of the bi-annual tournament, which kicks off at Shooters with opening ceremonies starting at 12:00 noon followed by tournament play. Top teams and individuals from leagues in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Long Beach will be participating in the tournament against San Diego’s number one team, Moby Dick’s.

The WCC got its start as a match between Los Angeles’ “Hub” team and San Francisco’s “Rainbow Cattle Company” in 1978. At that time it was known as the Inter-city Challenge, a single match race to nine games, which Los Angeles won, 9-2. A traveling trophy was engraved to memorialize the event. The challenge has since expanded to include San Diego teams, as well as those in Long Beach, rotating between host cities for the January and July tournaments.

Participants are chosen to attend the tournament from their individual leagues in participating cities at the end of their regular seasonal play, with their championship team, eight individual competitors and four women’s finalists and a Hi/Lo team vying for the statewide title.

Following the opening ceremonies, play will begin and run through 8:00 p.m. Friday evening, resuming Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. and continuing until 8:00 p.m. Saturday night there will be a party hosted by Moby Dick’s, the sponsor of San Diego’s number one team. The final rounds of play will start at 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning and run until complete.

For information about the West Coast Challenge, call (619) 281-6208 or check out the San Diego Pool Association web site at www.sdpool.org.