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Sports

2010 Six-Man Tournament a Tamer Party

The emphasis in this weekend's Charlie Saikley competition is more on beach volleyball and less on drinking and partying.

With much of downtown Manhattan Beach frozen in gridlock traffic, the first day of the 49th annual Charlie Saikley Six-Man Volleyball Tournament was in full swing Saturday.

Spectators—with their hands noticeably free of the ubiquitous red plastic cups of years past—gravitated toward the south side of the pier to watch the competing teams, many wearing unusual costumes as their uniforms. The Six-Man has grown immensely in popularity over the last five years, drawing criticism from local homeowners for the raucous drinking and partying, and the mess left behind.

This year's event had a strong police and security presence, complete with bag checks and repeated reminders that public alcohol consumption would not be tolerated. The solution for many who still wanted alcohol was to make frequent stops to local pubs, such as the Shellback Tavern, Ercole's and  Simmzy's.

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