Volleyball Goes Ghostball for Halloween

They came dressed as Super Mario Brothers characters, flight attendants, penguins, and even housemaids.  

Shrouded in heavy fog Saturday, local beach volleyball enthusiasts gathered at a chilly beach near the Manhattan Beach Pier to participate in the yearly volleyball tournament known as "Ghostball."

The tournament, which originally started in Hermosa Beach about ten years ago, features beach volleyball with a bit of a Halloween-themed twist. In addition to encouraging all teams to wear costumes, organizers place white bed sheets over the net to add an element of surprise to the game. 

"It just makes it a little bit harder anticipating where the ball is going to be. You have to be prepared on your toes to get that ball," said tournament director Patrick Mejia.

Teams that did not dress up automatically started the game 3 points behind. "It kind of forces people to get in the mood," said Mejia, who himself was dressed in a black housemaid costume complete with white lace. 

Ghostball, which originally started when Mejia and some friends decided to have fun in costume and goof off while playing beach volleyball, has now grown to an event with around 150 participants.

"It has been blossoming every year now... Now, it is like a tradition to come out here," said Mejia. "This is probably our biggest year." 

Despite forecasted temperatures in the 70's, a cool fog rolled into the beach bringing temperatures that hovered in the low 60's. Half-Halloween-Costume-Half-Jacket quickly became the decor of choice on the courts. However, it didn't deter most participants.

Dressed in a pilot’s outfit and playing for the "Mile High Club" team, J. Alan Warfield of Redondo Beach was having plenty of fun. 

"It is pretty much one of the most fun events," he said.

Fixed Co-ed Doubles Division
1st Place - Staci Paris and Kyle Bergstresser
2nd Place - K. Ceakou and Craig Mattison 

Ghostball Upper 4's
1st Place 
"The Lees and the Simpsons" - Jessica Lee, Ben Carney, Lindsay Simpson and Gregg Stoneham

2nd Place
"Royal Crush" - John Shi, Katie Adams, Priscilla Barbanell and Reese Peters

Ghostball Lower 4's
1st Place
"Wild Wild West" - Ted Blaisdell, Rose Pimentel, Brett Shank and Marc Souza
2nd Place
"Jungle Juice" - Gabriel Castellanos, Wiebke Walter, Larry Courtney and
Dustin Barker