Venice Beach, CA, WPH Press, 7/14/24
The famed Venice Beach 3-Wall handball courts played host to the 2024 Venice Beach 3-Wall Big Ball Summer Tournament on the second weekend in July, featuring 175 of Southern California’s best 3-Wall big ball players.
Jerry “Bear” Vicencio (profiled by the WPH HERE) stormed through the upper bracket of the twenty-three player A singles bracket, defeating Lobo Valencia in the round of 16 (21-19), Samzon Hernandez in the quarterfinals (21-16) and Lefty Pico in the semifinals (21-20) to advance to the final.
One week removed from winning the 2024 Jr. Vasquez CA State Small Ball 3-Wall Doubles Championship (HERE), Ivan Chapa entered the 2024 Venice Beach 3-Wall Big Ball Summer Tournament as the sixth seed. “Chicha” survived several close matches en route to the final, including a 21-20 win against Chris “Flash” Tojin in the quarterfinals and a 21-18 win against Edgar Manos in the semifinal.
Riding the wave of his hometown fans cheering his every shot, The Bear maintained his composure and clutch shot making throughout the final. “Jerry made some big upsets leading to the final,” stated Tom Flores, one of the five Venice Beach 3-Wall Big Ball Summer Tournament Directors. “Jerry was focused and had the crowd cheering for him to boost his confidence.”
“My handball game stays aggressive and with my heart out,” stated The Bear. “Always give it my all when I take it into serious matters. I’ve been dealing with a lot of stuff at the moment in my personal life so it just gave me hunger to push and become a champion. I had to show everyone what I am capable of when I stay focused. The final was wild! I ended the game with a pick up dive side front (kill)!”
A Singles Final: Vicencio def Chapa 21-14
A Doubles Final: Torito/Marin def Siordia/Chapa 21-17
Thank you to Tom Flores for updates and pictures from Venice Beach
Enter the August 17-18 Big Ball & Small Ball WPH Outdoor Icebreaker in Tucson, AZ HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer
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