Parade
Long Beach State Volleyball Water Polo Wilson

Long Beach Athletes Celebrated In Belmont Shore Christmas Parade

Several standout Long Beach sports teams were celebrated at last weekend’s Belmont Shore Christmas Parade.

For the second year in a row the Long Beach Century Club donated their Big Red Bus to the championship teams from the city, with the Wilson girls’ water polo team and the Long Beach State men’s volleyball team participating. The Bruins won last year’s CIF-SS championship and the Long Beach State squad won the NCAA title. The 49ers were also named the parade’s Grand Marshalls.

“The Century Club is all about Long Beach athletes and what better way to celebrate them than to let the community give them a round of applause in the parade,” said Century Club president Ben Goldberg.

In addition to those teams, the Long Beach PONY team that made an appearance in the PONY World Series this year were the guests of City Councilwoman Suzie Price at the front of the parade. Several other athletes and teams marched with their school’s delegations.

Mike Guardabascio
An LBC native, Mike Guardabascio has been covering Long Beach sports professionally for 13 years, with his work published in dozens of Southern California magazines and newspapers. He's won numerous awards for his writing as well as the CIF Southern Section’s Champion For Character Award, and is the author of three books about Long Beach history.
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