Tag: athletes

San Diego Wave FC Season Kick-Off Rally!

San Diego Wave FC held their 2026 Season kick-off rally this evening in Balboa Park! A bunch of fans came together at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion to root for the team and make great memories!

Activations around the pavilion included unique giveaways, a merchandise station, kids activity station, and numerous photo ops. The San Diego Sirens independent supporters group was present. So was Forever Balboa Park. Upbeat music gave the event a fun, festival vibe.

When the players filed into the pavilion around 5:30, everyone cheered! The players would then pose for photos with fans at the different stations, and even autograph posters and clothing before photos were taken.

I saw many families. Young ladies were particularly excited to see their sports idols.

San Diego Wave FC is celebrating their fifth year. They’ll have their Home Opener in several days at Snapdragon Stadium.

The club made the National Women’s Soccer League playoffs last year. Hopefully in 2026 they’ll have even more success!

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Padres bobblehead collection at San Diego library!

A new exhibit was recently introduced to the Sullivan Family Baseball Research Center on the 8th floor of San Diego’s Central Library. Filling two display cases are a bunch of Padres player bobbleheads!

How cool is this?

There are Padres past and present, including Ted Williams, Tony Gwynn, Ozzie Smith, Rickey Henderson, Manny Machado, Juan Soto, Jackson Merrill and many more. The one exception I noticed is a bobblehead of Hamilton (Ham) Porter from the classic baseball movie The Sandlot.

The figures on display, I was told by a librarian, are only a small part of the extensive bobblehead collection owned by Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) member Oscar Murrieta.

Head up to the 8th floor of the Central Library for a better look!

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Mural honors San Diego player Kyra Carusa.

I discovered this mural yesterday while heading down University Avenue in North Park. It honors past San Diego Wave FC player Kyra Carusa. The artwork is painted on the side of The Original 40 Brewing Company building.

The mural was created by Ground Floor Murals (@groundfloormurals). Their work is always awesome!

Honoring KYRA CARUSA for her community leadership and contributions to women’s soccer – 2025

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SDSU Aztecs Rugby Club plays UC Davis.

During my walk yesterday through SDSU Mission Valley River Park, I was surprised to see members of San Diego State Aztecs Rugby Club getting ready for a game. They would be playing UC Davis out on a wide swath of the park’s grass. It was the second game of their 2026 season.

I remained at the sidelines for a while to watch the beginning of play. Other fans would gradually gather with their lawn chairs and umbrellas.

SDSU Aztecs Rugby Club competes in Division 1-A in the California Conference. Founded in 1958, the team has a long and proud history. They won the 1987 National Collegiate Rugby Championship.

The action I observed was fast and exciting! I don’t know too much about rugby, but perhaps I’ll have to become a fan! The Aztecs would go on to win 31-38.

If you’d like to watch this victory on YouTube, click here.

To go to a future game, you can follow SDSU Aztec Rugby at this website.

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Padres mural behind Point Loma bar!

Check out this super cool Padres mural painted last year behind Harbor Town Pub in Point Loma!

The artist is Jack Stricker (@jackstrickerart). The artwork depicts Padres baseball heroes Trevor Hoffman, Tony Gwynn and Ken Caminiti holding baseballs, bat and glove while dressed in long brown robes like friars!

I noticed this mural while walking near a bus stop waiting for my ride to Cabrillo National Monument.

I spoke to a friendly guy opening the bar, and he said Harbor Town Pub is the place you want to be watching Padres games. He also said it would be really cool if Trevor Hoffman came down to see the mural himself!

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Mural celebrates Manny Machado’s 2000th hit!

This mural was painted in National City last year after Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres recorded his 2000th Major League Baseball hit!

It reads: El Ministro 2000! Manny got the name “El Ministro de la Defensa” (Minister of Defense) for his defensive prowess when he played for the Dominican Republic in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

His absolutely amazing plays at third base are so smooth and routine they appear almost effortless. If you’re an opposing hitter running to first base, you’d better hurry, because Manny’s laser throw will probably arrive before you do!

The artwork was spray painted in 2025 by the Padres-loving artists of Ground Floor Murals (@groundfloormurals).

If you’d like to see this cool mural firsthand, head over the intersection of 8th Street and B Avenue in downtown National City. It decorates the east side of the Andrade’s Thrift Store building.

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A very rare Challenge Caber in San Diego!

That long wood pole you see in these photos is extremely rare. It’s one of only two Challenge Cabers outside of the United Kingdom. It makes its home in San Diego, inside Balboa Park’s House of Scotland cottage!

What’s a caber? It’s a heavy tapered pole that competitors try to toss end over end at Scottish Highland Games. The Braemar Challenge Caber proudly displayed here in San Diego has a further distinction. It has never been successfully flipped (turned).

Beginning in 1976 competitors have tried to turn this particular caber at the San Diego Scottish Highland Games and Gathering of the Clans. A successful turn would require extreme strength and skill. Many accomplished athletes have tried. None have succeeded!

This very heavy Braemar Challenge Caber was a gift from the Braemar Royal Highland Society. It was cut from a larch tree and sealed while still green. It’s 19 feet long and weighs a daunting 175 pounds.

As you might notice, I took these photographs during the holiday season.

Visitors can view this rare, historic caber on most weekends at Balboa Park’s International Cottages. Simply step into the House of Scotland cottage!

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Fans excited at WWE Survivor Series in San Diego!

Super excited WWE wrestling fans gathered in downtown San Diego this morning before the start of 2025 Survivor Series: WarGames!

It seemed everyone I saw was either holding a sign, sporting a championship belt, or wearing a shirt that roots for their favorite WWE superstar! Most of the shirts commemorated John Cena’s farewell tour. He’ll be facing Dominik Mysterio in a highly anticipated match.

Savvy fans waited at the entrance to the Omni Hotel to see wrestlers jumping into cars or vans, to be transported to Petco Park.

I lingered for a while and briefly glimpsed CM Punk, and Jimmy and Jey Uso. Drew McIntyre was the one wrestler who didn’t dash into a vehicle. He greeted all the fans, took selfies with everyone, and was one very cool dude!

I then walked around Petco Park and through the Gaslamp Quarter again to take in the all the excitement.

Enjoy some photos!

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Rey Mysterio performs 619 in Logan Heights!

Legendary wrestler and San Diego hometown hero Rey Mysterio is performing his finishing move, the 619, in Logan Heights! I saw him in action today!

Yes, that’s him in a newly completed mural at the corner of Commercial Street and 30th Street, a short distance east of Petco Park where WWE Survivor Series: WarGames (2025) will be held tomorrow!

The mural which pays tribute to lucha libre debuted two days ago and Rey Mysterio himself showed up with his daughter Aalyah to admire it. And sign it! You can read an article about that cool event here.

If you come by to check out the mural, make sure to look at the west side of the same SA Recycling building. There’s a second mural depicting the Rey Mysterio family! I posted photos of that mural here (along with photographs of this newest mural’s early outlines).

Both murals were painted by local graffiti phenom Daniel “Dentlok” Angeles and a team of helping artists.

Will Chula Vista native Rey Mysterio show up at tomorrow’s Survivor Series in San Diego? I’d say that’s highly probable! I see his son Dominik will be wrestling against John Cena, who is retiring after his own legendary career!

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If you’d like to see San Diego through my lens, find the “Follow” box in the sidebar to receive new posts in your email, or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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Junior Seau mural in his home town Oceanside.

A beautiful mural in Oceanside’s Balderrama Park remembers and celebrates home town football hero Junior Seau.

The legendary NFL linebacker attended Oceanside High School and spent most of his life a resident in San Diego’s North County.

He played with the San Diego Chargers for 13 seasons, helping to lead them to Super Bowl XXIX. His play seemed superhuman. He would become one of the most popular Chargers players of all time.

Junior was active in the community, plus a surfer and restaurateur. He was loved by everybody.

His untimely death was so tragic, believed to be caused by repetitive head trauma while playing the game.

The Oceanside mural, painted by Ground Floor Murals, captures the beautiful soul of Junior Seau.

Another fantastic mural depicting Junior Seau can be viewed in San Diego on El Cajon Boulevard. It was painted by the same artists.

You can see those photographs by clicking here.

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