Sports

Pickleball, says Erin McHugh, who gave a talk on the popular paddle sport at BookHampton not long ago, “takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to master,” favoring strategy and finesse.

I-Tri’s youth triathlon at Noyac’s Long Beach and the Hampton Lifeguard Association’s run-swim-run at Amagansett’s Atlantic Avenue Beach led off a big weekend for athletic events here.

From the Hampton Lifeguard Association’s Run-Swim-Run in Amagansett, to I-Tri’s youth triathlon at Noyac’s Long Beach and the Rell Sunn surf contest at Ditch Plain in Montauk, to the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League’s all-star game in Sag Harbor, to the Montauk Lighthouse sprint triathlon.

The popular Montauk Grand Slam charity fishing tournament will be held this weekend at Uihlein’s Marina in Montauk. At 5 p.m. Sunday, the tournament will crown Capt. Frank Braddick as the Fishing Legend of the Year.

“It’s tough,” John Grisch, who coached the East Hampton Little League’s 11-and-12-year-old entry in the District 36 tournament, said following Saturday’s 11-10 loss to Riverhead in the title game played at Riverhead’s Stotzky Park.

The benefit Rell Sunn Surf Contest will be held on Saturday at Ditch Plain Beach in Montauk, with several of Montauk’s top-ranked young surfers competing, among them Chase Lieder and Chloe Coleman, both of whom graduated from East Hampton High School in June, and Tucker Coleman, 20.

East Hampton’s 11-and-12-year-old Little League all-star team shut out the North Shore Nationals 4-0 in Rocky Point Thursday evening to advance to the District 36 final at Riverhead’s Stotzky Park on Saturday at 10 a.m.

East Hampton’s 11-and-12-year-old Little League traveling all-star boys team finished pool play at 4-0 thanks to an 8-2 win over North Shore American at the Stephen Hand’s Path fields here Saturday morning. They’ll play in the District 36 semifinal Thursday night at Rocky Point.

John Loeffel bested a field of 250 in 25 minutes and 13.51 seconds, comfortably ahead of Sergey Avrimenko, the runner-up, at Southampton’s Lake Agawam park on Sunday.

“Definitely, the better fishing has been out at Montauk,” Ken Morse of Tight Lines Tackle said Monday. “The bass fishing remains solid and there are acres and acres of bluefish between 10 and 18 pounds roaming around.”

“These kids, in all shapes and sizes, and from all sorts of backgrounds, coming from all over the world and putting aside their differences to play together on a team for the summer,” Coach Jack Tobin said of the Sag Harbor Whalers collegiate baseball team. “It gives you hope for the future of the planet.”

“Soldier Ride,” said Peter Honerkamp, an owner of the Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett, where Soldier Ride was conceived, “became a rehabilitative tool so the wounded could get out of their hospital beds, empowering themselves and their fellow wounded, setting an example for the incoming wounded, and going out into the communities they sacrificed so much for.” This year's ride returns on July 15 with a 24-mile cycle taking participants from the Amagansett Firehouse to East Hampton and Sag Harbor before returning to its starting point.