By Richard Campbell
As the heat comes on Carson beach filled up with volleyball and swimming, while crowds lined up to purchase snack food at the counter of Molly’s Beachside Cafe, patrons across the way played baseball and volleyball on Moakley Field with kids enjoying the playground areas. Glorious is the walk out to Castle Island at this time of the year, and the Castle Island Association in partnership with the DCR does a commendable job of creating an inviting place to explore, swim, boat and hang out. Old timers say the water is warmer at Pleasure Bay than Carson Beach, but we don’t have evidence of that. While Moakley field looked great the same can’t be said for The Will McDonough Field House, which suffered greatly by comparison with the gleaming, well-tended Carson Beach bath house and facilities.
Note the comparison pictures of the facilities. It may be time for the McDonough to clean up its act a little, as bird nests, graffiti and its generally speaking closed status indicate there isn’t much there for patrons to utilize or enjoy. With a roof ready for repair, closed off entrances, weeded yard, inaccessible restroom facilities, Mc Donough looks like it has seen better days. Nevertheless, courtside activity was in display with young basketball teams posting up, while picnics ensued adjacent to the parking lot, and kids enjoyed the playground complete with jungle gyms. I guess that this small building fits fairly low on the priorities of the city at this time, but there are plans for the future spearheaded by the Moakley Park Vision plan of the city parks, backed by a $210,000 development plan. It would be great to see some real rest room facilities near the playing field instead of porta-potties, and perhaps a new scoreboard.
It is interesting to note that the enterprising Social Boston Sports has grown in numbers from a few years ago to dominate the beach with their volleyball activities. If you are interested in their schedule it is posted here: http://www.socialbostonsports.com/. I was looking for the kayaks normally rented out at Carson Beach, but saw none being used. The water conditions for both Carson and Pleasure Bay were excellent, and the guards were on duty during the weekend. We are in the beginning of the season, so people were on generally good behavior, when walking out to both beaches, this writer encountered only one speed demon (bicyclist going very fast swerving in and out of crowds) and but a few pot smokers.
We’re coming up to a great event, sponsored by Columbia Threadneedle Investments. On July 21 and 22, more than 2,000 athletes will descend on Carson Beach Boston for the 10th anniversary of the Boston Triathlon. The first date is Kid’s Day, with races for kids 7-15, and the second date is for the full adult races. Youth groups from Boston have already signed on to participate in the events on July 21, including the South Boston Leadership Initiative and Youth Enrichment Services (YES).
This Triathlon is a USAT-sanctioned event and the only triathlon held in the city of Boston. It features both an Olympic distance competition and a Sprint distance race and includes a swim at DCR Carson Beach, a bike ride on DCR William Day Boulevard, and a run in Moakley Park. 2016 Olympian Ben Kanute and former North American Ironman Champion Angela Naeth will be part of the field, which will compete in a swim, cycle and run, which last year was an incredible event. Look for Senator Nick Collins as the honorary race director on Kid’s day. Save the dates!
