Boaters asked to "Party Smartly" at American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe

LAKE TAHOE, Nev. - The 31st annual American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe next week will still bring over 70 celebrities to the greens of Edgewood Tahoe, but this year spectators will be absent from both the beach and the course.

The tournament will be held July 8-12 and Patrick Mahomes, Tony Romo, Jerry Rice, Steph Curry and his dad Dell Curry, and a host of others from the entertainment, sports, and broadcasting fields will be in Lake Tahoe for the annual event.

Edgewood's hole No. 17 has been a popular hole for boats and partiers on the beach, and often the backdrop to iconic television shots for NBC showing a national audience how much fun it is to be in Lake Tahoe and at the tournament.

Then Covid-19 happened and with it brought new restrictions for the health and safety of players, personnel, and the public. These restrictions are preventing the tournament from allowing spectators on the course, and because of them, they are expecting efforts by fans to catch a glimpse of their favorite celebrities from the water to be even more heightened.

Organizers are calling upon the good nature and community spirit of Tahoans to show a national audience how to do it right -- to “party smartly” to help keep everyone safe.

The required spectator ban following protocols from governmental and health organizations will also prevent boaters from disembarking onto the beach. The traditional interaction between fans and spectators cannot be the same to maintain the required social distancing.

“The current reality has dictated this direction so it’s extremely important that the tournament is conducted safely,” said Carol Chaplin, president and CEO of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, the major local tournament partner. “American Century Investments stepped up in a major effort to maintain the event’s continuity. As such, Lake Tahoe can be recognized through 18 hours of national television coverage as a responsible example of a destination on the rebound.”

Cooperation with shoreline security personnel along the beach includes refraining from throwing balls and sports memorabilia to the celebrities for autographs as players will not be allowed to retrieve objects to maintain safe handling and reduce “touches”. Other guidelines ask for boaters to maintain spacing between vessels, to not tie-up together, and like life jackets, to carry masks for each passenger.

Lake Tahoe will be in the national spotlight so they are asking people to show them how it's done right at the lake. Remember those photos of Spring-breakers in Florida and massive pool parties during this pandemic?

Tournament officials have reached out to area marinas asking for their assistance to share the information with their slip customers, vendors, and employees.

The Rules

- Maintain space between all boats – do not tie up together.
- Do NOT disembark from boats when adjacent to the golf course.
- To maintain social distancing, no one can be allowed on the beach.
- For everyone's safety and enjoyment please cooperate with beach
security personnel.
- Like a life jacket, bring a mask.
- Please remind each other to "Party smartly".
- Please refrain from throwing balls or other sports memorabilia to
celebrities to autograph.
- Players will not be allowed to retrieve objects to maintain safe
handling and reduce “touches”.

Please follow these healthy social distancing guidelines to keep
everyone safe.

For more information, visit https://americancenturychampionship.com/.