sport
Culver City's Leina Okamoto, 12, Wins USA Youth Climbing National Title
The 12-year-old earned a spot on the USA Climbing Youth National Team after her championship performance.
How we reported this
Twelve-year-old Leina Okamoto from Culver City Middle School won the USA Climbing Youth National Championship and secured a place on the USA Climbing Youth National Team.
Summer programs continue in Culver City
The city runs several youth sports options during July, including the Youth Summer Basketball Academy for ages 5-12 at Veterans Memorial Park with five-week sessions and a daily Youth Sports Summer Camp at Blanco Park from 9 AM to 3 PM for the same age group. These programs operate while high school teams remain off-season after the 2025-2026 football and baseball schedules ended earlier in the year.
Okamoto’s title stands out against this backdrop of ongoing local youth activities. The Culver City Youth Dodgeball League runs an eight-week season for ages 5-12 with Saturday games at Veterans Memorial Auditorium, and the Youth Flag Football League is set to begin in September 2026 at the same $121 fee.
Programs emphasize fundamentals over standings
Culver City Little League, chartered under Little League International since 1957, fields more than 500 participants each season across six divisions for ages 4-16. Volo Sports also runs multiple youth leagues in soccer, flag football and other sports at neighborhood venues. No weekend results from July 10-12 appear in current records because high school competition pauses in mid-July.
Families interested in similar opportunities can review registration details on the city’s parks and recreation site for the next available sessions in basketball, flag football or other listed programs.