Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 26, 1993 TAG: 9304260392
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Bill Cochran
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
1 So you've bought a sailboat, and now you're ready to see how fast you can slice across the water. You want to race.
The Virginia Inland Sailing Association and the Black Water Yacht Racing Association, the two major sailboat organizations on Smith Mountain Lake, are teaming up to teach a beginners' racing seminar. There will be classroom work, on-the-water drills and a three-race weekend complete with an award's presentation. Plenty of instructors will be available to keep everything safe and simple.
The seminar begins Saturday at VISA; the race weekend is May 15-16. Pre-registration is required: call Ron Rash, (804) 845-2371, or Ed Neal, (804) 836-1111.
\ Classic road goes through Kerr
5 The road to the BASS Masters Classic, scheduled for August in Birmingham, Ala., passes through Virginia's Kerr Lake, site of the May 5-7 BASSMASTER Virginia Invitational. It will be an important stop for pros, like Virginia's Woo Daves, who need points to make the Classic cut.
Kerr has been high and discolored much of the spring, so badly that a few bass tournaments have had to be postponed or held on downstream Gaston Lake. The water level now is falling rapidly and the main lake is clearing, so the table could be set for some outstanding fishing by the time the pros arrive. The weigh-in will be at North Bend Park near South Hill.
\ Hooking kids on fishing
8 Youngsters will get the opportunity to hook trout and reel in prizes during three fishing rodeos in May.
The 42nd annual Earnest Pig Robertson Trout Fishing Rodeo at Salem's Lake Spring Park is the granddaddy of such events. In reality, it is composed of four rodeos:
May 8, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., for kids ages 3-8.
May 10, 10 a.m. to noon, handicapped children.
May 12, 10 a.m. to noon, nursing-home patients.
May 15, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., kids 9 to 12.
Additional information is available from the Salem Department of Parks and Recreation, 375-3057.
On May 15, the George Washington National Forest will sponsor the third annual Kids Fishing Day on Dunlap Creek at the Boys Home off U.S. 60 west of Covington. It is open to youngsters ages 6-15 (more information from 703-962-2214).
On May 22, a fishing derby will be sponsored 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Jefferson National Forest Beartree Lake, seven miles east of Damascus just off U.S. 58. Space will be limited to 350 kids. Reservation blanks are available at schools in the area or from the Mount Rogers National Recreation headquarters on Virginia 16 south of Marion (703-783-5196).
\ On the road to Damascus
14 The Appalachian Trail winds out of the mountains of Southwest Virginia and runs smack down main street Damascus. This settlement of just over 1,300 souls has the reputation of being the "Friendliest Town on the A.T."
One of the things that earns it that distinction is its annual Appalachian Trail Days, scheduled May 14-16. That's when the townspeople honor the through-hikers who weeks ago embarked from Springer Mountain, Ga. on their 2,000-mile plus journey to Mount Katahdin, Maine.
The event, which includes a parade, square dance, crafts, food and fun, will look especially enticing to the 1993 class of through-hikers, who have had to endure more than their share of blizzards and blow-downs, frequent rains and frigid temperatures. Additional information is available from (703) 475-3831.
\ Reeling in a $10,000 fish
15 There will be a trout finning about in Hungry Mother Lake near Marion worth $10,000 during a May 15 fishing tournament. Sponsored by WMEV FM-94 and Smith County Adult Literacy Enrichment, the event is scheduled to increase the awareness of adult education programs and to offer fishing fun while doing it.
The lake will be stocked with 300 tagged trout, every one of them worth a prize, including a $10,000 cash award. The entry fee is $30, and pre-registration is required. Additional information is available from Mark Warren, the Smyth County Education Center, (703) 783-1777, or Ken Heath, WMEV FM-94, (703) 783-3151.
by CNB