Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 11, 1993 TAG: 9307110053
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The fourth edition of the Commonwealth Games of Virginia begins this week with more volunteers needed, almost too many basketball teams registered, a bursting softball tournament and a shrunken soccer tournament that - if it's played at all - will feature smaller teams playing under different rules.
Soccer drew more than 500 athletes to last year's Games, and in May the Crestar Festival Soccer Tournament brought about 2,000 players to Roanoke. But at this year's Games, which run mainly from Friday through July 18, soccer will be played with seven people on a team instead of 11 and on smaller-than-regulation fields.
As of Friday, only five teams had registered. Last year there were dozens more. Games executive director Pete Lampman said Virginia Amateur Sports, which runs the Games, should know by Tuesday whether there are enough teams in certain age groups to hold a tournament.
Lampman said the Games conflict with a couple of Virginia Olympic development team camps. And, during last year's Games, some registered teams didn't show up and others didn't get to play, Lampman said.
Games officials still wanted regulation soccer.
"We felt like, why don't we just open it up for club teams?" Lampman said. "We didn't get the numbers we wanted there, so we went with seven a side."
The soccer schedule has been reduced from Friday through Sunday to Saturday and Sunday.
Things are better with basketball, a sport in which numbers lagged last summer. Lampman said VAS had to cut off registration Thursday at 70 teams. That has forced VAS to begin its schedule Friday instead of Saturday and to seek a seventh gym.
The Games, however, still need volunteers. Two weeks ago, VAS had 250 spots for volunteers. Since then, about 180 people have come aboard. Lampman said there's a volunteer void for the cycling competition July 22-23 along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
If volunteer numbers fall short, Lampman said, the losses will be spread among the sports to lessen the impact.
Other Games notes:
Horseshoes competition continues today at Green Hill Park in Salem. Coordinator Earl Linkous said things may wrap up around noon.
Friday night's Opening Ceremonies will feature Stan Kingma's Virginians and the Roanoke Valley Community Band, which will play the Olympic march as the athletes parade into Victory Stadium. VAS is taking steps to encourage athletes to parade on the track and take seats in the stadium instead of leaving in waves as they did last year. The event is open to the public.
Softball, annually one of the most popular events, has added 21 girls' slow-pitch teams - the first time girls' slow-pitch softball has been played at the Games. Coordinator Ben Lockhart said he expects more than 100 teams in all, which would make it the largest field in the Games' four years.
Lacrosse, which usually draws high school players, has added a division for players of junior high age.
As of Friday, Ultimate Frisbee, a team sport played with the familiar disk, had drawn only two entries. Officials planned to let them compete.
Registration for senior golf, scheduled for Thursday at Hanging Rock and Lynchburg's London Downs, has not gone well and Lampman said the event will be a "last-minute thing" if it is held at all.
by CNB