Roanoke Times Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: SATURDAY, July 16, 1994 TAG: 9407160059 SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
This weekend, however, eight athletes will be under watch during the Games' main weekend. They're the finalists for the Games' first athlete of the year award, the winners of which will be considered for the CITGO/National Congress of State Games athletes of the year award.
A selection committee chosen by Virginia Amateur Sports, which runs the Games, got 15 recommendations and narrowed the list to eight:
Preston Hall of Blacksburg, a 10-year-old wrestler who is the mid-Atlantic champion in the 62-pound weight class.
John Patrick Henderson, the state Group AA runner-up as a sophomore wrestler at William Byrd High. He has a 3.8 grade-point average.
Jim Kiser, track and field/power lifting. The Manassas resident has competed in two world championship events, winning a third place each time.
Dominick Millner, track and field, a William Fleming High graduate who set a national scholastic long jump record in June.
Richard Walls, track and field, cycling and cross country. The Bristol resident qualified for the cycling junior national championships and the cross country junior nationals in '93.
Leonore McDaniels, track and field. The 66-year-old from Virginia Beach who holds Games records in the high jump, shot put, long jump, 80-meter hurdles, 100-meter hurdles, 300-meter hurdles, 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash.
Amy Pitts, track and field, a Salem High School student who recently toured with a junior national team in Switzerland.
Dyan Wood, karate. The Zuni resident was a 1992 U.S. Olympic team member in the sport.
CITGO emphasized that success in a sport is not a crucial factor in picking state or national winners.
Candidates will be interviewed by sports coordinators and by VAS board members, said Dr. John Heil, a VAS selection committee member, "to find out the other side of the person." A male and female winner likely will be announced about two weeks after the competition ends Sunday.
\ DETENTE? VAS chairman of the board David Paxton said VAS president Pete Lampman expects to meet in August with representatives from the group in Hampton that put on Virginia's non-sanctioned state games. Those games, which had been held annually in Richmond, were moved to Hampton this year as part of the Hampton group's agreement with Sports Virginia - with whom VAS fought over the Commonwealth Games.
Paxton emphasized the Hampton group is not affiliated with Sports Virginia, and said he hopes to "maybe bridge some gaps there," calling it "counterproductive" to have two state games.
\ DROP ONE: The ultimate Frisbee competition was canceled, a victim of low turnout for the second straight year. Along with the cancellation of girls volleyball, that brings the number of events during this year's Games to 39.
by CNB