Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, July 14, 1995 TAG: 9507140109
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The sixth annual Commonwealth Games of Virginia get underway today, as amateur athletes from across the state converge on Roanoke and surrounding areas.
Between 5,000-6,000 spectators are expected to attend the opening ceremonies at 8 p.m. in Victory Stadium. The ceremonies mark the official beginning of the Games, although some events were held earlier and other sports won't hold competitions until later this month.
Admission to the opening ceremonies is $3 for adults. Participating athletes and children under 12 will be admitted free.
By the time the final results are counted and the last medals awarded, as many as 9,000 athletes - a Commonwealth Games record - will have competed in 44 events during the Games, which are the only Virginia games sanctioned by the National Congress of State Games.
Like the Games themselves, the opening ceremonies will be a big production. The ceremonies will begin with a parade of approximately 3,500 athletes entering Victory Stadium and will conclude with a fireworks display.
``I feel like I'm a Broadway producer and this is opening night,'' said Stuart Israel, the director of development and marketing for Virginia Amateur Sports, the Roanoke-based organization that runs the Games. ``I just hope everything goes off without a hitch.''
VAS is showing a flair for the dramatic this year by jazzing up its annual torch run. This year, it's a torch skate, as Roanoker and world-class roller-skater Keith Turner will wheel into Victory Stadium on in-line skates with the torch. Turner, who won seven medals in the Pacific Ocean Games in Colombia this month, will pass the torch down a line of athletes until it reaches Allison Waymack, a standout soccer player from Glenvar High School.
Waymack, who will lead the parade of athletes, then will light the giant Games torch at the far end of the stadium.
``It should be a spectacle,'' said VAS president Pete Lampman.
That would be an appropriate ending to a tumultuous week at the VAS office, where registrations continued to pour in even though sign-up deadlines for most events had passed.
The Games will see about a 14 percent increase in athletes over last year's record field of 7,985. The number of competitors has doubled since 1990, when the Games attracted 4,465 athletes in their first year.
``I don't think we can continue to grow like we have been,'' said Lampman. ``We've almost reached the point where we can't handle any more athletes than we have right now. We have about 1,500 volunteers working on [competition] sites, plus some people we don't know about. Some volunteers get their friends and families to help them. We're using as many people as we can. We're using a lot of space, too. We've got 14 gyms for basketball.''
Lampman said VAS cut off basketball registrations at 120 teams, a Games record. Softball will feature approximately 2,000 players and 140 teams in men's, women's and girls' tournaments.
Other events also are drawing impressive numbers. Track and field numbers are up a bit this year, with about 250 competitors expected. Soccer will have at least 33 teams, up from about 20 last year. Roller hockey, which will be held in Lynchburg, has drawn 12 teams in its first year as a Commonwealth Games sport.
Although Lampman is pleased with the numbers, he's hoping for an even larger turnout for events - in the seats.
While attracting thousands of athletes, the Commonwealth Games never have quite caught on as a spectator event in Roanoke. Many of the athletes compete with only handfuls of family members and friends in attendance.
``We'd really like to increase the awareness and excitement of the Games and have people come out and watch the athletes,'' said Lampman. ``This is something people should really get excited about. This is a state[-sanctioned] event, and it's something people of the Roanoke Valley can really be a part of.''
Another featured attraction will be the Commonwealth Games Sports Expo, which concludes at the Roanoke Civic Center Exhibit Hall. The Expo will feature demonstrations and exhibits of various sports and games. The Sports Expo is open to the public, and admission is free.
Roanoke native George Lynch, a former basketball player at North Carolina and a current member of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, will be a guest during tonight's opening ceremonies. Also featured will be bodybuilder Carol Semple, a two-time winner of the ``Ms. Fitness World'' title, and Al Mead, a member of the President's Council on Physical Fitness who has won medals in the Paralympics and the World Games for the Disabled. Mead also will sing the national anthem.
The Skydive Airways Skydivers will open the Games by parachuting into Victory Stadium during the opening ceremonies.
by CNB