ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, July 15, 1996 TAG: 9607150115
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
THE ANNUAL COMPETITION escapes Hurricane Bertha and has a record number of participants.
Depending on your perspective, the 1996 Commonwealth Games of Virginia will be remembered either as the Bertha Games or the Amway Games.
Organizers considered themselves winners because the seventh annual gathering of competitors from across the Commonwealth of Virginia didn't get blown away by Hurricane Bertha. Some of the losers included those who bailed out of participating because it seemed every hotel in Southwest Virginia was bursting with either Commonwealth Games participants or Amway salesmen in town for a convention.
``We could've been wiped out [by the storm],'' said Stuart Israel, the marketing director for Roanoke-based Virginia Amateur Sports, the Games' chief organizing body. ``On the bad side, a lot of teams couldn't compete because they didn't want to stay 50 miles out of Roanoke. Still, it was a great year.''
The seventh annual Commonwealth Games culminated Sunday, ending three days of competition at venues throughout the Roanoke Valley. Junior golf, mixed doubles tennis and autocross will continue medal play in the coming weeks.
Some of Sunday's events were disrupted by passing thunderstorms, but only the afternoon portion of swimming was canceled. Baseball and tennis experienced delays, but both sports were completed.
There were some fine individual performances Sunday, highlighted by Jamie Price winning three gold medals in track and field. Price, a former Patrick Henry High School star, is heading to the University of Mississippi on a track scholarship.
VAS president Pete Lampman estimated that more than 9,000 participants took part in this year's Games, a record. Many athletes were forced to stay in Lynchburg, Lexington, Martinsville and the New River Valley.
``It was a banner year in most sports,'' said Israel.
Medals were still being awarded Sunday when Lampman began talking about preparations for next year.
``We're definitely going back to the third weekend [in July] next year, so there shouldn't be any conflicts,'' said Lampman.
Other highlights from Sunday:
BASEBALL: Brandon Creswell tossed a three-hit shutout and hit a home run in leading the East to its third straight gold medal with a 5-0 win over the West. Creswell, a 5-9 left-hander, had eight strikeouts and Jeff Butler homered twice, doubled and knocked in four runs. West pitcher Larry Bowles of Franklin County fanned 10 in a losing effort.
Adrian Watkins' two-run single in the bottom of the ninth lifted the North to a 12-11 win over the Central in the bronze medal game.
TRACK AND FIELD: Price won the 100 in 11.29 seconds and the 200 in 22.65. He also ran on the 400 relay team with Kevin Austin, Dwayne Terry and Raheem Barnwell that ran a Games-record 43.61.
Eight other records fell in men's competition: Palmer Sweet in the 50-59 shot put (38 feet, 1 inch), Kevin Marshall in the 15-18 high jump (6-6), Shannon Witt in the 15-18 discus (148-10), Adekonle Lawson in the 19-29 discus (133-8), Brett Best in the 30-39 discus (117-10 1/2), Raheem Barnwell in the 15-18 300 hurdles (40.43), Jeffrey Waldo in 30-39 100-meter dash (11.73) and Kevin Walker in the 15-18 110 hurdles (14.54)
Eight women's records were eclipsed: the team of Kia Scott, Yvette Jackson, Twana Scott and Alesha Flint in the 400 relay (51.48), Kristy Martin in the 15-18 shot put (37-7 3/4), Tracy Claytor in the 19-29 shot put (30-9), Pamela McClanahan in the 30-39 discus (87-7 1/2), Tina Reynolds in the 19-29 400-meter dash (1:03.78), Twana Scott in the 15-18 300 hurdles (47.41) and Marilyn Fitzgerald in the 60-69 100 (15.53) and 200 (32.08).
BASKETBALL: Without Virginia Tech star Ace Custis, who was working at a basketball camp in South Carolina, Blacksburg's try for a third straight gold medal in the 19-and-over bracket came up short. Stan's Team, a squad that included former George Wythe and Western Carolina standout Maurice Johnson and former Radford player Tim Penn, knocked off Blacksburg 77-75 to win the gold.
Otis Tucker III led Stan's Team with 16 points and Anthony Cummings added 13. Virginia Tech's Shawn Good led Blacksburg with 34. Blacksburg fell into the losers' bracket and lost to RV Posse 84-71 in the silver-medal game after Good departed to work at a Radford camp.
Other area teams walked away with gold. Salem won the 11-and-under Recreation Division, Galax in the 11-and-under AAU and the Wythe County Warriors in the 13-under and the Blue Ridge Wildcats.
The Roanoke Stars program claimed gold medals in the 10-11 Division, 14-and-under and 15-and-under.
GIRLS' LACROSSE: Tournament MVP Kristin Henderson of Lake Braddock High School scored three goals, including the game-winner, to lead North II to an 8-7 win over the West in the gold-medal game of the high school division. North I beat the East 14-7 for the bronze.
In the middle school division, North II beat West II 10-8 behind tournament Molly Jenkins' five goals. North I beat West I 13-8 for the bronze.
ROLLER HOCKEY: Roanoke teams fared well all weekend, as Star City rollers swept medals in the Sophomore and Bantam Divisions. The Roanoke Wings won Bantam gold, the Star City Firehawks took silver and the Roanoke Rattlesnakes earned bronze. In the Sophomore bracket, the Valley Youth Hockey Junior Express nipped rival Roanoke Junior Express for the gold and the Vipers, another local team, took bronze.
LENGTH: Medium: 99 linesby CNB