THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 9, 1994 TAG: 9407090329
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Short : 41 lines
The International Jet Sports Boating Association Bud Jet Sports Tour screams into town this weekend with racing in amateur and professional divisions in the water off 2nd Street.
Competition is scheduled to begin today with 9:30 a.m. amateur competition. Pro qualifying is set for 9 a.m. Sunday, with championship rounds at 2:30 p.m. The freestyle championship is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Sunday.
The Virginia Beach stop is the midway point on the 10-city tour. Racers will compete for points toward an overall championship.
Racers compete in closed-course racing around 1/2 to 3/4 miles worth of buoys; a slalom event, in which they zigzag around nine stationary buoys on a 283-foot course; and freestyle competition in several different classes of watercraft.
The freestyle event is one of the most popular, with competitors ``hot-dogging'' for two minutes and receiving judges' scores.
The amateur portion should be about 200 strong, while more than 250 professionals will compete.
Races begin with exciting starts at the water's edge, and all racing is done close to bleachers set up on the beach - making the event popular with spectators.
Chris MacClugage of Naples, Fla., holds a four-point overall lead in the pro men's division over former world champion Victor Sheldon of Vista, Calif.
Tera Laho of Lake Havasu, Ariz., holds a two-point lead over five-time women's national and four-time world champion Christy Carlson of San Diego - setting up another showdown. ILLUSTRATION: Former world jet sports champion Victor Sheldon stands second in
his division.
by CNB