THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, July 11, 1994 TAG: 9407110156
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY GARY EDWARDS, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Short : 49 lines
Pro jet skier Chris MacClugage overtook Victor Sheldon with two laps left in the 33rd and final race of the day at the Bud Jet Sports Tour in Virginia Beach.
As MacClugage streaked across the finish line on his Yamaha Wave Blaster, he raised his left arm in victory. He also raised his overall lead over the second-place Sheldon by six, to 10 points, in the series standings.
MacClugage and Sheldon were two of the 250 professional jet skiers who spent Sunday racing through the water off Second Street at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.
The two-day event was the fifth stop on the 10-city Bud Jet Sports Tour, sanctioned by the International Jet Sports Boating Association. Pro racers compete for $350,000 on the tour.
MacClugage said before the races Sunday that he ``hoped to stretch his lead'' over Sheldon. The 20-year-old from Naples, Fla., did just that. He finished first in three of Sunday's races and second in another. He amassed 40 points, the maximum available in the competition.
The same story unfolded in the women's competition. Tera Laho, 20, of Lake Havasu, Ariz., scored 20 of a possible 20 in extending her lead over second-place Christy Carlson. They, too, entered the day 1-2 in the overall standings.
``We've been see-sawing back and forth all year for the lead,'' said Carlson, 23, of San Diego.
Carlson was hampered by a sprained right ankle but refused to use that as an excuse. ``It's frustrating, but conditions are part of the package and they're the same for everybody.''
She managed a second- and third-place finish despite the injury.
The competition was limited to half-mile to three-quarters-mile closed-course and freestyle events. The skiers usually also negotiate a slalom course, but the choppy conditions at Rudee Inlet forced cancellation of the slalom.
Laho was called ``a talented rough-water skier'' by Carlson. Her performance supported that claim. However, Laho admitted the rough water ``wore me out.''
``You just have to stay on the gas,'' said Laho at the end of her final ride. ``It takes smart, mistake-free riding in this.'' by CNB