DATE: Friday, July 25, 1997                 TAG: 9707240255

SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON   PAGE: 18   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   89 lines

TIDEWATER WAVE ADVANCES TO 64-TEAM NATIONALS TRIALS

Out and about in the Virginia Beach sports scene:

The Tidewater Volleyball Association's junior girls AAU team recently completed its most successful season.

The Tidewater 16 Wave - comprised of area high school talent - finished 13th in the national tournament in Denver, Colo. It was the TVA's best girls finish ever.

Team member Larissa Barbosa - a 10th-grader at Kecoughtan High on the Peninsula - was named to the All-Tournament team - another first.

To get to the 64-team nationals, the Wave had to whittle its way through 2,000 teams nation-wide. The Wave was the first team in the Old Dominion Region to qualify for the tournament through one of the eight national qualifying events. The team finished second in the Northeast qualifier to earn its spot.

``This was definitely our most successful season,'' said coach Steve Halsted. ``We won a couple of tournaments during the year and are proud of how we finished in the nationals.''

Team members are Barbosa, Ocean Lakes freshman Tawnya Harper, Tallwood freshman Kristina Bridges, Indian River freshman Lisa Maholchic, Cox freshman Katie Gilman, Cox sophomore Karri Attinger, First Colonial sophomores Heather White and Jenny Stelle, Salem sophomore April Sexton and Tallwood sophomore Jessica Miller. Del Rodil was Halsted's assistant coach.

Long tradition:

Over the last 25 years, the Virginia Beach Hockey Camp has laid the foundation for some of the best high school and collegiate players in the country.

Camp organizer Debbie Lowrance would like to see some of those players when she hosts the 25th anniversary party from 6:30-10:30 p.m. July 31 at Virginia Wesleyan College.

``We average 100-125 campers each year, so there are a lot of alumni out there,'' Lowrance said. ``This is a big deal for us.''

As part of the celebration, there will be pick-up games between alumni and current campers, beginning at 6:30 p.m. A $15-a-plate banquet begins at 8 p.m.

As to keep things going, the 25th anniversary camp is being held the same week, with sessions for girls 8-18 beginning July 28 and running through Aug. 1. Registration is $50 for younger campers and $85 for seniors.

For more information on the camp or the celebration, call Lowrance at 495-9036.

Sailing for a good cause:

The Chick's Beach Sailing Center in cooperation with Hobie Fleet 32 will hold a benefit regatta Saturday off the Ocean Park beach for the Ocean Park Rescue Squad.

The distance race begins at 10:30 a.m. and the course will be determined by winds.

For more information, call Buck Huff at 460-2238.

Fast as it gets:

Aaron Hines might be only 6, but he's one of the fastest 6-year-olds going - at least when he's wearing his in-line skates.

The Virginia Beach member of the Hampton Roads Speedskating team won his second Southeastern Regional Championship in a row at the recently-held meet in Roanoke.

With the win in the A Division Boys Junior Olympic category, Hines qualifies for the Junior Olympic National Speedskating Championships to be held Aug. 14-20 in Pensacola, Fla.

Chesapeake 16-year-old Roger McCann also qualified in the men's ``G'' division.

Going to the show:

Ruperto Robles Jr. has been selected to play baseball with the Roberto Clemente Allstars next summer in Puerto Rico. He will be part of a squad that represents Virginia and the United States when the competition is held June 26 through July 5, 1998.

One look at his resume and it's easy to see why the 13-year-old Virginia Beach Middle School student was selected.

He's a member of the Virginia Beach Little League champion Marlins team and was his school team's offensive player of the year. He was named the top defensive player for the Virginia Beach Diamond Backs AAU team. He batted .317 and had a .457 on-base percentage.

The shortstop and pitcher is also a member of the Virginia Beach Little League National Junior All-Star team that finished third place in the District 8 playoffs.

To attend the camp, Robles had to fill out a questionnaire and send in evaluations from his many coaches. Representatives from the Allstars then called his coaches before making their selection.

Robles is currently involved in raising funds for his trip to Puerto Rico - a voyage that will cost him $2,575.

Anyone interesting in helping with the effort can write him at P.O. Box 1214, Virginia Beach, Va., 23451.

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu