Great Falls Tribune from Great Falls, Montana • Page 35

Scoreboard 2D Shrine players practice 3D Goodwill Games report 4D Baseball notes 6D Great Falls Tribune Sunday, July 29, 1990 gem Little League tourney begins Adversity is no problem iri in life she loves i By Tribune Staff The biggest Little League tour-; nament in Great Falls history opens Sunday at 4 p.m. when the District 1 Major League Softball event begins at the Westside Complex. State champions from Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii will be in Great Falls for six days to determine the district champion, which advances to the Western Regional next Monday in Pinole, Calif. The winner of that four-team event qualifies for the Little League World Series. The tournament is a fastpitch event and players are 11 and 12 "years old.

I All five Great Falls Little Leagues Westside, Nationals, Americans, Riverside and Malmstrom are combining to host the tournament, the first time a district girls' tournament has been awarded to the Electric City. Tournament director Jim Purdy said in addition to the 90 players involved, about twice that many fans will be here for the week-long event. Festivities actually started Saturday with a picnic for the teams, followed by a managers' meeting. Official opening ceremonies start at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Westside Complex, located in the Fox Farm Addition near Ferguson Drive.

The teams will be introduced at 3 with the players carrying in their own state flags. There will be a dedication of the new two-story press box and concession building, then the 25-piece Great Falls Municipal Band will play. After an exchange of gifts among the teams, the players will take infield practice and the first game is slated to start at 4. The Montana state champs from Butte Northwest will meet the Idaho champions from Boise in the first contest. At 6, the Oregon state champions (Keizer, suburb of Salem) will meet the Alaska winners (Anchorage).

Hawaii and Washington drew byes. The Hawaii champs (Kan-eohe) will face the Montana-Idaho winner at 4 Monday, followed at 6 by Washington (North Shore, Seattle) against the Oregon-Alaska winner. There will be loser-out games Tuesday, with winners-bracket games resuming on Wednesday. Dodgers end streak NFR Photo Charlotte Schmidt and her horse Loppy compete in the National Finals Rodeo last year in Las Vegas. State Fair Rodeo grows in size, strength By GERI PURSLEY Tribune Correspondent The Montana State Fair Rodeo is on its way back to being one of the largest professional rodeos in the United States.

The event, sanctioned by both the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and Women's Professional Rodeo Association, has expanded its format to a three-day show with the opening performance set for Sunday at 8 p.m. in front of the main grandstand at the State Fairgrounds. The $1,500 in added prize money for each of the seven events, sponsored by local businesses, plus the Streak is over GREAT FALLS GATE CITY ob It bl Webb 2b ab bl 5 0 10 4 0 12 10 10 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 1110 2 0 10 4 110 3 111 3 0 0 0 10 0 0 Frauenhofer2b Maurerss Ingram dh Smith If Mondesi cf Meyers lb arrish or Busch lb Watts 3b Grave Blackwellrf 4 0 0 0 1000 5 1 2 0 3 1 II 0 Hornedh Satoh ss Phillips ph Maema pr Ortega cf Santiago lb Nocec Morabella2b Atwater2b Asal If Chvomaro3b Kellgelstrf Adams ph 3 10 0 4 110 3 3 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 110 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 31 4 7 4 Totals Great Falls Totals Hill 012 001 000-030 000 000- Gate city Watts, Noce. Chvomaro. AAnrtlnpr.

Rntnh. Webb. LOB-Great Falls 7, Gate City 2B Phillips. SB-Mondesi, Watts, Ingram. IP ER BB SO Great Falls Martinez 6 6 3 1 2 8 Piotrowlcz 3 1 0 0 0 2 Gate City Foster 1.0-3 7 5 4 1 3 Carter 2 2 0 0 1 2 HBP-Meyers by Foster, Chyomoro by Martinez.

hander struck out eight batters, three with the bases loaded in the sixth, and walked two in boosting his record to 4-2. See DODGERS, 3D II" IJ Schmidt excels By SCOTT MANSCH Tribune Sports Writer It took Charlotte Schmidt long enough to reach the big-time, so once she got there a little accident wasn't going to cause more than a brief timeout. Still, last March when Schmidt fell from her horse in a Calgary rodeo arena and suffered liver, kidney and spleen damage, the barrel racer was forced to reconsider her career. Schmidt, 30, was in the hospital for a week and literally off her feet for two more. It gave her some to ponder.

Retirement, perhaps? "I never considered it," she says. "Doctors told me I wouldn't be back (racing) before the first of June and I was back the first of May. I never thought of quitting." A few years ago, Schmidt never thought of running the barrels professionally in the United States. She was content to rodeo in Canada, closer to her home in the border burg of Del Bonita, 40 miles northwest of Cut Bank. "I won one association (in Canada) three times and another one once," she said.

"Then in 1988 1 won both associations (Chinook and Canada Cowboy) and my husband (Dale) told me I should maybe move on." Like to bigger and better things. Schmidt's swift rise to the top of the professional barrel racing world has surprised Montana rodeo fans, especially Schmidt herself. She was the Women's Professional Rodeo Association's rookie of the year in 1989, when she qualified for the rich National Finals and earned more than $43,000. "I never dreamt I'd make it to the NFR," she says. "I just mostly wanted to see what my horse would do.

I guess I didn't think my horse was that good." He was, and is. Schmidt, who is among the many standouts slated to compete in this week's State Fair Rodeo, ranks among the leaders in Big deal benefited two teams This week the Tribune features the New York Mets, a team which has made significant strides in the National League East race since Bud Harrclson became manager. By MIKE NAD EL AP Sports Writer MINNEAPOLIS Andy MacPhail and Joe Mcllvaine are happy. Frank Viola couldn't be happier. Rick Aguilera is happy he hasn't bombed in the bullpen.

Kevin Tapani, David West, Tim Drummond and Jack Savage are happy just to be in the majors after being trapped in the New York Mets' minor-league system for a combined 23 years. Happy, happy, happy. It certainly appears that, one year later, everybody is happy about the megatrade of last July 31 that sent Viola from the Minnesota Twins to the Mets for Aguilera, Tapani, West, Drummond and Savage. The Mets got Viola, the 1988 American League Cy Young winner, to bolster what many believe was already baseball's strongest pitching staff. Charlotte with 13-year-old Loppy barrel racing again this summer.

She has earned more than with a recent victory at a lucrative rodeo in Salt Lake City to her credit. Prior to Saturday night's final performance of the Last Chance Stampede in Helena, Schmidt was also in the money, sitting in third place. "It's my horse," Schmidt says when asked about successes. "I just think she's running really well, for one thing. I'm more acquainted with the arenas and more used to the travel this year.

But my horse, she's really wanting to run." That would be "Loppy," a 13-year-old brown mare with distinctively crooked ears. "We work well together," Schmidt says. That wasn't the case at the Calgary Spring Rodeo in March, though. Loppy fell rounding the third barrel, and Schmidt went down with her. The horse regained its footing and sped to finish the run, while Schmidt battled to regain control of See SCHMIDT, 2D The Twins added desperately needed pitching depth.

"When you make a trade, you try to do something that benefits both parties. You don't want anyone getting ripped off," said MacPhail, Minnesota's general manager. "I really think this is one of those trades that helped both teams." Added Mcllvaine, the Mets' vice president of baseball operations: "Next time Andy and I talk trade, you know we'll be congenial. We'll be apt to deal again because we're both happy. This trade truly helped both teams." While it's tempting to ask the cliche cops to lock up MacPhail and Mcllvaine, statistics seem to indicate that both sides really do have cause for happiness.

Viola is the Mets' best pitcher, with a 13-5 record and 2.43 ERA. The 30-year-old left-hander is ranked high in nine National See TRADE, 2D POCATELLO, Idaho First baseman Don Meyers stroked three singles and pitcher Pedro Martinez turned in a strong outing as the Great Falls Dodgers got back back on the winning track Saturday night with a 4-3 victory over the Gate City Pioneers. The victory snapped a five-game losing streak, all five of the defeats coming in Great Falls. The Dodgers, however, failed to gain ground on Northern Division-leader Billings, a 9-3 winner over Salt Lake Saturday. The Mustangs I are 23-13, 2 games ahead of 21-16 Great Falls.

It was the 12th consecutive loss for Gate City, which fell to 7-30. Despite a .185 batting average, Myers started in place of Mike Busch at first base. He responded with a 3-for-5 effort, including two runs batted in. Martinez pitcher the first six innings for Great Falls, allowing one earned run on six singles. The right- And they're off! )j cK srsv fact that the rodeo is outside for the second straight year after a few unsuccessful attempts to have it in the Four Seasons Arena, has helped attract 339 PRCA and WPRA members.

The list of entrants in no less impressive than it is long. The bareback riding is the first event scheduled each evening. Highlighting the list of competitors are two-time world champion Marvin Garrett of Belle Fourche, S.D., Canadian champion Robin Burwash of Okotoks, Alberta, and National Finals Rodeo qualifier Ken Lens-egrav, a former collegiate champion See RODEO, 2D IribuneHnotoby Tnomas Bauer IP3 ''Flrrnqi ill listed? Horses with jockeys aboard break from the gate in the 6th race Saturday at State Fair. The Wheat King (6) won the race with Darrel Bnnkerhoff in the Irons. The meet continues Sunday, beginning at 12:45 p.m.

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