The Times Herald Record from Middletown, New York • Page 102

he-al: record 'Getting wet' is still Shirley Babashoff's pleasure Friday, July 2, 1976 But Babashoff certainly is not Am- only medal hope. "Not one girl here is incapable of winning gold," explained coach Nelson. The other members the team include. Karen Moe Thorton, at 23, is the oldest team member She won a gold medal in the 200-meter butterfly at Munich as Karen Moe and is now racing as Karen Moe Thorton after her recent marriage. "Probably the toughest pressure on me this time is the seperation from my husband," admitted the newly-wed of three months." "Tauna Vandeweghe, the team's tallest member at 6-foot-l, qualified in the 100-meter backstroke.

Vandeweghe is trying to keep up with her family which includes her father, former New York Knick star Ernie, her mother, 1952 Miss America, Colleen Hutchins Vandeweghe; and her brother, Kiki, who has a basketball scholarship to attend UCLA next year. "Swimming has been hard for me because my family really expects alot," Tauna said. "It used to be that I was known as Ernie's daughter or Kiki's sister, but now I'm turning the tables and people are calling dad 'Tauna's Nicole Kramer, 14, is the team's youngest member as well as it's shortest (along with coach Nelson) at five at even. She finished second to Babashoff in the 800-meter freestyle Olympic trials. "My first experience with water came when I was very young." explained Kramer, who will be a high school freshman this fall.

"My mother wanted to teach me how to swim in case I fell in my swimming pool so that I would be able to get out. 'Swimming has always been fun for me, if it wasn't, I wouldn't be doing it. I don't mind missing basketball games, dances and living a normal 14-year old's life because I enjoy this more." One knowledgable observer, Donna DeVeronna, a 1964 Olympic team member and at West Point to do feature work for television network ABC, believes that the girls' team "looks like maybe one or two golds at best." "Realistically, I think that Babashoff is our only real threat, although she may be good for two or three golds herself. Other than that, Karen Moe Thorton is our only other threat," explained DeVeronna. But Olympic Coach Nelson has other plans.

"We're not going to make comparisons with other nations now, we'll make them in the water at Montreal. I do believe, though, that this is the greatest group of female swimmers ever and we're going to win some gold." By STEVE AMEDIO Staff Writer WEST POINT On a warm summer day about 10 years ago, nine-year-old Shirley Babashoff jumped into a swimming pool to "get wet." Since then, she's enjoyed being wet enough to have worked her way into her second Olympic competition and has become America's favorite for a gold medal from the women's swim team at Montreal. Babasnoff and the U.S. women swim team took time out from rigid swim practices at their West Point training base for a press conference Thursday Babashoff's idea of a good time in the pool has changed somewhat since those getting wet' days. Her goal now is to finish her swim slightly faster than anyone else.

If she can do that at Montreal, in any of the seven events she is eligible for, she'll have a gold medal "When I was 10 or 11, I swam just because I enjoyed being wet, but as I grew older my desire to excell grew and I made the Munich Olympics when I was 15." Babashoff explained. She tasted her first international success in those 1972 games, taking a pair of silver medals. But a year later, she got the sour taste of international defeat Although Babashoff finished second in both the 100 and 200-meter freestyle races at the 1973 Belgrade World Aquatic Championships, the U.S. team was defeated by emerging swim powerhouse East Germany. "I was very disappointed and lost a little interest, but I made up my mind that I would come back strong and beat the East Germans in Montreal." she said She'll get her chance, possibly seven of them if coach Jack Nelson uses her in medley races.

Babashoff has qualified for the 800-meter freestyle in world record time, the 100, 200 and 400-meter frees-tyles in U.S. record time and also the 400-meter individual medley. Yet despite the grind of travel, the pressures of competition and the countless hours in the water, Babashoff still enjoys swimming. "It's a different enjoyment now. though." she admitted.

"Now I enjoy the travel and the medals as much as the swimming. My motivation now is a gold meal, not only for myself, but for my team and for my country." She probably better explains that idea with her autographs, signed "Shirley Babashoff, Shirley Babashoff (left) of Mission Ve'o, and U.S. Women's Olympic teammate Nicole Kramer, who is from the same hometown, are all smiles during a practice break at the U.S. Military Academy pool at West Point, where the team has been training for Montreal. -UP! photo Soffball roundup Waakills rally 7-6 MIDDLETOWN The Waakills rallied for six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and held on in the face of a three-run Ontario rally in the top of the seventh to take a 7-6 decision in the Middle-town Firemen's Softball League Thursday night In the first game of the Firemen's doubleheader, Jerry Smith hurled a live-hitter and went 3-for-3 with four runs batted in to aid his own cause to drive Phoenix past Washington Heights 12-5 Losing pitcher Dick Lybolt was coasting along with a 3-1 lead until wildness in the sixth inning proved his undoing against Waakills.

Lybolt yeilded only one hit in the six-run uprising but walked seven batters and hit another with a pitch to allow the winners to bat around in the inning. Vic Vignoli went 2-for-3 to pace the Waakills. Mike Wilkin, Lybolt and Roger Weyant had two hits each for the losers Len Napo-litano picked up the win. Smith allowed Washington Heights to jump out to a three-run lead in the third inning before putting the clamps on them and securing the victory Bob Brock absorbed the loss. Ed Owens and Bill Bunning chipped in with two hits each to help Phoenix to the win Tom Leinpensel went 3-for4 in a losing cause.

Social-Ikes flush Dispos-A-Way GOSHEN Leading throughout the entire game, Social-Ikes defeated Dispos-A-Way 7-4 in a Goshen League game. Tom Lewis went 3-for-3 while driving in two runs for the Social-Ikes. Vaughn Moore also drove in two runs for the winners. Tom Alford drove in two runs for Dispos-A-Way which is now 5-4 on the season. Social-Ikes are now 6-3.

Randy Rosenburg was the winning pitcher while Art Williams took the loss. Bialas excavates Roe Brothers FLORIDA Winning pitcher Tom Pellew, Pat Pellew, Rick II-lobre and Danny Carroll had two hits apiece in leading Bialas Excavating to an 11-3 victory over Roe Brothers in a Florida League game. Gary Card was the losing pitcher. Valley Coffee Shoppe wins WALLKILL Valley Coffee Shoppe ran its record to 10-2 with an 8-3 victory over Virtis in a Wallkill League game. Dave White and Paul Vigiando had two hits apiece for the winners as did John Beattie and Wayne Romer for Virtis.

Joe Bandierio was the winning pitcher, Lou Colandrea the loser as Virtis dropped to a 1-10 record. Diaz leads Automen CHESTER A sixth inning one Electric to a 9-1 victory over Sugar out bunt single by Dennis Diaz was Loaf Mountain Supplies in a Ches- the lone hit allowed by Jim Deme- ter Senior League baseball game trious as he pitched United Auto Thursday. Eurich heads OC Speedway lineup MIDDLETOWN Red-hot Richie Eurich of Warwick will be among a field of 32 stock car drivers who'll be competing in a pair of 50-lap modified features at the Orange County Fair Speedway here Saturday night The 32 qualifers will start the first 50-lapper with all re-starts in double file. The second 50 will see a reverse start for the drivers The winner will start at the rear, the second place finisher next to him and so on. Any driver that fails to finish the first 50 laps due to mechanical trouble or accident and can be ready for the second go-round will start behind the top men at the rear Last year, Wayne Reutimann, the defending track champion, won the first 50-tapper and Don Kreitz the second.

Reutimann. who won eight features at the speedway last year, has yet to win a main event at any track this season. However. Reutimann is still among the point leaders at Orange County, sitting in fourth place behind points leader John Harroll. Jim Horton Jr who won the 100-lap Spring Championship race and older brother Emil 1 Buzzie" Reutimann Eurich is coming off feature victories at Orange County and Nazareth Speedway last weekend.

The personable 28-year-old, five-year veteran enjoyed his finest season last year at Orange County, winning three qualifying races and a 50-lap feature late in the fall. Judging by his showings last week, Eurich has regained that winning form. Eurich qualified tor the feature with a victory in the third heat at Orange County. Hank Goranson Jr. held the lead until the 17th lap at which point Eurich took over.

Wayne Reutimann went ahead of Eurich on the next lap but Eurich regained the lead for good on the next lap. Other drivers expected to cause a stir are Tom Hager. who is fifth in the point standings, Carl Tuzzy" Van Horn, Bobby Bottcher, Del Buss, Frankie Schneider, Rags Carter and Ron Goodrich of Middletown. A full program of limited sportsman racers will also accompany the card. Russ Myers, Bobby Houck and Ralph Hoetzler, who stand 1-2-3 respectively in the sportsman point standings will all be on hand Racing will begin at 6:30.

BILL BURR Still's 64 leads Milwaukee Open Results, Page 85 MILWAUKEE PI Ken Still, who won the Greater Milwaukee Open 1969. shot a sizzling 64 Thursday to come within a stroke of the course record ar.d lead an assault on par in the first day of the $130,000 golf tournament Fifty players bettered par and another 18 matched it on the 7.010-yard, par-72 Tuckaway Country Club course. Still fired two rounds of 32 to total just one over the course record 63 set by Dave Stockton three years ago. Dave Hill and Fuzzy Zoeller were two strokes back at 66 and eight golfers were tied at 67. anything he was doing wrong.

He was asked if he thcugh the course was easy "Tuckaway is no easy golf course, but scoring is easier than at a course like Butler," he said, referring to the Oakbrook, 111., monster where the Western Open was played last week. The touring pros all finished over par in that tournament. First Ward wins MIDDLETOWN First Ward edged the Lions 9-8 in the Middle-town Babe Ruth Junior Babseball League Thursday night at Watts Park. The tournament was devoid of the top names and money winners on this year's tour Lee Trevino, the only member of the PGA's top 10 money winners to enter, withdrew Th'ursdav morning with an ailing back. Still won the GMO 1969 but has only a single win since then, in 1970.

His highest finish last year was a tie for sixth in the Greater Greensboro Open. "I don't shoot 32s in pairs verv often," Still said. Still had four birdies on each nine and shot par the rest of the way He said he played 'a solid round of golf" and couldn't think of MIDDLETOWN Keun Zuleg singled home Kevin Kilcow with the potential winning run in Uie fifth inning and Andy Fishbeck collected three hits to lead the Yankees lo an 8-6 upset over the first place Mets Paul ileppes was the winning pitcher For the Mets. losing pitcher Ralph Agudo. Dick Hadden and Bill Baker all smashed homers Vinnie Tranchma and Bill Gray each banged out three hits to lead the Royals to a 13-5 triumph over the Giants Colin Smith was the winning pitcher while Dave Benedetto suffered the loss MIN1SINK VALLEY Gabe Perkowski singled home the winning mn in the fifth inning as the Yankees edged the Red Sox 10-9 Al Wesler collected Johi Wayne two hits and Matt Solma added a double for the Yankees Jerry Wetzel was the winning pitcher Tom Dow was the losing pitcher while John Kroll collected two hits and John Bums had a double and two RBIs TOWN OF WALLKILL Winning pitcher Ed Merklen and John Dunne combined lo pitch a one-hitter as Ihe Seniors blasted the Rangers 12 1 to clinch the title in a senior league contest Marty Nowak collected a homer, two doubles and three RBIs, Shawn Thomas three hits and three RBIs.

while John Dow had three hits and two RBIs in leading the Seniors to a perfect 7-0 mark Bill Grant was the losing pitcher while Bill Swen-son had the only Ranger hit,.