West Water Polo Team Wins as National Sports Festival Ends

Sports Festival VI receded into memory Sunday night, but before surrendering the torch to Houston for 1986, it finally got around to passing out a gold medal to its most dominate team.

Indeed, the West Coast beach boys, who brought their brand of ball to the bayou last week and then won seven straight matches, including an 8-6 victory over the South in the water polo gold medal game, were the closest thing to a lock the 12-day athletic celebration had to offer.

Unless of course, you count the wrestling Schultz brothers, Dave and Mark, who each pummeled three opponents en route to the top of the medal stand.

But in the water, the rest of the United States is only seeing the tail end of California’s impressive wake.

“The programs out there are just doing a great job,” said West Coach Richard Azevedo, who also coaches at Bellflower’s St. John Bosco High School. “Plus, look at the NCAA schools. When a kid comes out of high school, he can go play polo at any one of about 30 schools in California. The rest of the country--North, East and South--has maybe 20 total.”

Eleven members of the 13-man squad are on the national team, including Sunday’s top scorer, Scott Thornton, formerly of UCLA.

“Our depth is always the difference,” said Thornton, whose team beat the runner-up South a total of three times in round robin and medal play. “All of our players are good. This wasn’t a pressure competition for us. We had fun.

“But tonight, I guarantee you everyone wanted to win.”

The West has won five of six gold medals in Festival play, failing to win the top prize only in 1982, when the East surprised the field.

Although the South stayed close Sunday, the issue was never in doubt. In fact, it was never in doubt as far back as last Thursday when the West first jumped into the water.

“It’s our sport,” said 6-8 Doug Kimbell, who held the tournament’s leading scorer, Jeff Campbell of UC Irvine, to two goals. “It’s outside, it’s in the water and there are pools everywhere.

“California is the hotbed. No doubt about it.”

The saber is a modern version of a cavalry sword. Points are awarded for touches and can be scored with the point and back edge of the blade.

Sometimes, Steve Mormando, a 6-2, 180-pounder from Jersey City, N.J., does more than just touch an opponent. It’s more like 40 lashes from Captain Bligh.

Said one disgruntled competitor: “I don’t want you to use my name, but I think he enjoys the brutality, he uses it as a way to intimidate. “

Mormando, a 1984 Olympian nearly came to blows with Bob Cottingham in a wild 12-10 quarterfinal bout. After the match, Mormando, not pleased with the judging, threatened judge Bob Edgington.

In his next bout, Mormando didn’t need to resort to violence. However, his size alone appeared to intimidate Paul Friedberg, 5-7, 145, who went quickly and quietly, 10-4.

That set up a gold-medal showdown with Peter Westbrook, the 1984 Olympic bronze medalist and the first American to capture a medal in 24 years.

It was expected to be a donnybrook because on Saturday, in the team competition, an inadvertent blow from Mormando’s saber, pushed Westbrook’s mask into his face, turning his lip into a bloody, swollen mess.

The usually docile Westbrook retaliated minutes later, a strong forearm sending Mormando to the floor.

But in Sunday’s final, the intensity level was well below the boiling point since the two men laughed and clowned through the bout, Westbrook of New York rallying to win, 10-8.

“I like it when Steve becomes a showman and gets involved with the crowd,” Westbrook said. “He’s less intense and not as physical, so that gives me an advantage. Sometimes he gets a little too intense and we have to settle him down. That’s just his style.”

Ask the man himself.

“Yes, I’m the bad boy,” Mormando said. “But today if you noticed there was only one guy really yelling out for Pete. See, I felt good today. I didn’t think I needed the extra level. On another day, when I get mad, the crowd will be booing me, Peter will be mad, everybody’s mad at me. This way I almost snuck the bout away from him.

“But I didn’t mean to hurt Peter yesterday. He’s one of the best in the U.S. and he’s my friend. If I hurt him I’m cutting my own throat cause we work against each other all the time.

“People who talk about courtesy don’t know this sport. This is a fighting sport, not a gentleman’s afternoon. In a way it’s a bout to the death. I’m more reserved in my individual matches, because it’s just for me. But in team, I’d fence God and go tooth to tooth with him.”

In the women’s foil, Santa Monica’s Margo Miller, seeded eighth, edged No. 1 Sharon Monplaisir in the quarterfinals, 10-9, and went on to win the gold medal.

“I missed a lot yesterday,” Miller said. “Today, I just told myself I wasn’t going to miss.”

Rob Stull, the fourth-place finisher in the modern pentathlon, ran 4,000 meters Sunday morning to conclude that competition, He was then driven 11 miles to the Centroplex, where he won the gold medal in the epee. Since it was only 12:30, he was asked what he planned to do the rest of the day.

“One of the doctors was joking with me before,” said Stull of Austin, Tex. “He was wondering if I could make weight at 143 for the boxing.”

Betsy Visniski of Thousand Oaks put on an engaging performance in the synchronized swimming, winning the individual gold with a total of 176.63 points.

Visniski, 21, enjoyed the trip to the victory stand.

“It was amazing,” said the Ohio State student. “I didn’t know what to do. I wondered what it would be like to be up there, but it was something I had never experienced. I could deal with staying there.”

Festival Notes Observations from the sidelines: The most dominating athlete: Dickey Chado, leader of the West’s unbeaten roller hockey team. He is the Wayne Gretzky of the sport. Said South goalie Marc Beall: “If you rank players in the U.S. on a scale of 1 to 100, he’s 100. The next guys is like a 90 or an 80. He can do everything, offense, defense. You name it, he does it.” . . . Coolest athlete: Archer Darrell Pace, no nerves, no blood pressure, a remarkably accurate machine. Seiko should give him an ad. . . . Most electrifying moment: Van Nuys’ figure skater Chris Bowman, whose long program last Sunday drew a standing ovation from the Centroplex crowd.