Orange County Roundup : Speedway Races Have a British Accent
British Speedway League stars Sam Ermolenko and John Cook will be on the program tonight for the weekly motorcycle races at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. Gates open at 6:30 with the first race scheduled for 8.
Ermolenko finished third in the World Final last year in England, losing a runoff to Danish riders Erik Gundersson and Hans Nielsen. He was second in the scratch main event last week and fifth in the handicap main, despite having to adjust from the quarter-mile tracks in England to the tiny, 190-yard oval at Costa Mesa.
Cook is a veteran overseas rider who began his career on the Northern California circuit. He won the American Final last year at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach, defeating the top American riders in the first qualifying round for the world championship.
More than 30 sports celebrities, including Nolan Cromwell, George Andrews, Bill Bain, Pat Haden, Lawrence McCutchen and Jerry Quarry, will be on hand for the John Robinson/Jet America Celebrity golf tournament Monday at the Newport Beach Country Club.
Signups are at 11:30 a.m. and tee-off (shotgun start) is at 1 p.m. Entry fee is $150, with all proceeds going to the American Diabetes Assn. Entires will be accepted up to the morning of the event. For more information, call the American Diabetes Assn. at 261-0421.
El Modena football Coach Bob Lester, who retired following the 1985 season, and longtime assistants Dale Arambel and Bob Radford will be honored Saturday night at a retirement dinner and roast at the Inn at the Park in Anaheim.
A no-host bar is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7:30 and the roast at 8. Vanguard assistant Glen Lukenbill and former El Modena assistant Tom Shine, now a coach at Rancho Santiago College, are the emcees for the evening.
Lester spent 20 years as the head coach at El Modena, compiling a 157-58-8 record and winning three Southern Conference championships. In two decades, he had only two losing seasons at the school. Radford spent 20 years, and Arambel spent 18 years on Lester’s staff.
A tribute to Edison High School football Coach Bill Workman is scheduled for June 6 at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach.
Workman resigned as the Chargers’ coach following the 1985 season to accept a similar position at Orange Coast College. During his 13-year career, Workman led the Chargers to a 109-33-5 record, seven league titles and three CIF Southern Section championships.
Graduated players, parents and boosters are invited to attend the dinner. Tickets are priced at $19.50 and reservations can be made by calling 962-1356.
More than 100 of the nation’s top professional and amateur jet ski racers are expected to compete in the $5,000 Western Jet Ski Nationals at Long Beach Marine Stadium on May 25-26.
The two-day event will feature slalom, freestyle and closed course racing. Qualifying and novice finals are scheduled for Sunday with pro, expert and womens’ finals set for Monday.
Registration is scheduled from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday at the Edgewater Hyatt Hotel and from 7 a.m. to 9:30 on Sunday at the race site. Action begins both days at 10.
Proceeds from the race will benefit the Long Beach Lion’s Club. Admission is free each day with a $2 fee for parking.
Around the Area: Orange Coast College freshman outfielder Joey James was voted the Player of the Year in the South Coast Conference. James hit .450 with 18 home runs and 78 RBIs to lead the Pirates the SCC title. Five other Pirates--pitchers Sam August and Longo Garcia, catcher Paul Ellison, third baseman Rob Gibbs and designated hitter Dave Staton--were voted to the first team. Second-place Rancho Santiago put three players on the first team--pitcher Mike Schwabe, first baseman Ruben Gonzalez and second baseman Steve Scarsone. Fullerton pitcher Jim Bennett, third baseman Jeff Oberdank and outfielder Mike Alvarez also earned first-team honors. Mark Baca and Jim Jackle of Cypress and Keith Kaub of Golden West complete the first team.