Rast’s Trip to Soviet Union Raises Eligibility Questions

Southern Section officials are trying to determine what effect a trip to the Soviet Union in January had on the eligibility of a member of Royal High’s championship soccer team.

Senior Cam Rast, who is also a member of the U. S. Olympic Committee Junior National team, played in Royal’s 1-0 victory over Newbury Park on Friday for the 4-A Division title.

Dean Crowley, Southern Section associate commissioner, said that officials learned Tuesday that Rast played in the Soviet Union with the Olympic team for two weeks during the season.

According to Southern Section bylaws, a player becomes ineligible if he competes on an outside team in the same sport during the season of that sport.

Crowley said that officials originally denied, then approved on appeal, Rast’s request to travel to Guatemala on Feb. 26 to play with the Olympic team. But all correspondence between Royal officials and the Southern Section office, Crowley said, began in February. Rast returned from the Soviet Union in mid-January.

“It’s news to me,” Crowley said.

Administrator Karen Hellyer said the Southern Section staff will review the case this week.

“We’re just starting to evaluate it right now,” Hellyer said. “It’s going to take a few days. We don’t rush into these things.”

Rast and Royal Coach Peter Schraml declined comment. Royal Principal Dave Jackson, whose first day at Royal was Feb. 1, said he will investigate the incident and send the findings of his report to the Southern Section office within the next few days.

Southern Section officials declined to speculate on what effect an ineligibility ruling would have on Royal’s soccer championship.