Area Roundup : Santa Ana’s Pfetzing to Compete in Speedway Program at Fairgrounds

Speedway motorcyclist Robert Pfetzing of Santa Ana, who finished second in the Nissan American Final last week in Long Beach, will be in the field tonight at 8 when racing resumes at the Orange County Fairgrounds at Costa Mesa.

Pfetzing rides for Bradford in the British Speedway League but has remained in Southern California for one week of racing. He will be one of five American riders competing in the Overseas Final on July 10 in Coventry, England, the next qualifying round that leads to the world championship.

Pfetzing will attempt to become only the fifth rider to beat Bobby Schwartz in a scratch main event in 12 weeks of racing at Costa Mesa. Schwartz has won seven scratch main events and 15 main events on the Southland circuit.

More than 750 athletes are expected to compete in the third annual Huntington Beach California State Triathlon, which will be held on June 26.

The field will include top professionals such as Emilio De Soto, Mike Durkin, George Hoover, Paula Newby-Fraiser and Janet Greenleaf.

The event is sponsored by the Huntington Beach Host Lions Club, with funds going to their programs for the sight and hearing impaired and for drug awareness.

The race will begin at 7 a.m. with an 800-meter swim in the ocean off Huntington Beach. A 30-kilometer bicycle race and 8-kilometer run follow.

For more information, call 546-9041.

Soccer player Ralph Guzman of La Mirada High School signed a letter of intent Wednesday to attend UC Irvine. He will be the first scholarship player in history of the sport at the university.

Guzman is a three-time All-Suburban League selection and was named All-Southern Section last year.

“The signing of Ralph to a scholarship is a significant step for our program,” Irvine Coach Derek Lawther said. “We have good community supporters who are helping us raise money to provide future scholarships.”

Irvine started its soccer program in 1984.

The Rams will hold their annual “Select-a-Seat Day” on Saturday at Anaheim Stadium. The event, which lasts from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., allows fans to pick the season ticket seats of their choice for the coming season.

Several Ram players, including quarterback Jim Everett, kicker Mike Lansford, tackle Irv Pankey, tailback Charles White and rookie running back Gaston Green, will be in attendance. The event also will feature the 1988 Ram cheerleader squad and a showing of the team’s 1987 highlight film.

The public is welcome, and admission, parking, souvenirs and refreshments will be free of charge. Fans are asked to enter the stadium near the Ram ticket offices at the northeast entrance.

Sign-ups are under way for the first session of the Des Flood Basketball Shooting Camp, which will be held June 20-24 at Western High School.

The camp, directed by Western’s basketball coach, Greg Hoffman, is open to girls and boys ages 10-17. A second session will be offered from June 27 through July 1.

For more information, call 827-9927, 826-4872 or (213) 860-0019.

The Spiker’s Cup, a co-ed volleyball tournament sponsored by the city of Brea, will be held on Saturday at Brea-Olinda High School.

The round-robin tournament will begin at 9 a.m. A $40 entry fee will be charged per team, with a limit of eight players to a team.

For more information, call 990-7775.

The inaugural Freedom Bowl Golf Challenge will be held on Monday at the Newport Beach Country Club.

The tournament kicks off Irrelevant Week, which honors the last player selected in the National Football League’s draft. Jeff Beathard of Southern Oregon State was the last player selected this year, by the Rams.

A $200 entry fee will be charged for the tournament, which includes a golf shirt and cap, continental breakfast, beverages on the course and a banquet.

For more information, call 634-1984.

Ben Davidson, a former Raider defensive lineman, will be the honorary chairman for the fifth Mission Viejo Golf Tournament on Monday at the Mission Viejo Country Club.

An entry fee of $175 will be charged for the tournament, with the proceeds benefiting the National Foundation of Wheelchair Tennis and its Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp.

Ken Forsch, formerly of the Angels, is the chairman.

The tournament begins at 9:30 a.m. with registration and a continental breakfast. A shotgun start will be at 11 a.m. After the tournament, there will be an awards dinner.

Defensive back Johnnie Johnson of the Rams has been nominated by his teammates for the Byron White Humanitarian Award. The award is presented to the NFL player who best exemplifies the spirit of Supreme Court Justice White, a former NFL player.

Johnson is on the board of directors of the American Cancer Society and donates his time in memory of former teammate Kirk Collins, who died of cancer in 1984.

The winner will be announced at the 22nd Mackey awards banquet in Chicago.

A.C. Green, James Worthy, Kurt Rambis and Michael Cooper of the Lakers will be among the guest speakers at the second Byron Scott basketball camp scheduled for July 18-22 at Estancia High School in Costa Mesa.

Scott will serve as the camp’s co-director along with Tim O’Brien, Estancia coach. The camp is open to boys and girls ages 8-18 with a limit on the number of youngsters enrolled. The registration fee is $300 for day campers and $400 for overnight campers.

For further information, telephone O’Brien at 760-3375.

Larry Sunderman, assistant basketball coach at UC Irvine, will host the fourth Eagle basketball camp from June 27-July 1, from 12:30 to 3 p.m., at Estancia High School in Costa Mesa.

The camp is open to boys and girls ages 8-17 and will emphasize the fundamentals of basketball. A 32-minute game is scheduled each day, and guest speakers will lecture.

The camp fee is $65 before Monday and $75 afterward. For information, call Jeff Gibbs or Deanna Read at 642-1569.