Area Roundup : Olympians Headline Track Meet Saturday at UC Irvine

American record-holders Steve Scott, Henry Marsh and Ramona Pagel headline the list of former and current Olympians expected to compete at the U.S. Pre-Olympic track and field meet Saturday at UC Irvine.

The meet, which begins with the field events at 2 p.m. and running events at 4, is the second of four pre-Olympic meets sponsored by the U.S. Olympic Committee and The Athletics Congress.

Scott, a three-time U.S. Olympic team member and the American record-holder in the mile (3 minutes 47.69 seconds), will compete in the 3,000 meters against Marsh, a four-time Olympian and American record-holder in the steeplechase (8:09.17).

Pagel, who made the U.S. team last month in the women’s discus and shotput, will compete in the discus Saturday. Pagel is the American record-holder in the shotput at 66-feet 2 1/2-inches.

Other U.S. Olympians expected to compete include discus thrower Mac Wilkins, 37, the Olympic gold medalist in 1976 and silver medalist in 1984; high jumpers Trish King and Louise Ritter; pole vaulter Billy Olsen and 400-meter hurdler LaTanya Sheffield.

Athletes from Ireland, the Bahamas, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Malaysia and Antigua also are expected to compete.

Admission to the meet costs $5.

Bobby Schwartz of Costa Mesa, the leading qualifier for the U.S. speedway motorcycle championship, will meet Mike Faria in a special match race when racing resumes at 8 tonight at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa.

Schwartz, 32, swept the fourth round of qualifying Saturday at Victorville, scoring 21 points to raise his total to 80. The final qualifier is scheduled Sept. 16 at Costa Mesa. Steve Lucero of Riverside is second with 74 points, followed by Dubb Ferrell of Whittier with 52.

The top 14 riders will join Sam Ermolenko of Cypress and Robert Pfetzing of Santa Ana in the championship Oct. 8 at the Orange County Fairgrounds.

Schwartz, the 1986 national champion, continued to dominate racing at Costa Mesa last week by winning his 10th scratch main event in 19 weeks.

Faria has returned to Southern California from the British Speedway League for two weeks of racing. Faria is the leading candidate for rookie of the year honors in the league.

Ivan Stewart and Roger Mears, two of the most successful truck drivers in off-road racing history, will serve as grand marshals for the second California Truck Jamboree scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Sunday at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa.

Mears has a record 20 victories in the SCORE Off-Road World Championships. Stewart was the first competitor to win the Baja 1000 driving solo.

The show also will feature some nationally famous monster trucks, including “The Barbarian,” “Monster Van” and “So High.”For more information, call 364-1745.

Competitive skimboarding returns to Laguna Beach Saturday and Sunday with the 12th annual Victoria Skimboards Laguna Open at Aliso Beach Pier.

The location is considered prime for skimboarding because of its steep incline bounded by rocks and reefs. Skimboarding combines the skills of surfing, skateboarding and diving to perform a series of moves, including a 360-degree spin, precision tube ride or double back flip.

Contestants will compete in seven different age and skill divisions.

Thirteen from Woodbridge and Corona del Mar high schools will travel to the Orient Sunday for two weeks of international soccer competition.

The team, which includes seniors Greg Dalton, Marcus Kocmur, Sohan Mutucumarana and Michael Pickart, all from Corona del Mar, will compete in tournaments at Beijing, China and Hong Kong. The teams, with players age 14-17, will return to the Los Angeles Sept. 4.