ROUNDUP : After 9 Tries, Still No Gold for Schulte

Scott Schulte’s ninth U.S. Olympic Festival ended just like the other eight--without a gold medal.

Schulte, a water polo player from Mahwah, N.J., came away with a silver medal Wednesday when the West beat the East, 6-5. He has now attended nine festivals without winning it all.

“Probably now I’m coming back,” said Schulte, an investment broker who has five silver medals and four bronze medals. “Right now I’d say yes. If you ask me in three months, the answer might be different.”

In boxing, U.S. champion Steve Johnston of Denver lost a 4-1 decision to Ronald Wright of St. Petersburg, Fla., in the 139-pound match.

Wright, who has only been fighting for two years--nine fewer than Johnston--had lost to Johnston in the semifinals of this past winter’s championships.

“I came down with the flu (at the championships) and didn’t dance around like I did tonight,” Wright said. “I told him I’d get him back.”

Two controversial 3-2 decisions elicited boos from the crowd at the St. Paul Civic Center.

Jaime Lerma of Waco, Tex., lost to Patrick Byrd of Flint, Mich., at 147 pounds even though he dominated the third round. And at 112 pounds, 16-year-old Juan Delgado of Ft. Worth, Tex., appeared to have the upper hand but lost to Marcel Brown of Philadelphia.

Delgado, whose uncle, Ricardo Delgado, won the 112-pound gold medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, was so upset that tears welled up in his eyes and he could barely speak.

Heavyweight James Johnson of Lawrence, Mass., beat Randal Crippen of Stanford, Mich., 5-0, despite being docked a point because of horseplay in the ring.