Souza Back in Chase for Biathlon Crown : Series: Winner of five of six events he has entered, he needs top finish Sunday at Poway.

Not for a moment did Ken Souza expect to be a factor in the 1991 Coors Light Biathlon Series.

After all, Souza, the most widely recognized name in the sport of biathlon, was half a world away, competing in Europe. He was exposed to overseas competition briefly in 1990 and decided to sample it again this year.

So how is it that a second Grand Prix series title--he won in 1989--is within reach?

“My intention was to compete in one (1991) race,” said Souza, who will compete Sunday at Poway, one stop on a 15-city tour. “I figured I’d do Denver, since it’s near where I live, to qualify for the championship and do that. But one thing led to another . . .”

And now Souza of Boulder, Colo., finds himself in a four-way hunt for the series point title and its $10,000 first prize, which will be awarded Nov. 3 in Santa Fe, N.M.

Souza has won five of the six series races he’s entered, and must have great races here and in New Mexico to pass leader Michael Tobin of Seattle, second-place Brent Steiner of Tempe, Ariz., and third-place Christopher Willis of St. Helena, Calif., all of whom have competed in more races than he and have fewer victories.

“Most of those other guys have done a lot more races then I have,” he said. “It’s kind of like end-of-the-year exams. I waited until the end, and now I’m cramming.”

But he’s in a position to teach the courses himself. At 26, Souza is a granddaddy of the sport. He moved to San Diego briefly in 1985 to immerse himself in the triathlon movement and has helped carve the history of biathlon ever since.

“It’s so neat with this sport because it’s all new,” he said. “We’re creating the history of our own sport. Looking back five years, I can’t believe how far it’s come.”

It still has far to go. After spending the better part of the past six years racing and promoting biathlons in the United States, Souza took his act to Europe . . . and liked what he saw.

“They take it much more serious over there,” he said. “They’re real good to the athletes. Here, you go to a race and you’re another sport on the totem pole. Over there, there’s good prize money, they take care of your expenses, they do a lot for the athlete. Here, they say if you don’t want to come, fine. Over there, they’ll do what they can to get you there. They seem think they’re so far behind, but really, they’re ahead of us.”

Souza chuckled when he described the European post-race treatment of a biathlete winner compared to the United States.

“Here, a volunteer will tell you to get the hell off the road,” he said. “Over there, they recognize you on the street and give you things. That’s the difference.”

Branching out beyond the Coors Light Series has helped promote the sport and kept Souza from getting complacent. But how much more it will grow, and how long he’ll keep churning out the miles, remains unknown.

“Let’s face it, I can’t do this forever,” said Souza, whose wife had their first child last spring. “I’m just now establishing myself with a home and a family. Either it will grow or it won’t. I’m being as smart about it as I can. There are other opportunities out there. A lot of other guys are just doing this series, but I won’t put all my eggs in one basket. Coors Light has been great for us, but me being at other races can help develop the sport more. If it boosts them up, it boosts the sport up.

“I feel I have a lot of years left in this sport, but when I’m my 30s, starting to get wrinkled, I don’t know if I can keep doing this. I want to take it as high as I can, and once I can’t, I hope I have enough sense to move on or work harder or be the best athlete Kenny Souza can be.”

It didn’t take Madeline (Maddy) Tormoen, the women’s points leader of the series, long to funnel her cycling and running aspirations into biathlon.

Serious knee and hamstring injuries several years ago left running a painful endeavor for Tormoen, 29. Rehabilitation for the Colorado Springs, Colo., resident included training on an indoor rowing machine, which led to a brief cycling career.

“My first competition on a rowing machine got me going again,” said Tormoen, who qualified for the Olympic Trials in the marathon in 1988 before her leg problems made it impossible for her to continue. “I wanted to get in sports again, so I biked, did some major stage races and fared pretty well.”

Tormoen moved to Berkeley from Eugene, Ore., expecting to focus on bicycle road racing. Instead, she dabbled in biathlons. Fast learner. The San Diego Coors Light stop was only her second biathlon in 1990. This year, she has won four of the 10 events she’s entered and is making Liz Downing, the two-time defending series champion and winner of three events, play catch-up. Tormoen leads the series, with Seattle’s Donna Peters in second and Downing third.

“(Tormoen’s) improved quite a bit from last year,” Downing said. “I’m not sure what caused that. It was fairly drastic.”

“I’m pretty determined,” Tormoen explained of the rapid ascent. “I’ve made some money in a very short time. I had some dreams and then when I had to quit, that was taken away. I was shocked and pretty depressed. I think I developed that determination out of a desire to express the talent I had.”

New faces on both the women’s and men’s sides have provided more excitement in a sport that has been dominated by Souza and Downing most of its short history.

The women’s field’s gotten a lot more competitive,” said Downing, 32. “A lot more women are becoming full-time biathletes. As it’s progressed, more women are devoted to it. It’s very good for the sport. In the past, some magazines have hesitated to cover us. ‘Oh, Kenny and Liz will win again.’ But now, their interest is sparked because there’s more competition.”

Since San Diego is Tormoen’s only repeat series stop, she is looking forward to Sunday’s familiar surroundings.

“I’ve been over the course, it’s the first one I’m familiar with,” said Tormoen, who has taken a second and two firsts in the past three races. “It favors me because it’s a short bike and the runs are hilly. It’s exciting and fun, but there’s pressure (to win my) fourth in a row. I have to take it as it comes. I’ve been racing real strong. I just hope I can hang on.”

Seattle’s Michael Tobin doesn’t expect to hang on too long, just long enough to have a couple good years of biathlons on his resume, help the sport from a management standpoint, then get on with his life.

“Performance-wise, I’d like to see how good I can get,” said Tobin, the men’s points leader in his first full season in the sport. “My cycling could improve and my running can always get stronger. Each race I like to give 1,200%. I’d like to get a Grand Prix win. Those are all goals.”

Tobin, 27, also would like to see biathlon get a governing body.

“There’s a good case to be made to have one,” he said. “There are some decisions that athletes aren’t being consulted on.”

Tobin won two events early in the summer before a victory in Boston late in September and is 16 points ahead of Steiner. But because of the existing points system, unless he flat-out wins the San Diego and New Mexico stops, he could be ahead of someone in the standings, finish ahead of them in the championship and still lose.

“It’s pretty complicated,” he said. “But there’s a rule that could adversely affect several of us.”

To determine the Grand Prix Series winner, biathletes’ scores from eight events are tallied with the worst finish, not the worst points finish, thrown out. This becomes an issue at the season finale, where points are worth double.

“My lowest finish is third,” Tobin said. “I can only drop a third. So, if I have one bad race it could drop me. That could hurt my sponsorship next year. The rule had already been fixed for next year, but it would have been nice if we had been consulted.”

Race official Desiree Hamilton said competitors knew the rules at the beginning of the season, but that the system is being changed for next year.

SUNDAY’S BIATHLON

What--San Diego Coors Light Biathlon, 14th stop of 15-city series tour.

Where--Poway’s Sabre Spring Business Park.

Time--7:30 a.m., Sunday. Transition area opens 6 a.m.

Who to Watch--Defending San Diego champions are Brent Steiner Tempe, Ariz. (1:07.42) and Sally Grand of Plymouth, N.H. (1:18.05). Grand Prix Series points leaders are Michale Tobin of Seattle and Maddy Tormoen of Colorado Springs, Colo. Steiner and Grand are second and fourth in the men’s and women’s points standings. Less than 100 points separate the first four women (Tormoen, Donna Peters, Liz Downing, Grand) from each other and the top four men (Tobin, Steiner, Christopher Willis, Ken Souza) are within 76 points of one another, for the closest race in the four-year history of the series, which ends Nov. 3 in Santa Fe, N.M. Local favorites include Mac Williamson of Del Mar, fifth on the men’s points leaders and Vista’s Kristi Kidwell, now of Newport Beach, who is seventh.

Course--An estimated 1,500 athletes will cover a 5K (3.1 miles) run, a 30K (18.6 miles) bike course and then another 5K run beginning in the Sabre Springs Business Park. Run: Runners head south on Evening Creek Road. Turn left and continue north on Sabre Springs Road to turn around. Head south to Poway Road to next turnaround. Return north to EC Road and turn left. Continue on EC Road to Sabre Hill Drive. Turn left and follow to turn around point, returning to EC Road. Turn left to finish area. Bike: Cyclists exit transition area turning left on Sabre Springs Road. Follow course marking onto the carpool lane. Continue on the carpool lane to turn around point and return going the same way.

Prize Money--Top three men and women finishers will receive $700, $400 and $200. Grand Prix purse goes five deep: $10,000, $6,000, $4,000, $3,000 and $2,000. Total series purse is $100,000.

Expo--Race headquarters, Marriott Mission Valley, will hold a pre-event expo Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., where late entries will be accepted. Day of race registration not available. Registration is $45 per individual, $70 per team.