San Diego PAL Meet Offers Chance to Catch Some Rising Stars : Track and field: Pacific Southwest AAU Track and Field Championships give youngsters an opportunity to compete.

Trying to rejuvenate what has been called a dying sport, the San Diego Police Athletic League holds the annual Pacific Southwest AAU Track and Field Championships today and Saturday at Poway High for youths age 10 through 18.

An indication that the task will be a difficult one came in the number of entries, about 280 compared to over 300 a year ago.

Two athletes who competed in last weekend’s CIF State Track and Field Championships at Cerritos College headline the entry list.

University City’s Paul Turner, who placed fifth in the 100 meters at the state meet, will run the 100 and 200 meters, and Monica Henderson, who anchored Morse’s 400-meter relay team to a fifth-place finish at the state meet, will compete in the 100, 200 and long jump.

The meet is a qualifier for the Regional Championships to be held next month in Porterville. The next step is the AAU National Championships scheduled for early August in Rochester, Minn.

There are several area youths expected to post national-caliber times this weekend.

The Mustang Track Club will enter two 400-meter relay teams trying to make it to the next level of competition. Last year, the club’s Midget Division (ages 11-12) relay team placed fourth at the National championships with a time of 51.85. The winning time was 50.84.

This year, two boys from that quartet--Elliot Walker and Leonard Starks--moved up to the Youth Division (13-14) and will team up with Marvin Abbitt and Jeff Sleichter.

Meanwhile, the remaining two members, Michael Murphy and Anthony Martin will compete with John Roberts and Lamar Ballinger to try and retain their top-five national standing.

Two other sprinters--Louis Carter and Lydell Burston of Alexander’s Lightning Express--are expected to post top times in the Intermediate Division in every sprint event up to and including the 800 meters.

Last year, Carter, then a Youth Division competitor, placed fourth in the 400 meters at the national meet with a time of 51.84.

Despite the presence of several rising stars, coaches of youth track are having difficulty attracting athletes to the sport.

“You have a situation where kids are seeing a lot of (collegiate) programs being canceled,” said Rudy Walker of the Mustang Track Club. “So it is tough. But you try to stress speed being a commodity that sells. What they get out of track will help them in football, basketball, soccer, or whatever they want to play later on.”

The meet begins today with preliminary heats at 4 p.m. Finals begin Saturday at 8:30 a.m.