Standing Up for Themselves

Eleven blind youths struggled against the waves in a water-skiing outing on Castaic Lake Wednesday, but dealing with the chop was easy next to mounting the excursion. Last month, Los Angeles County asked the Van Nuys Airport Optimist Club, which organized the outing, to pay $500 in return for allowing youths from the L. A. Braille Institute to use the lake. But the nonprofit group could not afford the fee. Club member John Romano appealed to Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who persuaded the board to waive the charge. Out on the lake, Lonnie Sampson shows ‘em how it’s done and then gets a hand back into the boat. Right, Adam Belcher and Gary Jimenez help Linda Chung get started. “The sun shone all day,” Romano said, “and the kids had a great time.”