New Professional Surfing Tour to Open With San Onofre Event

The first stop of the newly organized Professional Surfing Tour of America begins today at San Onofre State Beach with the men’s qualifying heats.

The six-day contest, with a $10,000 purse, is still accepting entry forms. Deadline for the men’s is noon today, and Friday morning for the women. The contest does not include longboarding or bodyboarding.

Some of the local pros expected to compete are Jeff Deffenbaugh of Huntington Beach, Ian McPhillips of Capistrano Beach and Benji and Simon Severson of San Clemente. Holly Beck of Palos Verdes will lead the women. The men’s and women’s finals will be Sunday.

The tour’s next stop will be at Seaside Reef in Cardiff, Aug. 16-22. From there its on to Oceanside (July 21-26), Morro Bay (Oct. 26-31), San Francisco (Nov. 16-21) and Molokai Ranch, Hawaii (Dec. 1-5).

MOTOR RACING

* Gualter Salles will continue to drive for the Santa Ana-based All American Racers for at least two more weeks, team owner Dan Gurney said Monday.

Salles will race Sunday in Toronto, and July 25 at Michigan.

Gurney said no plans exist for Salles beyond July 25, when the CART FedEx Championship Series has a one-week break before continuing with three races in three weeks.

It will bring to five races that Alex Barron has not driven Gurney’s Eagle 997 chassis. Barron was replaced after seven races.

In Barron’s absence, Salles finished 20th Sunday at Elkhart Lake, Wis., but turned the fastest lap among the Toyota-powered cars before losing an engine.

In his other races for AAR, Salles finished 27th at Portland and 13th at Cleveland.

Barron became Gurney’s sole driver this season. He finished a career-best ninth at Nazareth, Pa., in the year’s fourth race, and also had finishes of 14, 15, 16 and 17. His best qualifying effort was 10th, at Milwaukee, in his last race; he finished 14th.

WATER POLO

* Garrett Gentry, a senior at Corona del Mar High, has been named to the U.S. youth water polo team that will play Canada in an exhibition game at noon Saturday during the UPS Cup at Corona del Mar High.

Gentry will be joined on the team by juniors Josh Hewko of San Clemente and Ted Peck of University. The team is coached by Jason Lynch of Capistrano Valley.

TRAMPOLINE

* Jenny Parilla successfully defended one of her three national titles at the Trampoline and Tumbling National Championships that ended Sunday in Anaheim.

Parilla, 18, of Lake Forest and competing for Southern California Trampoline, was the gold medal winner in the women’s Elite double mini, an event in which the athlete alternates between two small trampolines.

Parilla and Jennifer Sans, 19, of Apple Valley, Minn., earned the third-place bronze medal in the synchronized finals.

In the premier discipline, individual, Nicole Basanda, 20, of Aliso Viejo, won the silver medal in women’s Elite. Sans won the event, which will be a medal sport in the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, with a 96.6 total, better than Basanda’s 93.0. Sans also won the title from 1992-96.

Parilla, the defending champion, finished 14th after making a mistake in the compulsories.

In the girls’ Junior Elite division, Sherylan Smith, 12, of Lake Forest took third in individuals, Ashleigh Powalski, 14, of Mission Viejo took fourth, and Rachel Adrig, 12, of Irvine took sixth.

Smith was 10th in Junior Elite double mini.

Adrig and Louise Lurner, 12, of Irvine were second in Junior Elite synchronized competition. Smith and Powalski finished eighth.

Nick Marlin, 16, of Laguna Beach, was the gold medalist for the Junior Elite boys’ individual title, and Mission Viejo’s Peter Dodd, 16, finished fourth. Sean McBride, 12, of Huntington Beach was ninth.

Marlin, who also took third place in the Junior Elite double mini, teamed with Dodd to win the Junior Elite Synchronized division. McBride and Tanner Griggs were third.

Rachelle Pfeifer, of Rancho Santa Margarita, was the only local Junior Olympic winner, taking the trampoline title in the 13-14 age grouping.

In age group competition, local national champions were:

Level 9, female--Janelle Sanderson (11-12), Coto de Caza, double mini.

Level 5, female--Danielle Schwartz (11-12), Rancho Santa Margarita, double mini; Kelsey Bebout (6 and under), Mission Viejo, double mini.

Level 5, male--Taylor Riggs (11-12), Mission Viejo, trampoline.