THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 9, 1995 TAG: 9506090680
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Short : 38 lines
The second annual Virginia Beach Sand Soccer Kickout has moved into national status this year as the North American Sand Soccer Championships.
The first year saw 28 teams compete in the inaugural event. This year, more than 125 teams are expected to compete this weekend on the beach between 5th and 12th streets. Teams - fielding four field players and a keeper - will compete on 12 fields in divisions ranging from youth through adults.
A special memorial division will feature youth teams from Princess Anne and Cox high schools playing in honor of Ryan Smith of Princess Anne and Matthew Fidler of Cox. The two died last year in a scuba diving accident in the Bahamas.
Of the six tournaments held in the United States, this weekend's event is the largest in the country, according to sponsor Umbro - an international soccer outfitter.
``(Co-director Bob Gerling and I) are just delighted with the incredible turnout for this year's event,'' Dick Whalen said. ``We put someone in charge of each division and sent them out to beat the bushes for entries.
``We tried to invite several winners from other tournaments to make this a true championship, but met with some difficulty in that the other events didn't want to give out their mailing lists. Still, the word got around, and we've just got a tremendous turnout.''
The event - co-sponsored by the Virginia Beach Rotary Club and Beach FC Travel Soccer Club - is staged to help raise funds for the Hampton Roads Soccer Council's regional soccer complex. The memorial division will specifically raise funds for a field to be named in honor of Fidler and Smith. by CNB