Loose ends

There were some big goings on for two Huntington Beach women at the

recent Senior Olympics held in Baton Rouge, La. Floor Play, a volleyball

team consisting of several ambitiousladies, including Surf City’s Joyce

Bustrum and Susan Sizlo, won the bronze in the 50-54 age group. Floor

Play went 6-1 in match play to earn 3rd place. The Senior Olympics

attracted more than 10,000 athletes ranging in age from 50 to 101.

* * *

Five local athletes -- Chad Fernandez, Carlos de Andrade, Allan Cooke,

Mike Metzger and Stephen Murray -- are getting ready to depart for

Providence, R.I. for the Summer Gravity Games scheduled for Sept. 1-9.

More than 250 athletes are expected at the sports, lifestyle and music

festival that will air later this fall on NBC.

Fernandez and de Andrade will compete in the skateboard event, Cooke

has qualified to compete in both bike dirt and bike street competitions,

Metzger will participate in the freestyle motocross event and Murray will

join Cooke in the bike dirt event.

It will be the third appearance for de Andrade at the Gravity Games.

He placed fourth in the 1999 and 2000 skateboard street competition.

The more than 250 athletes competing will come from 17 countries.

Events include aggressive in-line skating, bike, downhill skateboarding,

freestyle motocross, skateboarding, street luge and wakeboarding.

Gravity Games’ Andy Erbelding said that last year’s summer games drew

nearly 370,000 spectators and was nationally televised on NBC. He added

that the games are the most-attended, highest rated action sports event

in the world.

* * *

The 2001 Huntington Beach Pro/Am Surf Series is winding down, with

just two events left on the competition slate. Up next is a Sept. 15-16

one-star event to be held at the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier.

The division championships event will take place Oct. 27-28 at 1st Street

and the south side of the pier.

* * *

The wave of momentum continues in September as the Rip Curl Pro hits

Newport Beach Sept. 5-9. The five-day event will draw some top surfing

talent including several Huntington Beach surfers. Surf City’s Ryan

Simmons heads the top 10 in the current men’s shortboard standings that

also includes Dean Randazzo, Pat O’Connell, Bron Heussenstamm, Jeff

Deffenbaugh, David Pinto, Benjamin Severson, Mike Todd, Chris Ward and

Jason Senn.

Women’s shortboard standings are comprised of Julia Christian, Holly

Beck, Amber Puha, Nicole Grodesky, Jayme Gee, Liz Motshagen, Kyla Langen

and Lizbeth Diaz.

Longboard, open to men and women, has Josh Mohr, Colin McPhillips,

Josh Baxter, Brendan White, Travis Northy, Michael Detemple, Steve Newton

and Mike Gee making up the top eight.Competition will take place at 56th

Street in Newport Beach.

* * *

Just a reminder: All-star games will be played at Coast 2 Coast Inline

Hockey Center in Huntington Beach Sept. 1-3. It marks the first time that

All-star competition has been held at the busy center.

* * *

Just a reminder, part 2: the prep sports season begins in full force

beginning next week.

* MIKE SCIACCA is a staff writer. He can be reached at o7

[email protected] .