Hawaii Beat

By Star-Bulletin Staff

Tuesday, June 1, 1999

Garcia wins surfing
heat despite injury

Hawaii surfer Sunny Garcia beat out Californian Jeff Booth in round 2 of the G-Shock ASP World Championship Tour's Quiksilver Pro Fiji today after hurting his left leg during a warm-up for the elimination heat.

Garcia strained the medial collateral ligament of his left leg on a practice run in the 4- to 5-foot sets at Cloudbreak on Tavarua Island when the lip of a wave smacked him in the knee.

He managed to surf and win his heat but wasn't certain if he'd be able to go in the third round against defending world champion Kelly Slater.

Also advancing to round 3 were Hawaii's Shawn Sutton and Conan Hayes. Fellow isle pro Andy Irons was eliminated.

Waterman award to Lopez

Hawaii surfing legend Gerry Lopez is the winner of the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association's 1999 Waterman Achievement Award.

The longtime standout of the Banzai Pipeline lineup, who appeared in classic surfing films such as "Big Wednesday" and "Five Summer Stories," will be honored on July 30th at the 10th annual Waterman's Ball at Dana Point, Calif.

Wahine Surfing Classic

China Uemura's third annual Wahine Surfing Classic will be held June 26-27 at Queens Surf Beach in Waikiki. Longboard, shortboard and bodyboard contests will begin at 7 a.m. each day.

Proceeds from the meet will benefit the Sex Abuse Treatment Center of Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children. The entry fee is $25 on or before June 18. For contest rules and registration forms, call 845-4244.

Parker to play in Philippines

Former Hawaii Pacific basketball standout Robert Parker has signed a three-year contract to play professionally for Santa Lucia of the Philippine Basketball Association.

Parker, a 6-foot-6 swing man who averaged 18.8 points per game last season to lead HPU scorers, has been playing for the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs in the United States Basketball League.

Bodybuilding contests on tap

The 21st N.P.C. Hawaiian Islands Bodybuilding Championships and Hawaii Fitness Contest will be held June 19 at the Blaisdell Concert Hall.

Prejudging will run from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon and the finals are scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

There will be Junior Hawaiian Islands, Over 35 Masters and Hawaiian Islands competition in bodybuilding and the fitness contest for women.

Guest posers will be Ronnie Coleman, Jean Pierre Fux and Vicky Gates.

Tickets are on sale at Mits' Basic Foods, Inc. (988-7887), Hawaiian Iron (677-9665) and The Gym (533-7111).

Tickets also will be sold at the Blaisdell ticket office on June 17-18 and the concert hall on June 19.

U.S., Japan ruggers unbeaten

The June 12 U.S.-Japan rugby match at Kapiolani Park will feature the two surprise sides in the six-nation Epson Cup Pacific Rim Championship series.

The U.S. and Japan are unbeaten near the halfway point in the series. The Americans (2-0) have beaten Tonga, 30-10, and Fiji, 25-14. The Japanese have downed Canada, Tonga and Samoa for a 3-0 getaway.