Federal Way’s Jurca finishes third at Portland race

Federal Way race car driver David Jurca, 23, finished third at the third round of the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup in Portland last weekend. After qualifying sixth, Jurca focused on keeping his Pignataro Volkswagen clean diesel Jetta out of trouble in order to gain valuable points in his quest for the series championship.

With finishes of fourth and first in the previous two Jetta TDI Cup races, Jurca came to Portland as the series point leader. By finishing third, Jurca extended his points lead from three points to 17 points.

“The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup is proving to be a very competitive series,” said Jurca. “There was a lot going on, people banging wheels and I was just trying to be patient. I hung around in the top five for a little while during the race. At the end I made my moves and I got to the podium and it was great.

“This was a local race for me, with my family and friends in attendance and to have a strong result was very gratifying.”

In the end, the winner of the race series will be awarded $100,000 from Volkswagen to aid them in their next steps as a professional racer. An additional $150,000 will be given to the winner if he or she signs a contract with a professional level team within six months of winning the Jetta TDI Cup series.

All drivers in this innovative race participated using factory prepared and managed 2009 Jetta TDI clean-diesel vehicles powered by a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder TDI engine.

The next race in the series will take place on Aug. 15–17 at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn. The Jetta TDI Cup series, the first all clean-diesel race series, is sanctioned by the SCCA Pro Racing, Inc. and Volkswagen of America, Inc.

For more information on Jurca’s racing career, visit www.davidjurca.com.

• The Federal Way United Reign ‘97 Purple girls soccer team recently won the Adidas Beaverton Cup in Oregon. The Reign finished 5-1 for the tournament and beat California’s CASA Boca ‘97 in the title game, 1-0. The win over CASA Boca ‘97 came after the California team beat the Reign, 2-0, during pool play. They also beat FC Portland Jade, 7-0, Cascade FC Fusion, 6-0, and Westside Metros, 3-2.

The team The team is coached by Aaron Kimura, with Angela Lee team trainer and Lexie Lee team mascot. The team that traveled to Beaverton included Cassidy Lane, Emma Lynch, Samantha Cheever, Madison Deschamps, Piper Hutchinson, Claudia Ahsmann, Rachel Wolf, Morgan Weaver, Riley Burks, Makaylie Moore, Hannah Kimura, Torey Tompkins, Kaisa Rogalla, Emily Randall, Alyssa Beach, Chaise Cole and Jenae Arnold. The team is coached by Aaron Kimura, with Angela Lee as team manager and Lexie Lee as team mascot.

• The Federal Way under-11 Storm program is in need of a few boys soccer players. The Storm is currently seeking players to fill out rosters on the following teams: Storm 97 White, Storm 97 Black, Storm 98 Platinum, and Storm 98 Silver. If your son is interested in playing in the 97 program, he must not be older than 11 years of age. For further information, contact Eric Poorvielt at (206) 353-3517. If your son is 10 years old and interested in playing at a competitive level of soccer, contact John Yorke at jyorke3@aol.com.

• The Tacoma-Pierce County Volleyball Officials Board is in need of individuals who are interested in officiating middle school, junior high, senior high, college, and recreation department volleyball matches throughout Pierce County. A comprehensive training program, starting Aug. 25, is offered for all new officials and the opportunities to advance in the organization are extensive.

For students, retirees, or former athletes looking to re-connect with a sport, officiating high school and middle school sports is also an excellent way to earn some extra income and provide a great service to the teams. Registration is due no later than Aug. 22.

For additional information on becoming a volleyball official, visit www.tpcvob.com or contact Marc Blau at (253) 848-1360 or blaumarc@qwest.net or John Wohn at (253) 272-8543 or jwohn@yahoo.com.

• The Western Washington Football Officials Association is looking for candidates to begin officiating in the 2008 season. No experience is necessary and officials are paid. Training meetings will begin on July 29. For more information, call Jan Wolcott at (253) 826-2460 or e-mail jswol@comcast.net.

• Water Polo has returned to the Marine Hills Pool. Marine Hills Pool brings water polo to boys and girls ages 8 to 18, who are able to swim 50 yards.

Practices are held at the pool Mondays and Wednesdays from 8 to 9:30 p.m. with preseason scrimmages scheduled for Saturday mornings. Regular season play begins in August. Coach Peter Larsen is currently offering a free two-day trial to anyone interested in learning more about the sport. The water polo team is open to the public.

The Marine Hills Swim and Tennis Club is located at 600 S. 302nd St. in the Marine Hills neighborhood.

For more information, call the Marine Hills Swim and Tennis Club at (253) 839-4960 or visit the Web site at www.marinehillspool.org.

• Thirty-five stakes races worth over $2.3 million will be run at Emerald Downs in Auburn, including the $300,000 Longacres Mile on Aug. 17. The minimum stakes purse is a record $50,000, up from $45,000 last year.

During live racing (April 18-September 28), the $5 fee includes access to the first five levels of the stadium, the Paddock and Park. Kids 17 and under get in free and kids 13 and under must be accompanied by parent or guardian. You must be 18+ to wager.

Preferred parking is $5, while valet parking is $10. Parking in the general lot is free.

Live racing will take place Friday through Sunday through April 25 and will switch from Thursday through Sunday through Sept. 28. Racing starts at 6 p.m. on weekdays and 2 p.m. on weekends.

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