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Local

Special Olympics event this weekend

AUSTINTOWN — In celebration of MRDD Awareness Month, the Mahoning County MRDD Special Olympics and the Mahoning County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities are teaming up to showcase the area’s Special Olympics basketball teams in the Mahoning Valley Classic.

The tournament runs Friday through Sunday at Leonard Kirtz School in Austintown. Games will be bracket-style to highlight the accomplishments of special athletes and promote the MRDD Awareness Month theme of “Just like You.”

Friday’s games are 6:30 and 8 p.m.; Saturday play is at 10 a.m. and noon; and the championship Sunday is at 3 p.m.

Women’s senior event upcoming

BOARDMAN — The 17th annual senior tournament of the Youngstown USBC Women’s Bowling Association will be the weekend of April 4-5.

The dates and times are April 4 at 2 p.m. and April 5 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Camelot Lanes.

Entry forms are available at local bowling centers. Entry fee of $15 should be made payable to the Youngstown-Salem USBC Women’s Senior Tournament and mailed before March 27 to Betty Kana, 2936 Eddie Street, Youngstown 44509.

Each first-place division winner will receive first-place prize money, plus a paid entry into the 18th annual senior tournament in 2010.

Winner Logistics Transportation Systems, West Side Pizza Joe’s and C-G Pro Shop are sponsors of the senior event, which has five divisions.

Women’s 9-pin no-tap event set

CANFIELD — The Youngstown-Salem USBC Women’s Bowling Association’s 10th annual 9-pin no-tap handicap tournament for women and men will be at Amron Lanes in April.

No-tap permits a nine-count during the first ball of any frame to register as a strike.

Entry fee per person is $16 ($64 per team) and should be mailed to the association office by April 14. There will be two women’s divisions and two divisions for men and women mixed teams.

The four-person team event tournament starts the weekend of April 17-19, then concludes the following weekend.

Army vet Crago winter clinic signee

SNOWMASS VILLAGE, Colorado. — Don Crago of Lowellville has registered to participate in the 23rd National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, March 29-April 3.

Crago, an Army veteran, is affiliated with the Cleveland VA Medical Center.

The clinic promotes rehabilitation by teaching downhill and cross-country skiing to vets with significant physical or visual impairments. Veterans are also introduced to other adaptive activities such as rock climbing, scuba diving and sled hockey, and can attend educational workshops.

Marrow, Wright sign with Erie

ERIE — Former South High standout Ray Marrow and former Campbell Memorial athlete Anthony Wright recenty signed to play with the Erie River Rats of the American Indoor Football Association.

Erie’s game is Sunday in Baltimore against the Mariners.

Marrow and Wright, both living in Youngstown, will play lineman and quarterback, respectively, for the River Rats, formerly nicknamed the Invaders and Freeze..

The two are also members of the minor league Steel Valley Hardhats team. Wright is a 6-3, 290 lineman and Marrow is a 6-4 signal-caller, who played for the Mahoning Valley Thunder at the end of the 2008 season.

HOF applications

YOUNGSTOWN — Application forms for 2009 for the Greater Youngstown Bowling Association’s Hall of Fame are available at local centers or by contacting the GYBA at (330) 758-8367.

Applications must be submitted by March 17.

Renegades tryout at Crestview High

COLUMBIANA — The Crestview Renegades, a newly formed semi-pro football team in the Grassroots Football League, will conduct a open combine/tryout Sunday at Crestview High School, 44100 Crestview Rd.

The combine’s drills will include dashes, shuttles, bench and vertical.

Proper gear for lifting and running drills is necessary. Registration begins at 12:30 p.m.

For more, contact GM Colin Durina (330) 398-1122 or coach Ed Ondrey (330) 502-3147.

nation

Detroit’s Bing retracts MBA claim

DETROIT — Mayoral candidate and former NBA great Dave Bing said Wednesday it was “not correct” when he earlier claimed to have earned a master’s degree in business administration.

But the claim on a videotape touting education and staying in school on the National Basketball Retired Players Association Web site was meant to be interpreted in a different manner.