Sailing Team

Although the nearest concentration of trophy black bear is in north-central Pennsylvania, Western Maryland still holds a population of the species -- apparently enough that a black bear management plan is being developed by the Department of Natural Resources.Earlier this month, members of the DNR's Forest, Park and Wildlife Service met with biologists from Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New Jersey and Virginia to discuss the development of such a plan.While the Maryland plan is in the early stages, Mark Hoffman of the FPWS said there apparently are enough black bears in Western Maryland to make a management plan necessary and a hunting season a possibility in 1992-93.

Too much information? When it comes to the Olympics, NBC hopes not. On top of its seven television outlets, the network that paid $793 million - give or take a bushel of cash - for broadcast rights also has upgraded its Web site to provide nearly instantaneous results, video and interviews. "We started putting it together in October, which was a little later than ideal, and launched it on May 26," said Evan Silverman, executive producer of NBC.com. "The traffic is beginning to build, and we'll go from zero to 60 in August."

A home-grown Gold Glove first baseman, a world champion duckpin bowler, two inspirational football coaches and an internationally renowned yachtsman make up the Anne Arundel County Sports Hall of Fame class of 1992.The five, who will be inducted at the second annual banquet Oct. 22 at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, include Jim Spencer, the former Andover High standout who played first base for 15 seasons in the major leagues.Also to be honored and join the five who went in last fall are 13-time world champion bowler Toots Barger of Pasadena and longtime youth/high school football coach Doc Bartlinski, a sports medicine pioneer.

It looked like a high school art class had gone berserk yesterday upon the still waters of Lake Kittamaqundi.There on the shores of Columbia's downtown lake were dozens of rowboats made from cardboard, painted in all the colors of the rainbow and shaped like tacos, cameras, and submarine sandwiches.It was the Great Cardboard Boat Regatta, a waterborne carnival geared to fun and spectacle in anticipation of Columbia's upcoming Silver Anniversary as a model city.Mariners who sailed the 200-yard triangular course yesterday for the glory of local high schools, Boy Scout troops, corporate garbage haulers and volunteer groups were limited to the use of cardboard, tape and glue in the making of their crafts.

Want to know how important Nancy Turnblacer has been to Loyola College's run of four consecutive NCAA women's tennis tournament berths? "I'll need two players to replace her," said Loyola coach Rick McClure. "I miss her already, and she hasn't even left yet. We'll find out next Thursday who we'll be playing in the NCAAs." Severna Park's Turnblacer has put together a 59-39 career singles record while playing No. 1 all four years for the Greyhounds, and she is 54-21 in doubles. Turnblacer has dominated the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference on the court and in the classroom for four years, being a two-time league MVP and a three-time All-MAAC Academic selection.

Towson State's men's basketball roster had a couple of changes for last night's season opener against Old Dominion.Junior center Derrick Earl, who averaged 4.1 points and 2.6 assists in a reserve role last year, has been suspended indefinitely for what coach Terry Truax called a university offense.Earl, 6 feet 6, who has been slowed by a knee injury, was expected to play a lot this year with the departures of Matt Dellinger and Stevie Thomas.Earl, who was on the bench in street clothes, had his right knee scoped Sept.

Chesapeake Sailing School and the Pearson 30 Class Association each will offer new diesel engine seminars in the next few weeks.The CSS class, on March 7 from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., is billed as a hands-on opportunity to understand what it is that goes into making a marine diesel work.Topics to be covered include how and why the diesel engine works, lubricating oils, fuel systems, cooling systems, exhaust systems, transmissions, propellers, stuffing boxes, starters and alternators, routine maintenance, winterization, spare parts and alignment of engine to prop shaft.

Severn Sailing Association's annual Sunshine Open Regatta for Laser sailors last weekend drew a substantial fleet of 36 contenders for two days of racing in varied wind conditions ranging from light and shifty to a major line squall.The regatta, which is open to virtually any Laser sailor, regardless of geography or club affiliation, is typically one of the most popular and populous early season contests in the region."It was pretty good competition," said Havre de Grace sailmaker Max Skelley, winner of the five-race regatta.

The sun was bright and hot, but the waters of the Chesapeake Bay were icy as the Brendan Sail instructors launched a small sailboat at Annapolis Sailing School in Edgewater. "Yeee-oww," Riggs Brusnighan, 15, howled as he waded into the shockingly cold water to scrape off the winter's rust. Classes start soon in America's sailing capital, and there is no time to waste. They say every child who grows up in Annapolis should learn to sail, and there are probably enough sailing schools here to accommodate them all. But the Brendan Sail Training Program is different.

Jobson leaving America 3 for ESPNGary Jobson of Annapolis is leaving his post as co-skipper of the America 3 sailing team and returning to ESPN as an analyst, Jobson and his former co-skipper, Bill Koch, announced yesterday."