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StaffReports This past weekend six Sun Oaks Aquatics Racing swim- mers from Red Bluff performed well at the Sierra Nevada Long Course Junior Olympics in Ros- eville. The competition was tough as more than 800 of the best swimmers from 25 teams com- peted to see who was the fastest. The Junior Olympics has trials and finals so only the top eight swimmers in each event get to return to the pool at night for finals. Sun Oaks Aquatics Racing placed eighth overall out of the 25 teams in attendance. Leading the way for Sun Oaks was 13-year-old Jayne Brandt. In the 100-meter breaststroke she took second place, the highest finish she has ever had at a Long Course Junior Olympics. Brandt swam a time of 1 minute, 20.22 seconds, which is a new AAA time. In the 200 breaststroke, Brandt broke the 3-minute bar- rier and went 2:59.01 for a fifth- place medal, which is an AA time. In addition to these two medals, Brandt picked up four more medals on 13-14 girls re- lay teams. The SOAR 400 med- ley relay won gold, and the 400 freestyle, 200 medley and 800 free all earned silver medals. Jaxon Balken, who just turned 13 last week, had some fantastic swims and brought home a medal in the 100 back- stroke, placing seventh with an AA time of 1:09.72. In the 200 back, Balken dropped 2 seconds and was an alternate for finals, finishing in 10th place. Julia Brandt, 15, coming off of a knee injury, finished 16th in the 50 free with an AA time of 30.14. She also anchored the 200 medley relay that finished in fifth place. Jordan Brandt, 9, competed in six events and dropped four seconds in her favorite event, the 100 butterfly, going 1:45.41 and finishing in 27th place. Brandt was also a member of two 10-and-under relay teams that finished 13th and 15th, re- spectively. Lula Rider, 9, finished 22nd in the 50 back and helped her relay teams to 13th and 15th places. Hero Rider, 9, competed in three events and finished 33rd in the 50 fly. She too helped her relay teams to 13th and 15th place finishes. Sun Oaks Aquatics Racing finishes the season this week- end with the NVAL Champion- ships in Redding. SWIMMING SOARswimmerssoar atJuniorOlympics Brandtfinishes2ndin100breaststroke,also swims on winning 400 medley relay team COURTESYPHOTO Jayne Brandt competed at the Junior Olympics on July 25-26in Roseville. By Dave Skretta The Associated Press The Tour de France domi- nates the landscape of profes- sional cycling, a three-week be- hemoth that draws the attention of fans worldwide. Now that it's over, the spot- light is shifting to North Amer- ica. The Tour of Utah starts Mon- day and kicks off an unprec- edented run of races that in- clude the Tour of Alberta and the USA Pro Challenge in Colo- rado. It ends in September with the return of the world champi- onships to the United States for the first time since 1986. "I don't know, outside of the cycling community, that peo- ple understand the magni- tude of the fact that the world championships are going to be on American soil. That's a big deal," said Jenn Andrs, executive director of the Tour of Utah. "It's really a testament to the inter- est and popularity we're seeing of cycling." The Tour of Utah once at- tracted only cyclists based in the U.S. Now some of the top teams on the WorldTour head to what is billed as "America's Tough- est Stage Race," where they are greeted by crowds approaching 300,000 over the course of the weeklong event. The USA Pro Challenge in Colorado, which begins Aug. 17, has attracted past Tour de France winners such as Cadel Evans for seven stages through the Rocky Mountains. The Tour of Alberta has attracted such stars as Rohan Dennis and Pe- ter Sagan in its short history. "It shows how far the sport has come, and how attractive it is, both from participation as well as for host communities and sponsors," said Chris Aron- halt, a managing partner for Medalist Sports, the company that helps stage nearly all ma- jor races in North America. "Not since, boy, even the last world championships in the U.S. in 1986 in Colorado Springs have CYCLING ElitespotlightshinesonNorthAmerica Tour de France draws fans worldwide, while US races haven't always attracted top riders BRENNAN LINSLEY — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE Now that the Tour de France is over, the spotlight in cycling shi s to North America for an unprecedented run of races. First up is the Tour of Utah, followed by the USA Pro Challenge in Colorado, with the world championships in September capping things off. By Stephen Wade The Associated Press RIO DE JANEIRO Sailors and other athletes preparing for the Olympics have been training for months in contaminated waters where the Rio Games will be held. Many believe moving events now would put them at a disadvan- tage, even though water-qual- ity tests analyzed by The Associ- ated Press show athletes have a high chance of being exposed to viruses. The AP on Thursday published the findings of a five-month study that looked specifically at viruses present in water being used for rowing, sailing and wind surf- ing, triathlon and open-water swimming. The tests concluded athletes risk exposure to viruses that could make them too ill to compete. In some tests, disease- causing viruses measured up to 1.7 million times the level of what would be considered hazardous on a Southern California beach. Dr. Richard Budgett, the med- ical director for the Switzerland- based International Olympic Committee, said local organiz- ers had followed testing proce- dures established by the World Health Organization that focus on testing for bacteria — but not 2016 OLYMPICS No move to alter venues for bad water Contamination found with high chance of viruses SILVIA IZQUIERDO — ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE Tons of household trash line the Brazil coastline and form islands of refuse. By Barry Wilner The Associated Press Alshon Jeffery proved himself last year as a prime target in Chi- cago. Everson Griffen showed his stuff as a sackmaster in Minne- sota. Both moved from the "show us what you've got" category to Pro Bowl consideration. Here's a road map to players who need to make the same kind of on-field statements this year — an All-Prove It Team, if you will — or could find themselves spending plenty of time away from the field. QB — Robert Griffin III, Red- skins. Injuries, inconsistency, some strange coaching decisions by the previous regime have all plagued RG3 since his 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Is he a franchise QB? RB — Darren McFadden, Cow- boys; Joseph Randle, Cowboys. The league's top rusher has left Big D for Philly. That places am- ple pressure on McFadden, re- cently a disappointment in Oak- land, and the inconsistent Randle to boost the running game behind the NFL's best blocking unit. WR — Dwayne Bowe, Browns; Tavon Austin, Rams. NFL Players who need to show their worth finally in 2015 Eric Byrnes sat behind the large monitor some 90feet from home plate watching the screen as the computer told him exactly what to announce for the crowd watching inde- pendent league baseball. BASEBALL Computercallsballs, strikes in San Rafael FULLSTORYONPAGEB2 The U.S. economy isn't mov- ing at warp speed, but it looks like it will be strong enough to handle an expected interest rate increase later this year. ECONOMY Spring rebound sets stage for Fed rate hike FULL STORY ON PAGE B4 The Mercy High School Warriors will begin football practices from 3:30to 5:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 3at Sacred Heart Field, Sacred Heart School, 2255Monroe St. in Red Bluff. FOOTBALL Mercy Warriors to start practices Monday The Mercy High School Trinity Golf Classic Tournament is scheduled for 4:30p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1at Oak Creek Golf Course. Four-person scramble. Call Sabrina Rhodes at 529-4439for registration. FUNDRAISER Trinity Golf Classic tournament Saturday OLYMPICS PAGE 2 FOOTBALL PAGE 2 CYCLING PAGE 2 SPORTS » redbluffdailynews.com Friday, July 31, 2015 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B1