Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2016-08-03, Page 15Local competitive soccer team gets second place in Toronto area tournament Justine Alkema Clinton News Record A local soccer team has achieved second place at a tournament for the highest league soccer for their age group. The team, consisting of youth born in 2003, is a part of Huron FC, the com- petitive soccer league for Huron County. They are under the umbrella of the London Athletic Club (LAC), They played in a large tournament in Georgetown on July 22 - 24. The LAC Spartans made it to the finals but lost in a close game. "We were playing Toronto area teams," said Huron FC manager Annie Sparling. "The LAC club has around 365 players; 65 of those are from Huron County. We played clubs with 500 to 1000 kids and still came in second, so that was cool." Huron FC started two years ago to provide an opportunity for higher level soccer in the county. "It's pretty exciting for Huron players to have this level of soccer available," said Sparling. "Our local sys- tem is good, but it's very cas- ual; it doesn't allow kids with gifts for soccer to advance." This summer, the league joined the LAC to provide more opportunity for their players. This is their first summer providing outdoor soccer (they usually do indoor soccer called futsal,) so some of their teams weren't quite big enough; combining with London gives them enough players. Wednesday, August 3, 2016 • Huron Expositor 15 Contributed photo The LAC Spartans with their trophies for coming second in the highest league soccer for their age group in Georgetown. Team members from the LAC Spartans are half from Huron County and half from London. In London, there are doz- ens of competitive soccer clubs. People pay upwards of $2000 per season to have their children play with Review: Anything Goes at Huron Country Playhouse Joe Belanger The LondonFree Press Postmedia Network Wooing an heiress still more fun than going to work in Anything Goes It's tough to find a place in today's world where any- thing goes. So, if you were wondering what the world was like before political correctness, the Inter- net and social media, drop by Huron Country Playhouse where the Broadway classic Anything Goes is on stage. Drayton Entertainment's production of the show, fea- turing the music and lyrics of Cole Porter, is like taking a step back in time to when silly was funny, romance was romance and the show was as much about the dance moves and catchy tunes as it was about the story. Anything Goes is bril- liantly directed and choreo- graphed by Michael Lichtefeld, with musical direction by Jeannie Wyse. It tells the story of young Wall Street broker Billy Crocker (Patrick Cook) who is love with an heiress, Hope Harcourt (Keely Hutton) sailing on the same ocean liner as his boss (the wealthy Eli Whitney played by Keith Savage) accompanied by her mother, Evangeline (Karen K. Edissi) and her fiance Lord Evelyn Oakleigh (Tim Funnell) whom she plans to marry in England. Crocker is supposed to get off the ship to make a major business deal for his boss, but stays on board to pursue Hope. He meets up with a friend, Reno Sweeney (Jayne Arm- strong), an Evangelist turned nightclub singer, and fellow stowaways, gangster Moon - face Martin (Sheldon Davis) and his moll, Erma Latour (Lee -Anne Galloway). They're all enlisted to help Crocker get his girl, keep him out of sight of his boss and the crew (who are searching for stowaways and a gang- ster) and control Lord Oak- leigh so Crocker can spend time with Hope. The story is clear through- out the show, which features several outstanding song and dance routines, espe- cially the last number of the first act with the entire com- pany on stage for the title song, Anything Goes, fol- lowed by Blow, Gabriel, Blow in the second act. The choreography, of It's De -lovely, featuring Cook and Hutton, is wonderful. However, Cook's vocals are uneven throughout the song and show, sometimes gar- bled and too soft at the lower end, and verging on shrill at the high end. Armstrong, as Reno, is the star of this show. Her acting, dancing and singing are inspiring. She owned the stage every moment she was on it, her every move and word, spoken or sung, natu- ral, fluid and believable. Also a delight is Funnell, in his Drayton debut, as the slightly dimwitted, shallow, rakish and fun -loving Lord Oakleigh, whose attention is soon drawn to the pretty but less refined, Reno. Likewise, Davis is solid as Moonface, also known as Public Enemy No. 13 and falling. The balance of the main cast give solid, believable performances that help make this wonderful 1934 musical feel fresh, although there's no denying the often zany, silly humour is dated. The two-storey set is very good, sparse enough to leave room for dancing and other shenanigans This is a slick, entertaining production. While dated, the 7MI1:i tti catchy, clever Cole Porter score, backed by tremen- dous choreography and a talented cast led by Arm- strong, make this a perfect, mid -summer romp that lov- ers of musicals will enjoy. jbelanger@postmedia.com If you go: What: Anything Goes, presented by Dray- ton Entertainment Where: Huron Coun- try Playhouse, 70689 B Line, Grand Bend When: Now in pre- view with official open- ing July 24 and con- tinuing until Aug. 6 Information: For tick- ets and show times, visit the box office ordrayto- nentertainment.com or call 519-238-6000. Rating: **'* (out of five) a 71 411014111 1f3 k� ilsIli III 401104 CI, 4 111, 1.1111, ww h ike Y�aur Owwn alter, Wino. Cogkfs HT -11.1i Aim= (I "Plei r OO€f I5m.mi AW439553 great teams and great coaches. Before Huron FC, Huron didn't have any com- petitive clubs, which shocked coaches from Lon- don. It was an "untapped market" at the time. In only two years, Huron FC already has 65 kids in the league. 1 Experienced coaches from London come up twice a week to train Huron FC players. The club will be hosting a training camp on the Lower Christian Soccer Field in Clinton from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. on August 9 -12. ATTENTION READERS Take &lump of our pricing for IIAPPY NOTES. Includes.. Birthdays, Ainnv crsaries )1,hidiu , Engagements, Cradnatinns etc. HAPPY I: I T 4 (Name Persolii1 (Efate) Love Multi 410, I};irl Only. $23.80 I'Lus [is .T. +.dural Size: Pre -Payment is Requ'irecl sl brim in yrx,rplkalti write-up arld well Cin ilia re. I. (3Ih r $im Pnr.91.4,1014103 upon roguS:EC Ls ' n )Iii'i�� ilitcr 8 Main Street Seaforth, ON (519) 527-0240 nancy.degans@sunmedia.ca eaforthhuronexpositor.com ii