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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1998-05-13, Page 21MDL DOORS 887-6974 El El Keep the Doors to the Future Open Beautiful Styles to Make your House a Home Available through your local MDL Dealer Gas Bar & Take-Out Ltd. • Chesterfried Chicken • Subs • Pizza • Burgers • Fries • Soft & Hard Ice Cream • Confectionery • Movies to Rent • Propane • Gas (887-6951)— Don't let boredom get to you, rent Mouse Hunt PG or Disney's Flubber with Robin Williams Corner Turnberry & Mill Streets, Brussels Eat-In or Take-out THEATRE REVIEW Youth actors do Grand job Clinton Crown, Lanes Open Bowling Friday 7 p.m. - Midnight Saturday 1 p.m. - Midnight Sunday 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. Birthday Parties, Group & Family Rates "Strike it up in your Spare Time" 482-7791 Victoria St.,Clinton . • II 1 . ., -7 • , ,.„. / f., , ... . , . • . . ; i• • • ' .. . • . . , .0 . t I . . • ...• " t ' : .: 1 • % • ‘ • 1 •• ;$ .ei . .• 7 .. ,,,, • . , • .i., ......, i , . . • , , 10 It* e p Queen St., • . - • . WO The General Great Selection Great Prices at Blyth's Fireworks Headquarters at Blyth General Blyth 523-9785 II K S has & Store THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 1998. PAGE 21. For Teens, By Teens PROFILE `I JANN FLRNDERS Lifeguards don't bask in sun Jann says talk it out By Amy Crawford "Wow, you're a lifeguard, bet you get a great tan." "Must be easy sitting out in the sun all day watching a few kids swim." These are just a few of the comments I receive whenever it is mentioned that I am a lifeguard. It really exasperates me that the whole Baywaich Babe stereotype has been so widely accepted. It takes a lot of work, skill and money to become a lifeguard. I have been taking courses since I was 14 to become a lifeguard. The first course I took was Leaders, which offered an overview of all aspects of swimming, such as stroke work, lesson planning, and By Erin Roulston West Side Story running May 7 - 16, is a result of The Grand Theatre's latest project. The high school project is the first in what they hope will be an annual tradition of the London theatre. The play is cast with teenagers from 17 London area schools. A total of 300 students were auditioned for onstage roles and over 30 talented teens were cast. And talented they are. Often times during the show I forgot that I was not watching professionals. I was particularly impressed by Mark Uhre who played Tony. We are first introduced to Tony when he sings Something's Coming. His voice was strong, mature and well controlled. I also enjoyed watching Amber Cunningham in the role of Anita. Her Puerto Rican accent was flawless, even while singing. She was a terrific dancer and during A Boy Like That her powerful voice soared. Her stage presence filled me with awe. She was definitely a pillar of the performance. The choreography though, is really what made the show. They brought in a professional choreographer and he taught the teenagers how to dance. I especially loved the moves at the dance; the mambo was extremely entertaining and was performed by all of the actors with enthusiasm. But what impressed me most about this show was that it was for teenagers. A professional play in a professional setting, and all for a group of high school students. It's a terrific concept and I hope that it will catch on and theatres across Canada will begin to mimic The Grand. Imagine how great an experience it would be. Not just for kids who plan to be actors; singing, dancing and entertaining is an incredible teaching skills. The next course I took was Instructors which was an extensive two week class focusing on teaching, lesson planning, skills knowledge, water safety, and stroke perfection. The next course I took was National Lifeguard Service (NLS), by far the most strenuous because the focus of this course is accident prevention and rescue skills. You needed to be healthy, fit, and able to apply all knowledge to rescue victims. Some of the things we had to do was spinal simulations, pick two 10-pound weights off the bottom of the deep end and, with good control, get them to the side and set the weights on the deck. We also had to pull experience for anybody. There were also many teens involved behind the scenes. Costumes, props, scenic art and even the technical directing was arranged or assisted by students. This performance of West Side Story is proof that teenagers can work at a professional level with outstanding results. Of course, like any professional performance, this show was not perfect. I was a little disappointed by Shannon Bull, who played Maria. Only 15 and in Grade 9 she had a beautiful voice but it was rather weak and I often had difficulty hearing her despite the microphones. In fact, volume was a problem I had with many of the actors. The play opened rather weakly as in the first scene, sung and spoken words, were very difficult to hear. There were a few parts of this particular production that surprised me. I am a lover of the movie starring Natalie Wood and in most of the play the words were exactly the same as the movie, but there victims, the same weight as yourself, out of the pool. Also, along with my position as a lifeguard, I teach swimming skills lessons to all sorts of ages of children. I'm also the head coach of the swim team, the Brussels Barracudas, for which I have also had to educate myself. I had to learn swimming drills, fitness and health so the team can be the best they can be. So, as you can see being a lifeguard does not mean getting a great tan. It takes a lot of hard work, personal time and money to become qualified to make the public pool a safe place for everyone to swim, relax and have fun. were a few differences. The only difference I didn't like was the staging of the song Somewhere. My favourite scene in the movie is when Tony and Marie are wrapped in each other's arms singing a beautiful duet about how they could be happy, somewhere. In this performance the entire cast was on stage and a soloist, with a beautiful voice I might add, walked among them. It seemed as though it was symbolizing the displacement of these troubled teens and how, if they had only been given a fair chance, they would be good. No, I didn't like that. Otherwise, the play was excellent, entertaining and kept me spellbound for two hours. I really do advise everyone to see these incredible teenagers at work. The show runs until Saturday. Tickets are $25, $12.50 for those under 18. Help protect the environment Reduce, reuse and recycle DEAR JANN: I am 19 and was dating a really nice man, 23, for almost six months. I fell in love with him, and I thought by things that were said that he felt the same. He was to come over one Sunday to go for a drive but he never showed up. I phoned to find out what happened but he didn't really say. I also wrote, he works in the city in a bank, to see if it was something I had done. It was hard not knowing since we had no arguments. I didn't hear from him again except for a Christmas card. Also, I saw him at a few dances but he was either with the guys or alone. This is the problem, I just received a letter from him, asking if I will go out with him again. He said he had some money problems. It's been six months since this occurrence and I have started going out with someone else who is very nice. What should I do? Should I go out with him and risk getting hurt again or should I just say no? Undecided and doubtful UNDECIDED AND DOUBTFUL: Please remember this is my opinion, you must make the final decision for yourself. From what you have told me in this letter I can see that this man is only looking out for number one. He is inconsiderate and rude. Ones lack of money is not a reason to end a relationship. He has yet to give you a reason. Obviously he and you need to have a long talk about the past before you go anywhere with a future relationship with him. Perhaps he has changed, but this is not likely. Maybe you could start a friendship, but I don't think it is a good idea to start a relationship with him now. He must prove himself. This could very well happen again, and I don't think it is worth being hurt again. Don't date both, you usually lose not one, but both of the men. For now, you should stay with the man you have.