SOCCER REPORTS

WOMEN'S NATIONAL TEAM: WHAT WAS YOUR HALLOWEEN COSTUME?

(From CSA Report)

What do Tina Turner and Olivia Newton-John have in common? Yes, both are singers and both have appeared in movies, but did you know that both have been impersonated by Canada’s national team players on past Hallowe’en trick or treat evenings? Can you even guess who this Halloween bound player is, dressed as a clown?

Canadian goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc (Maple Ridge, BC) admits she was once Tina Turner while Kara Lang explains she once dressed up as the character Sandra Dee (played by Newton-John) from the movie Grease.

We spoke to all the national team players and got the scoop on some of their favourite past Hallowe’en costumes. Did you know that Brittany Timko was once Donatello from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Well, team mate Sophie Schmidt was once Raphael, also a turtle character.

Diana Matheson said she was a ghost, Candace Chapman said she was a mummy, Christine Sinclair said she was a devil, and Carmelina Moscato said she was a witch. Melissa Tancredi said she was a scarecrow, but she also remembers fondly being Papa Smurf.

Stephanie Labbé said she was Shrek, the popular yet grumpy ogre whose voice is played by Canadian comedian Mike Myers. Kelly Parker said she was Raggedy Ann, while her sister was Raggedy Andy.

Christina Julien was one of the Bash Brothers from the movie The Mighty Ducks, a Walt Disney hockey movie from the 1990s. Chelsea Stewart once portrayed Mike Ricci, a long-haired, tooth-missing hockey forward who in 1997 was noted as one of Denver’s sexiest athletes. Stewart lived in Denver at the time, home to the 1996 Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche.

Emily Zurrer (Crofton, BC) was also an athlete one year, in her case, a race car driver from the Formula One circuit. She wasn’t any driver in particular, but she had both costume and car to be pushed from house to house.

So what other fun costumes did players pick out in the past? Well, Desiree Scott and Kaylyn Kyle were both princesses. Jonelle Filigno was a gorilla. Gurveen Clair (Surrey, BC) was a robot and Marie-Eve Nault was a tiger.

Josée Bélanger was a pumpkin and Erin McLeod was a rainbow. Oh and the two with the picture. The clown is Rhian Wilkinson with her twin sister Sara as a motor car. But finaly, we should mention Robyn Gale was, fittingly, Robin from the television and movie series Batman (or Batman and Robin as some might have it). For Gayle, Hallowe’en marks a doubly special day on the calendar: it is also her birthday. This Sunday 31 October, Gayle celebrates her 25th birthday with Canada’s national team at the 2010 CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifier.