Details of the Toronto Lynx Press Conference held Tuesday April 24th, 2001 at the Howard Johnson Hotel at Keele and Wilson Ave in Toronto at 11:00am.
The press conference started at 11:30am with Alf De Blasis as the MC. (great choice).
It opened with a performance by a six teenage girl dance troupe from the Shashell (?) Academy of Performing Arts who danced to Independant Women (The Charlie's Angels Movie theme) by Destiny's Child. Their music wasn't cued up right causing a three minute delay and killing their entrance momentum. They may be the halftime entertainment this season.
The head table was made up of CEO Nicoll Hartrell, CFO Bruno Hartrell, director of media Stan Adamson, Brian Avey from the OSA, Lynx head coach and GM Peter Pinizzotto, new assistant coach Juan Carlos Ramirez-Gaston, captain Marco Reda, and goalkeeping coach/assistant coach Paolo Silva.
A 'good luck' letter was read from Jim Fleming of the CSA as all the big people are over in Europe or Egypt right now.
Brian Avey from the OSA also said best wishes and reminded us that May 18th is the 100th year anniversary of the Ontario Soccer Association. Next the corporate sponsers were introduced in the audience.
Next up was Chief of Operations Nicoll Hartrell. Now in their fifth season, the Lynx are expanding their community parnerships and are committed to linking with the ethnic community and the OSA and CSA associations and the CPSL league. The Lynx players provide an inspiration to young people and introduced 8 year old Dylan Di Turi, a boy who watched the Gold Cup then checked out the Lynx web site and became a Lynx summer soccer camp participant . Dylan is the poster boy for the "Lynxpirational" poster with him taking a shot and Marco Reda (?) as the pro player in the foreground also booting a ball.
She thanked the corporate and media partners but then lit into the non-coverage of the Lynx in this city. The Lynx would get two lines when in the playoffs against Rochester while European coverage would get half a page. She said that last year she asked the fans who'd bombard the team with e-mail to direct their wrath against the media outlets for their non-coverage.
She compared the Lynx with a bamboo plant that grows 5 inches in its first five years and then 80 in its fifth. (!?)
Peter Pinizzotto (head coach and general manager) introduced his assistant coaches. In his five years in charge, last year was the most successful with the team getting to the league semi-final for the time. He was an assistant to the indoor Thunderhawks in the off season. For 2001, his only goal is to make the playoffs in this tough division then see what happens. [Yeah, just get there I'm thinking! Look at the hockey Maple Leafs]
Team captain Marco Reda looked forward to the new year blending the experienced players of last year with some new players and the Canadian with the South American players.
Then the players were introduced with the mascot The Lynxster the first one up.
So in goal, Theo Zagar, Tom Zawislan, and Yuri Elkaim.
defenders Adrian Serioux, Mauricio Vincello, Lyndon Hooper, and Brian Ashton.
midfielders David DiPlacido, Robbie Aristodemo, Joe Mattacchione, Edgar Bartolomeo, Caswain Mason, Waldo Sponton, and Aaron Benjamin.
forwards Kristian Grzetic, Andres Gonzalez (sp?), and Juan Arango
and finally defender and team captain Marco Reda.
The only player absent was defender Chris Pozniak who is over in Europe with the Paul James coached Canadian Under 20 team.
A photo op was then available and we were turned loose for interviews and to hit the buffet table.
The only changes I noticed from the new Lynx 2001 Program is the team photo taken last Monday (Brian Ashton had time to dye his hair blonde after the Rochester game) was that a backup goalie was now Tom Zawislan replacing Brian Bowes (who played for the CPSL Toronto Olympians last year) and forwards Andres Gonzalez (new) and returning Edgar Bartolomeo who must have missed photo day.
Attendance to this invitation only event was about 50 (not including Lynx players and staff).
Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
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