16 - Wednesday, February 8, 1995 — North Shore News

Jim
Kearney

THE SPECTATOR

“CANADA HAS done noth-
ing since 1986,” deciares Jim
Easton. “There has been no
progress since then. A lot of
people laughed at the US.,
but the Americans went out
and tried to play.

; “The Canadian attitude is that:
we don’t want to be embarrassed.

Canada now has to try to play. It’s
the only way forward. And it has.

af (dim Easton Jr.)
“came. up through
“the Lynn. Valley youth
-. program and was
drafted by.
Tampa Bay Rowdies
sin the declining years
of the NASL. 99

‘to start 1 early. We have to let our
“kids just play and never mind the,
. ‘score, They must have. the freedom
: to express themselves.”
«ti yclf you find the foregoing some-
“what confusing, Jet me explain.
» We're talking ‘soccer, We're also
talking international play and -
“World Cup. The man doing the.
talking i is Faston, junior. Then
there is ‘Easton, senior. Another
‘dim. :
Years ago, when Gordie Howe’s
never-ending hockey career.
“allowed him to play on the’same
team as two of his sons, the act

ab big

CFIVE: SWIMMERS from* North

~: Vancouver. Rapids Masters swim .

“club recently brought home medals
from a meet in Cowichan.
In addition to. winning the 200m

‘freestyle relay and placing third in -

‘the’ medley relay, all five also won
medals in individual competition.

Fran -McKilligan’ and: Joan |

‘Parnell led the way as theySsach
“won four gold medals: McKilligan
in the 50m freestyle, the 50m back-
stroke. the [00m freestyle and the
200m backstroke: and Parnell in the

“50m backstroke, the 50m_ breust~

“stroke, the 100m individual medley

and the 200m freestyle.

‘Other winners ‘included Joan: °

Boxall (two. golds, one bronze):

“Cynthia Cushing (three seconds):* -

and Kim Hubbard (three. seconds,
2. bronze).

ta

became known as the Howe
Family Skaters. This North Van act
might be termed ihe Easton Family
Couches.

And the reason we're into their
case on this particular date could
be that this is Burns Night, atime,
the haygis-bashers will tell you.
when briefly the world is made up
of two races — Scots and those
who wish they were.

Originally, the Eastons are from
Glasgow (or is that, frae Glesea?),
but they got to the North Shore in
a circuitous way. Easton Sr. wound
up a 14-season centre-back career

~ in Scotland (Edinburgh Hibernian

and Dundee) by moving to Miami
and the then new North American
League.

_ Shortly after, Herb Capozzi
invented the Vancouver Whitecaps
and Easton came north to be their
first coach. He lasted only two
years, which wasn't surprising. In
the beginning the ‘Caps tried to
stay the course with local talent. ht
wasn't good enough.

From there. into the wholesale
Sporting goods business and, as an
avocation, coach of SFU's jayvees
soccer program. When economy

cuts eliminated the program, he

didn’t get back to coaching until
after his son became the Cap
College coach.

Although born in Glasgow, the
younger Easton, who siill has a
trace of haggis in his voice, came
up through the Lynn Valley youth
program and was drafted by Tampa
Bay Rowdies in the declining years’
of the NASL.

'. Two years later both the
Rowdies and the league were dead
(as were the bankrupt Whitecaps)
and Easton was off to the greatest
soccer educational experience of
his life. To Brazil, where the
Rowdies placed him and a few
other of their players with the Sao
Paulo reserves, . —

Inasmuch as nine Sao Paulo
first team players were members of
the Brazilian national side, he
learned a lot. He also observed a

* tot, including the sight of Brazilian

kids playing unstructured games in
the streets, in vacant open spaces.
Expressing themselves, so to

‘speak; developing individual skills.

This is not the route for
Canada, he gladly admits, but less
emphasis on winning and more on
letting the more gifted individuals
do their own thing wouldn’t hurt.

From Sao Paulo to Dundee
United, then back home when the
86ers were formed in 1987. He
coaches an under-14 team in
Kerrisdale with the help of
younger brother Alan. And, for the

NORTH VAN.
CENTRAL
LITTLE LEAGUE
REGISTRATION

h Lonsdale
A rec Centre
a Esplanade Rm.
q Date: ;
Friday, February 10, 1995
H Saturday, February 44, 1995
A Time: .
i Friday 6pm - 8pm
& Saturday 12 - 4pm
: (copy Of birth certilicate required)
¢)RBALL 7+ FARM
S MINOR *: MAJOR
“ JUNIORS |". SENIORS
BIG LEAGUE

ALL PLAYERS MUST
“REGISTER ON THESE DATES

. For more information.
call Gerry at
987 9097 | or r 986-4835 ;

e of t

record at Cup College. Three times
to the B.C. community college
championship final; three times the
loser on-a shootout after regular

- and overtime play.

As for his favorite theme: he
notes that Canada's only wip to the
World Cup final, in 1986, pro-
duced a magnificent defensive

last three years, Cap College. us
well,

Last year, when his assistant got
married and went on un extended
honeymoon, he drafted dad us a
replacement The only Easton now
not involved in coaching is his
youngest brother, Stewart. -

He may have set some:sort of

effort. Canada went out in three
games, didn't score a goa) but kept
the results respectable.
“Internationally, we haven't. 7.
gone on from there. The ©: :
Americans have gone out and tried -:
to play. And now they're ahead’ of
us.” . or
‘So, what else is new?