Wednesday, September 08, 2010
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| 6/29/2010 8:20:00 AM |
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Eastern Regional Soccer Tournament kicks off July 1
HUNTINGTON - A spirited leap into Joan C. Edwards Stadium by a professional sky diving team, an Olympic-style parade onto the stadium turf by some 5,000 athletes and a flag roll-out during the National Anthem are among the highlights of the U.S. Youth Soccer Region I (East) Championships opening ceremony Thursday, July 1, on Marshall University's Huntington campus.
The formal ceremony is set for 3:50 p.m. Thursday, July 1, at the stadium, and admission is free. It will be preceded by several activities, including Team Fastrax skydivers delivering a 2,000 square-foot American flag to the stadium when they jump at 3:41 p.m.
The soccer championships, scheduled Friday, July 2 through Tuesday, July 6, take place at the Barboursville Soccer Complex, the Huntington YMCA Kennedy Center and the Scott Orthopedics Soccer Complex.
The opening ceremony will be conducted at Marshall's Joan C. Edwards Stadium for the second consecutive year.
"The opening ceremony last year got rave reviews," said Moppy Lavery, co-chairman - along with Diane Shattls - of the ceremony, which attracted about 20,000 people. "Many said it was the best one they have been to. We would like to see a lot of people from the community come out to the opening ceremony and to some of the games. These teams are outstanding."
Len Rogers, West Virginia Soccer president and local organizing committee chair of the 2009 and 2010 U.S. Youth Soccer Region I Championships, agreed with Lavery that those who attended last year's ceremony were "thrilled" with everything from the activities to the facilities. The same is expected this year, he said.
"Everybody loved the opening ceremony," Rogers said. "They enjoyed the game between the mascots, the crossbar competition, the sky divers and just the quality of the stadium."
After the skydivers jump, the ceremony will officially begin with opening greetings from W.Va. Sen. Bob Plymale, Rogers and Region 1 Director Bob Palmeiro. The flag roll-out follows as the 249th Army Band of the West Virginia National Guard plays and Marybeth Withers sings the National Anthem. Greetings from Marshall President Stephen J. Kopp follow, and a special invitation to speak also has been extended to West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin.
The parade of players and referees on to the field will start at 4:14 p.m. and take about an hour.
Other pre-opening ceremony events include cross bar competition at 3 p.m. and a five-on-five soccer game between mascots at 3:25 p.m.
West Virginia and the West Virginia Soccer Association hosted the tournament last year and are hosting it again this year as part of the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championship Series.
The championships will feature 256 boys' and girls' teams, with players ages 11-19 from Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont and West Virginia.
The economic impact of last year's tournament was confirmed at slightly more than $12.1 million, according to Rogers.
The opening ceremony is expected to last about an hour and a half, or until about 5:15 p.m. Free parking will be available on all Marshall University surface lots and concessions will be open at the stadium. No outside food or drink will be allowed into the stadium.
Rogers said visitors have booked about 11,000 room nights at area hotels from Grayson, Ky., to east of Charleston. Even some rooms have been booked in Gallipolis, Ohio, he said.
"Having the Region I Championships in the Huntington area is a tremendous opportunity for us to showcase Marshall University and the surrounding Cabell County area," said Marshall University men's soccer head coach Bob Gray. "Over ten thousand soccer fans are coming in from all over the northeast and we look forward to showcasing the university and the men's soccer program to those families, as well as to show the passion for soccer and love of the game the soccer community has here in Herd territory."
Marshall's Huntington campus will be used to house an estimated 1,400 people, including players, their families and referees.
The Marshall Recreation Center, the Marshall Bookstore, the Harless Dining Hall and the Memorial Student Center will be open at various times throughout the tournament. Visit www.marshall.edu/soccer for more information.
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