Alternative school basketball tournament in Arlington Heights emphasizes playing the right way
There is an old expression - it's not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.
That saying was given a practical demonstration over the weekend during a basketball tournament that equates sportsmanship with winning.
The Chicago Area Alternative Education League (CAAEL) welcomed about 30 teams to its 40th annual State Invitational Basketball Tournament and Art Fair at Forest View Educational Center in Arlington Heights.
The weekend was dedicated to the tourney's founder, John Martin, who died last year of cancer. Martin's daughter, CAAEL President Sarah Lorenzi, is carrying on the tradition nurtured by her father.
The tournament field is composed of teams culled from alternative schools, whose students, many of whom are at-risk or children with special needs, are referred by their home public school districts.
"It's an opportunity to be part of something bigger than themselves, to be part of a team and to represent our school in a positive way," said Kara Kendrick, director of the Academy at Forest View said of the tournament.
Among the Forest View students on the court Sunday was David Curiel of Elk Grove Village.
In January 2007, when David was 6, he was shot twice in the head during a home invasion in Chicago. He underwent two surgeries, one to restructure a shattered skull.
"Basketball is my favorite sport," said David, a guard. "It's competitive."
His grandmother, Ramona Grullon, was among the family members cheering him on Sunday. She said Forest View has been supportive, helping David lead an active lifestyle by playing basketball and football.
"They know how to work with the kids. I love it," she said.
Another member of the team, Kevin Nava, 16, of Wheeling, said he is transitioning back into the mainstream, taking classes at Wheeling High School. Next year, he will be at the high school full time.
"I had a lot of emotional stuff going on when I was little," he said. "A lot of frustrating behavioral type stuff."
After high school, he said he wants to be a Marine, before becoming a police officer and eventually going into the FBI.
During the shootaround prior to a Sunday morning game, Carlose Traylor, who said he has been called "Tractor" after a member of the Chicago Bears 2006 Super Bowl team, could be seen sinking a shot from half court. He plays for Cyd Lash Academy, an alternative high school in Gages Lake.
The 16-year-old Wauconda-area youth harbors college basketball and NBA dreams. But the game also serves a coping function in his life.
"When you're down low and you have something to do, basketball takes the stress away. As they say, 'ball is life,'" said the 6-4 jack-of-all-positions.
Traylor's coach, Scott Cartier, said playing in CAAEL teaches sportsmanship and finding the positive in negative situations.
"It's not about the win or loss. It's about playing hard," he said. "Giving your effort. Giving your best."