Neighbor Sports
Baseball, softball
One-day clinic: Fastball USA will host a one-day softball clinic Nov. 17 for coaches and players at 137 Diversey, Elmhurst. The UIC Flames coaching staff, Tom Grey, Sarah O'Malley and Allison Aguilar, along with UIC Flames players will be on hand. The Division I softball program will hold a coaches clinic from 9:30 to 11 a.m. and a players clinic from noon to 3 p.m. The clinic will cover the fundamentals of softball in several skill areas including infield and outfield defensive, plus offensive skills of hitting, bunting and slapping.
Register at (630) 532-5107 or fastballusa@hotmail.com. For more information go to www.fastballusa.com.
Basketball
Holiday tourney: The Art Jones Basketball Academy Sports, Inc. will hold its 18th Annual Thanksgiving Basketball Tournament at the Mount Prospect Lions Center, 411 S. Maple, Mount Prospect. The fifth- and sixth-grade boys brackets will run from Nov. 16 to 18, and the seventh- and eighth-grade boys brackets run from Nov. 23 to 25.
Park districts, YMCAs, traveling basketball clubs, AAU teams, recreational agencies, boys clubs and school teams are welcome. For more information, contact Art Jones at (847) 494-1166.
Feeder tryouts:ŒElk Grove Village Boys Feeder League tryouts for the sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade teams will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 2 and 9 in the Elk Grove Village High School gym, 500 W. Elk Grove Blvd. The league is for boys currently enrolled at Grove Junior High, Friendship Junior High, Queen of the Rosary or St. Zachary's who will be attending Elk Grove High School. Anyone interested, call Bob Kraus at (847) 437-6812 or check the Web site at www.leaguelineup.com/boysfeederbasketball.
Skills lessons: Anyone who wants to give their child an extra edge in basketball is eligible to sign up with an ex-European professional. All the basics in speed and agility, such as ball handling, shooting, post moves, advanced guard skills, are covered in private lessons. Anyone interested, call Toron Clark at (847) 791-5033.
Feeder tryouts:ŒHersey Feeder Basketball tryouts for boys in sixth-, seventh and eighth grades will be held at the following times on both Dec. 15 and 16 in the East Gym at Hersey High School, 1900 E. Thomas, Arlington Heights.
• sixth grade -- noon to 1:45 p.m.
• seventh grade -- 2 to 3:45 p.m.
• eighth grade -- 4 to 5:45 p.m.
Park in the rear of the school and enter the door nearest the tennis courts. Anyone with questions, call Tom Garms, (847) 253-9758.
Wrestling
Registration, practice: MadDog Wrestling Academy, a nonprofit organization run by volunteer coaches and parents, is accepting registration for its 2007-08 boys and girls wrestling program. Practices are held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday in the Schaumburg High School wrestling room.
The program is open to athletes of all levels and abilities, and teaches, develops, conditions and trains wrestlers from 4 to 14 years old. It includes Bartlett, Elgin, Roselle, Hanover Park, Streamwood, Hoffman Estates, Elk Grove Village and Schaumburg residents.
The program enhances and supports the junior high and high school programs and provides younger wrestlers with an opportunity to gain additional experience and competition needed for success at higher levels. The club participates within USA Wrestling and its Illinois affiliate the Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation.
When registering, bring a copy of the child's birth certificate. Registration includes a USA Wrestling card, insurance, team uniform, T-shirt, sweatshirt, skull cap and facility fee. Discounts are available for multiple children in a family. The USA card entitles the wrestler to enter any sanctioned tournament and provides accident insurance. This includes the state and national tournament series.
Anyone with questions, contact Denise Lovill at (847) 301-1334 or e-mail maddogwrestling@comcast.net. For exact practice times and more information, check the team Web site at www.MadDogWrestling.org.