Local 'guitar heroes' do battle at Gail Borden library

With their black T-shirts and hoodies, thick-soled sneakers and dark jeans, teenage boys on Monday were dressed to rock the house in Elgin. The Gail Borden Public Library served as their concert arena, holding a "Guitar Hero" tournament that drew 28 participants.In the "Guitar Hero II" video game, rock stars in training become rock gods in the game by jamming on a stringless plastic guitar. Gamers are supposed to push the guitar's buttons in time with the tunes and the on-screen cues and rack up as many points as possible. It's air guitar for the digital age.The top three finishers received gift certificates to Best Buy.Many boys said they trained all week for the competition at home.Brandon Aguilar, 15, for example, and his friend Eddie Bello, 15, had been practicing on the game at each other's homes since Friday and into the wee hours of the morning.Aguilar himself didn't retire his guitar until 3 a.m. Monday -- which is fine, since kids are out of school this week. So was their secret to longevity?"We drank a lot of Mountain Dew," said Aguilar, whose father Luis plays guitar in a band called Dirty Fingers. Monday's competition was friendly, probably because heckling, physical contact and intentionally walking in front of anyone were grounds for dismissal.With the music and fashions, reminiscent of their parent's youth in the 1970s and 1980s, everything old was new again. James Boynton, 14, of South Elgin, donned original Air Jordans.Clay Costello, 15 and his friend Ben Narofsky, 14, both of Elgin, love classic rock, including Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith and Black Sabbath.With the contest, Gail Borden officials promoted goals of their own -- reaching local teens and getting them to the library by showing there's more to it than books. Next year, officials will organize another "Guitar Hero" contest as well as an anime festival. Liesel Ulaszek, the teen services librarian, admitted the video game approach was a bit unorthodox. "It's unusual for a library program," she said.Still, parents, gathered in the audience to watch their boys at the concert said these innovative programs targeted to children will help keep the library eternally cool. "This is a start and it's a good start," said David Binion of South Elgin. "Hopefully, it'll get bigger and bigger." 512384Alex Williams, 14, left, and Ian Malin, 15, compete against each other Monday during a "Guitar Hero" video game competition at the Gail Borden Public Library. Both are from Elgin.Christopher Hankins | Staff Photographer