National Poetry Slam Pt. 3!

Here is the final original poem performed by a LA SCORES student at the National Poetry Slam!

Edgar D. (middle) Braddock Dr.
"What Happens In The Night"

I sleep in the night

To rest from the day

But how can you sleep

When there are monsters.

I hear growling calling my name

I see a crawling monster

Going up my bed

I feel a steel hand

Pulling my leg

I smell my fright

That gives me goose bumps!

I see walking rocks

Coming my way

They feel my heart beat

To get some meat

They smell me

They’re under my bed

I see their head.

They come closer and closer

They’ve got me!

So get ready because they got your teddy,

And next will be you

On the bed!

National Poetry Slam Pt. 2!

Here is an original poem from one of the poet-athletes from LA who performed at the National Poetry Slam last week! Enjoy!

Come back tomorrow for the poem from our other student!

Sabrinna C. (middle) Charnock Rd.

"Being a Soccer Player"

Have you ever played soccer?

Have you ever been on a soccer field?

Playing soccer is exciting.

Playing soccer is fun

and playing soccer is my life.

When I put on my uniform,

I become a different person.

I feel like I can do anything I want to.

When I run on the grass

with the ball at my feet,

I feel powerful

I feel aggressive.

When I look around

and I see my teammates.

I feel like I’m looking at my family.

Playing soccer is teamwork.

You have to play smart

and use all of your ability

to overcome your opponents.

When you score a goal,

you feel like a rockstar,

you feel important,

you feel special,

you feel like

you bumped up a grade at last,

and you feel like

you accomplished your dream.

Being a soccer player is my world.

Being a soccer player is my life.

Sabrinna (left) at Central Park with Chanel from St. Louis SCORES

America SCORES National Poetry Slam Pt. 1

A busy few weeks of programming for LA SCORES was capped off this past weekend as two of our poet-athletes flew to New York to participate in the America SCORES National Poetry Slam. Sabrinna C., a 5th grader from Charnock Rd. Elementary, and Edgar D., a 5th grader from Braddock Dr. Elementary were selected to perform their original poetry along with 25 other SCORES poet-athletes at the National Poetry Slam in the Big Apple.

The weekend was chalked full of special events and sight seeing for the kids as well as hours of rehearsal and practice for the big night on Monday. During the weekend, SCORES participants from all over the country had a chance to meet their East coast, West coast and Mid-West peers. Many instantly become close friends as they spent all hours of the day together playing soccer, reading and hearing each others poetry, offering critique and support and engaging in some of the most fierce pillow fights New York hotel rooms have ever been witness to.

The weekend events included a picnic and soccer game on the Grand Field in Central Park, a visit to Times Square, a trip to Liberty Island and the Statue of Liberty, a special performance by spoken word poet Mayda Del Valle and a trip to the New York Stock Exchange where a few lucky SCORES kids were able to take part in the closing bell ceremony on April 20th.

The entire weekend was amazing but nothing could compare to the greatness of seeing our kids under the lights as they performed their own poems in front of a capacity crowd in the NYSE. To put it simply, THEY ROCKED!!! I have never felt so proud of anything as I did seeing all our kids do so well and have so much fun as they did that night.

Keep a look out for more stories and pictures from the actual Poetry Slam event itself in the days to come.

And to WATCH OUR KIDS AT THE NYSE CLOSING BELL CEREMONY click this link!!

GO SCORES!!!

On the big screen!

Playing soccer is a large part of the lives of those in the SCORES community and when we can't play it we should check out these great soccer movies.

Click the titles to read more about each one and leave comments below with other great soccer movies!

Victory: A soccer tournament pitting Nazi officers against allied prisoners of war forms the backdrop of this film. A natural rivalry fuels excitement on the field and an array of motives ranging from humiliation and escape to revenge and the sincere desire to win. This world war II themed classic is ideal for the sincere soccer fan.

The Squad: An independent film that follows the Nike Skills Squad, a group of four southern California soccer players, on a journey to the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Going as American ambassadors of soccer they interact with other fans from across the world and teach and play soccer with anyone willing.

The Big Green: A family friendly movie about a group of rag-tag soccer players who try to defeat their arrogant but talented rivals. Through perseverance and team work the team overcomes a series of hurdles to finally reach their dream.

Ginga: This documentary highlights the stories of 7 Brasilian soccer players trying to play professionally. The stories include futsal players, indoor players and even a man who has only one leg and is trying to play on the Para-Olympic team. Each story is a testament of passion, hard work and sacrifice tied together through the beauty of Brasilian soccer.

Goal!: Highlighting a young man’s chance of a lifetime, the soccer trilogy, Goal: The Dream Begins warms hearts and stirs spirits. Bravery and ambition take Santiago Munez around the world to make his dream come true, but it’s life lessons which take his journey beyond his dreams.

Taking a closer look

Last week, students from Braddock Drive Elementary school went on a special walk around their community. The students spent Monday and Tuesday after school exploring the area around the school and making observations on what they saw. The goal was for the students to take a deeper look at the world around them and notice people, places and attributes about their environment they may not have seen before.



On Monday the students visited the local Police Station and had chance to meet two of the officers on duty. They were able to talk with them briefly and have them autograph their notebooks. The students were very excited and the officers were very nice in taking time to hang out and meet our kids.






On Tuesday the students walked around the surrounding blocks of Braddock and took time to observe what was around them. We walked through residential areas, passing the streets, homes and apartments of many students. As they walked through their own community the students noted the things around them that could be improved. This included the trash on the floor, graffiti on the walls, cracked streets and telephone wires lining the sky. One student even mentioned to me how the movie billboards never change and how this is a sign that the nieghborhood is forgotten about and not cared for.

This community walk allowed the students to notice new things about the environment they are in every day. It helped them acknowledge things that need be improved and think of ideas and ways they can help be a part of this change.

So much more than a game

The Womens' Professional Soccer league had its inaugural match this past Sunday where the hometown LA Sol defeated the Washington Freedom 2-0 in front of a crowd of more than 14,000! The league's first ever goal was scored by Sol defender Allison Falk, who headed in a free kick served by Japanese star Aya Miyama just six minutes into play. The Sol went on to tally a second mark in the 87th minute as Camile Abily of France chipped a ball over Freedom goalkeeper, and US National Team veteran, Brianna Scurry. The Sol look for their second win when they head to New York/New Jersey to do battle with Sky Blue FC on April 5.

This match marks a great achievement in women's soccer as the league currently has seven teams and already has plans to add three more teams in 2010. The WPS has brought the world's most elite soccer talent together within a singular league giving all of us a chance to watch and many young girls the ability to dream. The Sol's roster alone boasts players from France, China, Sweden, Japan and Brazil not to mention players from all across the United States.

The WPS symbolizes everything that can be achieved through soccer. Not only has it brought the world's game and the world's best players to the US but it acts as a bridge between cultures, languages, and backgrounds. It is a link that all these players share and it is the link that will connect our youth to a sport as well as a positive image of strong, healthy and hardworking women.

Every WPS team is located in a SCORES city, including the three 2010 exspansion teams. This is a great chance for us to motivate our girls and show them what they can achieve through soccer. Whether they want to play professionaly is not important, it is the idea that soccer can teach them skills they need to succeed and provide them with opportunities they never thought possible.

Visit the WPS Website and get behind your team!