Four of the biggest names in BMX sat atop a stage at Nike Town in Chicago.
Close by, youth from Triple Threat programs watched and asked questions. How close? We’re talking inches.
Triple Threat and about 30 youth from its basketball and biking programs took to the Windy City recently for Nike 6.0 Dew Tour pre-show. Our good friends at Nike hooked us up with a special section reserved for us at the front of the stage. Nike riders Garrett Reynolds, Dennis Enarson, Nigel Sylvester and Mike Spinner answered questions from Triple Threat youth and others the day before the tour kicked off.
The kids had a blast, rubbing elbows with the same international biking stars they watch on TV. Except they weren’t on TV. The foursome was hanging out with 3T youth, signing posters and joking around.
Nike also gave away a number of items, including a Flip video camera and tickets to the actual Dew Tour the next day. Thanks to Nike for creating this fantastic experience for some well-deserving kids!
Check out the rest of the photos in the gallery and on our Facebook!
Triple Threat was proud to present Fox Valley United Way an original “Live United” piece of art created by students in the Triple Threat Arts program. The final piece — a 6-foot by 3-foot cornucopia of colors – was unveiled at the 2010 Fox Valley United Way Annual Breakfast in May. It was presented to United Way in appreciation of its service and partnership with Aurora non-profits to serve the under-resourced.
The painting was created by fourth grade students at Krug Elementary and Triple Threat volunteers. The artwork expressed the United Way theme, “Live United” by using a variety of colors and shapes. Students and volunteers received a square section of the final piece and put their own artistic expression on each piece. Then, all of the colors and styles were put together for one piece, further illustrating the “Live United” theme.
Take a drive around Aurora on any given summer day, and you’ll find hoards of youngsters fine-tuning their basketball skills at various parks and playgrounds.
Take a drive to the Fred Rogers Community Center in Aurora, and you’ll find a select group of youngsters working on becoming better individuals through the game of basketball. Triple Threat has teamed up with former West Aurora High School standout and current professional player Dameon Mason to offer a highly advanced-level basketball camp for 12 Aurora youth. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill summer basketball camp, though.
Triple Threat is concerned about more than just basketball skills. Every day, Triple Threat, Dameon and other area coaches provide players with the advice and guidance to help them develop as leaders off the court. During each day of the nine-week camp, youth encounter more than intensive basketball training. One hour is spent on other areas such as leadership, diet and nutrition.
After an hour of off-the-court training, campers hit the court for drills with Dameon.
Check out our gallery for some more photos of the camp.
From Bollingbrook to Plano. From Plainfield to Aurora and everywhere in between.
Thirty teams from across the area put their basketball skills to the test Saturday for the Hoops on Fire 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament. Triple Threat partnered with the city of Aurora, CIS and others to put on the 6th annual tournament.
The tournament filled 5 full basketball courts /10 half courts, as teams honed their skills on the court, ages ranging from 4th grade through High School. The West Aurora High School gym and field house were filled with intense young athletes and cheering families as game competition and 3pt shoot-outs heated things up.
The tournament was a “Double Elimination” which means a team can’t be bumped from the tournament without losing 2 times. We had 2 teams that went undefeated: Fireballs (from Bolingbrook) in Boys 4th-5th grade, and IBA (from Wheaton, Aurora & Plano) in Boys 6th-8th grade! And 1st place Aurora Elite won out of the loser bracket to take the championship in the High School bracket!
As the indoor temperature continued to rise throughout the day, no doubt the most popular vendor was Oberweis Dairy, giving out free ice cream samples. Concessions hummed along under the management of volunteer Angi Abbott. And Jason Switt just seemed to be everywhere, coordinating scorekeepers and helping to manage brackets and game tracking. And a special thanks to Doug Lambert who ended up being the referee of the day, with at least 6-8 games under his belt by the time everything was done!
But smiling faces of kids, team high fives to each other, and a building filled with kids having a great time told the final story. Special thanks to CIS, the City of Aurora, Nike, PowerBar, Pepsi and Gatorade for their contributions.
TOURNAMENT RECAP
The Fireballs from Bolingbrook took first in the boys 4th-5th grade division, with the Lakers from East Aurora coming in second.
IBA — which was composed of players from Wheaton, Aurora and Plano — took the title for boys 6th-8th grade. Storm from St. Charles took second place honors.
In the boys high school division, Aurora Elite from West Aurora took the championship. To do so, they had to beat second-place team Marley Cuts from West Auorra twice. They did so to claim first place.
Her rein as Miss Illinois has expired. But Erin O’Connor’s impact in Aurora through her time with Triple Threat won’t soon be forgotten.
Erin wrapped up her time as Miss Illinois in June when she crowned Whitney Thorpe Klinsky as Miss Illinois 2010.
Triple Threat is one of the charitable platforms for the Miss Illinois Scholarship Association, which means Erin made numerous trips to Aurora to volunteer.
Whether it was judging cheerleading competitions or leading an improv acting class, Erin left her mark with every smile she gleamed.
Here’s a look back at Erin’s time with Triple Threat
The Soopah Team has finished its training this spring for the BMX track and will begin racing on June 5th! We have been working on getting the kids safety gear and one item they needed was gloves. Meckwear is an upcoming apparel company which donated gloves for the Soopah Team! Even though the company is in the startup phase the company’s owner, Brent Mecklenburg wanted to help out. The gloves have great hand protection and are very comfortable. The kids will keep the gloves and be involved in getting feedback to the company so they can improve the design.
Some might call 1,000 youngsters a handful. At Triple Threat, we call it fun.
So on Saturday, August 14th, from 12 – 4pm, Triple Threat will team up with the City of Aurora, area churches, non-profits and volunteers to offer the annual urban festival for youth called Celebrate our Children. Last year, about 2,000 people filed into East Aurora’s McCarty Park to enjoy the free event that features live entertainment and special attractions, rides, carnival games, prizes, community booths and more. Plan now to volunteer and join the fun. Stay connected to our Facebook and Twitter accounts for more details and we hope to see you there!
Basketball, obstacle courses, soccer and kickball are.
Such was the scenario for more than 150 students at Beaupre Elementary in Aurora. On Monday, they were rewarded for months of good behavior with an open gym with Triple Threat. Student accrued “Paw points” throughout the school year and could redeem them on an afternoon of sports and events with Triple Threat.
Congrats to all the youth at Beaupre on their hard work. Turns out hard work can be fun.
A softball tournament that featured fully extended diving catches, flawless double plays and nip-and-tuck battles deserved a fitting finish.
That’s exactly what fans got Saturday at the Triple Threat and District 131 Co-Ed Softball Tournament. It took extra innings to decide a winner, but the Bardwell Bears eked out a win over the Oak Park Lions.
Teams from across the district participated in this years tournament, which brought with it uncharacteristically cold May weather and resoundingly hot hitting and fielding.
Plenty of action was brewing outside of the two softball diamonds at Phillips Park. Whether it was face painting, an obstacle course or one-on-one soccer, there was plenty of fun to be had for youth of all ages.
Triple Threat is sending out a big thank you to all of the hard-working volunteers who make our events possible. Thanks guys!
