Harlem Youth Soccer Players Pass Around Lyrics At The America SCORES New York Poetry SLAM!

The poet-athletes from PS 192 in Harlem perform their girls team poem "We Are Athletes" at the 2011 America SCORES New York Poetry SLAM! (image source: christopher dobens)

Ode to America SCORES
Poet-Athletes took to the stage,
Some with passion, some with rage,
Others tentative, even shy,
But a few were sharp, fairly fly.
Coached in the game and grammar,
Hitting rhymes like a hammer,
And rolling lyrics like a ball,
It was a great night for us all.

OK, clearly my prose flows like a hose, but my verse could use a nurse. And don’t even get me started on my apparent inability to photograph indoors.

I recently saw the boys and girls of PS 192 and PS 325 in Harlem play soccer with Edwin van der Sar, which lifted my spirits after getting bruised and battered playing for my own team. And now, seeing them compete in the 2011 America SCORES New York annual Poetry SLAM on Nov. 18, I was compelled to dust off some Hughes and Tennyson. It seems that every time I see these kids, I am inspired.

For those of you not familiar with America SCORES, it’s a national non-profit that provides after-school soccer programs for inner-city youth. What sets them apart is that they take a team-based approach that integrates soccer, poetry, and community service.

America SCORES New York coaches hand out awards for teamwork, leadership, and commitment to poet-athletes from PS 192 and PS 325 in Harlem. (image source: christopher dobens)

Poetry helps stimulate the mind and fosters creativity within a set structure. Kids learn rhythm, cadence, and flow. These skills are applicable on the soccer field as well. Just as kids must find and develop their poetic voice, they must also find and develop their own style on the field. And, when they get stuck, they learn how to adapt and think on their feet.

The local chapter, America SCORES New York, runs programs at public elementary schools in Harlem, serving approximately 90 boys and girls in grades 3-5.

Last Friday, boys and girls teams from PS 192 and PS 325 took to their school’s stage in Harlem for a poetry competition. Each team took their turn delivering a group poem along with 16 brave individuals who walked up to the mic and laid their own personal poems on us (see the video clip below, and more on our YouTube channel).

The best eight individual poets get to compete at America SCORES National Poetry SLAM next year, representing the New York program. And the best team wins a professional recording session to put their poem to music later this month.

Soccer writer Cesar Diaz was on-hand to serve as one of the judges and even took to the stage to announce the winners. (image source: christopher dobens)

Soccer writer Cesar Diaz was one of the judges, and their job was far from easy. I didn’t catch the names of all the individual winners, so my apologies for that (suffice to say they were all winners). But I will give a shout-out to the PS 325 Girls, who won the team competitions with their poem entitled We Are. Personally, I was digging the PS 325 Boys, whose poem, Can You Kick It?, was set to an instrumental version of Walk On The Wild Side. But the judges made the right call, as the boys side struggled with consistent delivery.

The evening was wrapped up with a nice slideshow with highlights from the past year, both on and off the pitch. Then the coaches handed out awards to the kids for Teamwork, Leadership, and Commitment. And, finally, the kids turned the table and handed out awards to thank their coaches, which seems like a fitting way to wrap up this piece as well.

A big thanks to the America SCORES New York coaches: Tova Katz, Larry Wingate, Enrique Garcia, Rose Lee, Kristin Flood, Carl Carpenter, and Adrienne Reininga. And, of course, a big thanks to America SCORES New York Site Director Rob Uvanovic. These folks are running a fantastic program that’s clearly making a difference in the lives of these kids.

The crowd at the 2011 America SCORES New York Poetry SLAM! (image source: christopher dobens)

I’m also compelled to thank the event sponsors: Adidas, BBDO, Ernst & Young, MLS Works, Starbucks, Thomson Reuters, and Up2Us as well as the Finish Line Youth Foundation, the Manhattan Borough President’s Office, and Streaker Sports. Good to see these organizations stepping up to help out, especially in this ugly economy.

If you would like to learn more about America SCORES New York and how you can help sustain and grow this program, visit them online.